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White Heat: The New Warfare 1914
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The appearance of a new book from our President is always an exciting event and the publications of White Heat is no exception. This volume is his tenth on the subject of the First World War and in it he concentrates on the technological aspects of the conflict. Mr. Terraine contents that 1914 saw a confluence of technological innovation and i...
'The Western Front. A Plea for Understanding' by John Terraine
/world-war-i-articles/the-western-front-a-plea-for-understanding-by-john-terraine/
John Terraine’s 1983 Address to the Western Front Association. 1984 [This article first appeared in the journal of the Western Front Association, Stand To! No.10 Spring 1984 pp24-27. John Terraine was the first President of The Western Front Association, founded by John Giles in 1980. For much of 1984, John Giles had been unwell which explains t...
021: Winter 1987
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028: Spring 1990
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029: Summer 1990
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038: Summer 1993
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045: January 1996
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056: September 1999
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092: August/September 2011
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The First Tanks at Elveden by David Fletcher
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Drive up the A11, through Suffolk, as if you are heading for Thetford in Norfolk and if you can take your eyes off the road for a moment you will see the massive US Air Force base at Mildenhall, on the left. Then, you will see, sticking up above the trees, the tall War Memorial, commissioned by Lord Iveagh to commemorate those from the three adj...
The Battle of Cambrai - why did it succeed and what went wrong? November 1917
/world-war-i-articles/the-battle-of-cambrai-why-did-it-succeed-and-what-went-wrong-november-1917/
The Battle of Cambrai in November 1917 turned out, for both Britain and Germany, to be a major signpost showing how to break the trench deadlock of the previous three years. The lessons of the operational successes and failures would be digested by both sides over the forthcoming winter. For the British, especially, the battle failed to live up...
The Battle of Cambrai - why did it succeed and what went wrong? November 1917
/world-war-i-articles/the-battle-of-cambrai-why-did-it-succeed-and-what-went-wrong-november-1917/
The Battle of Cambrai in November 1917 turned out, for both Britain and Germany, to be a major signpost showing how to break the trench deadlock of the previous three years. The lessons of the operational successes and failures would be digested by both sides over the forthcoming winter. For the British, especially, the battle failed to live up...
107: October 2016
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9 April 1917 : Gunner Ewart Doodson
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Ewart was born in 1898 in Elland, near Leeds, Yorkshire. After the deaths of his natural parents he was adopted. His adoptive parents were Tyas Wood (a rug and shawl finisher) and Morrennah (née Jagger) whose family included brother James (born 1890, a boot and clog maker) and Lily (a dressmaker’s apprentice) At the 1911 Census, age 12, Ewart w...
CANCELLED - Cambrai, there was more to it than tanks by Ross Beadle
In view of the Coronavirus situation, the Surrey Branch meetings for March and April have been cancelled. We hope to be able hold the meetings scheduled for later in the year but this will depend upon the situation at the time. Updates will be sent to all members on our email list. Please check this website before coming to any future events.
Ypres Salient Tank Memorial unveiled at Poelcapelle 10 October 2009
/world-war-i-articles/ypres-salient-tank-memorial-unveiled-at-poelcapelle-10-october-2009/
This article by Rob Kirk first appeared ten years ago in Bulletin 86 : Feb/March 2010 pp 8 -10. Members receive Bulletin, the member magazine of The Western Front Association, three times a year. It is also available to Digital Members as a PDF. Ypres Salient Tank Memorial unveiled at Poelcapelle The unveiling of the Tank Memorial at Poelcapel...
Articles on Tanks in Stand To 1 to 116 (1981 to 2019)
/world-war-i-articles/articles-on-tanks-in-stand-to-1-to-116-1981-to-2019/
There are no fewer than 25 articles on tanks featured in Stand To! A popular subject, it has been covered in many different ways, including by 'The Camera Returns' on three occasions and more than one on 'War Art'. All of these articles can be readily found by Western Front Association Members through their Member Login with access to the Stand...
