The action of 4 July 1918 known as the Battle of Hamel is often regarded as a turning point of the war on the Western Front. It was a relatively small, brilliantly executed attack carried out by the Australian Corps with attached American units and supported by British tanks, artillery and aircraft. Hamel tends to […]
This article is based on research I carried out in 2015 on Private 58043 Herbert Clayton, who was killed in action at Bol’shie Ozerki on 2 April 1919. The action formed part of the campaign in North Russia. Background to the campaign in North Russia Often referred to as the Allied Intervention in North Russia. […]
In which they served: the stories of five men and women of the Great War as told by their medalsby Richard CullenPublished by Unicorn Publishing in 2020Hardback ISBN 978 1 913 491 031315 pages including chapter end notes, plus references and end notesReviewed by Chris BakerWith thanks to Unicorn for sending me a copy to […]
You think you have hit a brick wall. You have a man in your family tree and you want to know details of his army service, but you do not know his regiment and number. You do not even have a photograph that reveals a cap badge (like the one above). Problem. Especially if he […]
The Royal Marines on the Western Frontby Daniel J. McLeanPublished by Pen & Sword Military 2021Hardback ISBN 978 1 52676 386 0132 pages plus appendix (list of honours and awards), bibliography, endnotes and indexReviewed by Chris BakerWith thanks to Pen & Sword for sending me a copy to see. For some years I have owned […]
If you are lucky enough to find the service record of a man you are researching, it is likely to include his attestation form. This will provide excellent clues regarding the nature of his service. Look out in particular for the terms of his engagement. This will appear at the top of the attestation form. […]
Army Council Instruction 16A of 4 January 1919 laid down the regulations for the composition of drafts of men to be sent for demobilisation. The regulations attapted to tackle the complex and sentivice task of sending men home as quickly as possible, but balanced by industrial and economic priorities and the continuing demand in certain […]
Background This article focuses of the 1st Battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment, commanded at the time by Lieutenant-Colonel Archibald Bentley Beauman DSO. It was under orders of 91st Infantry Brigade (Brigadier-General Hanway Robert Cumming DSO) of 7th Division (Major-General George de Symons Barrow). The battalion was amongst the most experienced and battle-hardened British regular […]
This article is based on a research project that I undertook for a private client back in 2007. It took me far beyond the normal path one follows when studying a soldier of the Great War and into (for me, at least) a whole new world. I first need to introduce the two key players […]
Background Anglo-French forces had begun landing at the Greek port of Salonika on 5 October 1915. The troops were sent to provide military assistance to the Serbian forces that had recently been attacked by combined German, Austro-Hungarian and Bulgarian armies. The intervention came too late to save Serbia and after a brief winter campaign in […]