Many visitors to this site will have seen the episode of the “Who do you think you are?”series featuring David Walliams. Produced by Wall to Wall, it was first broadcast by BBC on 19 October…
Formation By the beginning of the twentieth century the problem of mental illness in Edinburgh had become acute, and the need for a new psychiatric hospital was pressing. Situated 14 miles from Edinburgh in hilly…
A Command Depot was a military convalescent camp. Sir Alfred Keogh, the Director of Army Medical Services, was highly concerned by the availability of beds in UK Hospitals. To increase these he established four large…
23 November 1914 – 6 February 1915: Winter operations, 1914-15. French orders for a major offensive in December lead to disastrous piecemeal British attacks. Localised operations seeking tactical advantage continue through winter. The defence of Festubert,…
This section of the Long, Long Trail will be helpful for anyone wishing to find out about the fighting in the little-known campaign in Italy. The page is being re-written right now – I hope that…
This section of the Long, Long Trail will be helpful for anyone wishing to find out about the fighting in the little-known campaign in Italy. This was a forgotten front indeed: British troops were sent…
The seventh Despatch of Field Marshal Sir John French, Commander in Chief of the British Armies in France and Flanders. Printed in the Second Supplement to the London Gazette of 14 April 1915. It covered…
The eighth Despatch of Field Marshal Sir John French, Commander in Chief of the British Armies in France and Flanders. Printed in the Second Supplement to the London Gazette of 10 July. It dealt with…
Many soldiers are granted the right to vote for the first time The Representation of the People Act, 1918 was given Royal Assent on 6 February 1918. It extended the franchise to all men aged 21 and…
What was a CCS? Until 9 January 1915 these units were known as Clearing Hospitals. The Casualty Clearing Station was part of the casualty evacuation chain, further back from the front line than the Aid…