The Contemptible Little Army, 1914 -1918
/world-war-i-articles/the-contemptible-little-army-1914-1918/
By Alex Saunt (Major Alex Saunt MBE served with the Light Infantry and with the SAS in Libya, Borneo, Northern Ireland, Germany and Denmark. He was awarded an MBE for his courage). The story of the expansion and development of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) 1914-1918 and how the Contemptible Little Army became a huge, effective machine. B...
118 : June 2020
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The Tanks at Flers : An Account of the First Use of the Tanks in War at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, the Somme, 15th September 1916 by Trevor Pidgeon
Fairmile Books 1995. Hardback 2 volumes vol 1 contains 257pp with 106b/w and 40 colour illus vol 2 contains 12 trench maps, A2 size. [This First World War book review first appeared in Stand To! No. 46 April 1996. This magazine, the journal of The Western Front Association is published three times a year. The entire archive of over 118 issues...
G Battalion 1st Tank Brigade at St. Julien on 19 August 1917 by Peter Arscott
/world-war-i-articles/g-battalion-1st-tank-brigade-at-st-julien-on-19-august-1917-by-peter-arscott/
Peter Arscott relates the exploits of G Battalion 1st Tank Brigade at St. Julien on 19 August 1917. [This article first appeared in Stand To! No.37. Members received three issues of Stand To! - the Journal of The Western Front Association, and Bulletin, or in-house member-magazine a year and access to the full Stand To! Archive online]. The de...
"German and other tanks -- "Vorsprung Durch Technik" By Chris John.
ONLINE LECTURE "German and other tanks -- "Vorsprung Durch Technik". By Chris John. Chris will give an overview of the German development of and use of tanks at Villers Brettoneux on 24th April 1918. Where might that development have led in different circumstances? Chris John is the Vice-chair of Birmingham Branch WFA. A badged battlefield...
Virtual Tours - 'A Lousy Wood on the Somme' is now available to view
/latest-news/2021/february-2021/virtual-tours-a-lousy-wood-on-the-somme-is-now-available-to-view/
The third of the Virtual Tours that we are running as a substitute for 'real life' visits the battlefields is now available to view. As detailed previously, these tours are being provided through a partnership with our friends at Battle Guide Virtual Tours. All six of the 'live events' have been are fully subscribed but if you were unable to res...
Stereoscope images from the Western Front and elsewhere
/world-war-i-articles/stereoscope-images-from-the-western-front-and-elsewhere/
Having just published the initial batch of stereoscopic images on The Western Front Association's website, it is perhaps a good time to pick out just a handful of these to show the kind of images that are available. There is no 'science' to the selection of the following images, it is merely a selection of some that have caught my eye as being o...
Tanks at 3rd Ypres with Chris Copson
/branches/united-kingdom/somerset/events/tanks-at-3rd-ypres-with-chris-copson/
When the Third Battle of Ypres commenced on 31 July 1917 the ground was heavily churned up from weeks of shellfire. Conditions were made even worse by the torrential rain that began falling that afternoon, this resulted in a sea of mud. The ground over which the infantry attacked became almost impassable, and tank after tank sank in and had to b...
127: August 2022
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Announcing the publication of Stand To! No.127 August 2022
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Members received their August 2022 edition of Stand To! over the weekend. This extraordinary photograph which features across the front and rear cover shows artillerymen outside dugouts, Somme 1916. A pot is steaming on a brazier made of a tin drum. © Colourised by Tom Marshall at PhotograFix. Packed full of articles written with flair and a p...
"The Battle of Cambrai : There Was More To It Than Tanks' with Ross Beadle
We welcome Ross Beadle who is well known among the branches of The Western Front Association. Ross will be speaking to us about the Battle of Cambrai and how it was more than just about tanks. The battle lasted 13 days, but the tanks, which made the battle famous, had little role to play after 2pm on the first day. He used new artillery silent...
