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Field Entrenchments (1914)

Price $174.00 Sale

FIELD ENTRENCHMENTS

Written by an Engineer Officer
attached to the General Staff

JOHN MURRAY, London, 1914

A WW1 British Army officer's trench warfare handbook, published by John Murray in 1914 as part of the 'Imperial Army Series' edited by E. J. Solano. The book is signed on the front endpapers by its original owner, ‘J. C. Plews’. 

Captain John Christopher Plews (1895-1970): was commissioned in March 1914 as a 2/Lt with the 1/4th King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. The 1/4th Battalion KOYLI was part of the 3rd West Riding Brigade, West Riding Division. They moved on mobilisation to Doncaster and then in November 1914 to Gainsborough. The battalion moved again to York in February 1915, and on the 12th April 1915 they landed at Boulogne. 2/Lt Plews was posted as ‘missing' in the War Office casualty list issued on 1st August 1916. It was later established that he had been wounded and taken prisoner in action on the Somme on 23rd July 1916 during the Battle of Pozieres Ridge. 

The 4th and 5th Battalions of the KOYLI had moved up from huts at Martinsart Woods and returned to the trenches on the 21st July 1916. On the 23rd July at 2:30am part of the 1/4th KOYLI was ordered to attack with a view to extending the position in the salient. Heavy losses were suffered crossing No Man’s Land, and
2/Lt Plews was one of four KOYLI officers who became casualties while leading a bombing party. The other officers were 2/Lt Archer, 2/Lt Mountain, and 2/Lt Jubb. A letter from Archer’s servant stated that he had left the officer, who had been wounded in the legs, in a shell-hole in No Man’s Land. A search party was sent out but failed to find him. A German patrol had been seen in the vicinity and it was hoped that they had taken Archer as a POW, but he was not captured and his body was never recovered. 2/Lt Mountain and 2/Lt Jubb had also been killed. There were 66 other ranks casualties, of whom 6 were killed. Although posted as missing, 2/Lt Plews had been taken prisoner and spent the next two years in captivity in Germany. He was repatriated in June 1918 and promoted to Captain.

Field Entrenchments was published in November 1914 by John Murray as part of the 'Imperial Army Series'. It includes extensive details of the theory and practise of entrenchment on the Western Front at the start of WW1. It covers everything that a junior officer would need to know about building, maintaining, improving and defending trenches in the front line. The book is a practical trench warfare handbook, with information on the various types of trenches, shelters and dugouts and how they could best be protected and defended: by wire, alarms, booby traps and camouflage. it is very well illustrated throughout, with numerous diagrams, line drawings, and photographs. The back cover is illustrated with a chart showing the semaphore flag system.

Condition:

In good condition. The boards are in good condition with general signs of use and some marks. The hinges and binding are good and secure. The text, plates, and illustrations are in very good condition. The book is signed on the endpapers by ‘J. C. Plews’.

Published: 1914
Khaki boards with black titling
Dimensions: 105mm x 135mm
Pages: 224