Princess Fuzzypants here: For Centuries the British and the French fought each other off and on, in varying alliances of other parties. But WW I brought about something for which both sides were unprepared. The men of the two countries were allies in the trenches where they fought cheek by jowl together. Since the trenches blighted the landscape of France, both on the field and on leave, the soldiers were faced with a large challenge. How to communicate with the other side when you do not have any knowledge of their language.

So the British Tommy, with necessity being the mother of invention, created a new language that seemed to bridge the gap. They took French words and anglicized them as much a possible and turned them into slang. Some of the words have been passed down and are still in use today. It was a creative solution to a thorny problem as orders between troops and the interpretation of orders between allies was pretty important if you wanted to fight a battle in tandem. Moreover, just trying to purchase a good or service from the locals required the ability to understand and be understood.

Certainly some achieved greater success than others as it was unusual for someone not of a certain class to have taken any French at school. And as anyone who has taken a foreign language can attest, school book language is far different from local patter. But somehow for the duration they managed to muddle through and this book gives a detailed account, often in the first person, of the trials and tribulations that come from creating something that could be understood by most.

Four purrs and two paws up.