Book excerpt: The first twenty years of the twentieth century, 1900-1920. In no other twenty years has the world changed so radically, commencing in perhaps the very best of times, and proceeding through to certainly, and suddenly, the very worst. The story of those years can be told in different ways. Freddie Breedon and his modestly middle class British family and friends who would live, travel, and work, and also fight and support during those two decades, have allow us, with their regular correspondence, a unique way. During those twenty years some 200 postcards would pass between them, to be collected by Freddie. Two hundred short episodes, two hundred snapshots or sketches, with a bit of description, from here and there and all over, and from different authors, when blended together can give us a single picture of this time like no other. To enhance our picture and add colour and depth, a second form of authentic reportage is used in our story. Beverley Moysey was a Canadian soldier who fought in the trenches of the western front in the Great War. He kept a diary of vivid and explicit entries of his months there. It is presented here in its entirety It will show a very different picture to that seen by Freddie and family.