From old sweats to sore—footed reservists of 1914 to conscripted men after 1916; the 1st Division faced the challenge of war from beginning to end.
From Maubeuge to the Rhineland: A History of the 1st Division in the Great War
draws heavily on divisional combat records to offer a blend of military analysis and insights into the lived experience of officers and men. Commencing with mobilization and deployment as part of the original BEF, the narrative follows through to the occupation of Germany after the Armistice. Encompassing the familiar campaigns in France and Flanders, periods of trench warfare and behind the lines activities from the perspective of a formation routinely fed into the line after the opening of offensive operations, the 1st Division served on the Western Front from the beginning to the end of hostilities. Thus it exemplifies much in the way the British Army faced the trials of the twentieth century’s first large—scale industrial conflict.