Sept/Oct 1914       After the Battle of the Aisne, both the Germans and Allied forces had   entrenched. Each side was trying to out-flank each other in a bid for open warfare.

The trenches eventually reached the sea and the engagement was known as “The race to the Sea” As the entrenchment reached Ypres, the trenches stayed on the high ground by going to the East of the town.

A salient was forming.

10^th Nov 1914      Following a number of attacks and counter-attacks, the entrenchment settled down into a semi-circle around Ypres.

Intense cold halted any further large-scale activities and both sides settled down to making themselves as comfortable as possible in the trenches.

(Map showing Salient forming)

Following the stalemate on the Aisne, in September 1914, both Armies tried to outflank the other northwards in the so-called “race to the sea”.      The Commander-in-Chief of the BEF, Sir John French, proposed to the French Commander-in-Chief, General Joseph Joffre that the British Army should take over the Northern section.

Through the channel ports, England could supply the BEF far more easily. Joffre agreed and arrangements were secretly made whereby the BEF relinquished their lines, which were smoothly taken over by the French units and the BEF regrouping in                Flanders between 16^th to 18^th October 1914.

The Belgian army were besieged in Antwerp. Although unable to offer any real assistance, Winston Churchill, understood the strategic importance of Antwerp. As First Sea Lord, he successfully argued the case for the Naval Brigade to defend this city. This gesture sustained Belgian morale, even though Antwerp fell into German control. The Belgians were forced to retreat, and Sir Henry Rawlinson’s 4th Corps covered the retreat. The “race to the sea” had established the hard-pressed Belgian army from the North Sea coast to the River Yser and Dixmude. The French army occupied the area between Dixmude and the Ypres-Roulers railway line, where upon the BEF occupied the area around the Eastern flanks of Ypres. The French army occupied the line from Armentieres southward to the Swiss border. This established the almost 500 miles of the trenches known as “The Western Front”.

The Belgian army had opened the lock gates at Nieuport allowing the sea to flood the low-lying land halting the German advance. In the oncoming flood the Germans lost many troops, together with masses of weapons, artillery and equipment. They were forced south to attack the Northern flank of the British held salient, to the East of Ypres. The Ypres salient was a defensive semi circle to the East of the city. When finally established the salient allowed the German artillery to attack from both front and sides.

The German army turned their attention against the British salient, to the north, east and south of Ypres. With the beginning of winter, the mud dominated the almost continuous night and day fighting. The Germans broke through the British line in the north. At the same time, the numerical superior German army broke through the lines at the southern end of the salient. After three days, constant fighting the central area caved in around the village of Gheluvelt and the BEF withdrew to a line just covering the city of Ypres. A surprise British counter-attack saw the British once again defending Gheluvelt. The Germans had failed to exploit the penetrations they had made. They did attack the southern part of the salient, at night, thus securing the high ground at Messiness’ Ridge. On the 10^th November, the Germans launched an attack against the French army towards Dixmude.  The French line held halting the attack. The following day the Germans again attacked and broke through the British southern sector. By the German’s failure in not being able to follow up their attack, British reserve forces were able to drive back the German advance. Intense cold effectively halted any further large-scale activities therefore establishing the line around Ypres, thus forming the salient.

The First Battle of Ypres denied the Germans the channel ports but the cost to the BEF was enormous. Britain lost nearly all of the professional army. Halted at Ypres, the Germans adapted a defensive strategy on the Western Front. The First Battle of Ypres settled the Western Front as both sides dug trenches, stretching nearly 500 miles from the North Sea to the Swiss border. The BEF defended the northern line from Ypres to the sea, and the French Army defended the southern line to the Swiss border.

The end of 1914 and most of 1915 devoted the war to trying to force a victory on the Eastern Front.

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They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old;

And age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

4^th Aug 1914                At the age of 45 years, Laurence Binyon was too old to enlist

23^rd Aug/9^th Sept ‘14   Battle of Mons and retreat to the Marne by the BEF.

Mid Sept 1914             Binyon wrote the poem “For the Fallen”

21^st Sept 1914              Poem was published in “The Times” newspaper

• Binyon went to the Western Front as a Red Cross medical orderly.

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The Royal British Legion has adopted “The Exhortation for the Fallen” for all their Remembrance Parades.

