Download or read book History of the 4th British Infantry Division 1914 1919 written by G. P. Kingston and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 627 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On the 2nd August 1914, Germany declared war on France and its' armies immediately crossed the Belgian border en-route to French territory. Under the terms of the Treaty of London, Britain issued an ultimatum to Germany but, as no response was received Britain declared war on Germany at 11:00pm on the 4th August 1914. There existed an urgency to get the British army to the Western Front. Britain possessed six infantry divisions on which she could call but responded initially by sending four of those formations at the shortest possible notice. The British Expeditionary Force was followed a week later, by the 4th Infantry Division, having landed on French soil in the early hours of the 23rd August 1914. Those divisions, with the later addition of the 6th Infantry Division, were to become the famous 'Old Contemptibles'. Many divisions that served in the Great War have been written, each cataloguing the events in which the lives of millions of young men were interrupted by the greatest conflict the civilised world had seen. However, there remains the history of some forty or more yet to be documented. Consequently, it is without doubt that a large gap remains in the library of knowledge of one of Britain's greatest trials in military and civil history. The history of the 4th Infantry Division is an attempt to contribute to the filling of that gap. The 4th Division was one of the regular army divisions then in service and began mobilisation on the 4th August 1914, fought throughout, and undertook demobilisation in 1919, when it passed out of one of the most difficult and controversial periods of world history. In committing to pen the history of the 4th Division, so long after the cessation of hostilities, the author has relied on the collections of the Public Records Office, Imperial War Museum, Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and the various Regimental Museums. Unit diaries, official histories, maps, and personal diaries have all been drawn upon. An effort has been made to use the words of the contemporary authors as regularly as possible so as to embody the views of the participants. When reading the diaries and translating the pencil lines drawn on maps, many written ninety years ago, there is a sense of urgency, yet they demonstrate the formal, organised thinking of the diarist and planners. The diaries of the 4th Division exist almost complete and, when read in date order, transmit the moods and feelings of the day quite clearly and never fail to take the reader into the emotions of the time. Sadly, few of the original campaigners remain and the memory of those who returned, after so many years, cannot be relied upon for the accuracy that this record demands. Such were the losses in the period between the commencement of the Battle of Mons on the 22nd August 1914 and the conclusion of the Second Battle of Ypres on the 27th May 1915, the British divisions mentioned above virtually ceased to exist as the British Regular Army. I desire that this history should also stand as testimony to the sacrifices made by the families of those men, where many were to lose sons, fathers and brothers and to those who returned with lifetime injuries and sufferings that only they knew. The maps embodied in this volume are an attempt to translate, visually, the topography and difficulties through which those men fought and should be consulted in conjunction with the description of events as they occurred. Only then can we appreciate the contribution made by those who participated. From the moment of initial engagement, with no signal, field ambulances, or engineers, to the last great battles of November 1918, the division grew in skill and achievement to become one of the great stories of human achievement.
Download or read book The History of the Fiftieth Division 1914 1919 written by Everard Wyrall and published by . This book was released on 1939 with total page 442 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The History of the 62nd West Riding Division 1914 1919 written by Everard Wyrall and published by . This book was released on 1924 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Through the War with Company D 307th Infantry 77th Division written by and published by . This book was released on 1919 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Famous Fourth Infantry Division written by United States. Army. Infantry Division, 4th and published by . This book was released on 1953 with total page 7 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Thirty fourth Division 1915 1919 written by John Shakespear and published by . This book was released on 1921 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book 4 Division 11 Infantry Brigade Headquarters Appendices to 1486 written by and published by . This book was released on 2015-12-12 with total page 612 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The War Diaries for the Great War, held under WO95, represent one of the most popular record collections held at the National Archives, Kew, London. For researchers and family historians, the War Diaries contain a wealth of information of far greater interest than the army could ever have predicted. They provide unrivalled insight into daily events on the front line and are packed with fascinating detail. They contain no modern editing, opinions or poorly judged comments, just the war day by day, written by the men who fought this 'War to end all Wars. They are without question, the most important source of information available on the war on the Western Front. Full colour facsimile of each page with specially created chronological index. What is a War Diary? The headquarters of each unit and formation of the British Army in the field was ordered to maintain a record of its location, movements and activities. For the most part, these details were recorded on a standard army form headed 'War diary or intelligence summary'. What details are given? Details given vary greatly, depending on the nature of the unit, what it was doing and, to some extent, the style of the man writing it. The entries vary from very simple and repetitive statements like 'Training' up to many pages of description when a unit was in battle. Production of the diary was the responsibility of the Adjutant of the headquarters concerned. Is there any other information or documents with the diaries? Some diaries have other documentation attached, such as maps, operational orders and after-action reports.
