Le Cateau: A complete re-evaluation

Speaker: Phil Waton

The presentation will be live and online.

The verdict of history is largely based on the Official History and the words of Smith-Dorrien, which have broadly been endorsed by historians. However, would this verdict change if the facts that were presented were either incomplete or incorrect?

Phil Watson will look at the wider evidence and opinions of those members of the BEF who were present in 1914, and establish why II Corps was caught by the Germans. He will also examine the complete chronology of events, followed by Smith-Dorrien's justification based on the command philosophy of the Field Service Regulations.

The aim is to present a more complete understanding of Le Cateau and challenge the Smith-Dorrien version of events.

A 13 Pounder Gun Of The Royal Horse Artillery With Limber And Crew, Ready For Action At The Battle Of Le Cateau On August 26 1914 — A 13-pounder gun of the Royal Horse Artillery with limber and crew, ready for action at the Battle of Le Cateau on 26 August

Members wishing to participate will need to register, details of how to register will be circulated via The Western Front Association's newsletter 'Trench Lines'. If you are not a subscriber to Trench Lines please subscribe now via the box at the bottom of this page.

It is also possible to register by clicking this link: Le Cateau: A complete re-evaluation

The talk will be undertaken using the 'Zoom' software which is freely available. It may not be necessary to load the software to your PC / iPad etc: but we would recommend doing so if you wish to participate in this event.