Newsletters
- Details
- Category: Newsletters
Chairman’s Editorial
No doubt you will all have watched the D-Day commemorations in Normandy last week and we remember 6th June 1944 and those who lost their lives in the greatest battle to land men and equipment on that first day. They were then to establish a bridgehead on the beaches assaulted and push inland, then east towards Germany. The ensuing bitterly fought ten months to victory in May 1945 and all those who served and gave their lives as well as those who survived the conflict and returned to try to adjust back into normal life. We will remember them.
We look forward to this coming Friday, 14th March, and our sixth meeting of the year. The evening’s talk is by Paul Knight, still serving as a Major in the Army Reserve Royal Signals and member of the Merseyside Branch, and is a focus on the British Army in Mesopotamia 1914/1918. Paul has written a book, see cover top right front page, available through Amazon etc.
Next month, on 12th July, we have the honour to welcome as our guest speaker a WFA Vice President, speaking on “What the modern British Army learned from the First World War” by Major General (retd) Mungo Melvin. Please also be aware of a one-day joint summer conference “Legacies of the Great War” by the WFA/BCMH at the National Army Museum, Chelsea on 6th July, start at 10.00am finish at 5pm. Full details on the WFA website. Tickets available from the NAM, see their website. Speakers are Sir Hew Strachan, Maj Gen (retd) Mungo Melvin, Prof Catriona Pennell and Prof Richard Grayson. Good excuse for a day/weekend outing to London?
“Stand To!” (115) May edition has just been published and mailed to members. The stand out article is “Gotterdamerung – June 1919 – The End of the German High Seas Fleet” by Robin Brodhurst. To receive the two magazines “ST!” and “Bulletin” published alternately, every two months, therefore six mags per year, at a cost of £29, alone is well worth the membership fee. For membership enquiries phone Sarah Gunn at the office on 020 7118 1914. Or online at: www. westernfrontassociation.com/membership.
For your diaries, I’ve booked most dates for speakers up to April next year. For your info we have 9th August - John Derry, 13th September - Peter Hart, 11th October – Dr Jack Sheldon, 8th November - Clive Harris, 6th December - Rob Thompson, (Note: Pulled forward a week from normal to help attendance), 2020 10th January – Dr Martin Purdy, 14th February – TBA, 13th March – Dr Jessica Meyer, 17th April - Geoff Spring.
See you Friday. Ralph.
This month’s talk - Mesopotamia Campaign
The Mesopotamia Campaign, fought in what is today Iraq, was the largest of the forgotten campaigns. Fought between November 1914 and October 1918 in constant contact with the enemy and in the worst of climates, the Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force (MEF) reached a maximum size of 440,000 men. Yet it is the least known of the Middle Eastern campaigns.
The Siege of Kut is the most famous aspect of this campaign. It was the longest siege in British military history. It was also the greatest British surrender since Yorktown in 1781, and would only be exceeded by Singapore in 1942. Yorktown brought an end to Britain’s American empire, and Singapore brought about the end of the British Empire in the East. It was feared that a surrender at Kut would also bring down Britain’s empire in the East. For that reason, there were many desperate, costly attempts to reach the town fought in horrendous conditions. But either side of Kut were the most successful campaigns of the whole war. The years 1914/15 started with the most successful amphibious landing of the war, the last battle fought without air support, and the most successful advance before 1918, culminating in the Battle of Ctesiphon twelve months later, 500 miles from the sea and just twenty miles short of Baghdad.
Paul Knight, the author, at Ur of the Chaldees
After the failure at Kut, new generals re-invigorated the army which went on the offensive in December 1916 to capture Baghdad in March 1917. From there, they pursued the Ottomans to borders of modern Iran and Syria, and into Turkey. This contrasts with the progress of the more famous Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF). Baghdad was captured between the First and Second Battles of Gaza, while the EEF was still trying to fight its way out of the Sinai (part of Egypt) into the Ottoman Empire. The MEF had no such luck as a safe base behind the Suez Canal – their safe base was India.
Paul Knight is a Major in the Army Reserve Royal Signals. He is currently OC 33 Signal Squadron in Liverpool and SO2 Commemorations at HQ North West, where he has been the WWI Project Officer for the last five years. His twin interests are Mesopotamia and the Lancashire Territorials. He has written four military history books and is a member of the Merseyside Branch of the WFA. He served in Iraq in 2005 and 2007 and studied Arabic in 2006.
Paul has also recently published ‘Lessons from the Mud’. A collection of ‘After Action Reports’ collected immediately following the 55th Divisions two attacks at Third Ypres in 1917. Within four days of these actions – information came straight from the front line about how these 1917 battles were actually fought.
Gertrude Bell
Fluent in Persian and Arabic, Bell worked for the British government in Cairo during WW1. She contributed to the construction of the Iraqi state in 1921, as well as the National Museum of Iraq. She was Gertrude Bell, the Queen of the Desert. Born into an affluent, progressive family, Gertrude Bell lived a life of adventure and intrigue. She defied the expectations of a woman in Victorian England, becoming a world traveller, a skilled mountaineer and an accomplished archaeologist.
In summer 1914, and the entry of the Ottoman Empire on the side of Germany that November, Bell was swept up with TE Lawrence and other archaeologist-spies into an intelligence operation in Cairo, known as the Arab Bureau. In Iraq, an expeditionary force from India had surrendered to the Turks at Kut al-Amara on the lower Tigris in 1916. Bell travelled to Basra, where a new army was assembling. When Baghdad fell to the reinforcements in 1917, she moved up to the capital and was eventually appointed British High Commissioner, Sir Percy Cox’s oriental secretary, responsible for relations with the Arab population. British policy in the Middle East was in utter confusion.
While the government of India wanted a new imperial possession at the head of the Persian Gulf, London had made extravagant promises of freedom to persuade the Arabs to rise up against the Turks. The compromise, which was bitterly resented in Iraq, was the so-called League of Nations Mandate, granted to Britain in April, 1920. The British Mandate of Mesopotamia was created under the authority of the League of Nations. A British-backed monarchy joining these vilayets into one kingdom, established in 1921 under Faisal I of Iraq. The Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq gained independence from the UK in 1932.
