Order Of Battle Of Divisions Part 3a And 3b

The fourth and final part of Major AF Becke s official Order of Battle of the British Army in the Great War lists the Army Council, GHQs, Armies and Corps, including Tank Corps, and has appendices on Home Forces and Commanders of central force; the GOCs and commands at home; Corps heavy artilleries in France; ordnance of the BEF in France at the beginning and end of the war in August 1914 and November 1918; Nos. 1, 2, and 3 Groups of the Tank Corps; and the British section of the Supreme War Council in January 1918.

This Index has been extended from those included with Major Becke s original five-volume work (confined generally to Divisional and Brigade references) so as to provide, for the first time, references to the smaller formations battalions, artillery batteries, field companies, field ambulances, machine gun companies, trench mortar batteries, mobile veterinary sections etc. that made up the several divisions covered by Order of Battle of Divisions Parts 1, 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B. Page references have been recorded by part number, followed by a forward slash, then page number. In this way a unit appearing on pages 21 of Part 2B and 45 of Part 3A, for example, is shown in the Index as: 2B/21...3A/45. To gather the complete story of a unit (as recorded by Becke) it is recommended that the researcher, having dealt with the main Order of Battle tables and General Notes sections (both indexed) set out for each division, then reads the pages dealing with Formation, Battles, and Engagements (not indexed) where often additional references have been made. Likewise, Notes on Order of Battle pages (not indexed) should also be studied thoroughly. It has not been felt necessary to include Part 4 (Army Council, GHQs, Armies and Corps) in this Index as the existing Contents and Index pages are comprehensively set out and adequate.

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.

The new series of Spellmount Military Memoirs provides rare and sought-after texts for the collector of classic historical works, together with rigorously selected personal narratives never before in print – destined to become classics in their own right.Llewelyn Alberic Emilius Price-Davies was awarded the Victoria Cross when serving with the King’s Royal Rifle Corps during the Second Boer War. He went on to serve as Divisional Corps liasion officer in 1914-15, his correspondence offers a rare insight into the changing face of the British Army at this time. In 1916 he took over the 113th Brigade, in a New Army Division 38th (Welsh). The first major test was on the Somme at Mametz Wood, where the divisional commander was sacked. He describes this famous fight and eventual capture of the wood in dramatic detail. Once again in the thick of the fighting at Pilckem Ridge in 1917 on the first day of Third Ypres, his letters show the importance of this battle’s success. In 1918 he travelled to Italy, where his diaries reveal for the first time how the Allied Command functioned in this theatre. His constant correspondence with his brother-in-law Henry Wilson, the C.I.G.S., is a unique insight into British Army High Command and this legendary Field Marshal. This rare collection of letters offers a broad and detailed insight into the First World War that will fascinate any enthusiast.

Accrington Pals is being re-released due to popular demand after being out of stock for sometime. The first book to be published in the now highly acclaimed Pals series. The Accrington Pals were the most famous of all the battalions, based upon research in local and national archives, and interviews with the battalion's handful of survivors, their many relations and descendants, it contains a great number of hitherto-unpublished eye-witnessed accounts and photographs. Accrington Pals will appeal to all those interested in the Great War, together with anyone in and around the Accrington area with an interest in family history.

The First World War had a profound impact on British society and on British relations with continental Europe, the Dominions, the United States and the emerging Soviet Union. The pre-war world was transformed, and the world that we recognize today began to take shape. That is why, 100 years after the outbreak, the time is right for this collection of thought-provoking chapters that reassesses why Britain went to war and the preparations made by the armed forces, the government and the nation at large for the unprecedented conflict that ensued.A group of distinguished historians looks back, with the clarity of a modern perspective, at the issues that were critical to Britain's war effort as the nation embarked on the most intense and damaging struggle in its history. In a series of penetrating chapters they explore the reasons for Britain going to war, the official preparations, the public reaction, the readiness of the armed forces, internment, the impact of the opening campaign, the experience of the soldiers, recruitment, training, weaponry, the political implications, and the care of the wounded.