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HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR
Based on Official Documents
By Direction of The Historical Section of The Committee of Imperial Defence

Military Operations

France and Belgium, 1914

Volume I (Text only)

Mons, the Retreat to the Seine, the Marne and the Aisne, August-October 1914

Compiled by

Brigadier-General J. E. Edmonds

C.B., C.M.G., R.E. (Retired), p.s.c.

(Maps and sketches compiled by Major A. F. Becke)

This is the 1922 First Edition

“[Covering] the Battle of Mons and Le Cateau, the long retreat of the allied armies throughout August 1914, the crisis of the Marne, and the recoil of the German forces to the Aisne. The author served with the 4th division in the early days of the retreat from Mons: personal recollections combine with official and unofficial papers from British, German and French sources to form an unparalleled and definitive account of one of the crucial periods of European History.”

“The British Official History of The Great War is distinguished by the scope of the narrative and the thoroughness with which material from British records was combined with allied and enemy forces to give a balanced and objective view.”

Front cover and spine

Further images of this book are shown below

Publisher and place of publication		Dimensions in inches (to the nearest quarter-inch)
London: Macmillan and Company, Limited		5½ inches wide x 8¾ inches tall

Edition		Length
1922 First Edition		[xxvi] + 545 pages

Condition of covers		Internal condition
Original red cloth gilt. The covers are rubbed and faded with significant areas of colour loss, particularly around the edges and there are also some old splash marks on the rear cover. The spine is also badly faded with almost total loss of original colour. The spine ends and corners are heavily bumped.		There is a previous owner's name ("Alasdair Fraser") inscribed heavily in blue crayon on the front free end-paper. There are no other internal markings and the text is very clean throughout. The edge of the text block is dust-stained and slightly grubby. There is some separation between the inner gatherings.

Dust-jacket present?		Other comments
No		Allowing for the loss of colour to the covers, which seems to affect many of the Pre-1939 Editions, this remains a clean and complete example of the First Edition. Please note that this is the text-only Volume and does not include the separate map-case; however, some sketch maps are included within the text itself (please see the scans below).

Illustrations, maps, etc		Contents
Please see below for details, but note that this is the text-only Volume and does not include the separate map-case; however, some sketch maps are included within the text itself.		Please see below for details

Post & shipping information		Payment options
The packed weight is approximately 1100 grams. Full shipping/postage information is provided in a panel at the end of this listing.		Payment options include UK buyers: cheque (in GBP), debit card, credit card (Visa, MasterCard but not Amex), PayPal International buyers: credit card (Visa, MasterCard but not Amex), PayPal Full payment information is provided in a panel at the end of this listing.

France and Belgium, 1914

Mons, the Retreat to the Seine, the Marne and the Aisne, August-October 1914

Contents

INTRODUCTION
Great Britain
The Reorganization of 1908
The Expeditionary Force
France
Belgium
GERMANY
Composition of German Formations

Chapter I
The Outbreak of War
PROGRESS OF EVENTS :
England
Belgium
The Operations of the French
The Operations of the Germans
THE BRITISH ENTRY INTO FRANCE
THE BRITISH ADVANCE

Chapter II
22nd August 1914 :
First Contact with the Enemy
Advance of the I. and II. Corps
The Situation at Nightfall
German Uncertainty as to the Position of the B.E.F.

Chapter III
The Battle of Mons, 23rd August
Description of the Ground
The British Dispositions
The First Encounter with the Enemy :
(a) The Salient
(b) The Canal West of Mons
Front of the I. Corps
Progress of the Fight in the Salient
The Line of the Mons Canal West of the Salient
The Salient
The Situation at Nightfall
The German Account of Mons

Chapter IV
The Retreat from Mons and Action of Elouges, 24th August
Situation of the British at Dawn of the 24th August 1914
The Retreat of the I. Corps
The Retreat of the II. Corps
The German Account of Frameries
The Fighting on the Left Flank of the II. Corps
I. Corps Rear Guard and the 3rd Division, 9 A.M. to 1 P.M.
II. Corps : 5th Division, 9 A.M. to 2 P.M.
The Flank-guard Action at Elouges
Resumption of the Retreat
Summary of the Operations on the 24th August
German Movements on the 24th August
Note : Operations of the French Troops on the British Left

Chapter V
The Retreat from Mons (continued), 25th August
Orders for the 25th August
Movements on the 25th August :
The I. Corps
The II. Corps
Movements of the German First and Second Armies
Note : Movement of General Valabregue's Group of Reserve divisions