The new Colonial Secretary, Winston Churchill, decided a new administration was needed in Iraq as well as the British colonies in the Middle East so called for a large conference in Cairo. The region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, historically known as Mesopotamia, is often referred to as the cradle of civilisation. It was here that mankind first began to read, write, create laws and live in cities under an organised government notably Uruk, from which “Iraq” is derived. The exonym Persia was the official name of Iran in the Western world before March 1935, but the Iranian people inside their country since the time of Zoroaster (probably circa 1000 BC), or even before, have called their country Arya, Iran, Iranshahr, Iranzamin (Land of Iran) and Aryānām. She was an archaeologist, a linguist and the greatest woman mountaineer of her age. And in Baghdad in 1921 she drew the boundaries of the country that became Iraq.
Reference: James Buchan on the extraordinary life of Gertrude Bell.
Malcolm Maginn
Last month’s speaker
The Branch welcomed Sir Hew Strachan, a patron of the WFA and was treated to an absorbing presentation on how and why the antagonists fared and the reasons for the end of the war. In 1914 the balance of resources suggested that the Allies (France; Britain {and Empire}; Belgium; Japan and Russia) should win in short order. The Allies’ manpower was 150 million compared to the Central Powers’ 130 million. (Germany and Austria-Hungary). However, much of the former was spread worldwide often with little military strength or experience (such as Africa). Britain was now the third world economic power behind the USA and Germany but London was still the world financial capital and Britain had the most powerful navy.
During the war, the Allies were increased by Japan, Italy, Romania, Greece, Brazil and the USA. Only the Ottomans and Bulgaria joined the enemy later. The strategy for the Central Powers was to try to win a quick victory before the enemy states could combine effectively. The aim of the Allies was to bring pressure on the Central Powers to offset their benefits of internal lines. Thus the main question was could the Central Powers win before their enemies could harness their numerical advantage and industrial power. How could the Germans and its supporting nations win before the Allies could coordinate its resources and overwhelm them?
Germany had no real sea power compared to its land power and the only other way to hit back was by submarine warfare. This meant however that Germany could not trade with the then neutral USA. The difficulties of organising co-ordinated assaults and lines of supply were shown at Gallipoli, where even the British sea power was unable to effectively beat the Turkish forces who were spurred on by defending their homeland.
In 1916, the Allies wanted to make a concerted effort on land. As they were fighting on exterior lines they would have to attack on all fronts to weaken the advantage of interior lines of communication held by the Central Powers. The Somme committed the British and French, but it was difficult to harness the other partners such as Italy and Russia. The difficulty of co-ordination meant that the assaults in 1916 did not bring the Allies the success for which they had hoped. For the Germans, although they had a string of land successes, they were never enough to give them an ultimate victory. Increasingly Germany realised that the USA would continue to allow supplies to sail to the Allies, so there was little option but to continue with the submarine assault. As the war progressed and the German submarine attacks continued, the USA would finally commit themselves to the Allied cause in 1917 which offset the removal of Russia. As Germany was unable to trade with the USA, it saw no reason to dilute its submarine war campaign in order to deny the Allies the material and foodstuff that was coming across the Atlantic.
In 1917, the continual submarine attacks and the leaking of the Zimmerman Telegram by British Intelligence had an adverse effect on the Central Powers’ relationship with the USA. The German message had promised to help Mexico regain lost territory from the USA. If the USA declared war on Germany, then provided Mexico took action, Germany would help it recover land lost to the USA. It was an obvious non-starter. This further cemented the USA’s help to the Allies in financing their cause. This failure along with the submarine offensive was another spur to force the USA into military action.
However, in 1917 the Allies had their failures. The Nivelle Offensive in the spring of 1917 not only failed but also saw many French units refuse to embark on useless attacks and the British saw morale sag in the mud of Third Ypres. Fortunately in the spring the USA had finally reacted to submarine warfare by declaring war on Germany. For Britain, the only success had been the capture of Jerusalem in December. The Allies also realised that the fall of Russia and its Revolution would allow many of the German units to be transferred to the west. Both the Allies and Germany realised the importance of future American involvement. Germany had to use its short term advantage to use extra units from the east to force a result in the west. Britain was experiencing manpower problems. The Allies believed that they could win by 1919 when 4 Million USA soldiers would be in Europe. Although the all-out submarine policy would affect the Atlantic convoys, it was never enough to win a complete victory. The USA was able to supply the Allies with material that the Central Powers could not duplicate. It would not be long before that would include a massive influx of manpower.
For Germany there was one last chance to win in the west and at the minimum obtain a peace settlement. However, all this time the British blockade was wearing down the effectiveness of the German economic and industrial potential as well as starving many of its citizens. Thus 1918 would be a critical year. Early in the year, the Marquess of Lansdowne publicly aired his views that the war was unsustainable and there should be a peaceful settlement with Germany. However, it was widely condemned as unworkable with the belligerent enemy. (The historian Fritz Fischer related that the Germans would never have agreed to its proposals).
The Allies were aware that in 1918 the Germans would have to attempt to win in the west. Having nullified Russia, this was their only hope. This would be a fait accompli before the USA was able to harness its enormous manpower and industrial potential. Lloyd George had misled Parliament by informing them that huge numbers had been sent to France and Belgium when in fact the total had been swelled by non-combatants including foreign labourers and other non-combat ranks. Thus, the Germans embarked on the Spring Offensive. Its initial results seemed spectacular but most of the land gained was open fields of no strategic value. Ludendorff consistently switched his goals and his elite troops were gradually whittled down without gaining any important areas. The vast quantities of abandoned food, drink and materials informed the enemy soldiers that the submarine offensive had not been punishing the British, unlike the blockade which was crippling the war effort and starving the home population in Germany. Nevertheless, the British Army aimed to raise morale in the troops by explaining what exactly its aims were. The French Army was a worry, but their leaders made conditions better by more leave and rotation. Fortunately the decision to appoint Foch as supremo bound the Allies and they were to stem the tide and plan for a final push eastwards. Foch, acceptable to all the Allied leaders, was able to co-ordinate the Allies’ resources and resist the temptation to counter attack before the British (and Empire), French and the ever increasing Americans were ready. The allied attacks were sharp and brutal and were not continued beyond a realistic goal. Successive attacks after short breaks with clear objectives kept the numerically decreasing enemy on the run and constantly having to move reserves up and down the line without offering much resistance. The speed of the German collapse caused the terms of the Armistice to be a military solution and was to cause friction at the subsequent Versailles assembly. The terms imposed on Germany were eventually come back to haunt the Allies. As Foch said, it was not an end, merely an armistice for 20 years. This was an excellent talk. It brought together all the factors at play in the lead up to the end of the hostilities.
