FROM BAPAUME TO PASSCHENDAELE
By Philip Gibbs
William Heinemann, London, 1918
‘1917. . . . I suppose that a century hence men and women will think of that date as one of the world’s black years, flinging its shadow forward to the future until gradually new generations escape from its dark spell’.The opening line of
From Bapaume to PasschendaeleThe 1918 edition of this classic account of the battles of 1917 on the Western Front, written by the celebrated war correspondent Philip Gibbs.
Sir Philip Gibbs (1877-1962) was an English journalist and author who served as one of five official British reporters during the First World War. He had originally gone out to France in 1914, but had been sent home when official censorship of the press was introduced. By 1915 he was back on the Western Front, along with four other official war correspondents, his work appearing in the
Daily Telegraph and
Daily Chronicle. The price he had to pay for accreditation was to submit to effective censorship: all of his work was to be vetted by C. E. Montague, formerly of the
Manchester Guardian. Gibb’s was forced to put up with this, although unhappy with the arrangement. He went on to produce a stream of newspaper articles and a series of books:
The Soul of the War (1915),
The Battle of the Somme (1917),
From Bapaume to Passchendaele (1918) and
The Realities of War (1920). In
Realities of War Gibbs exacted his revenge for the frustration suffered in submitting to wartime censorship. An account of his personal experiences in war-torn Europe, the book painted a most unflattering portrait of Sir Douglas Haig, British Commander-in-Chief in France and Flanders, and his General Headquarters.
Condition: In good condition. The boards show minor signs of wear, with some marks to the edge of the rear board, and some fading to the spine. The binding and hinges are very good and secure. The text is good condition, with a few marks. The maps are in good condition with a few marks.
Published: 1918
Green boards with black titling
illustrated with maps
Dimensions: 130mm x 190mm
Pages: 384
