The classic memoir of the Great War, “Four years on the Western Front: being the experiences of a ranker in the London Rifle Brigade, 4th, 3rd and 56th Divisions” by “A rifleman” includes some wonderful,…
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Today’s addition to the Long, Long Trail’s gazetteer of the Western Front is about Brandhoek, a hamlet between Ypres and Poperinge that developed into a major medical centre. See Gazetteer of the Western Front: Brandhoek
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I used to greatly enjoy the seminars organised by the Western Front Association and attended them each year from 1992 to 2001. In many ways they encouraged my interest in the subject and built my…
In relation to Greenwich Mean Time Unlike today, Great Britain , France and Belgium all operated at the same time during the Great War. (The latter two countries are of course now one hour ahead…
The general staff of the headquarters of 25th Division ordered 7th Infantry Brigade to carry out a raid on enemy trenches to obtain identification of enemy units in the trenches; to kill German troops; and…
On 4 March 1918, 74 men of “B” Company of the 1/5th Battalion of the South Lancashire Regiment (of 166th Infantry Brigade, 55th (West Lancashire) Division, took over a small group of front line posts….
Why write about this? In 2013 I carried out research on Major Hubert Symons, an officer of the Royal Field Artillery of the 14th (Light) Division who lost his life on 22 March 1918, dying…
John Masefield (1878-1967) was already a well known and prize winning poet by the time of the Great War. After being rejected for service as a commissioned officer on medical grounds in 1914, he served…
Imperial War Museum photograph Q70596: Troops of the 8th (Service) Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment marching through Leighton Buzzard. Major John Storer, one of the battalion’s officers, can be seen in the middle, mounted. The same scene…