BY
ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
AUTHOR OF
'THE GREAT BOER WAR,' ETC.
HODDER AND STOUGHTON
LONDON NEW YORK TORONTO
MCMXVIII
SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE'S
HISTORY OF THE WAR
Uniform with this Volume.
THE BRITISH CAMPAIGN IN FRANCE AND FLANDERS
1914
THE BREAKING OF THE PEACE.
THE OPENING OF THE WAR.
THE BATTLE OF MONS.
THE BATTLE OF LE CATEAU.
THE BATTLE OF THE MARNE.
THE BATTLE OF THE AISNE.
THE LA BASSÉE-ARMENTIÈRES OPERATIONS.
THE FIRST BATTLE OF YPRES.
A RETROSPECT AND GENERAL SUMMARY.
THE WINTER LULL OF 1914.
THE BRITISH CAMPAIGN IN FRANCE AND FLANDERS
1915
THE OPENING MONTHS OF 1915.
NEUVE CHAPELLE AND HILL 60.
THE SECOND BATTLE OF YPRES.
THE BATTLE OF RICHEBOURG-FESTUBERT.
THE TRENCHES OF HOOGE.
THE BATTLE OF LOOS.
With Maps, Plans, and Diagrams,
6s. net each Volume.
HODDER AND STOUGHTON
LONDON, NEW YORK, AND TORONTO
PREFACE
In two previous volumes of this work a narrative hasbeen given of those events which occurred upon theBritish Western Front during 1914, the year of recoil,and 1915, the year of equilibrium. In this volumewill be found the detailed story of 1916, the first ofthe years of attack and advance.
Time is a great toner down of superlatives, andthe episodes which seem world-shaking in our daymay, when looked upon by the placid eyes of historicalphilosophers in days to come, fit more easily into thegeneral scheme of human experience. None the lessit can be said without fear of ultimate contradictionthat nothing approaching to the Battle of the Somme,with which this volume is mainly concerned, has everbeen known in military history, and that it isexceedingly improbable that it will ever be equalled in itslength and in its severity. It may be said to haveraged with short intermissions, caused by the breakingof the weather, from July 1 to November 14, andduring this prolonged period the picked forces ofthree great nations were locked in close battle. Thenumber of combatants from first to last was between{vi}two and three millions, and their united casualtiescame to the appalling total of at least three-quartersof a million. These are minimum figures, but theywill give some idea of the unparalleled scale of theoperations.
With the increasing number and size of the unitsemployed the scale of the narrative becomes larger.It is more difficult to focus the battalion, while theindividual has almost dropped out of sight. Sinsof omission are many, and the chronicler can butplead the great difficulty of his task and regret thathis limited knowledge may occasionally causedisappointment.
The author should explain that this volume hashad to pass through three lines of censors, sufferingheavily in the process. It has come out with theloss of all personal names save those of casualtiesor of high Generals. Some passages also have beenexcised. On the other hand it is the first which hasbeen permitted to reveal the exact identity of the