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!Michael StrachanWorld War 1 1914 The Battle of Mons

Copyright © heritagewalks.london 2019 75 West Street, Harrow on the Hill, London HA1 3EL info@walkingthepast.co.uk First published in the UK in 2012 Text and images copyright © Michael Strachan Michael Strachan has asserted his rights to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, by photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. (The cover illustration shows the Sarajevo assassination taken from an Italian newspaper illustration)..

Michael StrachanWorld War 1 1914 The Battle of Mons

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CONTENTS The Great War - an overview (3) Europe in 1914 (map) (5) The Schlieffen Plan 1 British Expeditionary Force (BEF) 5 The Original BEF 8 The Battle of Mons 11 The First VCs 13 British Units at Mons 16 Sir John French 17 Le Cateau and the Retreat 22 Battle of Heligoland Bight 26 British Units at Mons 28 Next in the series Back button ( )2

THE GREAT WAR - an overview ‘The war to end all wars’ - began in July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918. There were two opposing alliances: the Allies (based on the Triple Entente of the United Kingdom, France and Russia) and the Central Powers (Germany and Austria-Hungary).! These alliances expanded as Italy, Japan and the United States joined the Allies, and the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria joined the Central Powers.! For decades an intense rivalry exis-ted between the trading empires of Europe, making a conflict likely. A major flashpoint was the area known as the Balkans where Turkey (Ottoman Empire) had ruled for hundreds of years. Serbia was one of the most aggressive of the smal-ler countries that had won inde-pendence from Turkey and now looked to expand its influence. However, the immediate cause of the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the heir to the throne of Aus-tria-Hungary, on 28 June 1914 by Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo. Austria-Hungary subsequently delivered its own ultimatum to the Kingdom of Serbia. Within weeks, all the major powers had lined up according to the terms of their alli-ances and, when their colonies joined in, the conflict spread around the world. The violent and unprovoked German attack through neutral Belgium in 1914 and the massacres of innocent civilians ( )3

by units of the German Army in that campaign were a foretaste of what was to come in the Second World War. More than 70! million military per-sonnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilised and more than 9! million combatants were killed, largely because of tech-nological advancements like the machine gun and howitzer and the use of barbed wire. These devel-opments increased the killing power of armies when either side resorted to massed infantry attacks over open ground. It was not until the development of tanks and preci-sion artillery barrages that the trench deadlock was finally broken by the British Army under Sir Douglas Haig.! After the war there were dramatic political changes and revolu-tions that led to the removal of old monarchies and the estab-lishment of new totalitarian governments across Europe. In the Soviet Union the Bolsheviks took power and the effects of com-munist rule persist to this day. In Germany the widespread refusal to accept the Versailles Treaty contributed to the rise of Adolph Hitler and the Nazi Party. World War 2 was an inevitable con-sequence. To listen to this introduction and overview just click this link ( )4

Map of Europe in 1914The Allied Powers are shown - The Central Powers are shown - Neutral Powers are shown -(5)Map 1

The Schlieffen Plan At the beginning of the twentieth century the German Empire found itself dangerously placed between the French and Russian Empires with Britain controlling the seas (see Map 1 above). However, Germany still had the advantage of using her excellent railways to concentrate against either the French or the Russians at the start of any major European war. In 1891 Count Alfred von Schlieffen became the chief of the Ger-man General Staff - in effect Germany’s top soldier and war plan-ner. He and his staff decided that the French fortresses along the border with Germany were too strong and that the best route to attack France was to swing through Belgium or Holland and sweep around Paris to pin the French armies against the German-armies on the frontier (see Map 2 above). If France could be quickly defeated before the Russians mobilised their huge armies the war would be over. 1Map 2

In 1906 von Schlieffen was suc-ceeded by Helmuth von Moltke who made some crucial alterations in the plans. He and his staff decided the sweep should be through Belgium, leaving Holland’s neutrality un-touched - which still left the German infantry with a 400 km march carry-ing rifle, ammunition and pack through the blazing summer. The balance between the German armies was also changed. It was al-ways expected that the French would retaliate in the opening stages of the war by attacking to re-cover Alsace-Lorraine on their East-ern border with Germany. Von Schlieffen welcomed this reduction in the numbers of French soldiers in the West. Von Moltke, however, was anxious to reinforce the German de-fenders in the East and this limited the numbers available for the grand sweeping action. When Russia mobilised its army, but France did not, Germany was forced to invent a pretext to declare war on France (3 August 1914). Britain was bound by an 1839 treaty to guaran-tee Belgium’s neutrality and the Brit-ish Expeditionary Force had been formed to quickly cross to France and support the French armies in the event that she was attacked. 2Count Alfred von SchlieffenHelmuth von Moltke the Younger

