The History of the Fiftieth Division, 1914-1919 PDF Download

Author: Everard Wyrall
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : World War, 1914-1918
Languages : en
Pages : 442

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Author: Everard Wyrall
Publisher: Andrews UK Limited
ISBN: 178150315X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 416

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The 50th (Northumbrian) Division was a pre-war Territorial (TF) division which recruited from Northumberland, Durham and the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire. The infantry battalions came from the Northumberland Fusiliers, East Yorks, Green Howards and Durham Light Infantry. The division crossed to France on 16 April 1915 and by 23 April it had completed its concentration in the area of Steenvoorde, about 14 miles west of Ypres; the next day it was in action at St Julien during the German gas attacks and by the end of 4 May, the day after the battle of St Julien ended, it had suffered 3746 casualties. The division had been given no period of acclimatisation which was given to all other divisions on arrival on the Western Front.The division remained in the Ypres area till August 1916 when it moved down to the Somme, to III Corps, where it took part in the battles of Flers-Courcelette, Morval and the Transloy Ridges with losses of just over 4,000. The Somme offensive ended on 18 November 1916, but the division remained in that area till March 1917 when it moved up to the Arras sector where preparations were underway for a new offensive by Allenby's Third Army, which 50 Division now joined. It took part in First and Second Scarpe and the capture of Wancourt Ridge at a cost of 2750 casualties during the two weeks 11to 24 April. The division did not enter the Third Ypres campaign till late in October 1917, in time to fight the Second Battle of Passchendaele from 26 October to the end of the offensive on 10 November.When the Germans launched their final offensive on 21 March 1918, 50th Division was back on the Somme, this time in Fifth Army and in that first week its casualties numbered nearly 3,500. In April it was with First Army at the Lys where it incurred further losses of 4,265. It was then one of the divisions sent down to the Aisne, in the French sector, with IX Corps, ‘for a rest;' it arrived in time for another major German attack on 27 May, and by 6 June the division had lost almost 7,600 men. It was pulled right back, to the coast in the Dieppe area, and completely reorganizedThis history was the last of the Great War divisional histories to be published, written by the most prolific of all the Great War historians - eight regimental and four divisional histories. Wyrrall died just as he completed his task. In this book he relies considerably on the war diaries and histories of various units, on personal diaries, letters, experiences and anecdotes which together provide a history of the division’s activities seen very much at unit level and in detail. Appendices list all divisional and brigade commanders and the order of battle of units with changes.

Author: Everard Wyrall
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781520453170
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 452

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"THE hardy nature of the north countryman was never more in evidence than during the Great War.The fine physique of the Territorial and Service battalions of regiments coming from the counties of Northumberland, Durham and Yorkshire was more than once commented upon by famous generals." The 50th (Northumbrian) Division formed part of the Territorial Army and was recruited from Durham, Northumberland and Yorkshire to supply the three infantry bridges -- consisting of the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th Battalions of the Northumberland Fusiliers; the York and Durham Infantry Brigade of the 4th East Yorkshires, 4th and 5th Yorkshires and the 5th Durham Light Infantry. Wyrall paints a vivid portrait of the journey of the Division -- from the moment of orders to mobilise received by telegram at Headquarters, to sourcing equipment and planning war stations. Coast defences, wireless stations, railway stations and dockyards are all carefully detailed. These are the early days of the Division, a time of nervous apprehension but also optimism, where trench digging, guard duty and fitting harnesses to unruly horses were training exercises -- far from the stark reality that was to await them in France in 1915.In France, the Division were thrown straight into the Second Battle of Ypres...Imparting a rich military experience, Wyrall documents each tactical endeavour of the Division alongside the sobering reports following each battle which detailed the number of dead and wounded. From the Somme, to Ypres and to the German gas attacks he portrays the general situation across enemy lines and the senseless loss of life that each war brings.War diaries, individual unit histories, diaries, letters and classic military anecdotes are all featured in The Fiftieth Division -- a prolific and personal work of military history. Praise for Everard Wyrall: 'It displays the true regimental spirit' - Sir Ivor Maxse'Captain Everard Wyrall is an indefatigable military historian.' - The Spectator 'It is a record of patience and determination, of self-sacrifice and bravery.' - Field Marshal George Francis MilneEverard Wyrall (1878-1933) served in the Boer War, the First World War, and the Third African War. He was an author, journalist, and historian who contributed significantly to the literary commemoration of First World War, compiling extensive official military histories, including, among others, those dedicated to the Somerset Light Infantry, Middlesex Regiment, King's Liverpool Regiment, and West Yorkshire Regiment.