Chapter VI
The Retreat from Mons (continued), Evening and Night of 25th/26th August :
The Affairs at Landrecies and Maroilles
The II. Corps The Rear-guard Action of Solesmes
The Movements of the German First Army on 25th August
First Belgian Sortie during 24th, 25th, 26th August
The Situation at Midnight, 25th/26th August
General Sir H. Smith-Dorrien's Decision
Arrival of the 4th Division in its Position

Chapter VII
The Battle of Le Cateau, 26th August. Dawn till Noon
Formation of the Line of Battle
The Battle :
The Right of the Line
The Right Centre of the Line
The Left Wing

Chapter VIII
The Battle of Le Cateau, 26th August (continued). Noon to 5 p.m.
The Right of the Line
The Right Centre of the Line
The 3rd Division
The 8th Infantry Brigade and the 4th Division
Summary of the Situation at 5 P.M.

Chapter IX
The Close of the Battle of Le Cateau, 26th August. 5 p.m. to Nightfall
The Right of the Line
The 3rd Division
The 4th Division
German Accounts of Le Cateau
General d'Amade's Force on the British Left
The Troops left on the Battlefield, 3rd and 4th Divisions

THE RETREAT OF THE II. CORPS AND 4th DIVISION
THE CONTINUATION OF THE RETREAT ON THE 27TH AND 28TH AUGUST
Notes : I. General Joffre's Congratulatory Telegram
II. The German Corps at the Battle of Le Cateau 200

Chapter X
Other Events of The 26th-28th August:

26th August, the Rear-guard Affair of Le Grand Fayt
27th August, the Rear-guard Affair of Etreux
28th August, the Affair at Cerizy
General Situation on the Night of 28th/29th August
The Movements of the German First and Second Armies
from 26th to 28th August
Notes : I. The Movements of the French Fifth Army from
Charleroi to Guise
II. British Losses, 23rd-27th August224

Chapter XI
29th-31st August. The Events of The Retreat Continued :

29th August
30th August
31st August
The Movements of the German First and Second Armies, 29th to 31st August

Chapter XII
The Last Stages Of The Retreat : 2nd-5th September 1914:

2nd September : Retirement to Meaux Dammartin
Operations of the German First and Second Armies, 2nd September 1914
3rd September : Passage of the Marne
4th September : Retirement to the Grand Morin
5th September : The End of the Retreat
The Change of Base
Operations of the German First and Second Armies, 3rd-5th September 1914

Chapter XIII
The Last Stages of the Retreat, 2nd-5th September
Notes :
I. Operations of the German First and Second Armies, 2nd-5th September
II. The Genesis of the Battle of the Marne

Chapter XIV
The Battle of The Marne
6th September : The Return to the Offensive
7th September : The March to the Grand Morin
8th September : The Forcing of the Petit Morin
9th September : The Passage of the Marne
The Cavalry and I. Corps
Operations of the II. Corps
Operations of the III. Corps

Chapter XV
The Battle of the Marne (6th-9th September 1914) From The German Side
10th September : The Beginning of the Pursuit
11th September : The Incline to the North-East
12th September : The Advance to the Aisne
The German Retirement from the Battle of the Marne
Note: Second Belgian Sortie from Antwerp

The Battle Of The Aisne :
13th September : The Situation of the German Right Wing
on the Night of the 12th/13th September
The Passage of the Aisne 325
The 13th September from the German Side
14th September : The Day of Battle
I. Corps : Advance of the 1st Division
do. Advance of the 2nd Division
The Centre and Left : II. and III. Corps
The Left Centre : 5th Division
The Left : 4th Division
The I. Corps
Summary of the 14th September
The 14th September from the German Side
Situation on the Night of 14th September
15th September : The Deadlock

Chapter XVI
Last Days On The Aisne :

General Strategic Situation
The Beginning of Trench Warfare
Operations on the Aisne :
The Week of 16th-22nd September
16th September
17th September
18th September
19th September
20th September :
Attacks on the 1st Division
2nd Division
3rd Division
21st-24th September
25th-27th September :
The Last Attacks
28th September-14th October
The Extension of the Opposing Armies Northward : The Race to the Sea
Transfer of the British from the Aisne to the Left of the Line
Retrospect of the Battle of the Aisne