Like all war plans, this one began to unravel in the heat of battle. The Belgian army was expected to put up little resistance but bravely delayed the Germans for many days. This unexpected res-istance did not go unpunished. There were numerous at-rocities committed by German units, including civilian murders and the burning of Louvain University and its li-brary. Some of these actions were deliberate and intended to in-timidate civilians, others were the result of panic amongst the German units. The French, under General Joffre’s Plan XVII, did indeed attack towards Alsace-Lorraine and were heavily defeated with enorm-ous casualties as the Germans planned. But this sacrificial attack gave the British Expeditionary Force time to deploy and, by chance, it found it-self directly in the line of the German sweeping advance in the West. It then fought brave delaying actions at Mons and Le Cateau before retiring with the French armies. Now the German armies were beginning to swing East of 3Belgian defenders near Liege 1914Louvain library ruins

Paris instead of West and were then open to a successful flank at-tack by the revitalised French armies under General Joffre and especially from inside the fortress of Paris. Click the video above for an overview of this momentous battle filmed on the actual battlefields. ‘British troops from the 4th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) resting in the square at Mons 22 August 1914, the day before the Battle of Mons'. 4

The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) The British Army came out of the Boer War with its reputation dimin-ished by a poor performance against the Commandos of the Boer Republics. The British war minister, Richard Haldane, (with the help of officers like Douglas Haig), re-or-ganised and reformed the Army and created the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), to be sent overseas in any foreign war. This new force was established by the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907. To support the BEF with new recruits and reinforcements, the re-serve forces were also restructured and expanded. A new Territ-orial Force was created out of the previous Yeomanry and Volun-teer Forces. This new force was meant to be primarily for home defence and could only be required to volunteer for service over-seas. However, when war broke out, more than 70 battalions vo-lunteered to serve in France. This new Army would need to be led by a new officer class with proper training and military skills drawn from the public schools and universities. The Officer Training Corps was established and supplied the leadership in this war and in World War Two. Another major development, taken from the example of the con-tinental armies, was a new Imperial General Staff and a new posi-tion of the Chief of the Imperial General Staff. This would ensure a common doctrine and strategic aims among the armies of Britain and the British Empire. 5Richard Haldane

Finally, the Regular Army was re-formed by the development of a new operational and training doc-trine, laid down in Douglas Haig's new Field Service Pocket Book. It is hard to overestimate the import-ance of this booklet as it was the basis for the training and tactics of every soldier in the BEF. By August 1914, there were about 120,000 professional soldiers in the BEF who had signed up for seven years with the colours and another five on reserve. This was a very small army compared with others on the continent such as France, Germany and Russia but was to be the core from which larger forces would be constructed. The original infantry divisions of the BEF were to be equipped as a mobile force that could be deployed anywhere it was needed, but especially in Europe. In 1914 it was well-trained and equipped, apart from heavy artillery, and almost half was over-seas, spread around the garrisons of the Empire. In the minds of the public and politicians the Royal Navy was still the ‘Senior Service’ on which the Empire depended, and it had benefitted from decades of modernisation allowing Britain to be-came the foremost sea power in the world. There had been dis-cussions with the French army after the two nations reached an Entente Cordial in 1904. Britain began exchange information with France about their intentions if war were to break out with Germany. These largely secret ‘conversations’ covered the military capability and intentions of each nation.! 6