PHOTOGRAPH OF BINYON

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,

England mourns her dead across the sea.

Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,

Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal

Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.

There is music in the midst of desolation

And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,

Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against all odds uncounted,

They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old;

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;

They sit no more at familiar tables of home;

They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;

They sleep beyond England’s foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,

Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,

To the innermost heart of their own land they are known

As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,

Moving in marches upon our heavenly plain,

As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,

To the end, to the end, they remain.

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Robert Laurence Binyon was 45 years of age when the Great War began in 1914; therefore, he was too old to enlist in the military forces. At the time, he worked for the British Museum and in mid September 1914, he wrote his most famous poem whilst sitting on a cliff top looking out to sea on the North Cornwall coastline.

In early September 1914, Binyon was inspired to write the poem after hearing of the horrendous casualties to the British Expeditionary Force. The casualties were sustained during the Battle of Mons, the retreat from Mons, the Battle of Le Cateau together with the joint Anglo/French stand against the Germans at the Battle of the Marne.

Binyon went to the Western Front in 1916 as a Red Cross medical orderly.

The forth verse of the poem has been adopted by the Royal British Legion as an Exhortation for the ceremony of Remembrance to commemorate fallen Servicemen and Women. Whenever the “Last Post” is played the “Exhortation” forms part of the proceedings.

It is rather ironic that the poem was written at the beginning of the war rather than the end of the war considering the casualties suffered by all combatant nations.

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The Allied Forces held the German army at the River Marne, forcing Germany to retreat. The British and French forces were slow to attack the retreating German First and Second Armies, mainly due to exhaustion and caution. The Germans halted their retreat at the Aisne on the 11^th September. The German First and Second Armies, (commanded by von Kluck and von Bulow), were joined by the new Seventh Army. (Commander, von Heedingen). On the same day, entrenching began on the Chemin des Dames Ridge, which provided the German with a long and high position from which to conduct their defence. Whenever possible the German army would select the high ground for defence.

The French Fifth and Sixth Armies (commanded by d’Esperey and  Maunoury), aided by the British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F. commanded by Sir John French) launched a frontal infantry assault upon the German’s  defensive positions across the river at the Aisne upon their arrival on the 13^th September. Most of the B.E.F. crossed the Aisne, on pontoons or partially demolished bridges, during the night of the 13^th September.

The French Fifth Army crossed the Aisne and captured the Eastern tip of the Chemin des Dames. Louis XV had the ridge named after the Royal coach road built for his daughters. East of the Chemin des Dames, French armies had very little progress beyond the positions reached on the 13^th September.

The B.E.F. advanced under the cover of the foggy night. As the mist evaporated under the bright morning sun, machine gun fire from the flank decimated their numbers. They were forced to begin digging in after Sir John French ordered the entire B.E.F.  to entrench. Although neither side were not trained for trench warfare, the German Army adopted the system better. The Germans had ample supplies of siege howitzers and trench mortars, plus sufficient shells, which inflicted great losses to the Allied troops. By contrast, Britain had a shortage of heavy artillery and shells, and what they did have was not equal to the German artillery.

Establishing a bridgehead north of the river on the14th September, the Allies continued to assault the dug-in German forces on the higher plateau above. Within hours, the Germans had counter-attacked, forcing the Allies back. Germany used her heavy artillery and machine guns to defend her positions, demonstrating the superiority of defensive warfare against the offensive counterpart. Consolidation of the small advances could not be maintained, and by the 18^th September, the Allies had scaled back the offensive. It finally became clear, especially by the Allies, the well-entrenched positions of the Germans could not successfully be attacked by direct frontal assault. The French were also finding themselves under increased pressure at Reims.

Both armies abandoned frontal assaults, on the 28^th September, and began to try to turn the other’s flank. As the Germans aimed for the Allied left flank, the Allies similtaneously aimed for the German right flank. The period became known as the “race for the sea”. The Western Front was now established and stalemate descended

whereby both armies faced each other in trenches with a strip of land between which became “no mans land”.

The Western Front became a continuous trench line of approximately 400 miles, stretching from the Belgian channel town of Newport, south into France and eventually turning south east, right up to the Swiss border. By attacking and counter-attacking, the lines of trenches would vary throughout the war. The only Belgian city to stay in Allied hands was Ypres. For political reasons Ypres was required to be held in control by the Belgian/Allied Governments

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