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VCs of the First World War: 1914

Author: Gerald Gliddon

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2012-05-30

Total Pages: 315

ISBN-13: 0752487507

During the opening four months of the First World War no fewer than forty-six soldiers from the British and Commonwealth armies were awarded the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest award for gallantry. In a series of biographies, Gerald Gliddon examines the men and the dramatic events that led to the award of this most coveted of medals and explores the post-war experiences of those who survived. These men, ordinary soldiers from widely differing social backgrounds, acted with valour above and beyond the call of duty. Their stories and experiences offer a fresh perspective on the opening stages of the 'war to end wars'.

The VCs Road to Victory 1918

Author: Gerald Gliddon

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2014-02-03

Total Pages: 413

ISBN-13: 0750954825

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By August 1918 fortune was on the side of the Allies: America was increasing its contribution of troops and equipment substantially; the morale of the German Army was sinking as it failed to deliver the desired ‘knock out blow’; and Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig found a new confidence, firmly believing that the Allies could at last push the Germans out of France and Belgium.This volume of the best-selling VCs of the First World War series covers the fifty days of the Allied advance from 8 August to 26 September 1918. Arranged chronologically, it tells the story of the sixty-four VC winners during this period. The recipients came from many countries, including Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand; some never lived to know that they had been awarded for their extraordinary bravery, while others returned home to face an uncertain future. This is their story.

VCs of the First World War: Somme 1916

Author: Gerald Gliddon

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2012-05-30

Total Pages: 313

ISBN-13: 0752487469

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The Battle of the Somme, which lasted from 1 July to 18 November 1916, is remembered as one of the most horrific and tragic battles of the First World War. On the first day alone nearly 19,000 British troops were killed – the greatest one-day loss in the history of the British Army. By November the death toll from the armies of Britain, France and Germany had risen to over a million. This book tells the stories of fifty-one soldiers from the Commonwealth and Empire armies whose bravery on the battlefield was rewarded by the Victoria Cross, the highest military honour – men like Private Billy McFadzean, who was blown up by two grenades which he smothered in order to save the lives of his comrades, and Private 'Todger' Jones, who single-handedly rounded up 102 German soldiers. Not only do we learn of heroic endeavours of these men at the height of battle, but we also read of their lives before 1914, ranging from the backstreets of Glasgow to a country house in Cheshire, and of what life was like after the war for the thirty-three survivors.

VCs Gallipoli

Author: Stephen Snelling

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2012-05-30

Total Pages: 350

ISBN-13: 0752487523

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The landings on the Gallipoli Peninsula on 25 April 1915 represented the greatest amphibious operation carried out during the course of the First World War. What had initially been a purely naval enterprise had escalated to become a full-scale Anglo-French invasion, resulting in an eight-month campaign which Churchill hoped would knock Turkey out of the war. For a campaign that promised so much, it ultimately bacame a tragedy of lost opportunities. By January 1916, when the last men were taken off the peninsula, the casualties totalled 205,000.This book contains new material from recently released archives and tells the stories of the thirty-nine men whose bravery on the battlefield was rewarded by the Victoria Cross, among them the war's first Australian VC, first New Zealand VC, and first Royal Marine VC. It represents the highest number of VCs won in a theatre of war, other than the Western Front.

VCs The Final Days 1918

Author: Gerald Gliddon

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2014-07-15

Total Pages: 357

ISBN-13: 0750957328

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The latest volume in the series covering the final days of the war on the Western Front from the Allied Armies being poised to capture the Hindenburg Line to the Armistice on 11 November 1918. The book opens with the stories of seven VC-winners who took part in the Battle of the Canal du Nord on 27 September 1918. Despite enemy resistance, the British First and Third Armies advanced six miles, leading eventually to the successful capture of Cambrai. The last period of the war became a series of battles to capture a series of river lines. From the Battle of the Canal du Nord until Armistice Day, a period of just under six weeks, a total of 56 VCs were won in the victorious Allied advance. The VC winners came from France and Canada as well.

The First VCs

Author: Mark Ryan

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2014-07-07

Total Pages: 310

ISBN-13: 0750957492

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What would you do if you were struck by an enemy bullet in wartime, then realized you were still alive? For most of us, that would be the end of our fight. If we were capable of thought while we tried to cope with the pain, we'd probably hope to be rushed to hospital, so that someone could save our lives. But a hundred years ago, in the opening battle of World War I at Mons, two young men didn't react like that. Lieutenant Maurice Dease and Private Sidney Godley, born only weeks apart into sharply contrasting worlds, shared the same defiance. They didn't think of themselves and went back for more, sustaining dreadful wounds in the process. One man died, the other lived—pieced back together painstakingly by the Germans, who had taken so many casualties of their own while overrunning the British position. Together Dease and Godley became the first winners of the Victoria Cross in World War I.

VCs of the First World War: the Sideshows

Author: Gerald Gliddon

Publisher: History Press

Published: 2014-08

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780750953788

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"Features the lives and careers of forty-six servicemen who won the coveted Victoria Cross in theatres of war--or 'Sideshows', as they became known--beyond the Western Front and Gallipoli. Opening with the stories of four VC winners who took part in the prolonged struggle to drive the German Army out of East Africa, VCs of the First World War: The Sideshows goes on to tell the stories of the two Indian Army winners of the VC defending the North-West Frontier. Finally, it covers the campaigns against the Austro--German forces in Italy; securing the oil wells in Mesopotamia (later Iraq); defending the Suez Canal and attacking the Ottoman Army in Palestine and lastly serving in Salonika in the Balkans. Each VC winner's act of bravery is recorded here in intricate detail, together with the background of the men and their lives after the war -- if they survived"--Publisher's description.

VCs of the First World War - Cambrai 1917

Author: Gerald Gliddon

Publisher: VCs of the First World War

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780752476681

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In this volume, Gliddon covers the men who won the Victoria Cross on the Western Front in 1916 prior to the beginning of the Battle of the Somme on 1st July, together with those who won the medal after the Battle of Paschendaele petered out at the end of October 1917.

VCs of the First World War: Passchendaele 1917

Author: Stephen Snelling

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2012-02-29

Total Pages: 405

ISBN-13: 0752483730

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Of all the costly campaigns fought across the Western Front during the First World War, none strikes a more chilling chord than Passchendaele. Even now, more than ninety years on, the very mention of the name is enough to conjure up apocalyptic images of desolation and misery on a quite bewildering scale – humanity drowning in a sea of mud. Passchendaele has come to serve as a symbol of the folly and futility of war, chiefly remembered for its carnage and profligate waste of human lives. It also stands as testament to the endurance and extraordinary courage displayed by men of all ranks and nationalities. During the 3 1⁄2 month long struggle, which claimed the lives of more than 60,000 British and Commonwealth servicemen, 61 men were adjudged to have performed deeds worthy of the Empire's highest award for valour – the Victoria Cross. Men from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa were among their number, alongside men from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. They came from all walks of life, counting humble privates and, for the first time, a general among their ranks. This is a lasting memorial to a body of men who deserve to be numbered among the bravest of the brave.

VCs of the First World War: The Air VCs

Author: Peter G. Cooksley

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2014-04-07

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 0752493922

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Of more than 600 Victoria Crosses awarded to British and Empire servicemen during the First World War, nineteen were awarded to airmen of the newly formed Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service. Of these, four were posthumous awards and all but one of the total were to officers. Some of these valorous airmen were from humble backgrounds and with limited education; others were collegiate men from wealthy families. But in the words of one senior officer they all had in common 'the guts of a lion'. Each VS winner's act of bravery is recorded here in intricate detail, along with their backgrounds and their lives after the war.