Memoirs from the British Expeditionary Force, 1914–1915
Memoirs from the British Expeditionary Force, 1914–1915

Author: Edward Gleichen

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2014-08-31

Total Pages: 122

ISBN-13: 1473850134

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Edward Gleichen commanded the 15th Infantry Brigade during the tumultous opening battles of the Great War. The division was mobilised by 10 August 1914, and fought in the opening battles at Mons, Le Cateau and the Marne. The 15th Infantry Brigade was a regular formation tht comprised four battalions from Bedfordshire, Norfolk, Dorset and Cheshire. Detailed accounts by battlefield commanders from 1914 are surprisingly rare. This long out of print account of the actions of the British Expeditionary Force, which was first published in 1917, was based on a diary of events written at the time by Brigadier General Edward Gleichen. It originally appeared under the title The Doings of the Fifteenth Infantry Brigade - August 1914 to March 1915. This volume is much more than a brigade diary, providing the reader with a detailed and privileged insight into the problems of command during the confused actions in Flanders and France from the perspective of the men who helped to forge the legend of the Old Comtemptables.

Memoirs from the British Expeditionary Force
Memoirs from the British Expeditionary Force

Author: Lord Edward Gleichen

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2014-08-31

Total Pages: 156

ISBN-13: 1783462493

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Edward Gleichen commanded the 15th Infantry Brigade during the tumultous opening battles of the Great War. The division was mobilised by 10 August 1914, and fought in the opening battles at Mons, Le Cateau and the Marne. The 15th Infantry Brigade was a regular formation tht comprised four battalions from Bedfordshire, Norfolk, Dorset and Cheshire.??Detailed accounts by battlefield commanders from 1914 are surprisingly rare. This long out of print account of the actions of the British Expeditionary Force, which was first published in 1917, was based on a diary of events written at the time by Brigadier General Edward Gleichen. It originally appeared under the title The Doings of the Fifteenth Infantry Brigade - August 1914 to March 1915.??This volume is much more than a brigade diary, providing the reader with a detailed and privileged insight into the problems of command during the confused actions in Flanders and France from the perspective of the men who?helped to forge the legend of the Old Comtemptables.

The Old Contemptibles
The Old Contemptibles

Author: Robin Neillands

Publisher: John Murray Publishers

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 362

ISBN-13: 9780719556463

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In his robust re-examination of the onset of war, Robin Neillands reviews the exploits and character of the BEF, revealing how it came to be both the focus of British hopes and, in the tragedy of its defeat, the catalyst for a policy shift without which the war would surely have been lost.

The Battles of the British Expeditionary Forces, 1914-1915
The Battles of the British Expeditionary Forces, 1914-1915

Author: Fred R. van Hartesveldt

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2005-04-30

Total Pages: 206

ISBN-13: 0313068437

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In this valuable resource, over 1,000 annotated sources from Great Britain, France, and Germany offer a historiographical reference for study of the British army at the beginning and in the first battles of World War I. Unique to this bibliography is the comprehensive coverage of sources, resulting in a more complete picture of the circumstances of activities of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). Sources include coverage of the BEF's military role, as well as background information about domestic military considerations and Allied and enemy efforts. This volume will support researchers and students in their efforts to find out what the Expeditionary Force's contributions were in World War I, and for expanding their knowledge of the Great War and British military history. In this valuable resource, over 1,000 annotated sources from Great Britain, France, and Germany offer a historiographical reference for study of the British army at the beginning and in the first battles of World War I. Unique to this bibliography is the comprehensive coverage of sources, and it results in a more complete picture of the circumstances of activities of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). Sources include coverage of the BEF's military role, as well as background information about domestic military considerations and Allied and enemy efforts. This volume will support researchers and students in their efforts to find out what the Expeditionary Force's contributions were in World War I, and for expanding their knowledge of the Great War and British military history. The volume includes four chapters of historiographical essays discussings the interpretations and controversies that surround the performance and leadership of the BEF in 1914-1915. The essays direct readers to the major sources that support various ideas and indicate gaps in the historiography of the subject. Following the historiographical essays is an annotated bibliography of more than 1,000 sources that are relevant to the study of the BEF.

Stemming the Tide
Stemming the Tide

Author: Spencer Jones

Publisher: Wolverhampton Military Studies

Published: 2019-03

Total Pages: 424

ISBN-13: 9781912866113

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The British Expeditionary Force of 1914 was described by the official historian as "incomparably the best trained, best organised, and best equipped British Army that ever went forth to war." The BEF proved its fighting qualities in the fierce battles of 1914 and its reputation has endured. However, the same cannot be said for many of its commanders, who have frequently been portrayed as old fashioned, incompetent, and out of touch with events on the battlefield. Yet the officers who led the BEF to war were every bit as professional and hard-bitten as the soldiers they commanded. These officers had learned their craft in the unforgiving school of colonial warfare and honed their understanding of conflict in the period of reform that reshaped the army between 1902 and 1914. As this book reveals, when faced with the realities of modern combat, the officers of the BEF were prepared for the challenge. This collection offers a broad picture of command at all levels of the BEF through a series of biographical essays on key officers. Drawing upon much original research, each chapter explores the pre-war background and experience of the officer and assesses his performance in combat in the opening months of the First World War. The book features insightful reappraisals of famous figures including John French and Douglas Haig, fresh studies of staff officers such as William Robertson and Henry Wilson, and a thorough discussion of officers at the sharp end, with chapters covering divisional, brigade, battalion and company commanders. The essays reveal an officer class that, despite certain weaknesses, provided highly effective leadership during the chaotic fighting of August to November 1914. Without their influence it is unlikely that the BEF would have been able to survive the difficulties of the Great Retreat, much less halt the German invasions of France and Belgium. This book will be of great interest to anyone who studies the First World War, and of particular value to those who seek a greater understanding of the British Army of the era.