'A Yorkshire brigade at Cambrai' by Fraser Skirrow
/branches/united-kingdom/kent-north-west/events/a-yorkshire-brigade-at-cambrai-by-fraser-skirrow/
Caption: Tanks arriving by rail. Relying on new research, Fraser explores how tanks and infantry cooperated and were coordinated in this groundbreaking all arms offensive. About the Talk: In the early hours of 20 Nov 1917 the infantry battalions of 185 Brigade had their first chance at large scale all arms warfare. There has been much discussion...
'Henry Hugh Tudor and the Plan for Cambrai. Tanks, shooting off map and smoke' by Ross Beadle
Our February branch meeting once again will turn attention to Cambrai in 1917. Over the years we have studied aspects such as tanks and artillery at Cambrai and this month's talk is entitled 'Henry Hugh Tudor and the Plan for Cambrai. Tanks, shooting off map and smoke'.
The speaker will be branch member Ross Beadle and we can be sure of a well...
'Henry Hugh Tudor and the Plan for Cambrai. Tanks, shooting off map and smoke' by Ross Beadle
Our February branch meeting once again will turn attention to Cambrai in 1917. Over the years we have studied aspects such as tanks and artillery at Cambrai and this month's talk is entitled 'Henry Hugh Tudor and the Plan for Cambrai. Tanks, shooting off map and smoke'. The speaker will be branch member Ross Beadle and we can be sure of a well...
'Lt Richard Charles Legge. The Lead Tank Commander at Flers' with Matt Taylor
We welcome Historian and Former Police Officer Matt Taylor to our Branch. He has a keen interest in the First World War and the Second World War. He will be speaking about a Sussex man from Lindfield and his story. This will be a great insight to a tank commander's role in the Great War.
ONLINE: Communications at Cambrai
/events/online-communications-at-cambrai/
The presentation will be live and online. In light of the enormous attention it has generated, one could be forgiven for thinking that there really isn't anything new to be said about the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917. However, there was more to Cambrai than just tanks, church bells and stormtroops. One such neglected element of the b...
'Tank Production in the First World War' with Gwyn Evans
/branches/united-kingdom/london-east/events/tank-production-in-the-first-world-war-with-gwyn-evans/
Gwyn Evans will be speaking about tank production during the Great War. He will explain how firms were mobilised almost from a standing start to produce the new weapon of war in quantity. In doing so he'll look at the issue from the perspective of the Army, industry, and the Ministry of Munitions and how their interests both aligned and conflict...
"German Tanks at Villers-Bretonneux" by Chris Johns
Chris Johns is a badged battlefield guide, a volunteer at the National Memorial Arboretum, and deputy chair of Birmingham WFA. He is author of A Hundred Years on: The Great War and Other Events on Cannock Chase. Most know about the British development of the tank but did the Germans have tanks? If not why not and if so how did they develop? A lo...
Sir John Monash and the Battle of Le Hamel 1918 - A presentation by Paul Cobb
Paul will be discussing the Battle of Le Hamel and the pivitol role Sir John Monash played in organising all the different arms to fight together leading to victory. This involved Australian troops, British tanks and several companies of the American Expeditionary Force to name but a few. A most interested and informative afternoon's presentatio...
The Invisible Corps - ASC by Roy Larkin
/branches/united-kingdom/wiltshire/events/the-invisible-corps-asc-by-roy-larkin/
The talk originally planned and promoted for April has had to be postponed to 2025. Therefore, Roy Larkin has kindly offered to stand in and make another visit to the branch to speak about The Invisible Corps (ASC) Roy's note on his talks says: "A brief look at the Army Service Corps 1914-18 revealing a story of evolution, passing the buck and m...