Terry Jackson
The Browns of Buxton
When one thinks of Buxton and the Great War one would probably associate it with Vera Britain and ‘Testament of Youth’. On a recent visit, Ann and I attended a concert by the Northern Chamber Orchestra in St John the Baptist Church, Buxton. Whilst there I noticed on the internal main wall memorials for two brothers William (Leonard, by which name he was known) Brown and Cecil Arthur Brown, killed in World War One. However. Leonard died on 25 September 1915, not the day after as shown on the memorial. He was also still a 2nd Lieutenant not a Lieutenant as shown. Cecil died on 23 April 1917. The 1901 and 1911 census show Leonard was born on 29 September 1891 and Cecil 29 October 1893. They lived at 20 Hardwick Street, Buxton. Their parents were Major Abraham Brown, a solicitor and their mother Lucie (née Lowe). They had two elder sisters Constance and Elsie Marie. By 1911 they had two live-in servants. Leonard was educated at Homeleigh School in Buxton and Shrewsbury. He was an articled clerk at his father’s practice and became a solicitor.
Cecil was similarly educated and was an engineer at Vickers of Sheffield. He was an all-round sportsman and played cricket for Buxton. Leonard enlisted in October 1914. In July 1915, he was a 2nd Lieutenant in The Sherwood Foresters in France and Brigade Intelligence Officer. He was killed in one of the second line trenches. His commanding officer indicated it was probably by a sniper. Leonard is buried in Reninghelst New Military Cemetery. This was in use from the autumn of 1914 and the extension from November 1915 until the Armistice. It was suitably placed for a field hospital. Cecil originally enlisted as a Private in the Royal Fusiliers before gaining a Commission as a 2nd Lieutenant 2/6th Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters on 5 October 1914, later being promoted to Lieutenant 22 March 1915 (London Gazette 12 June 1917).
He entered France on 11 July 1915 and joined 1/6th Battalion at Sanctuary Wood on 7-8 August 1915. On 5 May 1917 the ‘Buxton Advertiser’ published a letter from his Commanding Officer, Lt. Col C. B. Johnson to Cecil’s father, Major Abraham Brown, Lt. Col. Johnson who wrote:
“24 April 1917 - My dear Major, I am most awfully sorry to tell you that Cecil is both wounded and missing. ‘C’ Company made an attack and Cecil and his platoon were hung up by a wall with wire entanglement behind it. Cecil, with the utmost pluck and gallantry, began to climb the wall but was hit and fell down behind it. A few of his men got over but the rest had to withdraw. We sent out search parties after dark but we did not find him; and we were relieved the same night. I asked the Company who relieved me to make every effort to bring Cecil in, but it is possible he had been made a prisoner as our attack had failed. I haven’t had any news of him so far, this all happened on the early morning of 23 April. I am hoping myself that he is fairly all right and will be brought in, but we’re all very anxious for news. Everyone is devoted to Cecil; he is one of the best fellows I’ve ever met in my life, and the men will do anything for him. I will send you any more news as soon as I can.”
A few weeks later, on 17th July 1917 the ‘Buxton Advertiser’ officially confirmed Cecil’s death, killed in action on 23rd April. He was recommended for the Military Cross for gallant and distinguished service in the field. A battalion war diary entry recounted Cecil’s actions which led to the receipt of his MC:
“For conspicuous gallantry and devotion in the attack on Fosse 3 de Lievin on 23rd April: Previous to zero hour this Officer’s platoon came under heavy hostile artillery fire in spite of which Lt. Brown continued to go around his sections, encouraging the men and so imbued them with his own splendid spirit of cheerfulness that when the attack commenced they crossed one road heavily enfiladed by the enemy M.G. fire, followed him through a gap in the enemy wire and in spite of losing half their effectives, scaled a high wall under heavy M.G. fire from the fosse and were only stopped by hidden wire, the existence of which had not previously been known. Lt. Brown was himself badly wounded in scaling the wall but though unable to speak on account of his wounds, he continued to wave his men on. Lt Brown is still missing as it was impossible to get to him by day, and search parties sent out at night have so far been unable to find him. He is believed killed.”
Cecil is buried in La Chaudiere Military cemetery, initially known as Vimy no. 1, at the foot of a ridge by a camouflaged German gun in a house. It was small until 1919 when several cemeteries were cleared into it. It is assumed his body must have been subsequently found. Cecil’s Medal Index Card shows that originally he enlisted as a Private in the Royal Fusiliers before gaining a Commission as a 2nd Lieutenant 2/6th Battalion The Sherwood Foresters on 5th October 1914, later being promoted to Lieutenant 22nd March 1915 (London Gazette 12th June 1917). He entered France on 11th July 1915 and joined 1/6th Battalion at Sanctuary Wood on 7th-8th August 1915.
These were two brave brothers and their deaths must have affected the family. The only sad thing about their memorials is that due to refurbishment, they can only be seen by gaining access to a uni-sex wc (photo below).
Terry Jackson
(Primary source-‘More than just a name-Buxton war memorial’)
From “The Times” 8th June 1919 Reprinted in “The Times” 8th June 2019
The City of the Salient
We published on Friday a letter from an “Ypres Veteran”, who wrote to enlist our support “in preserving Ypres from the vandalism which is threatening it, a vandalism almost vying with that inflicted by the guns of the enemy? He tells us that “profit-hunting outsiders, often from far afield,” have “bought for a song small parcels of land upon which to erect huts, booths, and estaminets, even in the Grand Place itself”. The result is a “tendency to make Ypres a sort of second-rate country fair”.
The protest is timely, and, we hope, in time. We agree with it unreservedly, and emphasise it because this type of degradation flourishes by imperceptible degrees till it is irreparable. That must not happen to Ypres, nor yet to Louvain, where rebuilding without taste is already noticeable. Ypres especially, the City of the Salient, must be preserved from the blight of reckless commercialism. Its military glories we need not celebrate afresh. Apart from the pitched battles to which it gave its name, it has associations among the most noble of the war, for the holding of the salient was one of those feats of arms — l hardly justified perhaps in the strict military sense — that show armies as the embodiment of great ideals. The salient, secure against every German assault, shone before the world as the symbol of Belgium, beaten to her knees but unconquerable; and as more than that, for Belgium herself became, and remains, a symbol of the sure triumph of the spiritual over the material.