TABLE OF APPENDICES

1. Order of Battle of the British Expeditionary Force, August and September 1914
2. Notes on the organization of some of the principal formations and units of the British Expeditionary Force in 1914
3. Order of Battle of the French Armies in August 1914
4. Notes on the organization of some of the principal French formations and units in 1914
5. Order of Battle of the Belgian Army in August 1914
6. Order of Battle of the German Armies in August 1914
7. Notes on the organization of some of the principal German formations and units in 1914
8. Instructions to Sir John French from Earl Kitchener, August 1914
9. The French plan of campaign, Plan 17 (translation)
10. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 5, 1 P.M. 20th August 1914 (with march table and allotment of Army troops)
11. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 6, 11.55 P.M. 21st August 1914
12. Sir John French's supplementary instruction to Cavalry Division, 11.35 P.M. 21st August 1914
13. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 7, 8.25 P.M. 24th August 1914
14. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 8, 7.30 P.M. 25th August 1914
15. 4th Division Operation Order No. 1, 5 P.M. 25th August 1914
16. II. Corps Operation Order No. 6, 10.15 P.M. 25th August 1914
17. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 9, 8.30 P.M. 27th August 1914
18. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 10, 11.30 P.M. 28th August 1914
19. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 11, 9 P.M. 29th August 1914
20. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 12, 5.15 P.M. 30th August 1914
21. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 13, 8.50 P.M. 31st August 1914
22. Telegraphic communications between Earl Kitchener and Sir John French, 30th August to 1st September 1914
23. G.H.Q. messages to I. Corps anticipating and confirming order to retire, 1st September 1914
24. Correspondence with regard to halting on the Marne and the retreat behind the Seine (translation)
25. Original of Appendix 24
26. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 14, 7.30 P.M. 2nd September 1914
27. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 15, 11.50 P.M. 3rd September 1914
28. Le General Commandant en Chef au Field Marechal Sir John French, Commandant en Chef les forces Britanniques, 4th September 1914
29. Letter of Sir John French to Earl Kitchener, 7th September 1914
30. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 16, 6.35 P.M. 4th September 1914
31. Table giving length of daily marches (in miles) from 20th August to 5th September (both inclusive)
32. General Joffre's General Order for the battle of the Marne (translation)
33. Original of Appendix 32
34. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 17, 5.15 P.M. 5th September 1914
35. Cavalry Division Operation Order No. 11, 5th September 1914 (with march table)
36. I. Corps Operation Order No. 10, 5th September 1914
37. II. Corps Operation Order No. 15, 5th September 1914
38. III. Corps Operation Order No. 7, 5th September 1914
39. Sir John French's Special Order of the Day, 6th September 1914
40. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 18, 9 P.M. 7th September 1914
41. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 19, 7.30 P.M. 8th September 1914
42. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 20, 8.15 P.M. 9th September 1914
43. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 21, 8.15 P.M. 10th September 1914
44. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 22, 6 P.M. 11th September 1914
45. General Joffre's Special Instruction No. 23 of 12th September 1914
46. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 23, 7.45 P.M. 12th September 1914
47. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 24, 6 P.M. 13th September 1914
48. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 25, 14th September 1914
49. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 26, 8.30 P.M. 15th September 1914
50. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 27, 8.30 P.M. 16th September 1914
51. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 28, 3 P.M. 1st October 1914
52. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 29, 11 A.M. 2nd October 1914
53. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 30, 8 A.M. 4th October 1914
54. Sir John French's Operation Order No. 31, 8.30 A.M. 5th October 1914

SKETCHES AND MAPS

SKETCHES
(Bound in Volume)
Sketch 1. General Theatre of Operations (Western Front)
Sketch 2. Operations, 4th-22nd August 1914
Sketch 3. Operations, 23rd-28th August 1914
Sketch 4. Operations, 28th August -5th September 1914
Sketch 5. The German Advance, 17th August-5th September 1914
Sketch 6. Operations, 6th-13th September 1914
Sketch 7. The Aisne Battlefield, September 1914
Sketch 8. The Extension of the Battle Line northwards, -15th September - 8th October 1914

France and Belgium, 1914

Mons, the Retreat to the Seine, the Marne and the Aisne, August-October 1914

Preface to the First Edition of 1922

This history has been compiled with the purpose of providing within reasonable compass an authoritative account, suitable for general readers and for students at military schools, of the operations of the British Army in the Western theatre of war in 1914-1918. It is based on the British official records.

