Mountain Warfare in the Great War

The First World War in Italy has been badly neglected by British historians, even though 80,000 British troops served there. It was the FWW as most people have never seen it.  Battles were fought in the malarial marshes of the Adriatic to the icy peaks of the Dolomites. A military city was dug inside a glacier, guns were hauled to mountaintops 12,000ft above sea level, men fought hand-to-hand on mountain ledges, and huge mines were used to blast the summits off dozens of mountains. Tom has made more than a dozen visits to these battlefields, and will be showing photos and talking about the incredible places where the fighting took place.

Tom spent his working life as a journalist, writing primarily about all things automotive (cars, motorbikes and powerboats). While researching his family tree many years ago he discovered that three great uncles and a grandfather fought in the Great War, and his interest in that conflict blossomed. His grandfather fought in Italy with the 48th Division, so Tom went to the Italian Alps to walk in his grandfather's footsteps and write the first English-language book about the Italian Front in 17 years.

This meeting will be held in Cobham.  Members of The Western Front Association and non-members are equally welcome.  We ask for a modest £5 donation on the door.  This includes tea, coffee and biscuits at the break. It also includes free tickets for the book raffle.

People joining us at Cobham can use our cashless card system and use their credit card/phone with the reader that will be available at the signing-in desk. To help make things easier and safer, we are asking those coming to Cobham to bring their own mug for coffee or tea.

Doors open at Cobham at 7:15pm and the meeting starts at 7:45pm

The picture shows Italian troops on the banks of the Piave, near Nervesa, 24th June 1918. IWM Q 65358