The “British authorities, “Ypres Veteran” tells us, have stayed work on some of the unworthy erections defacing Ypres, in the hope of the land being expropriated by the Belgian Government”; but meanwhile some of the buildings which are the outcome of the British occupation are themselves an eyesore. King Albert and most enlightened Belgians are dismayed by this vulgarisation. Let them act at once, and be sure that they will have the most eager support from this country and the Dominions. Since 1914 Ypres has become one of the places which the world venerates — to which it goes on pilgrimage. Even commercialism would condemn its desecration. The Germans “ploughed upon its back and made to long furrows”. These honourable scars reverence must preserve.
Future Meetings
12 July Operation REFLECT: What the modern British Army learned from the First World War by WFA Vice President, Maj Gen. (Retd) Mungo Melvin
9 August The Great War Aftermath by John Derry
13 September The Last Battle: End Game on the Western Front, 1918 by Peter Hart
Copy, Word docs, pictures, jpegs, etc. by 5th July please to Ralph Lomas, Tel: 01625 511645 (work) Email:
- Details
- Category: Newsletters
Last Month’s Talk
The Branch welcomed back Terry Dean from the Lancashire North WFA who spoke on the TA gunners at war based on the war diary of the 1st West Lancashire Brigade Royal Field Artillery by Captain W.W. Wadsworth.
The Brigade had been formed in accordance with the Haldane reorganisation of the TA units in 1908. The Act would serve to bring about the 55th (West Lancashire) Division and the 1st West Lancashire Brigade RFA which trained at Liverpool. On the outbreak of war, after the TA revoked its limitation to only serving as home defence, the Brigade trained in Kent. Whilst the 1st West Lancashire Infantry division was shipped to France, the Artillery Brigade moved to protect London and the South East coast.
The Canadians who immediately prepared to serve in Europe were allocated the Brigade as their artillery. RFA units were being issued the relatively new 18lb guns to replace the obsolete 15lb model. The new gun had a range of 6,500 yards and was manned by 6 men and 4 waggoneers. Seven hundred horses were required for the unit.
On 29 September 1915, the unit was shipped to Le Havre on the California –the ship that shut down its radio just before the nearby Titanic began sending its SOS (or CQD) signals- and the Manx Monas Isle. The unit moved up to Kemmel on 2 October 1915 and on 9 October began to register its guns. On 27 October, they were inspected by the King. Subsequently, they saw action at Wytschaete. On 15 December, they retired for refit at Cléty and Herbelles.
In January 1916, Major General Hugh Jedwine took command. At the end of February, the Division relieved French units at Bellacourt then moved to Wailly. They began shelling the enemy lines as a diversionary action for the forthcoming Somme offensive. Subsequently, they moved to Maricourt, leaving their original guns to the incoming units. They continued to gain experience and gradually worked their way to Flers where Tanks were first used operationally on 15 September. The unit supported the assault on High Wood which had been the scene of bitter fighting. When captured it was found to be full of enemy corpses and the excellent observation from the enemy’s positions showed why it had been so critically defended.
Details were given of the unit’s progression including their support action at Cambrai in late 1917 and their fight against the German assault in April 1918 near Festubert. They were put under severe pressure by the enemy but by mid-1918 the enemy had failed to gain any strategic victories and the unit became embroiled in the great push on the enemy in the 100 days.
This was a fully detailed Power Point presentation containing many visual aids and voice overs, representing the major figures’ reports.
Terry J
The Mesopotamia Campaign, fought in what is today Iraq, was the largest of the forgotten campaigns. Fought between November 1914 and October 1918 in constant contact with the enemy and in the worst of climates, the Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force (MEF) reached a maximum size of 440,000 men. Yet it is the least known of the Middle Eastern campaigns.
Site of the Armistice signing at Compiegne
- Details
- Category: Newsletters
Chairman’s Introduction
We look forward to this Friday, 12th March, and our fourth meeting of the year. The evening’s talk is by Terry Dean, editor of the Despatch and member of the North Lancs Branch, and is a focus on the Royal Field Artillery Territorials of the West Lancashire Brigade.
Next month, on 10th May, we have the honour to welcome as our guest speaker the WFA Patron, Sir Hew Strachan which I’m sure will be a highlight in our year’s programme.
Please be aware of the WFA Spring Conference, and AGM, at RAF Cosford, Shifnal, Shropshire, TF11 8UP, on 27th April, doors open at 9.30am with tea and coffee available prior to a brief welcome by the President Peter Simkins at 10.15am.
For the conference element there are two very relevant talks before lunch.
At 10.20am, ‘British PoWs during WW1’ by Dr Oliver Wilkinson followed by, at 11.20am, ‘Shell Shock after WW1’ by Dr Fiona Reid.
The talks are free to WFA members, and their guests, followed by an optional buffet lunch (12.20pm) at a cost of £15. This must be paid in advance via the WFA office. The AGM, which is only open to full members, starts at 1.20pm.
Editorial
It’s clear the focus of First World War remembrance has often been on ‘the fallen’ and it is not hard to understand why – according to the CWGC an estimated 950,000 service personnel from across Britain and its Empire made the ultimate sacrifice.
However, given that 8.7 million people donned a military uniform, it raises some serious questions about why tales from the majority group, ‘the survivors’, have continued to play a lesser role in the popular narrative. It is an anomaly that is particularly harsh on the 1.7 million veterans who returned home with a disability, either physical or mental.
The WFA is committed to remembrance of the conflict and we should remember all those who joined up and gave service at that time.
The war did not end in November 1918 for the overwhelming majority of British servicemen and their wives, but instead continued to impact upon many of them for the rest of their lives. Furthermore, their actions (some shaped by their war experiences) contributed to the social evolution of the nation.
The WFA already engages with the public and encourages where possible to share their stories of parents and grandparents who survived the conflict.
We must try to inspire people to think about the Great War beyond the battlefields, and its lasting legacies both positive and negative. Ralph.
This month’s speaker
The story of the part-time Territorials of the 1st West Lancashire Brigade Royal Field Artillery in WW1 based on Captain Wadsworth’s book which records their exploits. The Brigade exchanged their twelve out-dated 15-pounder field guns for 18-pounders in September 1915 and crossed to France.
They gained experience on quiet sectors of the front then fought in the Somme battles from late July 1916 before moving to Ypres where they doubled their firepower to twenty-four guns. In September 1917, after providing artillery support to aid the taking of Hill 37 south-east of St Julien, their war continued in south Cambrai where they helped withstand the Germans’ severe counterattack on 30 November. After this they moved to Givenchy and opposed the German’s Georgette offensive in April 1918, before partaking in the advance to victory.
