Mobilization 1914

Concentrating primarily on the eighteen days between 5 August 1914 and 22 August when the Army went into action. The talk however does not ignore the ‘Senior Service.’ How accurate though were the memoirs which have become the cornerstone of our understanding of Britain’s mobilization?

The talk will shed light onto the forces mobilized. Whilst many members are aware of the importance of reservists to the mobilized BEF the talk will delve into the actual process by which reservists were incorporated back into the army. Why had some reservists been away from the Colours for nine years? 

Was the BEF really “incomparably the best trained best organised and best equipped British Army which ever went forth to war” as Edmonds the official historian has claimed?

What was the importance of Regimental Depots? What was the Special Reserve and the Extra Special Resrve?

The latter part of the talk will consider how the BEF was transported to France. Why the Prime Minister, Secretary of State for War and Commander in Chief of the BEF all considered Henry Wilson’s WF plans to deploy the BEF forward around Maubeuge to be unsuitable.

Tony Bolton joined Holst and Company as a trainee design draughtsman in 1967, retiring after nearly 43 years as Regional Director of Civil Engineering Division of Vinci UK. He has been a member of The Western Front Association almost from its inception in 1980. He has contributed to BBC Radio Sheffield’s Centenary programme and presented talks to many external groups on First World War subjects. Tony completed his Masters degree in British First World War History with Distinction at Birmingham in 2014. His dissertation on the Resignation Of Austen Chamberlain and the Mesopotamia Commission also received a Distinction