Acknowledgements
My greatest debt is to my wife, Ann, for her love and patience. Much of this book was written during, and whilst recovering from, serious ill-health, and I owe much to the NHS staff of East Kent. I am indebted to my son, Andrew, in particular for assistance in identifying, locating and translating numerous German sources, and for advice on all matters pertaining to the Kaisers army. All the translations from German are Andrews, with some assistance from Diana Zachau, except for those from books published in English. Andrew has also provided assistance with illustrations. Ann, amongst much other help, produced the diagram for Appendix II.
I am very grateful to Jon Cooksey, editor of Stand To!, the journal of the Western Front Association, for publishing my articles on 9/East Surrey and officer records in that publication and for introducing me to my publisher. Much of the material that first appeared in those articles has been updated and reworked with Jons agreement for this book. My editor, Rupert Harding of Pen & Sword, has been very encouraging and helpful in seeing the book through to publication. Thanks are also due to my subeditor Alison Miles.
I have been grateful, over many visits, for help from the staff of a number of archives and libraries, notably the Imperial War Museum, Kent Libraries, Surrey History Centre (SHC) (especially Di Stiff) and The National Archives.
I am particularly grateful to the family of Captain G.S. Pirie, for so generously giving me a copy of his diary; and Jrgen Schmieschek for providing much German material. For information and/or photographs relating to particular individuals I am indebted to: Dr David Brooke on Syd Hannan, Keith Perry on H.V.M. de la Fontaine, David Seymour on George Rivers, Felicity Williams on Godfrey Warre-Dymond, and Terry Woodbury on Charles Woodbury. For general information I am grateful to Ian Chatfield of the Queens Royal Surrey Regiment Museum, Ron Clifton, Taff Gillingham and Dr Eric Webb and to Paul Reed for a photograph.
For permission to quote extensively from copyright published material, to quote from unpublished copyright material and/or reproduce copyright material I am grateful to the following: the family of the late A.J. Abraham for his memoir held in the Imperial War Museum (IWM); the Brotherton Library, University of Leeds for Peter Liddles interview of Major General L.C. Thomas; Philippa Anne Clegg for the papers of Major T.H. Westmacott held at IWM; Jon Cooksey for extensive quotation from Jimmy Carpenters War Diary, published in Stand To!; Curtis Brown Group Ltd London on behalf of the estate of R.C. Sherriff, Kingston Grammar School and the Scout Association for unpublished letters and papers held at SHC, Journeys End, the novel, published 1930, My Diary in the Journal of the East Surrey Regiment, published 19361939, No Leading Lady, published 1968, The English Public Schools in the Great War in G. Panichass Promise of Greatness: The War of 19141918, published 1968; the Trustees of IWM for photographs from its collection, the diaries of F.W. Billman and the oral history recording of C.F. Miller; Kingston Grammar School, additionally, for photographs from R.C. Sherriffs collection held at SHC; Nigel Lillywhite for the papers of his father, Colonel G. Lillywhite, OBE, TD, held at IWM; the Queens Royal Surrey Regiment Museum and Surrey History Centre for the regiments newsletter and papers and photographs from the regimental collection held in the care of SHC; the family of Captain G.S. Pirie for his writings and photographs; Jrgen Schmieschek for photographs from his collection; Timothy dArch Smith for Gilbert Frankaus Peter Jackson, Cigar Merchant, published 1947; The National Archives (UK) for numerous official documents in its care; Rupert Tower for the memoir by his grandfather, Lieutenant Colonel K.F.B. Tower, MC, held at IWM; Felicity Williams for the letter from Captain G.W. Warre-Dymond in the Sherriff papers at SHC.
Wherever I have used information provided by families, I hope they will consider I have treated their ancestor fairly.
Despite my best endeavours, I have not managed to trace all copyright holders. I apologise to them. If they will contact me through my publishers, I shall be delighted to ensure appropriate acknowledgement in any future edition of this book.
The maps and illustrations in the text are taken from the following sources:
Anon. The History of the Eighth Battalion The Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment 191419 (London and Aylesbury, 1921): p. 230; F. Behrmann, Die Osterschlacht bei Arras 1917, 1. Teil: Zwischen Lens und Scarpe (Oldenburg and Berlin, 1929): pp. 87, 91; Sir J.E. Edmonds, History of the Great War Military Operations France and Belgium: 1915 Volume II The Battles of Festubert, Aubers Ridge and Loos (London, 1928): pp. 16, 18; Sir J.E. Edmonds, History of the Great War Military Operations France and Belgium: 1916 Volume I Sir Douglas Haigs command to the 1st July: Battle of the Somme (London, 1932): p. 41; Sir J.E. Edmonds, History of the Great War Military Operations France and Belgium: 1917 Volume II 7th June10th November: Messines and Third Ypres (Passchendaele) (London, 1948): p. 105; Sir J.E. Edmonds, History of the Great War Military Operations France and Belgium: 1918 Volume I The German March offensive and its preliminaries (London, 1935, with accompanying appendices volume and map case): pp. 124, 129, 131, 134, 136, 138; E. Gruson, Das Kniglich Preussische 4. Thringische Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 72 im Weltkrieg (Oldenburg, 1930): p. 76; A. Huttmann and W. Krueger, Das Infanterie Regiment von Lutzow (1. Rhein.) Nr. 25 im Weltkrieg 191418 (Berlin, 1929): p. 153; Captain W. Miles, The History of the Great War Military Operations France and Belgium 1916 Volume II 2nd July 1916 to the end of the Battle of the Somme (London, 1938): pp. 60, 62; L. Orgeldinger, Das Wrttembergische Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 246 (Stuttgart, 1931): p. 34; K. Otto, Das Kgl. Schs . Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 246 (Dresden, 1928): p. 30; H.W. Pearse and H.S. Sloman, History of the East Surrey Regiment, Vol. II (London, 1924): pp. 27, 55; Surrey History Centre: p. 116 (ref. ESR 19/1/5), p. 173 (ref. ESR 19/1/6).