Memoirs from the British Expeditionary Force
Memoirs from the British Expeditionary Force

Author: Lord Edward Gleichen

Publisher:

Published: 2014-08-31

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781783462490

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Edward Gleichen commanded the 15th Infantry Brigade during the tumultous opening battles of the Great War. The division was mobilised by 10 August 1914, and fought in the opening battles at Mons, Le Cateau and the Marne. The 15th Infantry Brigade was a regular formation tht comprised four battalions from Bedfordshire, Norfolk, Dorset and Cheshire.??Detailed accounts by battlefield commanders from 1914 are surprisingly rare. This long out of print account of the actions of the British Expeditionary Force, which was first published in 1917, was based on a diary of events written at the time by Brigadier General Edward Gleichen. It originally appeared under the title The Doings of the Fifteenth Infantry Brigade - August 1914 to March 1915.??This volume is much more than a brigade diary, providing the reader with a detailed and privileged insight into the problems of command during the confused actions in Flanders and France from the perspective of the men who?helped to forge the legend of the Old Comtemptables.

Nurse Writers of the Great War
Nurse Writers of the Great War

Author: Christine Hallett

Publisher: Manchester University Press

Published: 2016-02-15

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 1784996327

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This electronic version has been made available under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) open access license. The First World War was the first ‘total war’. Its industrial weaponry damaged millions of men and drove whole armies underground into dangerously unhealthy trenches. Many were killed. Many more suffered terrible, life-threatening injuries: wound infections such as gas gangrene and tetanus, exposure to extremes of temperature, emotional trauma and systemic disease. In an effort to alleviate this suffering, tens of thousands of women volunteered to serve as nurses. Of these, some were experienced professionals, while others had undergone only minimal training. But regardless of their preparation, they would all gain a unique understanding of the conditions of industrial warfare. Until recently their contributions, both to the saving of lives and to our understanding of warfare, have remained largely hidden from view. By combining biographical research with textual analysis, Nurse writers of the great war opens a window onto their insights into the nature of nursing and the impact of warfare.

Of Those We Loved
Of Those We Loved

Author: I. L. (Dick) Read

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2013-03-30

Total Pages: 542

ISBN-13: 1781591016

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The Author was among the first to respond to Kitchener’s call for volunteers in 1914. He joined 8th Battalion, The Leicestershire Regiment at the outbreak of war as a Private and, within weeks, he and the Battalion were heading for Northern France with the British Expeditionary Force. In this superb memoir we see how the spirit of adventurous patriotism that carried him to war gradually turns to sober reflection as the fighting intensifies and he loses so many friends and comrades at the Battles of the Somme and the Marne. In 1917 he is commissioned into the Royal Sussex Regiment and makes a long, hazardous journey to Egypt to join his new battalion only to be recalled to take part in the Second Battle of the Marne, where his leadership and bravery win him the Croix de Guerre. Written with great modesty and insight, Dick Read’s account contains a wealth of graphic descriptions of his experiences over the whole period of The Great War including the Somme 1916, Hindenburg Line, Egypt, Flanders and the Final Advance. The book is further enhanced by the inclusion of excellent drawings by the Author himself. Many memoirs will be published to commemorate the Centenary of ‘the War to end all Wars’ but it can be said with confidence that Of Those We Loved is unlikely to be bettered. It makes for gripping reading both at home and as a companion on any visit to the Battlefields. Refined over the years, but retaining a rare sense of authenticity, this is a moving personal record of a survivor’s war and a profoundly moving epitaph for a lost generation.

For King and Kanata
For King and Kanata

Author: Timothy Charles Winegard

Publisher: Univ. of Manitoba Press

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 249

ISBN-13: 0887554180

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"The first comprehensive history of the Aboriginal First World War experience on the battlefield and the home front. When the call to arms was heard at the outbreak of the First World War, Canada's First Nations pledged their men and money to the Crown to honour their long-standing tradition of forming military alliances with Europeans during times of war, and as a means of resisting cultural assimilation and attaining equality through shared service and sacrifice. Initially, the Canadian government rejected these offers based on the belief that status Indians were unsuited to modern, civilized warfare. But in 1915, Britain intervened and demanded Canada actively recruit Indian soldiers to meet the incessant need for manpower. Thus began the complicated relationships between the Imperial Colonial and War Offices, the Department of Indian Affairs, and the Ministry of Militia that would affect every aspect of the war experience for Canada's Aboriginal soldiers. In his groundbreaking new book, For King and Kanata, Timothy C. Winegard reveals how national and international forces directly influenced the more than 4,000 status Indians who voluntarily served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force between 1914 and 1919--a per capita percentage equal to that of Euro-Canadians--and how subsequent administrative policies profoundly affected their experiences at home, on the battlefield, and as returning veterans."--Publisher's website.