Great care was taken on the British side, despite huge pressure from the French to avoid specific commitment or entry into any formal alliance. However, it was accepted that, if the Germans at-tacked, the British would take position on the French left. When Great Britain declared war on Germany on the 4th August 1914, (something many German officers and politicians had thought unlikely), these plans were put into effect. Sir John French!left his post as Chief of the Imperial Gen-eral Staff to take command of the BEF. Despite fears of a German inva-s i o n t h e B E F moved to France as planned and swiftly took posi-tion without a ma-jor hitch. General French remained in charge until December 1915, when he was replaced by Sir Douglas Haig. By October 1914 the BEF had seven infantry and three cavalry divisions in France and Belgium. In December the British Expedi-tionary Army was divided into the First and Second Army. A Third Army was created in July 1915 and a Fourth Army in March 1916. The Kaiser is supposed to have described the BEF as a 'con-temptible' little army but there is no direct evidence of this. How-ever, by the end of the war, British ex-servicemen were re-ferred to as 'Old Contemptibles'. 7BEF arriving at Boulogne

The original BEF Britain’s finest professional Army comprised the following units: I Corps - commanded by Lieutenant-General Sir Douglas Haig •1st Division (Major-General S. H. Lomax) •2nd Division (Major-General C. C. Monro). II Corps - commanded by General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien •3rd Division, (Major-General Hubert Hamilton) - killed in action 14 Oct 1914 •5th Division, (Major-General Sir C. Fergusson) •1st Cavalry Division (Major-General Allenby), Plus lines of communication, Corps and Army troops and HQ (Head quarters) staff. 8The BEF on the marchThe 1914 Star

The Battle of Mons In August 1914 the British and French armies planned to join up in France to oppose a German attack through Belgium as agreed. The British Expeditionary Force was commanded by Sir John French and was composed of Regular, long service infantry and cavalry soldiers.! Most of the BEF disembarked at Le Havre and were in position on the Mons-Condé Canal by the 23rd August. They had advanced northwards believing that the French Army’s Plan 17 would suc-ceed in the East. Now reports were coming in that this plan had failed spectacularly with heavy losses. The gallant Belgium army slowed the progress of the German armies moving south under the famous! Schlieffen plan! de-vised to take out France in a quick, decisive campaign be-fore her Russian ally could attack. 9Map 3

This plan could only succeed if it kept to a strict timetable but already had serious faults in its conception and execution.! BEF patrols made contact with the Ger-man First Army commanded by Gener-al Alexander von Kluck (shown oppos-ite). General French had placed the BEF along the Mons-Conde canal be-lieving he faced only light German forces - whereas in reality he was heavily out-numbered.! The BEF had about 85,000 men and 300 guns whereas the German’s had 160,000 men and 600 guns! Despite this overwhelming superiority the German attack was hal-ted by the very rapid rate of fire of the British soldiers trained in musketry to a very high standard. So rapid was this fire that many Germans be-lieved that they were facing a large number of British machine guns. German intelligence had estimated that the BEF had 28 machine guns per battalion at Mons - whereas each battalion really only had two! Corporal John Lucy serving in the Royal Irish Rifles described the open-ing of the battle: ‘Our rapid fire was appalling, even to us, and the worst marksman could not miss, as he had only to fire into the ‘brown’ of the masses of the unfortunate enemy who on the front of our two companies were continuously and uselessly reinforced at the short 10General French

range of three hundred yards. Such tactics amazed us, and after the first shock of seeing men slowly and helplessly falling down as they were hit, gave us a great sense of power and pleasure. It was so easy.’ (‘There’s a Devil in the Drum’ pp.113 - 114 London 1938) Even though the German First Army had suffered such heavy losses from British rifle fire the BEF was forced to retreat. General Fr e nc h i ni t i a l l y wanted to with-draw right back to the Channel coast but the British War Minister, Lord Kitchener, ordered the British Army to support its French allies by retreating with them to the River Marne. During the battle the Royal Fusiliers were ordered to defend and destroy several bridges over the canal. They came under heavy German fire and several men won Britain's highest award for gal-lantry - the Victoria Cross. Before the battle the German army generally thought little of Bri-tain’s tiny army. This opinion changed after Mons: 'Our first battle is a heavy, unheard of heavy defeat, and against the English - the English we had laughed at'. (Walter Bloem, Reserve Captain, 12th Brandenburg Grenadier Regiment, 'Vormarsch’ 11British infantry at Mons

Having experienced the BEF at the Battle of Mons, General Kluck, after the war had finished, described it as an "incomparable army". However, Mons and the following battle at Le Cateau, to all in-tents and purposes destroyed this fine British army. 12British infantry at Mons

