Book Description

The year of 1914 had been a difficult one for the British Expeditionary Force, the war that had started in August had not been over by the expected time of Christmas. Additionally many of its original members had become casualties and replacements were difficult to find. 1915 did not go much better, the BEF was still a minor player with only a relatively small number of divisions compared to the many in the French Army. The culmination of several attacks by the BEF in 1915 was the attack in the Loos sector in September where in a mining area north of Arras, the largest British offensive of the war thus far took place. Forced into an offensive in an area which as one senior commander put it was on “most unfavorable ground”, the BEF suffered heavy casualties and little material gain. Probably for these reasons the 1915 battles have been largely ignored and there has been a dearth of decent publications on Loos.

Helion and Co Ltd are therefore pleased to announce the publication of a major new work Most Unfavourable Ground. The Battle of Loos 1915 by Niall Cherry. Most Unfavourable Ground offers a detailed look at the planning, execution and aftermath of the fighting. As well as using official records and reports, numerous personal stories have been woven into the account.

The author’s grandfather was present at Loos as a Chemical Corporal with the Royal Engineers gas units and this major new work reflects the author’s passion for the subject.

Key sales points

• A major new work on an oft-neglected and overlooked offensive launched by the British forces in 1915
• Draws on a large number of personal accounts in addition to official sources to provide a rich and detailed account
• Includes much information about overlooked aspects of the Battle, including the British use of gas, and medical facilities
• Features a large number of rare photographs, a comprehensive selection of maps and an extensive number of statistical tables