Download or read book The Nineteenth Division written by Everard Wyrall and published by Andrews UK Limited. This book was released on 2012-01-04 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 19th (Western) Division, known as the “Butterflies” from its divisional sign, an open-winged butterfly, began to assemble on Salisbury Plain in September 1914, one of the divisions of Kitchener's Second New Army. It sailed for France in July 1915 and came under command of the Indian Corps, and at the end of August took over its first sector of line, Givenchy to Festubert, from the 7th Division. The division's first major taste of action was the battle of Loos, and although only one of its brigades was fully committed the overall casualties amounted to some 2,000. The division was at the Somme for the early battles of the offensive, its great achievement was the capture of La Boisselle after intensive fighting during the period 2–5 July. It was here that 34th Division had suffered the highest casualties of any division on the first day, 1 July, in a vain attempt to take the village. The cost to the 19th Division was around 3,500 and today their memorial stands in front of the village church. It was in this action their first VCs were awarded – three of them. In March 1917 the division made its first appearance on the Ypres front and in June distinguished itself at Messines, earning the congratulations of the Army Commander, Plumer. It remained in the salient throughout Third Ypres, its main effort being at the Menin Road battle, 20 - 25 September when its losses numbered just under 2,000. The division was again heavily involved in the German 1918 offensive, on the Somme, the Lys and down on the Aisne where it had been sent for a rest; the Germans struck there just after the division had arrived. Between the start of the German offensive, 21 March, and the end of May 1918 casualties totalled 11,250. During the final, allied advance to victory the division was not seriously engaged until the Battle of the Selle in mid-October. By the end of the war the casualty roll numbered 39,381. This is a very competent and well-written account of a division that was lucky enough to be led by two good commanders for most of its time on the Western Front – Tom Bridges and ‘Ma’ Jeffreys. The narrative is clear, easy to read and with good maps to back up the operational detail. There is are no casualty lists nor lists of honours and awards, but the citations of the eight VCs awarded are given. Unusually there is a section on personalities, comments (all favourable) on certain officers, mainly lieutenant-colonels and above. Changes in command at divisional and brigade level are shown as well as order of battle.

Download or read book The History of the Second Division 1914 1918 Volume 2 written by Everard Wyrall and published by Andrews UK Limited. This book was released on 2013-01-02 with total page 410 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Of the six pre-war regular divisions only two, 2nd and 5th, published a detailed history of their part in the Great War. The 2nd Division landed in France with the original BEF as part of I Corps (Haig) between 11 and 16 August 1914. It was not directly engaged at Mons and such casualties as were sustained (10 killed 80 wounded) were from artillery fire. During the retreat it was engaged at Landrecies (4th Guards Brigade) and Villers Cotterets but its first major battles were at the Marne and the Aisne, and subsequently it fought in all the battles of First Ypres. During the three months September to the end of November 1914 it suffered some 8,500 casualties. At the end of 1914 the division moved south to the Bethune sector where it remained throughout 1915, still in I Corps. It was at Festubert, Loos and the Hohenzollern Redoubt, which in all cost almost 9,000 casualties. In February 1916 it moved down to the Vimy sector in IV Corps where it stayed till July; the next move was to the Somme. Here the division had a protracted spell, till March 1917, during which time it was in action at Delville Wood, Guillemont and the Ancre incurring nearly 8,000 casualties. The 2nd was one of the few divisions not involved Third Ypres (July-November 1917) but it had earlier taken part in the April/May Arras offensive and later, in November/December, in the Battle of Cambrai. Throughout 1918 the division was in the line for much of the time, in the German offensive and in the Advance to Victory; its final action was the Battle of the Selle, 23-25 October. The final casualty figure was around 45,000. Seventeen VCs were won, and two of the commanders went on to greater things - Monro to Commander in Chief India, and Horne to command of First Army. The division took part in the march to the Rhine occupying the area around Cologne. In March 1919 the division ceased to exist as such when it was redesignated 'The Light Division.' The history is a very good one by probably the most prolific of all the authors of formation and regimental histories of the Great War. The detailed account is easy to follow and the Wyrall has taken care to name many individuals in the actions and events he is describing. Casualty details are given in appendices and in the text, and there is a nominal roll of divisional staff with all the changes throughout the war.

