History Of The Guards Division In The Great War 1915 1918

The Grenadier Guards began the war with three battalions of which only one, the 2nd, was committed to the BEF; it was in the 4th Guards Brigade, 2nd Division. As soon as war was declared the 4th (Reserve) Battalion was formed and within five days 1,700 reservists had reported. In September 1914 the 7th Division was formed and the1st Battalion was allocated to 20th Brigade of the new division. On 14th July 1915 another Grenadier battalion was formed and numbered the 4th, the Reserve battalion then became the 5th. A month later the 4th battalion went to France to join the newly created Guards Division, and it was at this stage, also, that the 3rd Battalion, which hitherto had been retained in London by Kitchener for some undefined reason, was sent out to join the new division. Thus, by August 1915 there were four battalions of Grenadiers on the Western front where they remained for the rest of the war. By the end the Regiment had suffered 11,915 casualties of which 203 Officers and 4,508 Other Ranks were dead, seven VCs had been won and 34 Battle Honours awarded. This, as might be expected, is a very good history with detailed descriptions of the fighting and of the conditions the men endured. One sentence in particular paints a graphic picture of the state of the trenches in January 1915: The gruesome task of removing the dead was effected by floating the bodies down the communication trenches. The author tells the story in chronological order; vol I takes the record of the four battalions to the end of 1915, vol II to the German offensive of March 1918 and vol III to the armistice and beyond to the division's march into Germany. Each volume is paginated separately with its own contents list though the chapters run consecutively through all three. Each chapter covers a specific period and the chapter heading indicates which battalions are involved. There are plenty of maps to support the narrative, showing tactical details. Among the appendices are the Roll of Honour, a list of officers wounded with dates, lists of Awards, Mentions in Despatches and of Divisional Certificates of Gallantry and an account of the 7th (Guards) Entrenching Battalion. There is a table naming all other ranks who were commissioned during the war showing the regiment or corps to which they went. Finally there is an index to the names of officers.

The Grenadier Guards began the war with three battalions of which only one, the 2nd, was committed to the BEF; it was in the 4th Guards Brigade, 2nd Division. As soon as war was declared the 4th (Reserve) Battalion was formed and within five days 1,700 reservists had reported. In September 1914 the 7th Division was formed and the1st Battalion was allocated to 20th Brigade of the new division. On 14th July 1915 another Grenadier battalion was formed and numbered the 4th, the Reserve battalion then became the 5th. A month later the 4th battalion went to France to join the newly created Guards Division, and it was at this stage, also, that the 3rd Battalion, which hitherto had been retained in London by Kitchener for some undefined reason, was sent out to join the new division. Thus, by August 1915 there were four battalions of Grenadiers on the Western front where they remained for the rest of the war. By the end the Regiment had suffered 11,915 casualties of which 203 Officers and 4,508 Other Ranks were dead, seven VCs had been won and 34 Battle Honours awarded. This, as might be expected, is a very good history with detailed descriptions of the fighting and of the conditions the men endured. One sentence in particular paints a graphic picture of the state of the trenches in January 1915: The gruesome task of removing the dead was effected by floating the bodies down the communication trenches. The author tells the story in chronological order; vol I takes the record of the four battalions to the end of 1915, vol II to the German offensive of March 1918 and vol III to the armistice and beyond to the division's march into Germany. Each volume is paginated separately with its own contents list though the chapters run consecutively through all three. Each chapter covers a specific period and the chapter heading indicates which battalions are involved. There are plenty of maps to support the narrative, showing tactical details. Among the appendices are the Roll of Honour, a list of officers wounded with dates, lists of Awards, Mentions in Despatches and of Divisional Certificates of Gallantry and an account of the 7th (Guards) Entrenching Battalion. There is a table naming all other ranks who were commissioned during the war showing the regiment or corps to which they went. Finally there is an index to the names of officers.

First published in 1924, this is Volume 1 of a two-volume set covering the history of the Guards Division during the First World War. The Guards Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was formed in the Great War in France in 1915 from battalions of the elite Guards regiments from the Regular Army. “From its formation in August, 1915, to the Armistice in November, 1918, the division served on the Western Front and took part in all the great battles of the war with the exception of that of Arras. Its troops had a great tradition to maintain and very faithfully they maintained it. To the Guards Division attached the prestige that had been so gallantly won in the first year of the war by the battalions of Guards which formed part of the original Expeditionary Force. The high standard of discipline and the devotion to duty which had characterized those splendid troops were gloriously upheld by their successors. And the loyalty, patriotism and keen esprit de corps which inspired the infantry were fully shared by the other arms of the Service belonging to the Guards Division. “The record of the Guards Division is very fully described by Colonel Headlam in the following pages. He has told his story dispassionately and without making any attempt to give undue prominence to the part played by the Guards in the Great War. He has thus succeeded, I think, in giving to those who may read his book a true picture of the life and work of the Guards Division, and has handed down to future generations of Guardsmen a record of military achievement which should be a guide and inspiration to them for all time.”

First published in 1924, this is Volume 1 of a two-volume set covering the history of the Guards Division during the First World War. The Guards Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was formed in the Great War in France in 1915 from battalions of the elite Guards regiments from the Regular Army. “From its formation in August, 1915, to the Armistice in November, 1918, the division served on the Western Front and took part in all the great battles of the war with the exception of that of Arras. Its troops had a great tradition to maintain and very faithfully they maintained it. To the Guards Division attached the prestige that had been so gallantly won in the first year of the war by the battalions of Guards which formed part of the original Expeditionary Force. The high standard of discipline and the devotion to duty which had characterized those splendid troops were gloriously upheld by their successors. And the loyalty, patriotism and keen esprit de corps which inspired the infantry were fully shared by the other arms of the Service belonging to the Guards Division. “The record of the Guards Division is very fully described by Colonel Headlam in the following pages. He has told his story dispassionately and without making any attempt to give undue prominence to the part played by the Guards in the Great War. He has thus succeeded, I think, in giving to those who may read his book a true picture of the life and work of the Guards Division, and has handed down to future generations of Guardsmen a record of military achievement which should be a guide and inspiration to them for all time.”

Includes 15 maps and plans. “In 1914 the Scots Guards (Third Regiment of Foot Guards) consisted of two battalions, both in England and two week after the outbreak of war the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion was formed; this battalion did not go abroad but during the course of the war it provided drafts of 11,201 all ranks for the 1st and 2nd Battalions. The 1st Battalion went to France with the 1st (Gds) Brigade, 1st Division on 14 August and served on the Western Front throughout the war; the 2nd Battalion joined the 20th Brigade of the 7th Division when it formed in September 1914, and landed in Belgium on 7 October 1914 and also served on the Western front for the whole of the war. Losses numbered 111 Officers and 2730 Other Ranks; 30 battle honours and 5 VCs were awarded. In August 1915 the Guards Division was formed in France and both battalions were transferred to it, the 1st to the 2nd Guards Brigade, the 2nd to 3rd Guards Brigade. ...This book is set out in chronological order, and though the battalions were not in the same division during the first twelve months of the war their actions are not recorded under separate headings. Thus both battalions were in action during First Ypres and they both appear in the chapter covering that battle. Apart from war diaries, there are extracts from letters and other contributions from those who were there making up the narrative and the result is a plain, straightforward account. From time to time the list of officers present in both battalions is given as are the names of those who became casualties during any specific action.”-Print ed.