Woven into the talk are narrations from Captain Wadsworth’s book by his grandson together with narrations from Reverend Coop’s book which tells the story of the 55th Division. Also woven into the talk is information about the changes in the Brigade’s structure during the war, its guns, ammunition and tactics.
Branch member Fae Jones’ Aisne story
WFA member, Fae Jones, travelled with Battle Honours Ltd, for the WFA tour of 17/20 October 2014 to visit the Aisne battlefields where her Grandfather, Pte. George L. Collins, 204071, 2nd Bn East Lancashire Regiment died of wounds on 27th May 1918. He is buried at Vailly-sur-Aisne British Cemetery. Although she had visited the grave twice before, this was a particularly poignant occasion. Fae had recently discovered further details of the circumstances surrounding his death.
After placing details about her Grandfather on the ‘Remember on this Day’ column on the WFA website, Fae was contacted by WFA member, Fred Ashmore, who had further information and had written an excellent article in ‘Stand To’. Fred’s Uncle (also Fred Ashmore) of the 1/6 Battalion, Durham Light Infantry had also been involved in the 3rd Battle of the Aisne on 27th May, 1918 and he had, likewise, been wounded and taken to the CCS No 37 at Mont Notre Dame. Fred had records to show that his Uncle was buried at the Mont Notre Dame Military Cemetery before re-burial at Vailly-sur-Aisne and that George Collins had suffered a similar fate. Forty-six British soldiers and two members of the Friends’ Ambulance Unit were in the same situation, all finally being laid to rest at Vailly. They later visited the site of CCS No.37 at Mont Notre Dame and placed another memorial cross in the porch of the local church.
The group were able to honour the memories of George Collins and Fred Ashmore, by sharing, with Fae, the placing of a posy on her Grandfather’s grave, and the placing of a wooden cross and poppy at the grave of Private Fred Ashmore. This moving occasion linked the stories of two individual soldiers who had died in WW1. The link was only made possible through the WFA connection.
Fae comments, “It really made me proud to be a member of the WFA giving me the opportunity to travel and investigate with such a professional team and I hope the Association continues for a long time.”
Fae Jones at her grandfather’s grave at Vailly-sur-Aisne
Last Month’s Talk
The Aisne was the subject of several battles during the war and David Blanchard looked at the German assault of May 1918. In 1914 it had marked the beginning of trench warfare. Both sides were unable to gain a victory. The Germans dug in, having the advantage of holding the high ground. Both sides tried to outflank each other unsuccessfully in the ‘Race to the Sea’. This formed the initial trench lines from the Swiss Border to the Belgian coast. It was also the site of the ill-fated Nivelle offensive of 1917. The losses of the French were ultimately to cause British forces to be brought into the area to hold the line. In 1918, as a continuation of the German Spring Offensive, it was the site of the Blücher-Yorck attack.
The terrain of the Battle was along the Chemin Des Dames, an old road running east to west which was below a plateau and above the steep sided banks of the Aisne. In May 1918, IX Corps took over part of the French line. It had been intended that this would be an area in which the Corps could recuperate.
At 1am on 27th May, the enemy’s VII Army began a bombardment with 6,000 guns, which had been predicted by German POWs. It extended along a front of 24 miles from Soissons to Reims, including areas either side of the main attack, to hide the ultimate aim of the assault. It was organised by Colonel Bruchmüller and was at that time the heaviest of all the enemy shelling, including gas, to precede an assault. Every battery, village, farm, railway station, bridge and road junction was targeted to a depth of three thousand yards. Photo right: Aisne 1918 - British troops await the enemy
The shelling began with gas followed by a mixture of gas, high explosive and mortars. British batteries were targeted by counter battery fire. Although the shelling was relatively short (2 hours), it was concentrated. Surprise was achieved and gas did not impair vehicle movement.
At 3.40 am, with dawn still to break, German infantry advanced. Many Allied units found themselves greatly outnumbered. Twenty five German Divisions had attacked 5 French and 5 English Divisions and by midday the Germans had captured the Chemin de Dames Ridge, taken at great cost by the French in 1917.
All British headquarters had been under fire and communications were cut. The Front line of the British infantry was devastated and the enemy took them easily. 21st Division of the Corps felt the full weight of the attack of 2 German Divisions with a Reserve Division, which was replicated along the Front. A depth of up to 13 miles was achieved and much of the communications had been cut. Some 3 million shells including gas were fired by the enemy. The enemy also initially achieved air superiority. Nineteen Enemy tanks (converted from vehicles captured at Cambrai) were used but were behind their troops and too scattered to achieve maximum results.
Many soldiers were captured in deep dugouts by the swiftly advancing enemy infantry Three Brigadier generals were captured including Henry Conway Rees who found himself talking to the Kaiser.
The town of Soissons fell on 28 May, and over the following days the Germans drove further towards Château Thierry and the River Marne, where Allied forces fought to hold back the advance. Allied divisions were rushed into the fight and the Germans were finally stopped at the River Marne. In one of their first major engagements, American troops launched several counter-attacks which threw back German units that had made it across the Marne. Exhausted and at the very limit of their supply lines, the Germans ended Blücher-Yorck on 6 June. At their height the Germans had been less than 40 miles from Paris.
Although the enemy had inflicted many casualties, they could not sustain attacks with diminishing resources. Again no strategic victory had been obtained and as their elite troops were being worn away the potential of US Army resources was continually increasing.
Despite the warnings, Ludendorff began another attack on 11 June along the Matz but again early success petered out. A final attack on the Marne also failed and Ludendorff finally called off the whole offensive. In due course the Allies were able to combine their resources for the 100 days assault which commenced at Amiens on 8 August and eventually led to the Armistice on 11 November.
A detailed and well sourced talk.
Terry Jackson
Photos - above right - German troops advance
above left - Kaiser Wilhelm meets Brigadier Conway Rees of 150 brigade
Disposal of Horses 1919
On 11 March 1919, the Daily Telegraph published an article of the Army’s disposal of horses and mules under the heading ‘The Demobilised Horse’. The following is a precis of it.
Since the Armistice the War Office had sold 57,948 horses and mules in the United Kingdom for approximately £2,000,000. (Multiply by 50 for 2019 prices) This added to the much needed Exchequer’s account and relieved the Army of the cost of feeding and organising those animals’ welfare. The records were also showing that sale prices were continuing to rise (Approximately by 2 shillings per day).
