Letters from France (WWI Centenary Series)

By C. E. W. Bean

"These letters are in no sense a history-except that they contain the truth. They were written at the time and within close range of the events they describe. Half of the fighting, including the brave attack before Fromelles, is left untouched on, for these pages do not attempt to narrate the full story of the Australian Imperial Force in France. They were written to depict the surroundings in which, and the spirit with which, that history has been made; first in the quiet green Flemish lowlands, then with a swift, sudden plunge into the grim, reeking, naked desolation of the Somme."
This book is part of the World War One Centenary series; creating, collating and reprinting new and old works of poetry, fiction, autobiography and analysis. The series forms a commemorative tribute to mark the passing of one of the world's bloodiest wars, offering new perspectives on this tragic yet fascinating period of human history. Each publication also includes brand new introductory essays and a timeline to help the reader place the work in its historical context.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Last Post Press
• Release date: Mar 10, 2016
• ISBN: 9781473368552

Book preview

Letters from France

BY

C. E. W. BEAN

War Correspondent for the Commonwealth of Australia

WITH A MAP AND EIGHT PLATES

Copyright © 2016 Read Books Ltd.

This book is copyright and may not be

reproduced or copied in any way without

the express permission of the publisher in writing

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Contents

Introduction to the World War One Centenary Series

A Timeline of the Major Events of World War One in Europe

The Western Front

In The Trench

PREFACE

CHAPTER I. A PADRE WHO SAID THE RIGHT THING

CHAPTER II. TO THE FRONT

CHAPTER III. THE FIRST IMPRESSION—A COUNTRY WITH EYES

CHAPTER IV. THE ROAD TO LILLE

CHAPTER V. THE DIFFERENCES

CHAPTER VI. THE GERMANS

CHAPTER VII. THE PLANES

CHAPTER VIII. THE COMING STRUGGLE: OUR TASK

CHAPTER IX. IN A FOREST OF FRANCE

CHAPTER X. IDENTIFIED

CHAPTER XI. THE GREAT BATTLE BEGINS

CHAPTER XII. THE BRITISH—FRICOURT AND LA BOISELLE

CHAPTER XIII. THE DUG-OUTS OF FRICOURT

CHAPTER XIV. THE RAID

CHAPTER XV. POZIÈRES

CHAPTER XVI. AN ABYSM OF DESOLATION

CHAPTER XVII. POZIÈRES RIDGE

CHAPTER XVIII. THE GREEN COUNTRY

CHAPTER XIX. TROMMELFEUER

CHAPTER XX. THE NEW FIGHTING

CHAPTER XXI. ANGELS’ WORK

CHAPTER XXII. OUR NEIGHBOUR

CHAPTER XXIII. MOUQUET FARM

CHAPTER XXIV. HOW THE AUSTRALIANS WERE RELIEVED

CHAPTER XXV. ON LEAVE TO A NEW ENGLAND

CHAPTER XXVI. THE NEW ENTRY

CHAPTER XXVII. A HARD TIME

CHAPTER XXVIII. THE WINTER OF 1916

CHAPTER XXIX. AS IN THE WORLD’S DAWN

CHAPTER XXX. THE GRASS BANK

CHAPTER XXXI. IN THE MUD OF LE BARQUE

CHAPTER XXXII. THE NEW DRAFT

CHAPTER XXXIII. WHY HE IS NOT THE ANZAC

Introduction to the World War One Centenary Series

The First World War was a global war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918. More than nine million combatants were killed, a casualty rate exacerbated by the belligerents’ technological and industrial sophistication – and tactical stalemate. It was one of the deadliest conflicts in history, paving the way for major political changes, including revolutions in many of the nations involved. The war drew in all the world’s great economic powers, which were assembled in two opposing alliances: the Allies (based on the Triple Entente of the United Kingdom, France and the Russian Empire) and the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary. These alliances were both reorganised and expanded as more nations entered the war: Italy, Japan and the United States joined the Allies, and the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria joined the Central Powers. Ultimately, more than 70 million military personnel were mobilised.

The war was triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, by a Yugoslav nationalist, Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo, June 28th 1914. This set off a diplomatic crisis when Austria-Hungary delivered an ultimatum to Serbia, and international alliances were invoked. Within weeks, the major powers were at war and the conflict soon spread around the world. By the end of the war, four major imperial powers; the German, Russian, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires—ceased to exist. The map of Europe was redrawn, with several independent nations restored or created. On peace, the League of Nations formed with the aim of preventing any repetition of such an appalling conflict, encouraging cooperation and communication between the newly autonomous nation states. This laudatory pursuit failed spectacularly with the advent of the Second World War however, with new European nationalism and the rise of fascism paving the way for the next global crisis.

This book is part of the World War One Centenary series; creating, collating and reprinting new and old works of poetry, fiction, autobiography and analysis. The series forms a commemorative tribute to mark the passing of one of the world’s bloodiest wars, offering new perspectives on this tragic yet fascinating period of human history.

Amelia Carruthers

A Timeline of the Major Events of World War One in Europe

The Western Front

The First World War was one of the deadliest conflicts in history. More than seven million civilians and nine million combatants were killed, a casualty rate exacerbated by the belligerents’ technological and industrial sophistication – and tactical stalemate. It lasted four years, however nobody expected the war to be more than a short, decisive battle. Following the outbreak of war in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. Battle raged until the end of the war in 1918 when the German government sued for peace, unable to sustain the massive losses suffered. The western front included some of the bloodiest conflicts of the war, with few significant advances made; among the most costly of these offensives were the Battle of Verdun with a combined 700,000 dead, the Battle of the Somme with more than a million casualties, and the Battle of Passchendaele with roughly 600,000 casualties.

The massive tide of initial German advance was only turned with the Battle of the Marne, when the German army came within 70km of Paris. This, first battle of the Marne (5th-12th September 1914) enabled French and British troops to force the German retreat by exploiting a gap which appeared between the first and second Armies. The German army retreated north of the Aisne River and dug in there, establishing the beginnings of a static western front that was to last for the next three years. Following this German setback, the opposing forces tried to outflank each other in the Race