Harsh Realities: The BEF’s Offensives 1915

In this talk, Spencer Jones looks at the plight of the British Army on the Western Front in the first half of 1915.

The British Army went into 1915 hoping to break through the German trenches and bring about a victory on the Western Front but things went horribly wrong at Neuve Chapelle, Festubert and Aubers Ridge.

On the positive side, the regulars were reinforced by the territorials and also Kitchener's New Armies, but the British Commander in Chief, Sir John French, became embroiled in the "Shell Scandal".

Recorded as part of the WFA President's Conference series "A World at War 1914-18" - 1915 A Year of Trial and Error.

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[Jon.A.Scholt]

Spencer Jones is in a league of his own when it comes to WW1 lectures. Best presenter out there, no question.

[Digmen]

One of the few lectures I have watched where the presenter does not use the words um and ah.
Well done. A very professional presentation.

[festubert]

Excellent presentation from a great historian. Thanks for mentioning the third attack by the BEF, 15 to 25 May thought to be 'a matter of persistence'.

[scottncy]

Wonderful presentation and very informative

[matthewarmitage]

My Great Grandad was in the North Staff's before the war began. He was ultimately then in the BEf at the start of the war. He must have been either a great soldier or the luckiest man of the time. He survived the whole war unlike most of his pals that he fought with in 1914 who mostly became casualties.
I will never forget what these men, no boys, sacrificed for us all, so we could be free.

[javasrevenge]

Great upload, without oh or he is telling you the truth fluently with a pleasure, thanks for sharing.

[ceciljohnrhodes]

A thoroughly professional, informative, educational and entertaining talk.

[rhysnichols]

Around 6:30 this was interesting to me, the idea of the BEF being sent elsewhere other than France actually makes good sense…..imagine if after the French front was stabilised in autumn 14 the bulk of the BEF went to Serbia and helped with a counter offensive against Austria, the terrain and type of combat in balkans in the early war was much more suited to the British army, a highly trained force alongside the Serbs who were well experienced may have done serious harm to Austria Hungary at the time, especially since they were also on the back foot against the Russians at this time.
The strategic affect of potentially crippling Austria early could’ve drastically changed the course of the war….
However it is questionable if the British would have sufficient numbers to decisively beat the Austro Hungarian armies, however they would’ve been an easier foe than Germany and the terrain was better suited to the BEF.
This of course would leave France vulnerable as holding Germany alone was unlikely, but it’s a fun thought experiment

[barbaraseidel]

R.I.P.
Cpt.Cyril Holland
RFA
09.05.1915

[alganhar]

I watched a US lecturer not long ago pretty much saying the same sort of thing about the AEF in 1917, that the US army went from 98 odd thousand men in early 1917 to an Officer corps of 200 or so thousand by late 1917....

The effect on training was, as you can imagine, catastrophic.

[tlmoscow]

‘Mother’, of course, wasn’t a 15cm howitzer - she was a 9.2” piece, deployed in October 1914. Just to clarify…

[SouthBaySteelers]

I'm baffled why, even at that time, that no one in either (especially) France or even England took the time to really evaluate their alleged steam roller ally - until it was too late. Russia was a steam roller alright, but without steam and a flat roller.

[Digmen]

Well done Spencer, I'm ten minutes in and have not heard the words um or ahh once!

[Dybbouk]

What about Andrew Lambert's Baltic strategy? Maybe the British navy should have blocked the German ports?

[tbmb]

Did this guy contribute to “The Great War in Numbers” ? I swear I recognize his face

[martincook]

And if it wasn't for the Women and the Americans we would have lost the Great war and this brings Me to the People's Representation act of 1918 which was Passed on Wednesday February 6th 1918 where I disagreed with that act was the Voting age which gave all Men over 21 and Women over 30 the Right to Vote and in My view it should have been 21 for both Men and Women which was Put right in 1928 when the Voting age of Women was lowered to 21 the same as the Men and that amendment was Passed on Monday July 2nd 1928

[wiretamer]

The claim that British high command was AWARE the BEF was not prepared for trench warfare, is contradicted by the fact that no one anticipated the continuous front.

[huzaar]

How is it possible that you have a history of WWI and hardly use German resources.

[rosesprog]

The British not only could but they should have stayed out of it but, since they were the organizers behind it all, they first used little Belgium, towards which they had no obligations whatsoever, simply because the general population would never have agreed to fight in defense of France, the traditional enemy. So, Sir Edward Grey lied to the world, and only told the rest of the cabinet about a secret entente with France two days before the war began, which almost led to half the deputies and ministers to resign in indignation.
That war had been planned for quite a while, Germany's industrial and commercial lightning fast growth could not be tolerated and a traditional capitalist 'may the better win' commercial war was out of the question so the only possibility left was the destruction of the main competition by associating with the minor continental powers and get them to fight for Britain under pretenses of honor and obligations, all false and in the end, all meant to benefit and protect the old and tired European empires from any and all dangers.
The one danger that had escaped the ideologs behind it all was how expensive holding on to such imperatives would amount to, Britain only finished paying her WW1 debt in 2015 wich brings out the same old question again: Was it worth it? No, certainly not.

[graemesydney]

I would like to hear or see the moral, political or strategic imperative arguments that the speaker uses so glibly as justification for the education of senior officers, the carnage and loss of life that was BEF 1915