The First Air War - Grant Cullen
/branches/united-kingdom/midlands-east/events/the-first-air-war-grant-cullen/
* Note this talk replaces the previously published talk. Grant Cullen from the Chesterfield Branch of the Western Front Association will be revisiting the branch to talk about 'The First Air War'. Grant's talk will look at various aspects of the first air war and he has advised me that the talk will include photographs which are not generally i...
From Cambrai to Crimea - a talk by Stuart Crawford
/branches/united-kingdom/scotland-south/events/from-cambrai-to-crimea-a-talk-by-stuart-crawford/
Stuart Crawford is an author, writer and broadcaster specialising in defence analysis. He was commissioned in to the 4th Royal Tank Regiment. During his twenty-year military career he served with his Regiment around the world, including operational tours with the UN in Cyprus and as a staff officer in the Headquarters British Forces Middle East...
ONLINE: 'Breaking Point of the French Army: The Nivelle Offensive of 1917' with Dr David Murphy
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The presentation will be live and online. In early 1917, General Robert Nivelle emerged as the new commander of the French field armies. Against a backdrop of political squabbling, he prepared plans for a 'final offensive', assuring the French public that he had 'the formula' that would end the war in France's favour. The resulting offensi...
Tanks and Storm Troopers : British and German Solutions to the Deadlock on the Western Front by A D Harvey
(This article first appeared in the June 2020 edition of Stand To! Number 118 pp.10-14.) By 1916 both sides were seeking a solution to the stalemate which had developed on the Western Front as a result of the almost insuperable advantage enjoyed by garrisons in carefully constructed defences over enemy troops attacking across prepared fire zones...
Tanks at Bullecourt
/branches/united-kingdom/wiltshire/events/tanks-at-bullecourt/
Our speaker at the November 2024 meeting will be local member David Brown who will share the output of his scholarly work on Tanks at Bullecourt. The fighting at Bullecourt in 1917 has been explored by various historians with some very good works available but the battles contained controversial elements such as the performance of the tanks. Var...
CONFERENCE: ‘A Great War Miscellany’
/branches/united-kingdom/milton-keynes/events/conference-a-great-war-miscellany/
After the success of their previous seminar, an exciting full-day seminar is again being held by the Milton Keynes branch of the Western Front Association. ‘The Great War Miscellany’ on Saturday 19th October will welcome four expert speakers who specialise in varied, unusual, and fascinating aspects of the Great War. Featuring an excellent line...
Bourlon Wood Nov 1917 - What 185 Brigade Did Next
/branches/united-kingdom/kent-north-west/events/bourlon-wood-nov-1917-what-185-brigade-did-next/
Caption: A knocked out British tank at Bourlon Wood (courtesy: IWM) About the talk: On 20 November 1917 at Havrincourt, 185 Brigade (C62nd West Riding Division) successfully played a key role in the British Third Army's highly innovative and groundbreaking all arms assault towards Cambrai. It relied heavily on aerial reconnaissance, tank and inf...
Musical Box - The Tank Corps at Amiens 1918
/branches/united-kingdom/scotland-tayside/events/musical-box-the-tank-corps-at-amiens-1918/
Andy Moody.On 8 August 1918, the Medium 'A' Whippet tank called Musical Box took part in the opening phase of the battle of Amiens, tasked with supporting Australian infantry and cooperating with the cavalry. The tank, commanded by Lt Clem Arnold and crewed by driver Willie Carney and gunner Chris Ribbans went on a ten-hour rampage behind German...
“A Whippet Tank named Musical Box” - 1918 and 2024
/branches/united-kingdom/wolverhampton/events/a-whippet-tank-named-musical-box-1918-and-2024/
Andy Moody.On 8 August 1918, the Medium 'A' Whippet tank called Musical Box took part in the opening phase of the battle of Amiens, tasked with supporting Australian infantry and cooperating with the cavalry. The tank, commanded by Lt Clem Arnold and crewed by driver Willie Carney and gunner Chris Ribbans went on a ten-hour rampage behind German...