With our army in Flanders
by Valentine Williams (1883–1946)
- Free to read
- 6 hours to read
- 18 chapters
- Reading level: 8th & 9th grade
"With Our Army in Flanders" by G. Valentine Williams is a historical account written during the early 20th century. It presents firsthand observations and impressions from the front lines of World War I, specifically detailing the experiences of the British Army in Flanders. The author serves as a war correspondent and provides insights into the life of soldiers, the challenges they faced, and the overall atmosphere of the battlefield. The opening of the memoir sets the stage for a deeply personal and reflective narrative. Williams describes the transition from a peaceful England to the chaos of war, emphasizing the profound contrasts he witnesses. The initial chapter touches on various aspects of military life, including the camaraderie among soldiers, the harsh realities of trench warfare, and the enduring spirit of the British troops as they adapt to the new and brutal conditions of combat. Williams reflects on the overarching themes of heroism, sacrifice, and the evolution of war tactics, foreshadowing a stark yet respectful portrayal of the ongoing conflict and the resilient heart of the army engaged in it.
- World War, 1914-1918 · Campaigns · Belgium
Read the opening
Chapter I
OF OUR ARMY IN THE FIELD
All wars present a series of contrasts. Is not war itself the greatest of all contrasts of life? The antithesis of Man at Peace and Man at War is one with which the poets and artists have familiarized mankind all through the ages. And so, though we are in the thirteenth month of the overwhelming change which this, the greatest of all wars, has wrought in our lives, I find, on sitting down to record my impressions of the life and work of the British Army in the field, that I am continually reverting to the perpetual, the confounding contrast between the world at peace and the world at war.
Never were contrasts so marked as in this war. To cast the mind back a twelvemonth is like looking back on one’s early childhood. “This time last year!...” How often one hears the phrase out here, with recollections of last year’s glorious, golden Ascot, of distant, half-forgotten strife about Ulster, of a far rumbling, as yet indistinctly heard, in the Balkans, where swift and sudden death was preparing for that sinister Prince whose passing plunged the world into war.
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About this edition
This free edition of With our army in Flanders by Valentine Williams comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #68038, released 2022-05-10. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: History - British, History - Modern (1750+), History - Warfare.
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