THE BRITISH ARMY IN FLANDERS 1914

Casca was depicted in the Trench Soldier as being in the  British Expeditionary Force (BEF) to northern France and Belgium during 1914.  The actual role of the BEF at that time was to supplement the French forces  under Marshal Joffre who themselves expected to achieve a swift victory based on  their "Plan 17" which involved a massed attack through Lorraine and Alsace into  Germany, ignoring the building German forces to their north. They  confidently expected the Belgian fortresses and what reserves they had plus the  British to hold up any German attack in the north while they won the war further  south. The BEF was hastily assembled under the command of Sir John  French and sent by sea to ports in France and then sent by road and rail into  Belgium where the 100,000 men of the BEF finally reached their positions by  August 20.

The German 1st Army under von Kluck was busy advancing  south-westward through Belgium, unaware that the British were facing them, and  on the 23rd ran headlong into the equally surprised British at Mons; two British  divisions were attacked by two German corps and held the attackers off with  their rapid rifle fire - at around 15 rounds per minute - that was so fast and  accurate that the Germans thought it was machine-gun fire. However with  the French falling back to their right and nothing to their left, the British  retreated until they got to Le Cateau where, on the 26th, they turned and  fought, holding off the Germans once again. For the next ten days the  allies retreated with the British falling back now to the south, way into  September. When the Germans crossed the river Marne on the 5th, it seemed  as though Paris would fall.

At that point the gap between the German 1st army of von  Kluck and the 2nd of von Bulow became apparent and the British advanced into the  gap while the French to either side became engaged in heavy fighting. The  tired Britons could only manage an advance of eight miles but then the German  forces, realising they could not achieve their plan to capture Paris and knock  the French out of the war, turned and retreated back to the line of the river  Aisne, which they reached on September 14. At this point the beginnings of  the trenches were dug, and spread northwards to the North Sea. The  advancing was over.

In mid-October British and German forces, intent on  outflanking each other, ran into the other at Ypres. The stronger German  force battered the British and punched a hole through their lines so that at one  point only cooks and batmen stood in their way. However reinforcements  arrived in time to plug the gap. The battle cost the British their old  B.E.F. and the British army that emerged after that was vastly different in  size, and was no longer an army of volunteers and professionals only. One  odd fact took place on Christmas Day, 1914. British and German soldiers  fraternised in no-man's land in between the trenches, and even played a game of  soccer. It was the only time this happened and was stopped the following  day by orders from the respective HQs.

Source: The First World War by AJP Taylor

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