The Army had issued a realistic appraisal of all the stock which attracted buyers from all walks of life. There were all kinds of animals from ‘Riders’ to heavy draught horses. Prices ranged from about £15 to three figures
In late 1918 the Army employed 80,000 horses in the UK, 382,000 in France, 142,000 (including camels) in Egypt, 59,000 in Salonika, 89,000 in Mesopotamia, 18,000 in Italy, and 6,700 in East Africa. 17,000 had been purchased from the USA and were awaiting shipment (some were still on route on the Atlantic). Some horses were reserved for the Army of Occupation and for Army use in the future.
Unfortunately many horses were in poor condition and were disposed of humanely in their theatre of war. Others were sold in France to help in the reconstruction of the devastated areas. They were also well sought after in the other Theatres. The Army branded the animals as surplus with an 8 and this was regarded as an honourable recognition of the animal’s war service. Heavy Draughters were in high demand and the average price for all animals was £40
The horses were shipped back to England from the ports used during the war. They were docked at Southampton and Tilbury with some at Hull. A train ferry ran between Calais and Richborough in Kent and all animals were placed in quarantine for a fortnight.
The War Office also arranged a loan scheme for draught horses. 50,000 were let at a rental of £7.10s pa with free veterinary inspections. After 6 years the lessee became the owner, subject to two weeks army training each year if required.
My thanks to Dr. Derek Brumhead MBE (New Mills local historian) for drawing my attention to this article. TJ
- Details
- Category: Newsletters
Up the Line
Chairman's Introduction
Looking forward to this Friday, 8th March, and our third meeting of the year. The evening’s talk, by author David Blanchard, is about the 1918 German Spring Offensive on the Aisne between Soissons and Reims, and its learning experience for WW2 offensives
Although the Great War Centenary years have now passed, we can look ahead and I’m sure continue to keep our group together in sharing the history of 1914/1918 and the post war aftermath. The political, economic and social repercussions are important to tie in with the upheaval caused by Germany’s instigation of the Great War.
We have the next two months speakers organised! With Terry Dean and WFA Patron, Sir Hew Strachan booked for 12th April and 10th May respectively.
Will members please be advised that the WFA President’s Conference will be on Saturday 30th March in Birmingham at the Tally Ho! Sports Club. Four top speakers. £35 inc buffet lunch.
Also the WFA Spring Conference at RAF Cosford on 27th April. Free to WFA members with optional buffet lunch at £15. Must be paid in advance via the WFA office.
Ralph
Guest Speaker – David Blanchard
The Aisne again – the essence of Blitzkrieg?
After relatively unsuccessful attacks on the Somme and the Lys, General Ludendorff sought a new sector in which to continue the heavy assaults of his 1918 Spring offensive. He chose the thinly held Aisne front between Soissons and Reims.
The German advance here was the furthest ever made, on one day, on the Western Front since the advent of trench warfare in late 1914. On the first day of the battle the German army advanced fifteen miles, opening up a salient twenty-five miles wide and taking almost 25,000 prisoners. The British Army’s IX Corps was virtually wiped out.
This talk will examine the characteristics of this German offensive that led Major General H E Essame to remark, ‘The technique now to be demonstrated in its highest perfection by the Germans [on the Aisne] was to set the pattern for most of the coming offensives of the war and to continue to be employed in World War Two on the Russian Front and finally, with remarkable initial success, in the Ardennes in December 1944.’
This talk also considers how the German’s tactical success proved their strategic failure.
Although the initial offensive was a brilliant set piece, it lost momentum in subsequent days due to poor planning and over-reaching ambition.
The Third Battle of the Aisne was the last successful German offensive of the war; thereafter the British and the French took the initiative on the Western Front.
Last Month's Talk
‘Of no earthly use’: 2nd Line Territorial Divisions on the Western Front 1916-1917
Bill Mitchinson introduced the talk by mentioning the disquiet felt in 1916 both within Parliament and the 2nd Line formations themselves over their inactivity and lack of proper preparation for overseas service. Their component units had begun recruiting in September 1914 but for the next two years the remaining 13 divisions kicked their heels on home defence, unsure of their worth and of what their future role might be. They had haemorrhaged thousands of their original members and trained men to their 1st Lines and by the end of that year, only two divisions had reached the Western Front.
Bill then very briefly outlined how he was attempting to assess the quality and performance of the seven 2nd Line divisions which did go to the Continent. By comparing their work to the successes and failures of the Regular, New Army and 1st Line TF divisions during 1917, he is analyzing how successful the 2nd Line formations were in harnessing their fighting power and the extent to which they adopted and practised developing British doctrine.
The War Office’s preference to raise, train and equip the New Armies worked against the interests of the 2nd Line. They suffered from a lack of manpower and suitable equipment until well into 1916 and had their ranks filled with Derbyites. Many of these newcomers had no territorial affiliation to their divisions’traditional catchment areas. There was a general perception that if these divisions were to go to France, not a great deal could be expected of them. This belief seemed to be quickly confirmed by the failure of 61st (2nd South Midland) Division to take and hold any ground at Fromelles.
Having discussed the divisions’ early trials and tribulations Bill then divided the talk into three sections: patrolling and raiding; semi-open warfare, and offensive operations. Not all of the divisions enjoyed a period of trench acclimatization. Instead, on arrival some were thrown almost immediately into their own portion of line and expected to begin active operations. Experience was to be gained the hard way and, unsurprisingly, some of the early attempts at raiding degenerated almost into farce. Several of the brigades and battalions soon, however, began to develop the infantry skills and all-arms coordination required to conduct successful ‘minor enterprises’, while 60th (2/2nd London) and 66th (2nd East Lancashire) became particularly adept at getting into the enemy trenches and capturing prisoners, others found those requisites rather harder to acquire.
When the Germans began their withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line, 59th (2nd North Midland) and 61st Divisions were heavily engaged in following the enemy across the devastated ground. Having to contend with the physical obstacle of the Somme and also the need rapidly to acquire the ways and means necessary to keep the divisions sustained were particularly challenging. When 59th Division came up against the fortified villages of Le Verguier and Hargicourt, its naivety and innocence became all too tragically apparent. Just about everything that could go wrong in the planning and execution of its attacks in early April did; these failures caused the division quickly to have its GOC, one of the brigade commanders and a battalion CO replaced. 61st Division did a little better but also demonstrated some poor staff work and inadequate artillery-infantry coordination. Meanwhile, 62nd (2md West Riding) was not thought to have done particularly well at Bullecourt whereas 58th (2/1st London) was lauded for its activities during the same battle.