The present volume covers events from mobilization up to the middle of October 1914 only, a period of two and a half months, and is on a scale which to a large extent treats the battalion, squadron and battery records as the basis of the story. In succeeding volumes it will not be possible or desirable to adhere to this, and successively the brigade, division and even corps may become the unit of narrative. For this volume the scale adopted seems appropriate, in view of the importance of small units in the early operations, of the lessons to be derived from the study of the work of these units in open warfare, and of the desirability of leaving a picture of what war was like in 1914, when trained soldiers were still of greater importance than material, and gas, tanks, long-range guns, creeping barrages and the participation of aircraft in ground fighting were unknown.

The mass of documents to be dealt with was very great, and the difficulty has been not in obtaining information, but in compressing and cutting down what was available. The British records comprise not only the war diaries of every staff and unit engaged, with their voluminous appendices containing all orders, intelligence, etc., received and issued, and detailed reports of actions, but they include also the General Headquarters files, the Commander-in-Chief's diary, and practically every telegram and message despatched and received. These official documents have been supplemented by private diaries and papers which have been kindly lent, by regimental records, and by interviews with officers who took part in the operations.

On a modern battlefield, however, knowledge of events is extraordinarily local, and the transmission of information difficult; in addition important witnesses only too often become casualties. Though written orders and messages are absolutely reliable evidence of the matters with which they deal, war diaries and reports of actions, written up immediately after events, are liable to contain mistakes. Commanders and staffs are naturally more concerned in finding out and reporting the exact situation and condition of their troops and of the enemy, in sending up reinforcements, ammunition and supplies, and recording experience for future use than in the collection of historical matter. In fact, even officers well known to be specially interested in military history have confessed that during the war the idea of collecting or keeping material for its future historian never occurred to them. Many incidents deserving of record may therefore have escaped notice. It will greatly assist in the compilation of monographs or of a fuller official history in years to come, if readers who can supply further information or corrections will communicate with the Secretary of the Historical Section, Committee of Imperial Defence, 2 Whitehall Gardens, London, S.W.1.

The text and maps now presented are the result of the co-operative labours of the staff, past and present, of the Historical Section, Military Branch, which, in collaboration with the Disposal of Records Department, War Office, is also charged with the sorting and arrangement of the records dealing with operations overseas. This latter part of its work absorbed most of its energy and time until well on into 1921. The Branch did not obtain a permanent home until October 1919 ; thus a large amount of important material did not become available until it was unpacked and sorted after this date, and it was then found necessary to re-write an account of the initial operations already partly drafted.

The British Expeditionary Force in France in 1914 was not acting independently, and formed only a small part of the Allied Armies engaged ; it has therefore been necessary to include an account of the action of the French and Belgian forces sufficient to provide a proper framework for the British operations. As regards the Belgian Army, ample material for this purpose has been published by the Belgian General Staff. The French General Staff has not yet issued any history, but much information with regard to the French plans and operations has already been made public : officially in the reports of Parliamentary Enquiries, semi-officially by historians like M. Hanotaux, M. Engerand, M. Madelin and General Palat (Pierre Lehautcourt), and in the form of reminiscences and memoirs by actual participants, such as Generals Lanrezac, Gallieni, Dubail and Mangin. It was not, therefore, thought necessary to trouble the French General Staff except as regards the incident of the assistance rendered by General Sordet's Cavalry Corps at the battle of Le Cateau, when a copy of the war diary of the troops concerned was very courteously furnished. With this exception, it must be understood that for the French operations the only absolutely authoritative statements quoted are the orders, instructions, intelligence reports, etc., received officially by G.H.Q. from the French Grand Quartier General.

The published German accounts of the early part of the war are very numerous, and they deal both with the decisions and orders of the higher commanders and the operations of many corps and even smaller fighting units. The most notable are the books of the three Army commanders, von Kluck, von Bulow and von Hausen, the General Staff monographs "Luttich-Namur " and "Mons," the official list of battles and engagements, with the names of the formations, etc., present, entitled " Schlachten und Gefechte," and the stories of participants like General von Zwehl, General von Kuhl, Hauptmann Bloem (the novelist) and Hofprediger Vogel.1 It was originally intended to give the accounts derived from German sources in the form of notes at the end of each Chapter; but, after consideration, it was decided that such an arrangement might prove inconvenient, and that it was better as a general rule to include them in the body of the Chapters, as close as possible to the events in the British narrative to which they refer. This arrangement, in view of the difference of the character of the material, has naturally caused breaks in the style and scope of the story, but it makes the comparison of the two accounts easier.

