61st Division | Fromelles | 18 Jul 1916
Delville Wood It has been calculated that about 20,000 German shells were fired into a square mile of ground today. The wood is disappearing around Continue reading 61st Division | Fromelles | 18 Jul 1916
Tag Archives: Monro
Passing the buck | Fromelles | 17 Jul 1916
Battle of the Somme Time to talk about the Somme again. It’s back to Delville Wood, while I sneak off to frantically google “things that Continue reading Passing the buck | Fromelles | 17 Jul 1916
Erzurum Offensive | The end of Gallipoli | 9 Jan 1916
Erzurum Offensive We open today in the Caucasus. You may recall that General Yudenich, the Russian commander, has been planning an audacious attack on eastern Continue reading Erzurum Offensive | The end of Gallipoli | 9 Jan 1916
Wully Robertson | CIGS | 23 Dec 1915
Today, General Sir William Robertson, usually known by “Wully”, takes up his new role as the head of the British Army. It’s hard to underestimate Continue reading Wully Robertson | CIGS | 23 Dec 1915
Louis Barthas’s Memorial | Gallipoli | 10 Dec 1915
Gallipoli Let us, at last, talk evacuation. The men on the ground have been preparing for it since General Monro recommended it; all they needed Continue reading Louis Barthas’s Memorial | Gallipoli | 10 Dec 1915
Battle of Ctesiphon | 22 Nov 1915
Battle of Ctesiphon As often happens with these kinds of things, the (spoilers) impending and slow-unfolding military disaster in Mesopotamia caught rather a lot of Continue reading Battle of Ctesiphon | 22 Nov 1915
Californian | 9 Nov 1915
SS Californian You may be familiar with the Californian if you’ve ever looked into the Titanic disaster in any detail. Californian was the passenger liner Continue reading Californian | 9 Nov 1915
The end of Third Isonzo | 4 Nov 1915
Third Isonzo The already-ridiculous rainfall continues with even greater intensity, and now the writing’s on the wall for the battle. Any hope of an Italian Continue reading The end of Third Isonzo | 4 Nov 1915
War Committee | 3 Nov 1915
The British government and Gallipoli The British government hocks up a giant hairball and attempts to do something to assert a little control over the Continue reading War Committee | 3 Nov 1915
Evacuating Gallipoli | 30 Oct 1915
Gallipoli General Monro fires off his report to Lord Kitchener, in which he sets out the problems of Gallipoli as a battlefield in great and Continue reading Evacuating Gallipoli | 30 Oct 1915
Aristide Briand | 29 Oct 1915
Aristide Briand Time for some lovely crunchy French politics. Rene Viviani’s last, desperate play to save himself as Prime Minister was to select a new Continue reading Aristide Briand | 29 Oct 1915
Never work with children or animals | 28 Oct 1915
The King Before we get into things today, let’s start with an extended metaphor. As we know, George V of Britain is in France at Continue reading Never work with children or animals | 28 Oct 1915
Suits of armour | 22 Oct 1915
Third Isonzo At one point when discussing some of the attacks today, the Austro-Hungarian Official History describes the Italian gains on the Carso as “meagre”. Continue reading Suits of armour | 22 Oct 1915
Vranje | Sir Ian Hamilton | 16 Oct 1915
Serbia The weather has calmed itself a little, and the northern German/Austro-Hungarian offensive continues making slow, steady progress, never pausing for enough time to allow Continue reading Vranje | Sir Ian Hamilton | 16 Oct 1915
Gheluvelt | 31 Oct 1914
Sir John French would, in later life, rate the 31st of October 1914 as being the worst day of his life, containing the worst half Continue reading Gheluvelt | 31 Oct 1914