Download or read book Ordnance written by Philip Hamlyn Williams and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2018-06-01 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In August 1914, Kitchener's 'Contemptible Little Army' was highly professional but small, equipped with only what they could carry – and they were facing a force of continental proportions, heavily armed and well supplied. The task of equipping the British Army was truly Herculean. Many able men had volunteered to fight in the trenches, and others would soon be called up, so this vital work was to be undertaken by the ordinary men and women left behind. In time, the government recognised the need for skills of engineering and logistics, and many of those who had survived the onslaught were brought back home to work. Ordnance is the story of these men and women. It traces the provision of equipment and armaments from raw material through manufacture to the supply routes that gave the British Army all the material it needed to win the war. It is a story of some failures, but also of ingenuity and effort on the part of ordinary people to overcome shortfalls in organisation. It is a story of some lessons learnt, but of others that weren't, and these would have long-lasting repercussions.

Download or read book History of the King s Regiment Liverpool 1914 1919 Volume II written by Everard Wyrall and published by Andrews UK Limited. This book was released on 2012-09-03 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Volume II of III This is an impressive history by the most prolific author of Great War divisional and regimental histories, a fine tribute to a regiment that contributed 49 battalions to the nation's war effort, 26 of them served overseas, including the 2nd Battalion which was in India in August 1914 and remained there throughout the war. It is also a tribute to the author who died in 1933, before he could finish the third volume; the final few chapters were completed by Capt W. Synge of the 1st Battalion. All 23 front line battalions served on the Western Front, one of them (14th) in Salonika as well. The Roll of Honour lists 14,200 dead, six VCs were won, one of them by an officer (Capt O.A.Reid) attached to another regiment, and 58 Battle Honours were awarded. This work is set out in chronological order, each volume dealing with a specific period and ending with the Roll of Honour for that period and citations for any VC. Dates are in the margin and so is the identification of the battalion involved in the action being described. Volume 2 takes the narrative through 1916 to 30 June 1917 and the Arras offensive. As it may be imagined, there is plenty of detail in a history so generous with space as this, with its three volumes, and the narrative is supported with clear maps.

Download or read book History of the King s Regiment Liverpool 1914 1919 Volume III written by Everard Wyrall and published by Andrews UK Limited. This book was released on 2012-09-04 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Volume III of III This is an impressive history by the most prolific author of Great War divisional and regimental histories, a fine tribute to a regiment that contributed 49 battalions to the nation's war effort, 26 of them served overseas, including the 2nd Battalion which was in India in August 1914 and remained there throughout the war. It is also a tribute to the author who died in 1933, before he could finish the third volume; the final few chapters were completed by Capt W. Synge of the 1st Battalion. All 23 front line battalions served on the Western Front, one of them (14th) in Salonika as well. The Roll of Honour lists 14,200 dead, six VCs were won, one of them by an officer (Capt O.A.Reid) attached to another regiment, and 58 Battle Honours were awarded. This work is set out in chronological order, each volume dealing with a specific period and ending with the Roll of Honour for that period and citations for any VC. Dates are in the margin and so is the identification of the battalion involved in the action being described. This final volume completes the story beginning with Third Ypres and ending with a very brief chapter on the 2nd Battalion in India. As it may be imagined, there is plenty of detail in a history so generous with space as this, with its three volumes, and the narrative is supported with clear maps.

Download or read book From the Somme to Victory written by Peter Simkins and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2014-10-30 with total page 487 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Peter Simkins has established a reputation over the last forty years as one of the most original and stimulating historians of the First World War. He has made a major contribution to the debate about the performance of the British Army on the Western Front. This collection of his most perceptive and challenging essays, which concentrates on British operations in France between 1916 and 1918, shows that this reputation is richly deserved. He focuses on key aspects of the army's performance in battle, from the first day of the Somme to the Hundred Days, and gives a fascinating insight into the developing theory and practice of the army as it struggled to find a way to break through the German line. His rigorous analysis undermines some of the common assumptions - and the myths - that still cling to the history of these British battles.

