In Days That Were

Set against the background of the campaigns for political independence and land reform in Ireland, ‘In Days that Were’ records the experiences of over one-hundred individuals from around the world in the Great War. They primarily served in the British Imperial, Australian, New Zealand, and South African forces, and in various voluntary organisations such as the Red Cross. Many were decorated for their endeavours, while eighteen lost their lives in service, and two more lost their lives as a result of German U-boat attacks. The common connection of all is that they were descendants, or spouses of descendants, of Dean Dudley Persse (1625-99), a Church of Ireland clergyman who settled in Co. Galway in 1677. The book’s title is provided by one of seven unpublished poems (included in the book) of Capt Dudley Eyre Persse, who was killed in 1915, aged 22. --South African National Society book review.