A vivid account of the opening weeks of war by a volunteer despatch rider who may have prevented a swift German victory. Of Anglo-German stock, Roger West was conflicted when the war broke out but volunteered out of the strong sense of duty that was characteristic of his class. His linguistic skills led to his being commissioned into the Intelligence Corps but he was seconded as a despatch rider to the 19th Brigade, which bore a great brunt of the fighting in the first few weeks in 1914. West was in the thick of things despite being crippled with a badly-damaged foot, often riding round the clock, delivering despatches and directing and assisting soldiers separated from their units and disoriented stragglers. Discovering that a critical bridge had been left open to the German advance he volunteered to ride back and blow it up, preventing the retreating Fifth French Army from being taken in the flank, something that could have fulfilled the Schlieffen Plan's aims and won the war for Germany.

About the Author
From the author of: San Fairy Ann: Motorcycles and British Victory1914-1918 (FireStep) and 'The Despatch Rider Corps in 1914' in Stemming the Tide: Officers and Leadership in the British Expeditionary Force 1914, ed Dr Spencer Jones (Helion & Co).


Book Information
ISBN 9781908487056
Author Michael Carragher
Format Paperback
Page Count 238
Imprint Uniform Press
Publisher Unicorn Publishing Group