The First Victoria Crosses The Victoria Cross (VC), introduced in 1856 by Queen Victoria during the Crimean War, is Britain’s highest military decoration, awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories. The traditional explanation of the source of the gunmetal from which the medals are struck is that it de-rives from Russian cannon captured at the Siege of Sevastopol. Recent research has thrown doubt on this story, suggesting a variety of origins for the material actually making up the medals themselves. It is possible that the gun-metal for many of the medals came from Chinese cannons that may have been captured from the Russians in 1855. The Victoria Cross takes precedence over all other orders, decorations and medals and is awarded to a person of any rank in any service and to civilians under military com-mand. The VC is usually presented to the recipient or to their next of kin by the British monarch at an investiture held at Buckingham Palace. By the time of the first World War many Victoria crosses had been awarded for outstanding gallantry and the next four years were to see many more won in the fields of Flanders. 13The Victoria Cross

The German armies had attacked through Belgium (ignoring that country's attempt to stay out of the war) and forced back the Brit-ish and French armies almost to breaking point. The British Army was defending on the left of the French and attempted to hold back the Germans at Mons in Belgium. M a ur ic e D e as e was born in Coole, County Westmeath in 1889 and was a Lieutenant in the Royal Fusiliers re-giment of the Brit-ish Army when the First World War started in August 1914. Private Sid-ney Godley joined the regiment in 1909 aged 20. These two men were among the first Victoria Cross heroes in this war during their defence of the Nimy railway bridge. A plaque under the bridge now marks their exploits. This is how a contemporary de-scribed their heroic actions: ‘The machine gun crews were con-stantly being knocked out. So cramped was their position that when a man was hit he had to be re-moved before another could take his place. The approach from the trench was across the open, and whenever a gun stopped Lieutenant Maurice Dease... went up to see what was wrong. 14Lt. Maurice Dease VC & Pvt. Sydney Godley VC

To do this once called for no ordinary courage. To repeat it several times could only be done with real heroism. Dease was badly wounded on these journeys, but insisted on remaining at duty as long as one of his crew could fire. The third wound proved fatal, and a well deserved VC was awarded to him posthumously. By this time both guns had ceased firing, and all the crew had been knocked out. In response to an inquiry whether anyone else knew how to operate the guns Private Godley came forward. He cleared the emplacement under heavy fire and brought the gun into action. But he had not been firing long before the gun was hit and put completely out of action. The water jackets of both guns were riddled with bullets, so that they were no longer of any use. Godley himself was badly wounded and fell into the hands of the Germans.’ (H.C.O'Neill The Royal Fusiliers in the Great War (Heineman 1922)) One of these Victoria Crosses can be seen at the Royal Fusiliers Museum in the Tower of London. Pvt. Godley VC was thought to be dead, but was a prisoner of war in a camp De-lotz at Dallgow-Döberitz. Here he found out that he had been awarded the Victoria Cross. He left the camp in 1918 after the guards fled their posts and received his medal from King George V, at Buckingham Palace, on 15 February 1919. 15Lt. Maurice Dease VC PrivateGodley VC

British Units at Mons Field-Marshal Sir John French com-manded the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) with Lieutenant-General Sir Douglas Haig commanding I Corps and General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien commanding II Corps and a further Cavalry division under General Allenby - about 85,000 men and 300 guns in all. Both Corps took part in the action, but the main weight of the German attack fell on the 25,000 men of General Smith-Dorrien’s Corps along the line of the Mons Canal (Le Canal du Centre or Le Canal de Condé).! The German 1st Army under Gener-al von Kluck comprised 4 corps and 3 cavalry divisions! - about 160,000 men and 550 guns - almost double the nu mbe r s of the BEF. Casualties were 1638 British and an es-timated 5000 German dead and wounded. By later standards the BEF was a small affair but it confirmed the quality of the British Army and made them a force to be reckoned with. See page 28 for a list of British Army Units who fought at Mons. 16Standard service kit with 1908 webbing & large pack SMLE rifle & sword bayonet

