Courage without Glory: The British Army on the Western Front 1915

Courage without Glory: The British Army on the Western Front 1915

Edited by Spencer Jones

Published by Helion & Co. (http://www.helion.co.uk/new-and-forthcoming-titles/courage-without-glory-the-british-army-on-the-western-front-1915.html)

The year 1915 was one of unprecedented challenges for the British Army. Short of manpower, firepower and experience, the army needed time to adapt before it could hope to overcome the formidable German defences of the Western Front. Yet the insistent demands of coalition warfare required immediate and repeated action. The result was a year of disappointments, setbacks and costly fighting.

The very difficulties of 1915 make it especially worthy of study. This book offers a fresh and insightful evaluation of the experience of the British Army through a series of thematic essays examining the strategic, operational, tactical and logistical problems that shaped the fighting. Within these pages are assessments of broad topics such as the performance of British high command, the ‘Shell Scandal’ and the development of the Royal Flying Corps, as well as a thorough selection of battle studies which cast new light on engagements such as Neuve Chapelle, Second Ypres, Festubert and Loos. Special attention is placed on the composite nature of the British Army, with chapters examining Canadian, Indian, Regular and Territorial unit experience.

Taken as a whole these essays offer an important reassessment of a forgotten year of the war, and illustrate the tremendous difficulties faced by the British Army as it endured a bloody learning curve in difficult conditions. 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.

Contents

1. Foreword by Professor Brian Bond
2. Introduction: The Forgotten Year by Spencer Jones
3. “To make war as we must, and not as we should like”: The British Army and the Problem of the Western Front, 1915 by Spencer Jones
4. The Supply of Munitions to the Army, 1915 by John Mason Sneddon
5. Friends Disunited: Johnnie French, Wully Robertson and ‘K of K’ in 1915 by John Spencer
6. Henry Horne as Divisional Commander by Simon Robbins
7. The BEF Takes off: The Royal Flying Corps, 1915 by Peter Hart
8. British-Indian Army Cavalry: From Mobilisation to the Western Front 1915 by Graham Winton
9. Douglas Haig and the Planning of the Battle of Neuve Chapelle by Patrick Watt
10. Inescapable Realities: Canadian Command, Spring 1915 by Kenneth Radley
11. Death of a Battalion: The 5^th King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment at the Second Battle of Ypres by Tom Williams
12. The Battle of Festubert by Robert Williams
13. “Seven Days in Hell”: The 1/7^th Battalion King’s Liverpool Regiment at the Battle of Festubert, May 1915 by Adrian Gregson
14. “A Code to the Second Battle of Ypres”: International Trench, 6-10 July 1915 by Michael LoCicero
15. “A Great Victory All But Gained”: The Battle of Loos, 1915 by Brian Curragh
16. 8^th Division and the Action at Bois Grenier, 25 September 1915 by Alun Thomas
17. Gas, Grenades and Grievances: The Attack on the Hohenzollern Redoubt by 46^th (North Midland) Division, 13 October 1915 by Michael Woods

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ISBN: 978-1910777183

464 pages, 15 colour maps and 60 b/w images.

£29.95