Chapter I: Preface

In the previous volume of this work, which dealt with the doings of the British Army in France and Flanders during the year 1914, I ventured to claim that a great deal of it was not only accurate but that it was very precisely correct in its detail. This claim has been made good, for although many military critics and many distinguished soldiers have read it there has been no instance up to date of any serious correction. Emboldened by this I am now putting forward an account of the doings of 1915, which will be equally detailed and, as I hope, equally accurate. In the late autumn a third volume will carry the story up to the end of 1916, covering the series of battles upon the Somme.

The three years of war may be roughly divided into the year of defence, the year of equilibrium, and the year of attack. This volume concerns itself with the second, which in its very nature must be less dramatic than the first or third. None the less it contains some of the most moving scenes of the great world tragedy, and especially the second Battle of Ypres and the great Battle of Loos, two desperate {vi} conflicts the details of which have not, so far as I know, been given up to now to the public.

Now, as before, I must plead guilty to many faults of omission, which often involve some injustice, since an author is naturally tempted to enlarge upon what he knows at the expense of that about which he is less well informed. These faults may be remedied with time, but in the meantime I can only claim indulgence for the obvious difficulty of my task. With the fullest possible information at his disposal, I do not envy the task of the chronicler who has to strike a just balance amid the claims of some fifty divisions.

ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE.

WINDLESHAM, CROWBOROUGH,
_April_ 1917.

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER I

THE OPENING MONTHS OF 1915

Conflict of the 1st Brigade at Cuinchy, and of the 3rd Brigade at Givenchy--Heavy losses of the Guards--Michael O'Leary, V.C.--Relief of French Divisions by the Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth British--Pressure on the Fifth Corps--Force subdivided into two armies--Disaster to 16th Lancers--The dearth of munitions

CHAPTER II

NEUVE CHAPELLE AND HILL 60

The opening of the spring campaign--Surprise of Neuve Chapelle--The new artillery--Gallant advance and terrible losses--The Indians in Neuve Chapelle--A sterile victory--The night action of St. Eloi--Hill 60--The monstrous mine--The veteran 13th Brigade--A bloody battle--London Territorials on the Hill--A contest of endurance--The first signs of poison

CHAPTER III

THE SECOND BATTLE OF YPRES

(Stage I.--The Gas Attack, April 22-30)

Situation at Ypres--The poison gas--The Canadian ordeal--The fight in the wood of St. Julien--The French recovery--Miracle days--The glorious Indians--The Northern Territorials--Hard fighting--The net result--Loss of Hill 60

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CHAPTER IV

THE SECOND BATTLE OF YPRES

(Stage II.--The Bellewaarde Lines)

The second phase--Attack on the Fourth Division--Great stand of the Princess Pats--Breaking of the line--Desperate attacks--The cavalry save the situation--The ordeal of the 11th Brigade--The German failure--Terrible strain on the British--The last effort of May 24--Result of the battle--Sequence of events

CHAPTER V

THE BATTLE OF RICHEBOURG-FESTUBERT

(May 9-24)

The new attack--Ordeal of the 25th Brigade--Attack of the First Division--Fateful days--A difficult situation--Attack of the Second Division--Attack of the Seventh Division--British success--Good work of the Canadians--Advance of the Forty-seventh London Division--The lull before the storm

CHAPTER VI

THE TRENCHES OF HOOGE

The British line in June 1915--Canadians at Givenchy--Attack of 154th Brigade--8th Liverpool Irish--Third Division at Hooge--11th Brigade near Ypres--Flame attack on the Fourteenth Light Division--Victory of the Sixth Division at Hooge

CHAPTER VII

THE BATTLE OF LOOS

(The First Day--September 25)

General order of battle--Check of the Second Division--Advance of the Ninth and Seventh Divisions--Advance of the First Division--Fine progress of the Fifteenth Division--Capture of Loos--Work of the Forty-seventh London Division

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CHAPTER VIII

THE BATTLE OF LOOS

(The Second Day--September 26)

Death of General Capper--Retirement of the Fifteenth Division--Advance of the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-first Divisions--Heavy losses--Desperate struggle--General retirement on the right--Rally round Loos--Position in the evening

CHAPTER IX

THE BATTLE OF LOOS

(From September 27 to the end of the year)

Loss of Fosse 8--Death of General Thesiger--Advance of the Guards--Attack of the Twenty-eighth Division--Arrival of the Twelfth Division--German counter-attacks--Attack by the Forty-sixth Division upon Hohenzollern Redoubt--Subsidiary attacks--General observations--Return of Lord French to England

INDEX

MAPS AND PLANS

Map to illustrate the British Campaign in France and Flanders [Transcriber's note: omitted from ebook because its size and fragility made it impractical to scan]

British Front, 1915

Ypres District

Order of Battle, May 7th

Richebourg District

Loos District

Battle of Loos--I.

Battle of Loos--II.

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