Download or read book The Fiftieth Division 1914 1919 written by Everard Wyrall and published by Andrews UK Limited. This book was released on 2012-03-28 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 50th (Northumbrian) Division was a pre-war Territorial (TF) division which recruited from Northumberland, Durham and the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire. The infantry battalions came from the Northumberland Fusiliers, East Yorks, Green Howards and Durham Light Infantry. The division crossed to France on 16 April 1915 and by 23 April it had completed its concentration in the area of Steenvoorde, about 14 miles west of Ypres; the next day it was in action at St Julien during the German gas attacks and by the end of 4 May, the day after the battle of St Julien ended, it had suffered 3746 casualties. The division had been given no period of acclimatisation which was given to all other divisions on arrival on the Western Front.The division remained in the Ypres area till August 1916 when it moved down to the Somme, to III Corps, where it took part in the battles of Flers-Courcelette, Morval and the Transloy Ridges with losses of just over 4,000. The Somme offensive ended on 18 November 1916, but the division remained in that area till March 1917 when it moved up to the Arras sector where preparations were underway for a new offensive by Allenby's Third Army, which 50 Division now joined. It took part in First and Second Scarpe and the capture of Wancourt Ridge at a cost of 2750 casualties during the two weeks 11to 24 April. The division did not enter the Third Ypres campaign till late in October 1917, in time to fight the Second Battle of Passchendaele from 26 October to the end of the offensive on 10 November.When the Germans launched their final offensive on 21 March 1918, 50th Division was back on the Somme, this time in Fifth Army and in that first week its casualties numbered nearly 3,500. In April it was with First Army at the Lys where it incurred further losses of 4,265. It was then one of the divisions sent down to the Aisne, in the French sector, with IX Corps, ‘for a rest;' it arrived in time for another major German attack on 27 May, and by 6 June the division had lost almost 7,600 men. It was pulled right back, to the coast in the Dieppe area, and completely reorganizedThis history was the last of the Great War divisional histories to be published, written by the most prolific of all the Great War historians - eight regimental and four divisional histories. Wyrrall died just as he completed his task. In this book he relies considerably on the war diaries and histories of various units, on personal diaries, letters, experiences and anecdotes which together provide a history of the division’s activities seen very much at unit level and in detail. Appendices list all divisional and brigade commanders and the order of battle of units with changes.
Download or read book The War History of the 4th Battalion the London Regiment Royal Fusiliers 1914 1919 written by F. Clive Grimwade and published by Good Press. This book was released on 2019-12-09 with total page 373 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The War History of the 4th Battalion, the London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers), 1914-1919" by F. Clive Grimwade The 4th Battalion, London Regiment, Royal Fusiliers, was a Volunteer unit of Britain's Territorial Army recruited from East London. Though they fought in multiple battles, this book describes the efforts the men of this battalion made in the First World War from its first mobilization to the last advance.
Download or read book 4 Division 11 Infantry Brigade Headquarters Appendices to 1486 written by and published by . This book was released on 2015-12-12 with total page 674 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The War Diaries for the Great War, held under WO95, represent one of the most popular record collections held at the National Archives, Kew, London. For researchers and family historians, the War Diaries contain a wealth of information of far greater interest than the army could ever have predicted. They provide unrivalled insight into daily events on the front line and are packed with fascinating detail. They contain no modern editing, opinions or poorly judged comments, just the war day by day, written by the men who fought this 'War to end all Wars. They are without question, the most important source of information available on the war on the Western Front. Full colour facsimile of each page with specially created chronological index. What is a War Diary? The headquarters of each unit and formation of the British Army in the field was ordered to maintain a record of its location, movements and activities. For the most part, these details were recorded on a standard army form headed 'War diary or intelligence summary'. What details are given? Details given vary greatly, depending on the nature of the unit, what it was doing and, to some extent, the style of the man writing it. The entries vary from very simple and repetitive statements like 'Training' up to many pages of description when a unit was in battle. Production of the diary was the responsibility of the Adjutant of the headquarters concerned. Is there any other information or documents with the diaries? Some diaries have other documentation attached, such as maps, operational orders and after-action reports.
