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France & Flanders: the Western Front

The Long, Long Trail contains much information on how and why the army came to be fighting on the Western Front...

• Why Britain went to war in 1914 > Strategy
• Parliament commits Britian to war in France > Grey's speech
• Public proclamations of mobilisation > Proclamations
• Lloyd George commits the army to an extension of the line > Lloyd George
• Manpower crisis in 1918 > Manpower

... and gives details of the battles that took place

• The battles and engagements in France and Flanders > Battles
• A small selection of unit war diaries > Diaries

Other theatres

The Long, Long Trail also includes histories of the major campaigns outside the Western Front.

• The Mesopotamia campaign > Mesopotamia
• The Gallipoli campaign > Gallipoli
• The campaign in Egypt and Palestine > Palestine
• The campaign in the Western Desert > Desert
• The campaign in Salonika > Salonika
• The campign in Italy > Italy
• I hope to add pages on the campaigns in Africa and North Russia in due course
  

Commander's Despatches

British Commanders-in-Chief of each theatre of war or campaign were obliged to report their activities and achievements to the War Office in the form of a despatch. They were published in the London Gazette. Many had attached lists of men deemed worthy of a mention, although it is rare to find any text explaining the precise reason why a particular individual was chosen. The despatches form a most valuable condensed history of each campaign:

The campaign in France and Flanders (Western Front)

• Sir John French: First Despatch (Mons and Le Cateau), 7 September 1914
• Sir John French: Second Despatch (Marne), 17 September 1914
• Sir John French: Third Despatch (Aisne), 8 October 1914
• Sir John French: Fourth Despatch (First Ypres), 20 November 1914
• Sir John French: Fifth Despatch (Antwerp), 5 December 1914
• Sir John French: Sixth Despatch (Winter), 2 February 1915
• Sir John French: Seventh Despatch (Neuve Chapelle), 5 April 1915
• Sir John French: Eighth Despatch (Second Ypres, Aubers and Festubert), 15 June 1915
• Sir John French: Ninth Despatch (Loos), 15 October 1915
• Sir John French: Tenth and Final Despatch (Loos after after), 31 July 1916
  
• Sir Douglas Haig: Spring 1916 Despatch, 29 May 1916
• Sir Douglas Haig: Somme Despatch, 23 December 1916
• Sir Douglas Haig: Ancre Despatch, 31 May 1917
• Sir Douglas Haig: Arras Despatch, 25 December 1917
• Sir Douglas Haig: Bullecourt, Messines and Third Ypres Despatch, 25 December 1917
  
• Sir Douglas Haig: Cambrai Despatch, 20 February 1918
• Sir Douglas Haig: German Offensives Despatch, 20 July 1918
• Sir Douglas Haig: Final Despatch Part I (Advance into Germany), 21 March 1919
• Sir Douglas Haig: Final Despatch Part II (Features of the war), 21 March 1919

The campaign at the Dardanelles (Gallipoli)

• Vice-Admiral Sir John de Robeck: Gallipoli Landings Despatch, 1 July 1915
• Sir Ian Hamilton: First Gallipoli Despatch (landings, first attack on Krithia, Turk counterattack)
• Sir Ian Hamilton: Second Gallipoli Despatch (fighting of May and June)
• Sir Ian Hamilton: Third Gallipoli Despatch (fighting of July and August)
• Sir Ian Hamilton: Fourth Gallipoli Despatch (corrections and addenda)
• Vice-Admiral Sir John de Robeck: Gallipoli Evacuation Despatch, 22 December 1915
• Sir Charles Monro: Gallipoli Evacuation Despatch, 6 March 1916

The campaign at Salonika

• Sir Charles Monro: Gallipoli Evacuation Despatch, 6 March 1916 (includes entry to Salonika)

The fighting in Ireland

• Sir John French: Ireland, 29 May 1916