Sir John French In December 1915 the Commander of the BEF, Sir John French, was forced to resign and was replaced by Sir Douglas Haig. French had become pessimistic about the outcome of the war and had revealed to The Times newspaper and politicians the BEF's lack of high explosive ammuni-tion for its heavy artillery. However, in the face of the growing losses of young men his enemies argued that he’d lost his nerve and needed to be replaced by a harder man. He had joined the navy as a young man but left because of a fear of heights and debilitating sea-sickness. He joined the militia in 1870 and then was commissioned into the army in 1874. By 1883 he had achieved the rank of major and served in the Sudan Cam-paign of 1884-85, the unsuccessful attempt to relieve Major General Charles Gordon, trapped in Khartoum by the fanatical armies of the Mahdi. Posted to India in September 1891, French first met Captain Douglas Haig, and for the next twenty-five years these two men on occasions worked well to-gether. However his time in India was marred by scandal when he was cited for adultery with the wife of anoth-er officer. As a result he was sent home and put on half pay. 17John FrenchDouglas Haig

This could have been disastrous for his career but he was rescued by Sir Redvers Buller who got him a job writing the new Cavalry training manual with the assistance of Douglas Haig. He went on to recover from his Indian disaster to became Assistant Adjutant-General of Cavalry in 1893. He served as a Cavalry commander in the Boer War, one of the few senior officers to come out of that war with an enhanced reputation.!Douglas Haig served with him as Brigade Major when the two men won a minor victory at Elandslaagte. Eventually the Boers were defeated and subjugated, but it was an unhappy ex-perience for the British and its terrible aftermath was Apartheid. Where other British commanders failed against the Boers, who were natural mounted infantry, French and Haig became heroes. For General French the period between the Boer War and the First World War was generally one of great professional satisfaction and success, apart from the Curragh mutiny where many British officers with Ulster connections or sympath-ies rebelled against the possibility of being ordered to crush Ulster res-istance to the proposed Home Rule legislation. Only the coming of ma-jor European war prevented further violence. His questionable performance in this incident did not mar his progress and, following his service from 1912-13 as Chief of the Imperial Gen-eral Staff, French was given command of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in August 1914. 18Sir John French as BEF Commander 1914

Once again French and Haig were to be united in a campaign but this time it was not to be a happy working relationship. Haig was apprehensive about French’s suitability for such a high command. Th e M o n s c a m-paign was eventu-ally a success, but t h e w ay i t w a s handled confirmed D o u gl as H a i g ’s fears about the British High Com-mand. The retreat from Mons was a searing experience for all ranks of the BEF and many in command began to realise that the plans of the French Army were in disarray. At Le Cateau French failed to co-or-dinate the two Corps under his command and the situation was only restored by the fighting qualit-ies of the soldiers. It was a ‘bad business’ redeemed by the success of II Corps in eluding a greatly su-perior enemy force in broad day-light! French had to be pressed by Lord Kitchener to support the French Army rather than retreating to the Channel coast. The war of move-19Sir John French inspecting troops in 1914Herbert, Lord Kitchener

ment settled into trench warfare and some government ministers and senior army officers, including Sir Douglas Haig, campaigned to remove him.! French was an emotional man deeply moved by the mounting casualties, who identified too closely with his soldiers. These qual-ities did not fit him for the dreadful battles ahead. But, after his resignation, he became deeply involved in some intrigues around Haig's conduct of the war. 20

Le Cateau and the Retreat After the defeat of the German Army by the BEF at Mons General Smith-Dorrien’s II Corps were still pursued by the German First Army under General von Kluck. The Battle of Le Cateau was fought on 26 August 1914 and was a major check in the German advance. It was a controversial battle for the British Army. Sir John French, the Commander-in-Chief had ordered that the retreat be continued without pause. Smith-Dorrien, who had b ecome separat ed from Douglas Haig's Corps by the forest of Mormal had a different view. His troops were almost exhausted - they had been fighting a retreat for sev-eral days by this stage - and this convinced him that, psychologically as well as tactically, his men need to make a fighting stand. On the morning of 26 August, the Germans arrived. Like the Brit-ish they were exhausted in the scorching summer heat but quickly moved to attack. Unlike Mons where the majority of casualties in-flicted by the British were from skilled, repetitive rifle fire plus some horse artillery units, Le Cateau was the first demonstration of what would become an artilleryman's war. It showed the devastating res-ults which modern quick-firing artil-lery could achieve using shrapnel shells on infantry advancing without cover. (See animation to the right…) 21General Smith-Dorrien