Download or read book The History of the 1 4th Battalion Duke of Wellington s West Riding Regiment 1914 1919 written by Capt P.G Bales and published by Andrews UK Limited. This book was released on 2011-12-14 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a very good and informative history of a Territorial battalion during the Great War, written by an officer who served in it as Intelligence Officer, Assistant Adjutant and Adjutant and who for more than two years was responsible for keeping the War Diary. He has made good use of this responsibility and in a series of appendices has produced the sort of detail not often seen in a battalion or regimental history. There is the battalion itinerary which charts every movement and location with dates from 4th August 1914 to 19th June 1919 with explanatory notes and comments, such as: “28.2.16. [Move to] Right section, Authuille Trenches. Relieved 1/4th Bn KOYLI.” Another lists every officer who served in the battalion noting when they joined (the originals are identified) and what befell them, with dates; e.g. killed, wounded, sick, transferred etc and then there is a similar list for all the Warrant Officers and Company Quarter Master Sergeants, I do not remember seeing such a list in any other history. There is a summary of casualties which shows the various periods of time over which they were incurred and the relevant sector of the front - a total of 98 officers 2,733 other ranks. There is also a list of Honours and Awards, which includes one VC, and it is made clear that only those conferred on personnel for services rendered while actually serving with the Battalion are included. There is no complete battalion Roll of Honour nor, unfortunately, is there an index. 4th DW was one of the regiment's three Territorial battalions (the other two were 5th and 6th), based in Halifax, Yorks, part of the 2nd West Riding Brigade (later 147th), West Riding Division (later 49th). For the first three months of the war it was on coast defence near Hull and Grimsby before moving to Doncaster, where it remained till embarking for France on 14th April 1915. It fought on the Western Front for the rest of the war, staying in the same brigade and division. The story of the battalion, written primarily for the men who served with it, is well told, based on official documents, supplemented by personal recollections of many officers and other ranks; the sketch maps are clear and most of them concentrate on the battalion's front as opposed to the general area-type maps. Well recommended.
Download or read book 5 Division 15 Infantry Brigade Cheshire Regiment 1st Battalion written by and published by . This book was released on 2015-12-12 with total page 856 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The War Diaries for the Great War, held under WO95, represent one of the most popular record collections held at the National Archives, Kew, London. For researchers and family historians, the War Diaries contain a wealth of information of far greater interest than the army could ever have predicted. They provide unrivalled insight into daily events on the front line and are packed with fascinating detail. They contain no modern editing, opinions or poorly judged comments, just the war day by day, written by the men who fought this 'War to end all Wars. They are without question, the most important source of information available on the war on the Western Front. Full colour facsimile of each page with specially created chronological index. What is a War Diary? The headquarters of each unit and formation of the British Army in the field was ordered to maintain a record of its location, movements and activities. For the most part, these details were recorded on a standard army form headed 'War diary or intelligence summary'. What details are given? Details given vary greatly, depending on the nature of the unit, what it was doing and, to some extent, the style of the man writing it. The entries vary from very simple and repetitive statements like 'Training' up to many pages of description when a unit was in battle. Production of the diary was the responsibility of the Adjutant of the headquarters concerned. Is there any other information or documents with the diaries? Some diaries have other documentation attached, such as maps, operational orders and after-action reports.
Download or read book 4 Division 11 Infantry Brigade Hampshire Regiment 1st Battalion written by and published by . This book was released on 2015-07-25 with total page 654 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The War Diaries for the Great War, held under WO95, represent one of the most popular record collections held at the National Archives, Kew, London. For researchers and family historians, the War Diaries contain a wealth of information of far greater interest than the army could ever have predicted. They provide unrivalled insight into daily events on the front line and are packed with fascinating detail. They contain no modern editing, opinions or poorly judged comments, just the war day by day, written by the men who fought this 'War to end all Wars. They are without question, the most important source of information available on the war on the Western Front. Full colour facsimile of each page with specially created chronological index. What is a War Diary? The headquarters of each unit and formation of the British Army in the field was ordered to maintain a record of its location, movements and activities. For the most part, these details were recorded on a standard army form headed 'War diary or intelligence summary'. What details are given? Details given vary greatly, depending on the nature of the unit, what it was doing and, to some extent, the style of the man writing it. The entries vary from very simple and repetitive statements like 'Training' up to many pages of description when a unit was in battle. Production of the diary was the responsibility of the Adjutant of the headquarters concerned. Is there any other information or documents with the diaries? Some diaries have other documentation attached, such as maps, operational orders and after-action reports.
Download or read book A Complete Orchestra of War written by Peter Hodgkinson and published by Helion. This book was released on 2019 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 6th Infantry Division was the last division planned as part of the BEF of 1914. It took part in the fighting on the Aisne and the Battle of Armentières in 1914; and then served in the Ypres salient for 18 months (including its recapture of Hooge in August 1915), before its translation to the Somme in 1916 to take part in the Battles of Flers-Courcelette, Morval and the Transloy Ridges. In 1917 it was involved in heavy fighting at Loos as a result of the Battle of Arras, and again in the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917. In 1918 it would bear the brunt of the German offensive as part of Third Army on 21 March, and would finish its war with Fourth Army in the Hundred Days campaign from the Hindenburg Line onwards. A brief operational history was published in 1920. This new history covers the operations in detail, but devotes two chapters to study of the division's commanders from its four major-generals to its battalion COs; a chapter to the divisional and brigade staff; a chapter to training and another on the development of divisional firepower; and reviews medical services, engineering and logistics. The book seeks to place the division within the context of the tactical and operational development of the British Army in the First World War.