General Freiherr Mertz von Quirheim, the Director of the German Beichsarchiv, Berlin, which has custody of the war records, has been good enough to furnish material in order to clear up a few points on which there seemed insufficient information. As separate histories of the Royal Air Force and the Medical Services are being compiled, a detailed account of their work has not been included in the narrative.

France and Belgium, 1914

Mons, the Retreat to the Seine, the Marne and the Aisne, August-October 1914

Chapter VIII - The Battle of Le Cateau, 26th August (continued): Noon to 5pm

Shortly after noon the situation of the Suffolk and of the batteries supporting them, on the right of the line, became serious under the German enfilade fire. The 108th Heavy Battery, in action well behind the right flank, had silenced one troublesome group of guns near Croix; but, despite this piece of good shooting, the hostile artillery still far outmatched the British. (Apparently the greater part of the artillery of the German 5th and 7th Divisions was in action against the 5th Division. "" F.A. Regt. No. 18 " (5th Division), p. 21, states that the division deployed for action about 11 A.M. and one of its artillery brigades ," had to be given up to the IV. Corps, which was engaged in a hard fight, whilst one battery of the other brigade was attached to the 6th Division. The regimental commander was wounded. ," Regt. No. 26 (7th Division), pp. 57-8, gives the interesting information that the artillery of the 5th Division about 12.25 P.M. fired on one of its own battalions and on other infantry of the IV. Corps because ," troops of the III. Corps put up artillery screens, painted black-white-red , on the rear side in order to make clear their position to the artillery. As our corps did not show their screens, the III. Corps artillery believed it had the enemy in front of it. The fire received was " heavy and loss, bringing." The regiment was also fired on by its own corps artillery, which did not suppose the attackers had got so far forward.") Reserves there were none, except the four battalions of the 19th Brigade ; of these the Cameronians and Royal Welch Fusiliers, in view of the enemy's movement on Ligny, had at 10 A.M. been moved away westwards to Montigny, behind the left flank of the II. Corps ; a part of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders had already been thrown into the fight ; and only the remainder of this battalion, together with the 1/Middlesex, was available on the right. By the orders of Major-General L. G. Drummond, commanding the brigade, two half-companies of the Argylls, with the battalion machine guns, were now sent up the track which ran over the ridge to the right rear of the Suffolk ; and the 1/Middlesex moved forward into position upon the right of the Highlanders. The only reassuring feature in the situation of the 5th Division was that the Germans were not pushing their way up the valley of the Selle past the right flank of the 14th Brigade with the rapidity and vigour that might have been expected. Whether the German III. Corps had been slow in following its advanced troops, or, as it came upon the field, had been diverted from Le Cateau westward, in support of the frontal attack on the 14th and 13th Brigades, was unknown. In any case, the detachment of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, seeing no German troops in the valley, turned its machine guns at long range on to the ridge east of Le Cateau. This drew the fire of the German artillery, which put both the machine guns out of action. But, at the moment, the danger lay not in the east but in the north. About noon, General Smith-Dorrien again visited 5th Division headquarters, and discussed with Sir Charles Fergusson the question of holding on or retiring. As the Germans were so near, it was thought that a counter-attack would be necessary to disengage, and the decision to retire was, temporarily, postponed.