The bulk of the talk was taken up with an assessment of the 2nd Line formations during the offensive operations of 3rd Ypres. 60th Division had gone to Salonika but all other 2nd Line, with the exception of 62nd, took part in the offensive. Bill selected particular engagements to demonstrate how the divisions performed in the gruelling conditions and compared them in terms of ground gained and their ability to focus the different components of fighting power against divisions in the same corps or to those working on their flanks. The planning, administration, preparations, liaison, inter-arms cooperation and execution of 184 Brigade’s series of attacks against the so-called Battery Position, 59th Division’s assault towards Otto Farm, 66th Division’s attack against the Bell Vue Spur and 57th and 58th Divisions’ attempts to draw fire from the Canadian assaults up the Passchendaele Ridge were discussed with the aim of drawing out whether the staffs had understood the character and requirements of the battle to be fought, the extent to which the training had followed the most recent doctrinal developments and whether the physical component of fighting power had been adequately provided and sustained. There were several, predictable, disasters but the overall conclusion was that the 2nd Line divisions generally fared no better or any worse than the other, more experienced divisions engaged.
Bill concluded with a brief outline of what had happened to those 2nd Line divisions which had been retained in the UK or disbanded, and of what those in France were to achieve in the defensive operations of March-April 1918. This period of their activities, he suggested, warranted a talk to itself because, while most of the divisions had lost just about all of any territorial affiliation or identity, they were heavily involved in set-piece battles and the consequent withdrawal back across the Somme. Some were reduced to cadre and then reconstituted before next becoming engaged in the Hundred Days.
Terry Jackson
Great War – H W Wilson’s Standard History
I am a member of the WFA. I have 272 original unbound issues of “The Great War” the standard history edited by H W Wilson. I am looking to dispose of these and wondered if they are of any interest to any individual member. I am not looking for any payment. They can be collected from Marple, Stockport.
John Hulme
Education - WFA provides talks via podcasts
Mentioned in Dispatches
The WFA has established a weekly audio podcast called Mentioned in Dispatches, hosted and edited by the author.
A broad range of subjects are covered and we have examined the Battle of Arras, women in the Great War and the key individuals such as Brigadier General Frank Crozier.
The programme has two formats, either interviews with guests, such as authors, academics or historians, or lectures given at WFA conferences or branch meetings.
There have been 70 episodes recorded to date (at time or writing) and have featured well known experts such as Andy Robertshaw, Dr Nick Lloyd from King’s College London and Jack Sheldon.
For those unfamiliar with podcasts they are digital audio file made available on the internet for downloading to a computer, smart phone, tablet or mobile device, typically available as a series, new instalments of which can be received by subscribers automatically.
Podcasts are free to listen to and can be accessed by two methods:
- Via your tablet or smart phone. You can listen via iTunes if you have an apple device or SoundCloud or Acast if you have an android device. Simply type in the name to the search box (magnifying glass icon) and subscribe.
- Via your computer. Simply go to and type in ‘Mentioned in Dispatches’ to the search box and all the recent episodes are there.
If you have any suggestions for topics to be covered or people to be interviewed, please contact:
Tom Thorpe, WFA Press and Publicity
Future Talks
12 April: Territorial Gunners at War by Terry Dean
10 May: The Bulgarian surrender and the end of the war by Sir Hew Strachan, WFA Patron
Future speakers confirmed are John Derry in August, Dr John Sheldon in October, Clive Harris in November
- Details
- Category: Newsletters
Chairman’s Introduction
Welcome to our second meeting of the New Year and, although the Great War Centenary years have now passed, we can look ahead and I’m sure we can continue to keep our group together in sharing the history of 1914/1918. Tonight’s talk, by our good friend and Branch member Bill Mitchinson, is about the 2nd Line Territorial Force on the Western Front, see his synopsis below.
We have the next three months of speakers organized, with David Blanchard and Terry Dean booked in for March and April.
In May we are honoured to have the WFA Patron Sir Hew Strachan, appointed in November 2016, as our guest speaker, his subject yet to be confirmed. Our President, Peter Simkins, on welcoming him to the WFA wrote:
“May I say how delighted I am that Professor Sir Hew Strachan accepted our invitation to become Patron of the WFA in succession to the late Terry Cave. I first became aware of Hew’s work through his book on the history of the Cambridge University Officers’ Training Corps, published in 1976 at a time when I was in the foothills of research for my own book Kitchener’s Army. I was immediately impressed with Hew’s scholarship then and have since watched with pleasure, admiration and respect as he has established a huge international reputation as one of the world’s foremost scholars of the Great War. His book The First World War: Volume I, To Arms (published in 2001) remains, for instance, a model of immense research, breadth of coverage and balanced judgements. Sir Hew’s presence in our ranks as Patron will greatly enhance the WFA’s work of study, education and remembrance.”
Ralph
‘Perfectly unfit and of no earthly use’:
The 2nd Line Territorial Force and the Western Front
Bill Mitchinson
Following its creation in September 1914, anxiety over the supposed inadequate state of the 2nd Line was aired frequently in parliament and the press over the subsequent two years. There was also significant discontent within the ranks of the 2nd Line divisions themselves. Many of its infantry battalions filled quickly but with an apparent indifference towards the new divisions, the War Office preferred to concentrate on training and equipping the New Armies. Many of those men who chose to enlist in the new units undoubtedly did so in the knowledge they were in all likelihood joining what would develop into even more of a Cinderella force than its oft-ridiculed parent units.
In 1916, the War Office made decisions about which of the ostensibly fourteen 2nd Line divisions should be deployed overseas and which should be retained in the United Kingdom. The first two divisions destined for the Western Front embarked for France in 1916; they were followed between six and eight months later by a further five divisions. One division was broken up in 1916, followed by another a year later because a dearth of recruits had made them unsustainable; five others, for similar reasons, never left the British Isles. This reorganization was the final dashing of hopes of those who had long dreamt of a Territorial Army in France composed entirely of TF divisions.
Generally, little was expected of those 2nd Line divisions deployed to the Western Front. This early assumption was apparently confirmed by the complete failure of 61st (2/South Midland) Division to capture any ground during the Fromelles debacle. It came as something of a surprise, therefore, to those who had doubted the worth of the force when two 2nd Line divisions were heavily involved in the capture of Bullecourt. A further surprise came when another of its formations burst into and through the formidable defences of the Hindenburg Line.