Author: Everard Wyrall
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : World War, 1914-1918
Languages : en
Pages : 376

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Author:
Publisher: [s.l. : s.n.], 1919 ( [London] : Oxford Univeristy Press)
ISBN:
Category : World War, 1914-1918
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Author: Great Britain. Army. Division, 50th (Northumbrian)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 376

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Author: G. P. Kingston
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781905006151
Category : World War, 1914-1918
Languages : en
Pages : 627

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On the 2nd August 1914, Germany declared war on France and its' armies immediately crossed the Belgian border en-route to French territory. Under the terms of the Treaty of London, Britain issued an ultimatum to Germany but, as no response was received Britain declared war on Germany at 11:00pm on the 4th August 1914. There existed an urgency to get the British army to the Western Front. Britain possessed six infantry divisions on which she could call but responded initially by sending four of those formations at the shortest possible notice. The British Expeditionary Force was followed a week later, by the 4th Infantry Division, having landed on French soil in the early hours of the 23rd August 1914. Those divisions, with the later addition of the 6th Infantry Division, were to become the famous 'Old Contemptibles'. Many divisions that served in the Great War have been written, each cataloguing the events in which the lives of millions of young men were interrupted by the greatest conflict the civilised world had seen. However, there remains the history of some forty or more yet to be documented. Consequently, it is without doubt that a large gap remains in the library of knowledge of one of Britain's greatest trials in military and civil history. The history of the 4th Infantry Division is an attempt to contribute to the filling of that gap. The 4th Division was one of the regular army divisions then in service and began mobilisation on the 4th August 1914, fought throughout, and undertook demobilisation in 1919, when it passed out of one of the most difficult and controversial periods of world history. In committing to pen the history of the 4th Division, so long after the cessation of hostilities, the author has relied on the collections of the Public Records Office, Imperial War Museum, Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and the various Regimental Museums. Unit diaries, official histories, maps, and personal diaries have all been drawn upon. An effort has been made to use the words of the contemporary authors as regularly as possible so as to embody the views of the participants. When reading the diaries and translating the pencil lines drawn on maps, many written ninety years ago, there is a sense of urgency, yet they demonstrate the formal, organised thinking of the diarist and planners. The diaries of the 4th Division exist almost complete and, when read in date order, transmit the moods and feelings of the day quite clearly and never fail to take the reader into the emotions of the time. Sadly, few of the original campaigners remain and the memory of those who returned, after so many years, cannot be relied upon for the accuracy that this record demands. Such were the losses in the period between the commencement of the Battle of Mons on the 22nd August 1914 and the conclusion of the Second Battle of Ypres on the 27th May 1915, the British divisions mentioned above virtually ceased to exist as the British Regular Army. I desire that this history should also stand as testimony to the sacrifices made by the families of those men, where many were to lose sons, fathers and brothers and to those who returned with lifetime injuries and sufferings that only they knew. The maps embodied in this volume are an attempt to translate, visually, the topography and difficulties through which those men fought and should be consulted in conjunction with the description of events as they occurred. Only then can we appreciate the contribution made by those who participated. From the moment of initial engagement, with no signal, field ambulances, or engineers, to the last great battles of November 1918, the division grew in skill and achievement to become one of the great stories of human achievement.

Author: John B. Wilson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Government publications
Languages : en
Pages : 496

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Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : World War, 1914-1918
Languages : en
Pages : 492

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A seventeen-volume compilation of selected AEF records gathered by Army historians during the interwar years. This collection in no way represents an exhaustive record of the Army's months in France, but it is certainly worthy of serious consideration and thoughtful review by students of military history and strategy and will serve as a useful jumping off point for any earnest scholarship on the war. --from Foreword by William A Stofft.

Author: Proctor M. Fiske
Publisher: Forgotten Books
ISBN: 9780365840695
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 308

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Excerpt from History of the Three Hundred Fiftieth Regiment of U. S. Infantry: Eighty-Eighth Division, American Expeditionary Forces Served in Philippine Islands. May 30. 1899 to August 10. 1902; served in Philippine Islands May 31. 1905 to June. 1906; served in China, October, 1914. To September. 1917; served in France, August, 1918 to August 1919. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.