Shortly before 1 P.M., Sir Charles Fergusson from his lookout in Reumont village could see that the right of his division was shaken and might shortly give way, and he reported in that sense to corps headquarters. A little later he added that a German division (This was thought to be the head of the 5th Division of the III. Corps, but must have been the 165th Regiment of the 7th Division (in the same brigade as the 27th). This regiment went over the high ground east of Le Cateau, deployed south of the Le Cateau-Maubeuge railway and then, about 4 P.M., turned towards Honnechy, which it reached as the last British were leaving the village.) was working round his right from Bazuel. Finally at 1.20 P.M. he suggested that unless material assistance could be sent to him he had better begin retiring. It seems to have been about this time, during a lull in the German fire, that the teams of the 11th Battery came up to the guns, and got five of them away, that of the sixth being shot down. The teams of the 80th and 37th Batteries also came forward, and brought away five of the guns and four of the howitzers ; another howitzer as will be seen was recovered later on. But these three batteries were saved at the cost of the teams of the 52nd, whose guns had consequently to be abandoned. The gunners of this battery were ordered to retire, but a few remained and managed to keep one gun in action. Somewhat later, the teams of the 122nd Battery galloped up through the line of the West Kent, in brigade reserve, who stood up and cheered them loudly as they dashed between their trenches and onward down the slope towards their guns. As they came within view of the enemy, they were struck by a hurricane of shrapnel and of bullets from the machine guns in the Cambrai road ; but still they went on. The officer in charge of the teams was killed, and one team shot down in a heap before the position was reached ; but two guns of the 122nd Battery were carried off without mishap. A third was 1imbered up, but the horses went down instantly. It was an extraordinary sight : a short wild scene of galloping and falling horses, and then four guns standing derelict, a few 1imbers lying about, one on the skyline with its pole vertical, and dead men and dead horses everywhere. It was then decided to abandon the remaining guns, as also those of the 124th and 123rd Batteries, which were in an even more exposed position, the breech-blocks being first removed and the sights smashed. Altogether, twenty-four field guns and a howitzer were lost in this part of the field ; considering that the batteries were practically in the firing line, it is astonishing that any were rescued ; the feat redounds to the eternal honour of the officers and men of the 5th Division artillery.

It was now about 2 P.M. At 1.40 P.M., in response to the 1.20 P.M. message, General Smith-Dorrien had placed his two remaining battalions, the Cameronians and the Royal Welch Fusiliers, at Sir Charles Fergusson's disposal, ordering them to move from Montigny to Bertry, and asking him to hold his ground at any rate a little longer, so as to allow the preliminary movements of the retirement to take effect; he was to begin the withdrawal of the 5th Division as soon as he should think fit : after which the 3rd and 4th Divisions were to follow in succession. General Smith-Dorrien had already summoned to his headquarters the G.S.O.1 of the 4th Division-to which he was, about midday, connected by signal cable-to receive orders. These were to the same effect as those given to the 5th Division. Roads were allotted for the retirement to the north-west of St. Quentin, when it should take place, as follows :

To the 5th Division and 19th Brigade :

(1) via Bertry-Maretz, and thence the Roman road to Vermand ;

(2) via Reumont - Maurois - Busigny - Bohain - Brancourt - Joncourt - Bellenglise.

To the 3rd Division, via Montigny - Clary - Elincourt - Malincourt (east of the Church) - Beaurevoir - Gouy - Bony - Hargicourt - Jeancourt.

To the 4th Division, via Selvigny - Malincourt (west of the Church) - Aubeneheul - Ronssoy - Templeux - Roisel.

To the Cavalry, any roads west of the 4th Division.

The pressure upon the British line immediately west of Le Cateau now became severe, and it seemed clear that the Germans were preparing for a great effort. Before the teams of the 122nd Battery advanced, three platoons of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders had twice made gallant attempts to reach the trenches of the Suffolk, but had been beaten back with severe loss by artillery and machine-gun fire. They rallied under the protection of the 59th Field Company R.E., which gave up its trenches to them and lay down in the open. So intense, in fact, was the machine-gun fire upon the whole ridge to the rear of the Suffolk that the Highlanders had to abandon the line which they had taken up, and move further down the slope towards the valley of the Selle. Meanwhile, the German battalions were steadily gaining ground; in fact, as the last gun team of the 5th Division artillery was driving off, as described above, they were only four hundred yards from it, and were only kept back for a time by a party of the Manchester, which, with the machine-gun detachment, offered so stout a resistance as to gain a few minutes' respite. During this brief interval, Captain D. Reynolds of the 37th Battery, having obtained permission to call for volunteers, came galloping down with teams to rescue the two howitzers which had been left on the ground.

The German infantry was then within two hundred yards, yet by the gallantry and devotion of this little party both howitzers were limbered up; and though one team was shot down before it could move, the other galloped off with its howitzer and brought it safely away.

This episode was the last gleam of light upon this gloomy corner of the field. (It gained the Victoria Cross for Captain Reynolds and for Drivers Luke and Drain. Captain Reynolds was killed by gas near Ypres, 1916.) Between2.30and2.45 P.M. the end came. The Germans had by this time accumulated an overwhelming force in the shelter of the Cambrai road, and they now fell upon the Suffolk and Manchester from the front, right flank and right rear. The turning movement, however, did not at once make itself felt, and the two battalions and the Argylls with them opened rapid fire to their front with terrific effect, two officers of the Highlanders, in particular, bringing down man after man and counting their scores aloud as if at a competition. The Germans kept sounding the British " Cease fire " and gesticulating to persuade the men to surrender, but in vain. At length a rush of the enemy from the rear bore down all resistance. The Suffolk and Manchester and their Highland comrades were overwhelmed. They had for nine hours been under an incessant bombardment, and they had fought to the very last, covering themselves with undying glory . . .



