THE BEF AT THE END OF THE YEAR

by Bob Butcher

1:1914

COMMANDERS AND PRINCIPAL STAFF OFFICERS

CinC FM Sir JDP French

CGS Lt Gen Sir AJ MurrayAG Maj Gen Sir CFN Macready

QMG Maj Gen Sir WR Robertson

First Army (formed 26 December)

GOC Gen Sir D Haig

MGGS Maj Gen JE Gough

DA&QMG Maj Gen PEF Hobbs

Second Army (formed 26 December)

GOC Gen Sir H Smith-Dorrein

MGGS Maj Gen GT Forestier-Walker

DA&QMG Maj Gen WH Rycroft

 

Composition at 31 December

GHQ and GHQ Troops

Two armies,Five corps (inc one Indian)

Two cavalry corps (inc one Indian)

Eleven infantry divisions (inc two Indian) Five cavalry divisions (inc two Indian)

LofC and LofC troops

All regular except seven Yeomanry regiments, three companies of Royal Engineers Special Reserve and twenty-three Territorial infantry battalions.

Royal Flying Corps: HQ wireless unit and five squadrons (sixty-three planes in all)

 

Line held

23 August: Conde-Mons- Binche (25 miles)

16 Sept: Soissons-Paissy (20 miles)

20 Nov: NE of Kemmel- E of Festubert (24 miles)

Strength

Estimated at 31 Dec: 269,711

Average daily ration strength: 220,572

(includes 5000 Indian 'followers')

Casualties

Total: 177,423 made up as follows:

Battle 98,866 (k 13,009, dow 3657, missing or PoW 26,511, wounded 56,689)

Non-battle 78,567 (died of disease or injury 508, sick or injured 78,049)

Battles

The German attack at MONS was repulsed (23-24 Aug) but French withdrawals on the flank led to the RETREAT FROM MONS . Actions were fought at ELOUGES (24 Aug), SOLESMES (25 Aug) and LANDRECIES (25 Aug). A stand was made at LE CATEAU (25 Aug) . Rearguards were fought at LE GRAND FAYT (25 Aug), ETREUX (27 Aug) and CERIZY (28 Aug). A cavalry brigade in bivouac at NERY (1 Sept) was surprised but a gallant action by the Royal Horse Artillery saved the day. Rearguard actions were fought at CREPY EN VALOIS (1 Sept) and VILLERS COTTERETS (1 Sept).

After the BATTLE OF THE MARNE (7-10 Sept) the BEF advanced to THE AISNE but was unable to dislodge the strongly entrenched Germans there (12-15 Sept). Actions were fought on the AISNE HEIGHTS (20 Sept) and a CHIW (26 Sept).

The improvised Royal Naval Division took part in the DEFENCE OF ANTWERP (4-10 Oct).The BEF moved to Flanders and during the Allied offensive there took part in the Battles of LA BASSEE (10 Oct -2 Nov), MESSINES (12 Oct - 2 Nov) and ARMENTIERES (13 Oct - 2 Nov) including the capture of Mk I LREN . Subsequently the BEF fought in the epic defence of Ypres -THE BATTLES OF YPRES 1914 ('First Ypres')- inducing those of LANGEMARCI( (21-24 Oct), GHELUVELT (29-31 Oct) and NONNE BOSCHEN (11 Nov).

There was a German attack at FESTUBERT (23-24 Nov).The British unsuccessfully attacked at WYSCHAETE (14 Dec) but had to defend GIVENCHY (20-21 Dec)

 

Notes: CinC= Commander in Chief, FM=Fteld Marshal; CGS=Chief of General Staff; AG= Adjutant General; QMG= Quartermaster General; GOC= General Officer Commanding; MGGS= Major General General Staff; DA&QMG= Deputy Adjutant General and Quartermaster General; Gen= General; Lt Gen= Lieutenant General; Maj Gen= Major General; LofC= Lines of Communication.

 

THE BALLOON'S UP

by Franck Gardner

One of the enduring sights of WW2 was that of barrage balloons floating above our cities. Their trailing cables were supposed to deter enemy bombers so that when they went up during the day it was reckoned that a raid was coming, and the term 'The balloon's up' came into common use to denote impending trouble. Actually balloons had been used for aerial defence in the previous war.

In April 1917 when it seemed that the Zeppelin menace had been mastered, the Germans started using Gotha and Giant bombers. These were more difficult to counter and a series of raids on the capital and elsewhere caused concern so that in September the Royal Flying Corps installed a balloon apron on the eastern perimeter of London to force night bombers to operate at a greater height. It consisted of steel cables suspended from a line held in the air by captive balloons.

It was intended that twenty such aprons should be established on the approaches to London but in fact only ten had been provided when the aerial war changed in our favour and made further aprons unnecessary. There does not appear to be any information about their operational effectiveness but presumably it was sufficient to persuade the RAF to institute the elaborate and extensive balloon barrages of the next conflict. Originally the RFC had inherited a balloon squadron from the Royal Engineers' Air Battalion but it was soon decided that this activity should be left to the Navy. When the artillery demanded balloons for target spotting in 1915 the RFC therefore had to borrow them from the Navy and from the French. It then developed its own balloon squadrons.

 

BAD LUCK

According to my research, Birmingham's conscription tribunals did their best to be fair to people claiming exemption from military service. However the situation was different in other areas, for instance parts of London, as the following report in the Birmingham Post of 7 October 1918 shows:

“How a man totally unfit for military service was practically driven to death by worrying over the attitude of a medical board and tribunal was revealed on Saturday at Homsey when an entry was held respecting the death of Percy Luck aged 36.

It was stated that the man had suffered from epileptic fits almost from birth and he became worse when the Mill Hill Medical Board passed him for military service in a low medical category in spite of certificates which gave his medical history. The deceased appealed to a tribunal and was given one month to clear up his affairs. This so preyed on his mind that he had a violent fit in the street and was taken to Charing Cross Hospital. A specialist who saw him wrote a very strong certificate, upon which the army authorities decided not to take the man, who however, was so depressed by the worry that he deliberately ran from his brother's garden, adjoining the railway embankment at Crouch End and threw himself in front of a train being instantly killed. A verdict of 'Suicide whilst of unsound mind ' was returned.

J.P. Lethbridge

The Bulletin of the Birmingham Branch of the WFA

Compiled by Bob Butcher

November 2007