Download or read book Kitchener s Army written by Peter Simkins and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2007-08-30 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Numbering over five million men, Britain's army in the First World War was the biggest in the country's history. Remarkably, nearly half those men who served in it were volunteers. 2,466,719 men enlisted between August 1914 and December 1915, many in response to the appeals of the Field-Marshal Lord Kitchener. How did Britain succeed in creating a mass army, almost from scratch, in the middle of a major war ? What compelled so many men to volunteer ' and what happened to them once they had taken the King's shilling ? Peter Simkins describes how Kitchener's New Armies were raised and reviews the main political, economic and social effects of the recruiting campaign. He examines the experiences and impressions of the officers and men who made up the New Armies. As well as analysing their motives for enlisting, he explores how they were fed, housed, equipped and trained before they set off for active service abroad. Drawing upon a wide variety of sources, ranging from government papers to the diaries and letters of individual soldiers, he questions long-held assumptions about the 'rush to the colours' and the nature of patriotism in 1914. The book will be of interest not only to those studying social, political and economic history, but also to general readers who wish to know more about the story of Britain's citizen soldiers in the Great War.

Download or read book The History of the Second Division 1914 1918 Volume 1 written by Everard Wyrall and published by Andrews UK Limited. This book was released on 2013-01-02 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Of the six pre-war regular divisions only two, 2nd and 5th, published a detailed history of their part in the Great War. The 2nd Division landed in France with the original BEF as part of I Corps (Haig) between 11 and 16 August 1914. It was not directly engaged at Mons and such casualties as were sustained (10 killed 80 wounded) were from artillery fire. During the retreat it was engaged at Landrecies (4th Guards Brigade) and Villers Cotterets but its first major battles were at the Marne and the Aisne, and subsequently it fought in all the battles of First Ypres. During the three months September to the end of November 1914 it suffered some 8,500 casualties. At the end of 1914 the division moved south to the Bethune sector where it remained throughout 1915, still in I Corps. It was at Festubert, Loos and the Hohenzollern Redoubt, which in all cost almost 9,000 casualties. In February 1916 it moved down to the Vimy sector in IV Corps where it stayed till July; the next move was to the Somme. Here the division had a protracted spell, till March 1917, during which time it was in action at Delville Wood, Guillemont and the Ancre incurring nearly 8,000 casualties. The 2nd was one of the few divisions not involved Third Ypres (July-November 1917) but it had earlier taken part in the April/May Arras offensive and later, in November/December, in the Battle of Cambrai. Throughout 1918 the division was in the line for much of the time, in the German offensive and in the Advance to Victory; its final action was the Battle of the Selle, 23-25 October. The final casualty figure was around 45,000. Seventeen VCs were won, and two of the commanders went on to greater things - Monro to Commander in Chief India, and Horne to command of First Army. The division took part in the march to the Rhine occupying the area around Cologne. In March 1919 the division ceased to exist as such when it was redesignated 'The Light Division.' The history is a very good one by probably the most prolific of all the authors of formation and regimental histories of the Great War. The detailed account is easy to follow and the Wyrall has taken care to name many individuals in the actions and events he is describing. Casualty details are given in appendices and in the text, and there is a nominal roll of divisional staff with all the changes throughout the war.

Download or read book We Hope to Get Word Tomorrow written by James Louis Garvin and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: WORLD HISTORY: FIRST WORLD WAR. This fascinating collection of letters traces the exchanges between a young subaltern on the front, Gerard 'Ged' Garvin, and his mother and father at home. Correspondence was eagerly awaited by all. Ged savored letters home like 'Jim Hawkins trickling the doubloons through his fingers'. Equally, his mother and father at home were always fearful that each letter they received would be the last. In a letter J. L. Garvin sent to his son 21 July 1916 he wrote: 'Of course there's no fresh letter from you and we didn't expect it. But we hope, all the same, to get word tomorrow . . .' Ged was killed the very next day. He was just twenty years old. Ged's father was J. L. Garvin (1868-1947) - editor of The Observer and an important figure in pre-war politics and society. Taken together the letters vividly capture the experience of a family during the First World War.