Download or read book History of the Dorsetshire Regiment 1914 1919 written by Great Britain. Army. Dorset Regiment. Regimental History Committee and published by . This book was released on 1932 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Borrowed Soldiers written by Mitchell A. Yockelson and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 2016-01-18 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The combined British Expeditionary Force and American II Corps successfully pierced the Hindenburg Line during the Hundred Days Campaign of World War I, an offensive that hastened the war’s end. Yet despite the importance of this effort, the training and operation of II Corps has received scant attention from historians. Mitchell A. Yockelson delivers a comprehensive study of the first time American and British soldiers fought together as a coalition force—more than twenty years before D-Day. He follows the two divisions that constituted II Corps, the 27th and 30th, from the training camps of South Carolina to the bloody battlefields of Europe. Despite cultural differences, General Pershing’s misgivings, and the contrast between American eagerness and British exhaustion, the untested Yanks benefited from the experience of battle-toughened Tommies. Their combined forces contributed much to the Allied victory. Yockelson plumbs new archival sources, including letters and diaries of American, Australian, and British soldiers to examine how two forces of differing organization and attitude merged command relationships and operations. Emphasizing tactical cooperation and training, he details II Corps’ performance in Flanders during the Ypres-Lys offensive, the assault on the Hindenburg Line, and the decisive battle of the Selle. Featuring thirty-nine evocative photographs and nine maps, this account shows how the British and American military relationship evolved both strategically and politically. A case study of coalition warfare, Borrowed Soldiers adds significantly to our understanding of the Great War.
Download or read book A Short History of the 6th Division Aug 1914 March 1919 written by Thomas Owen Marden and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-06-06 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: CHAPTER I MOBILIZATION AND MOVE TO FRANCE 1914 The Division mobilized with its Headquarters at Cork--two brigades in Ireland, namely, the 16th Infantry Brigade at Fermoy, and the 17th Infantry Brigade at Cork, and one Infantry Brigade--the 18th--at Lichfield. Divisional troops mobilized in Ireland. The order for mobilization was received at 10 p.m. on the 4th August 1914. On the 15th August units mobilized in Ireland commenced embarkation at Cork and Queenstown for England, and the Division was concentrated in camps in the neighbourhood of Cambridge and Newmarket by the 18th August. The period from the 18th August to the 7th September was one of hard training. Those who were with the Division at that time will also remember, with gratitude, the many kindnesses shown them by the people of Cambridge; the canteens and recreation rooms instituted for the men, and the hospitality shown by colleges and individuals to the officers. They will remember, too, their growing impatience to get out, and their increasing fear that the Division would arrive too late. On the 7th September, however, entrainment for Southampton commenced, and on the 9th the first troops of the Division disembarked at St. Nazaire. From St. Nazaire a long train journey, which the novelty of the experience robbed of its tediousness, took the Division a short distance east of Paris, where it concentrated in billets in the area Coulommiers--Mortcerf--Marles--Chaume by the 12th September. CHAPTER II BATTLE OF THE AISNE 1914 The period 13th to 19th September was spent in the march to the Aisne, where the Division arrived at a time when a certain amount of anxiety was felt by the Higher Command. The 5th French Army on the right, the British Army in the centre, and the 6th French Army under General Maunoury on the left, had pushed the Germans back across the Marne, and on the 14th September the British troops had crossed the Aisne on the front Soissons-Bourg--the I Corps at Bourg, the II Corps at Vailly and Missy, and the III at Venizel. The French right attack from the direction of Rheims and the British attack by the I Corps had progressed much faster than the left, and had reached the heights on the line Craonne-Troyon, astride the famous Chemin des Dames. These were now the objective of fierce attacks by the Germans, and the 6th Division, which had been allotted originally to the III Corps, was put into General Reserve instead, only the artillery joining the III Corps. The units of the I Corps were very tired and weakened after the big retreat from Mons and the subsequent hard fighting on the Marne and Aisne, so immediately on its arrival the 18th Infantry Brigade (Brig.-Gen. W. N. Congreve, V.C.) was ordered to relieve the 2nd Infantry Brigade on the right of the British line. The front taken over ran diagonally from north-east to south-west along the high ground just south of the Chemin des Dames to the north and north-east of Troyon. The East Yorks on the left relieved in daylight on the 19th September the D.L.I., and the West Yorks during the night of the 19/20th September....