The British deployed in the open, only 50-200m behind their in-fantry, while the German artillery used indirect fire from con-cealed positions. This was the way artillery had always been posi-tioned and fought back in the days of Waterloo! At Mons the British artillery fought the Germans to a standstill, often firing over open sights, and caused heavy casualties. How-ever, when two more German divisions joined the battle, II Corps came close to defeat. By the afternoon, both British flanks began to break and the order to withdraw was given. With the very wel-come help of French cavalry under General Sordet, II Corps was able to continue its retreat and eventually joined up with the rest of the BEF. This battle is regarded by some military historians as one of the greatest fighting retreats in military history and it was a morale boost for people at home in Britain. The British lost over 7000 men and many guns but delayed the Germans for several days in their sweeping attack. 22

General Smith-Dorrien later wrote: ‘I think I have shown that, without risking a debacle and jeopard-ising the-safety of the 4th Division and the I Corps, I had no al-ternative but to stand and fight. I claim no credit, but on the con-trary realise to the full that fortune was on my side, firstly in having such an efficient force so skilfully and devotedly handled and led, and composed of troops so well disciplined and courageous as to be second to none in the world; and secondly in having an en-emy who did not rise to the occa-sion.’ Sir John French wrote on the 7th September: ‘I cannot close this brief account of this glorious stand o f t h e B r i t i s h troops, without putting on record my deep appreciation of the valuable services rendered by General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien. I say without hes-itation that the saving of the left wing of the army under my com-mand on the morning of the 26th August could never have been accomplished unless a commander of rare and unusual coolness, intrepidity, and determination had been present to personally conduct the operation.’ General French, despite having written so positively about this action, was still extremely angry that his original orders had been disobeyed, and an acrimonious argument sprang up between the two men. He later sacked Smith Dorrien under the pretext of his supposed ill-health. 23British Guns in action...

2413 ‘Line of Fire’ seriesThe Retreat from Mons

Battle of the Heligoland Bight The battle of the Heligoland Bight was fought on 28th August 1914 in a British plan to attack German ships on their regular patrols off the northwest German coast. A fleet set sail comprising 31 destroyers and two cruisers under Commodore Re-ginald Tyrwhitt and submarines commanded by Commodore Roger Keyes (whose plan this largely was). They were supported at longer range by an additional six light cruisers commanded by William Goodenough, and five battlecruis-ers commanded by Vice Admiral David Beatty. Beatty’s squadron was called in and sank the German ships Mainz, Koln, and Ariadne and damaged a further three other cruisers, thus establish-ing Beatty’s fighting reputation. Re-treating hurriedly under the cover of mist, the Germans had lost 1,200 men, as opposed to just 35 British fatalities. This partially successful ambush was regarded as a great victory in Bri-tain, but poor staff work and com-munications could have led to a 25Commodore Roger KeyesCommodore TyrwhittVice Admiral David Beatty

disaster. The main effect was to convince the Kaiser to instruct the German fleet to avoid any contact with superior forces, thus rein-forcing the supremacy of the British Navy. For more on this important naval clash please see the video link on the next page… 26Map 4