Download or read book Communications and British Operations on the Western Front 1914 1918 written by Brian N. Hall and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-06-07 with total page 363 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is an important new study examining the military operations of the British Expeditionary Force in 1914–18 through the lens of its communications system. Brian Hall charts how new communications technology such as wireless, telephone and telegraph were used alongside visual signalling, carrier pigeons and runners as the British army struggled to develop a communication system adequate enough to wage modern warfare. He reveals how tenuous communications added to the difficulties of command and control during the war's early years, and examines their role during the major battles of the Somme, Arras, Ypres and Cambrai. It was only in 1918 that the British army would finally develop a flexible and sophisticated communications system capable of effectively coordinating infantry, artillery, tanks and aeroplanes. This is a major contribution to our understanding of British military operations during the First World War, the learning processes of armies and the revolution in military affairs.

Download or read book Dunkirk to D Day written by Philip Hamlyn Williams and published by Pen and Sword History. This book was released on 2021-06-09 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At Dunkirk, the withdrawing army left behind most of its equipment, yet only four years later, on D-Day, troops would wonder at the efficiency of supply. This book looks at the lives of some of the men who led the monumental effort which led to this result. The story begins in Victorian south London. It goes out to Portuguese East Africa and then to Malaya, before being caught in the maelstrom of the Great War. Between the wars, its leading characters work at Pilkington, Dunlop and English Steel; they serve in Gallipoli, Gibraltar and Malta; they transform the way a mechanised army is supplied. They supply in the desert and the jungle. They build massive depots, and relationships with motor companies here and in the USA. After the war they work for companies driving the post-war economy: Vickers, Dunlop and Rootes. Many died, exhausted, years before their time.

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 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 That Astonishing Infantry written by Michael Glover and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2007-11-15 with total page 377 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Royal Welch Fusiliers were present at all Marlborough's great victories; they were one of the six Minden regiments; they fought throughout the Peninsula and were present at Wellington's final glorious victory at Waterloo. In The Great War their officers included the writer poets Siegfried Sassoon and Robert Graves; their 22 battalions fought not just on the Western Front but at Gallipoli, in Egypt, Palestine, Salonika, Mesopotamia and Italy. In WW2 they won battle honours from the Reichswald to Kohima. More recently they have served with distinction in the war against terror in the Middle East. Like so many famous regiments the RWF are no longer in the British Army's order of battle having been amalgamated into the Royal Regiment of Wales. But this fine book is the lasting memorial to a fiercely proud and greatly admired regiment.

Download or read book Life and Times of Lieutenant General Adrian Carton de Wiart written by Alan Ogden and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2021-11-04 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this ground-breaking new book, Alan Ogden brings to life Lt Gen sir Adrian Carton de Wiart, soldier, statesman and an often-overlooked figure in British Military and Diplomatic History. Framed through the life of Carton de Wiart this book also offers an exploration of important topics and developments in the first half of the 20th-century, including the Boer War, World War I, World War II and Anglo-Sino relations. This biography ranges from de Wiart's early life, his wartime experiences and role as Churchill's personal representative to Chiang Kai-shek. Ogden draws from an extensive array of primary sources including previously unseen private family papers to examine, in exquisite detail, the life and times of a man who experienced the horrors of war to rise up the ranks and become a personal representative of Winston Churchill and then Clement Attlee. This book will be of interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as scholars studying British Military and Diplomatic history in the first half of the twentieth century.

Download or read book The History of the Second Division 1914 1918 written by Everard Wyrall and published by . This book was released on 1916 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Mud Blood and Poppycock written by Gordon Corrigan and published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson. This book was released on 2012-12-20 with total page 525 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The true story of how Britain won the First World War. The popular view of the First World War remains that of BLACKADDER: incompetent generals sending brave soldiers to their deaths. Alan Clark quoted a German general's remark that the British soldiers were 'lions led by donkeys'. But he made it up. Indeed, many established 'facts' about 1914-18 turn out to be myths woven in the 1960s by young historians on the make. Gordon Corrigan's brilliant, witty history reveals how out of touch we have become with the soldiers of 1914-18. They simply would not recognize the way their generation is depicted on TV or in Pat Barker's novels. Laced with dry humour, this will overturn everything you thought you knew about Britain and the First World War. Gordon Corrigan reveals how the British embraced technology, and developed the weapons and tactics to break through the enemy trenches.