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Packed weight of this item : approximately 800 grams

Postage and payment options to U.K. addresses:

Details of the various postage options (for example, First Class, First Class Recorded, Second Class and/or Parcel Post if the item is heavy) can be obtained by selecting the “Postage and payments” option at the head of this listing (above).

Payment can be made by: debit card, credit card (Visa or MasterCard, but not Amex), cheque (payable to "G Miller", please), or PayPal.

Please contact me with name, address and payment details within seven days of the end of the auction; otherwise I reserve the right to cancel the auction and re-list the item.

Finally, this should be an enjoyable experience for both the buyer and seller and I hope you will find me very easy to deal with. If you have a question or query about any aspect (postage, payment, delivery options and so on), please do not hesitate to contact me, using the contact details provided at the end of this listing.

International buyers:

To estimate the “packed weight” each book is first weighed and then an additional amount of 150 grams is added to allow for the packaging material (all books are securely wrapped and posted in a cardboard book-mailer). The weight of the book and packaging is then rounded up to the nearest hundred grams to arrive at the shipping figure. I make no charge for packaging materials and do not seek to profit from shipping and handling.

Shipping can usually be combined for multiple purchases (to a maximum of 5 kilograms in any one parcel with the exception of Canada, where the limit is 2 kilograms).

Packed weight of this item : approximately 800 grams

International Shipping options:

Details of the postage options to various countries (via Air Mail) can be obtained by selecting the “Postage and payments” option at the head of this listing (above) and then selecting your country of residence from the drop-down list. For destinations not shown or other requirements, please contact me before bidding. Tracked and "Signed For" services are also available if required, but at an additional charge to that shown on the Postage and payments page, which is for ordinary uninsured Air Mail delivery.

Due to the extreme length of time now taken for deliveries, surface mail is no longer a viable option and I am unable to offer it even in the case of heavy items. I am afraid that I cannot make any exceptions to this rule.

Payment options for international buyers:

Payment can be made by: credit card (Visa or MasterCard, but not Amex) or PayPal. I can also accept a cheque in GBP [British Pounds Sterling] but only if drawn on a major British bank.
Regretfully, due to extremely high conversion charges, I CANNOT accept foreign currency : all payments must be made in GBP [British Pounds Sterling]. This can be accomplished easily using a credit card, which I am able to accept as I have a separate, well-established business, or PayPal.
Please contact me with your name and address and payment details within seven days of the end of the auction; otherwise I reserve the right to cancel the auction and re-list the item.
Finally, this should be an enjoyable experience for both the buyer and seller and I hope you will find me very easy to deal with. If you have a question or query about any aspect (shipping, payment, delivery options and so on), please do not hesitate to contact me, using the contact details provided at the end of this listing.

Prospective international buyers should ensure that they are able to provide credit card details or pay by PayPal within 7 days from the end of the auction (or inform me that they will be sending a cheque in GBP drawn on a major British bank). Thank you.

(please note that the book shown is for illustrative purposes only and forms no part of this auction)

Book dimensions are given in inches, to the nearest quarter-inch, in the format width x height.

Please note that, to differentiate them from soft-covers and paperbacks, modern hardbacks are still invariably described as being ‘cloth’ when they are, in fact, predominantly bound in paper-covered boards pressed to resemble cloth.


	Fine Books for Fine Minds	I value your custom (and my feedback rating) but I am also a bibliophile : I want books to arrive in the same condition in which they were dispatched. For this reason, all books are securely wrapped in tissue and a protective covering and are then posted in a cardboard container. If any book is significantly not as described, I will offer a full refund. Unless the size of the book precludes this, hardback books with a dust-jacket are usually provided with a clear film protective cover, while hardback books without a dust-jacket are usually provided with a rigid clear cover. The Royal Mail, in my experience, offers an excellent service, but things can occasionally go wrong. However, I believe it is my responsibility to guarantee delivery. If any book is lost or damaged in transit, I will offer a full refund. Thank you for looking.

Please also view my other listings for a range of interesting books
and feel free to contact me if you require any additional information