27

British Units at Mons A full listing of all the British of the British Expeditionary Force Units according to Wikipedia is given below for anyone looking for a unit in which a relative may have served: I Corps (Commanded by Douglas Haig) 281st Division (Lomax) 1st Guards Brigade"1st Coldstream Guards"1st Scots Guards"1st Black Watch"2nd Royal Munster Fusiliers"2nd Infantry Brigade"2nd Royal Sussex"1st Loyal North Lancashire"1st Northamptonshire"2nd The Kings Royal Rifle Corps"3rd Infantry Brigade"1st Royal West Surrey"1st South Wales Borderers"1st Gloucestershire"2nd Welsh"XXV Brigade, Royal Field Artillery"113th Battery"114th Battery"115th Battery"XXVI Brigade, Royal Field Artillery"116th Battery"117th Battery"118th Battery"XXXIX Brigade, Royal Field Artillery"46th Battery"51st Battery"54th Battery"XLIII (Howitzer) Brigade, Royal Field Artillery"30th (H) Battery"40th (H) Battery"57th (H) Battery"26th Heavy Battery Royal Garrison Artillery2nd Division (Monro) 4th Guards Brigade"2nd Grenadier Guards"2nd Coldstream Guards"3rd Coldstream Guards"1st Irish Guards"5th Infantry Brigade"2nd Worcestershire"2nd Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire "Light Infantry"2nd Highland Light Infantry"2nd Connaught Rangers"6th Infantry Brigade"1st Liverpool"2nd South Staffordshire"1st Royal Berkshire"1st Kings Royal Rifle Corps"XXXIV Brigade, Royal Field Artillery"22nd Battery"50th Battery"70th Battery"XXXVI Brigade, Royal Field Artillery"15th Battery"48th Battery"71st Battery"XLI Brigade, Royal Field Artillery"9th Battery"16th Battery"17th Battery"XLIV (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA"47th (H) Battery"56th (H) Battery"60th (H) Battery"35th Heavy Battery "Royal Garrison Artillery

II Corps (Commanded by Smith-Dorrien) 293rd Division (Hamilton) 7th Infantry Brigade"3rd Worcestershire"2nd South Lancashire"1st Duke of Edinburgh’s"2nd Royal Irish Rifles"8th Infantry Brigade"2nd Royal Scots"2nd Royal Irish"4th Duke of Cambridge’s Own"1st Gordon Highlanders"9th Infantry Brigade"1st Northumberland Fusiliers"4th Royal Fusiliers"1st Lincolnshire"1st Royal Scots Fusiliers"XXIII Brigade, Royal Field Artillery"107th Battery"108th Battery"109th Battery"XL Brigade, Royal Field Artillery"6th Battery"23rd Battery"49th Battery"XLII Brigade, Royal Field Artillery"29th Battery"41st Battery"45th Battery"XXX (Howitzer) Brigade , "Royal Field Artillery"128th (H) Battery"129th (H) Battery"130th (H) Battery"48th Heavy Battery "Royal Garrison Artillery5th Division (Fergusson) 13th Infantry Brigade"2nd Kings Own Scottish Borderers"2nd Duke of Wellington’s Own"1st Royal West Kent"2nd Yorkshire Light Infantry"14th Infantry Brigade"2nd Suffolk"1st East Surrey"1st Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry"2nd Manchester"15th Infantry Brigade"1st Norfolk"1st Bedfordshire"1st Cheshire"1st Dorsetshire"XV Brigade, Royal Field Artillery"11th Battery"52nd Battery"80th Battery"XXVII Brigade, Royal Field Artillery"119th Battery"120th Battery"121st Battery"XXVIII Brigade, Royal Field Artillery"122nd Battery"123rd Battery"124th Battery"VIII (Howitzer) Brigade, "Royal Field Artillery"37th (H) Battery"61st (H) Battery"65th (H) Battery"108th Heavy Battery "Royal Garrison Artillery"

30The Cavalry Division (Allenby) 1st Cavalry Brigade"2nd Dragoon Guards"5th Dragoon Guards"11th Hussars"2nd Cavalry Brigade"4th Dragoon Guards"9th Lancers"19th Hussars"3rd Cavalry Brigade"4th Hussars"5th Lancers"16th Lancers"4th Cavalry Brigade"6th Dragoon Guards"3rd Hussars"Household Cavalry Composite Regiment"5th Cavalry Brigade"2nd Dragoons"12th Lancers"20th Hussars"Artillery III Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery"D Battery, RHA"E Battery, RHA"VII Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery"I Battery, RHA"L Battery, RHARoyal Flying Corps in the Field (Henderson) 2nd Aeroplane Squadron (Burke)"3rd Aeroplane Squadron (Salmond)"4th Aeroplane Squadron (Raleigh)"5th Aeroplane Squadron (Higgins)"1st Aircraft ParkArmy Troops A and C Squadrons North Irish Horse"B Squadron South Irish Horse"1st Queens Own Cameron Highlanders"Line of communications defense troops"1st Devonshire"19th Infantry Brigade (formed August 22nd, 1914)"2nd Royal Welsh Fusiliers"1st Cameronians"1st Duke of Cambridge’s Own"2nd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders

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