When, in early 1918, the War Office decided to reduce the number of battalions in the divisions of the BEF, the 2nd Line battalions were among the obvious choices for disbanding. Later that year, two of its divisions were reduced to training cadres and then reconstituted with several imported battalions which made them unrecognizable as TF formations. When the armistice came and demobilization began the 2nd Line units were disbanded and passed into albeit, temporary, history. In the post-war era a belief persisted in some quarters that although the TF as a whole had done vital work and performed beyond expectations, raising the 2nd Line had been an error of judgement, strategy and policy. The fact that the divisions had not gone overseas until 1916 and 1917, and the perception that they were little better than labour or line holding formations, fuelled the continued belief that their men and resources would have been better applied to divisions of the Regular Army.
By examining their performance in selected engagements the lecture offers a preliminary assessment of the qualities of the 2nd Line divisions and attempts to draw conclusions about whether they deserved their generally ambivalent reputations.
Photo right: On the slopes above Hargicourt, where the 2nd Line 59th (2nd North Midland) and 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Divisions were both heavily engaged, stands the cross to commemorate the death of Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Wrenford, CO of 4/East Lancashire.
To All Our Members!
Terry thanks you!
“I would like to thank all the branch members for the generous book token card. It will be staying unused for a while. We are having the shower room which adjoins the library refurbished. This means the shelves are blocked by material to go into the shower and a piano. There is no point my buying any more books just yet as there is literally no place to put them. It will enable me to avoid rushing off to Waterstones for a while!”
Best wishes, Terry
What Happened next?
World War II is over but WWI is not yet finished.
That was said by a Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman to a Guardian journalist in March 2018. He was referring to the situation in the Middle East. The hangovers of WWI are still with us.
So, let’s test your knowledge of this period, post 11th November 1918, which was most certainly not the end fighting, commotion, carnage and destruction. Can you answer the following questions?
- 3 VCs were awarded for an action 18 August 1919:
- Which armed service?
- Where?
- Who on earth was the enemy in 1919?
- Was the Versailles Treaty the only one to emerge from the Paris conference?
- Which country lost most land and people in the Paris treaties, and it isn’t Germany?
- Which enemy capital was occupied for 4 years? It wasn’t Berlin.
Answers at the bottom of the page.
Last Month’s Talk
Although we are now post centennial of the Great War, Branch member Dr Martin Purdy considered the schemes that were set up to provide disabled servicemen with homes more suited to their physical condition.
Generally the main suppliers of aid were charity and philanthropy and still are today. The assistance provided to men are badly wounded in the service of the nation had initially been considered during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Almshouses provided rooms for men to injured to lead a normal life. The Privy Council had been tasked to control the scheme. By the 17th Century Chelsea and Greenwich Hospital were aiding servicemen but there was no compulsion to do so. By the time of the Boer War, Regiments were becoming involved. In all they spent the modern day equivalent of £400 million in providing facilities. However, most of the funding was only provided for the man, not his family.
Much of the Regimental aid reflected on those bodies anticipating more recruits if they were seen to be looking after their wounded men. More than £400 million (in today’s values) was spent by the Regiments to this end. However, there was still no State involvement.
The Great War surpassed any other conflict in terms of numbers of wounded and disabled servicemen. Being the first truly industrialised war, wounds and traumas inflicted by modern weaponry were widespread in all the Services. The Naval & War Pensions Bill 1916 enabled Local Authorities to help their wounded, whilst existing organisations such as the Chelsea Hospital Pensioners provided help.
The task would be enormous. By 1919 there were 1.7 million disabled servicemen. The playwright John Galsworthy in ‘The Sacred Work’ strongly believed the many men disabled by the war deserved to be cared for within the society which they had fought to protect. This was in response to a request from the Ministry of Pensions for a forthcoming conference in early 1918 on the treatment of disabled servicemen.
However subsequent aid was assessed on the level of disability, not on the ability to work, nor on the serviceman’s ability to provide for his family. The TUC opposed the scheme fearing low pay to the disabled would jeopardize their members’ livelihoods. Galsworthy also drifted away from the subject post war.
In 1919, the Housing, Town Planning Act set out the aim to provide 500,000 homes, mainly in response to the perceived ill health of much of the population. However, only 250,000 were built due to Government cuts.
Charities doubled during the war, from 9 to 18 thousand. £600 thousand was raised and it was still public generosity rather than the State that provided these funds.
Sir Oswald Stoll was a philanthropist who donated land in 1916 for the a charity in Fulham, London for disabled soldiers returning from World War I and their families. The foundation continues to house disabled ex-servicemen and women to this day, but in addition also provides supported housing for veterans suffering from mental ill health, and those who, having left the Forces, have found themselves homeless. However no workers councils were allowed and he had a distrust of possible left wing interference.
Martin considered other projects and gave a detailed description of the primary subject of his PhD thesis, the Thomas H Mawson project at Westfield, Lancashire. Mason was an acclaimed architect. His youngest son James Radcliffe was killed on 24 April 1915. James had been keen on ensuring servicemen should be looked after when returning home, especially those who had been badly wounded.
Mawson aimed to provide a number of settlements for the returning disabled. Unfortunately, due to lack of official financial support only Westfield was completed.
Westfield still exists today. Each home has either the name of a serviceman or battle.
A fully detailed talk by Martin on the development of schemes such as Westfield after the Great War. For a greater study you can read his doctorate study on the web.
TJ
Answers to the post-WWI quiz
1. (a) Royal Navy, for an attack using coastal motor boats.
(b) Kronstadt – and it’s not anywhere remotely near Germany, it’s the port guarding St Petersburg.
(c) the Russians, or perhaps Bolshevism – so how do you fight a philosophy?
2. No: there was Versailles, Neuilly, St Germain, Trianon, Sevres, San Remo plus lots of follow-on ones.
3. Hungary, including the loss of 4 million ethnic Hungarians to other countries.
4. Constantinople (Istanbul). You may have forgotten this, but the Turks have not.
These are only some of the bizarre events following on from WWI.
8th Annual President’s Conference
Saturday 30th March 2019
Doors 09.00. Start 09.45 until 16.30
Tally Ho! Sports and Social Club,
Birmingham B5 7RN
Cost £35 - booking via WFA website
or by contacting WFA Office
Telephone: 020 7118 1914
2019 Spring Conference and AGM
Saturday 27th April 2019
at RAF Cosford, Shifnal, Shropshire, TF11 8UP
Transport - free parking: Half hourly trains
from Birmingham (Shrewsbury Line) to Cosford
Station (15/20 minute walk to venue FREE TO MEMBERS
Contact Steve Oram
to book place + book optional £15 buffet lunch.