With the Guns: Two First Hand Accounts of British Gunners at War in Europe During World War I

by C.A. Rose, Hugh Dalton

This book is, in actuality, 2 books in one volume. They were written by 2 British subalterns who served in 2 different theaters of war. The first of the books in this double volume tells of the activities of a battery of the Royal Field Artillery - one of the many horsedrawn units of guns and gunners who fought an arduous, heroic, dangerous and often tragic war on the Western Front during World War 1, often trading shell for shell with German artillery units. The words of the author, a young artillery officer, draw the reader into the heart of the intimate group that constituted the gun battery. The story of him, his brother officers and their men embraces the battles of Loos, the Ypres Salient, Messines, Third Ypres, Cambrai, Arras and finally the breakthrough of the allied armies at the Hindenburg Line which heralded the end of the war in 1918.

In the second book we learn about the largely unreported contribution the British made towards the Italian war effort. As a member of one of ten batteries of artillery sent to Italy in 1917, the author served in the campaign in the Alps including the actions at Isonzo, Piave and the retreat from Caporetto. Present on the Italian front until the rout of the Austrians in the Veneto and final victory, he provides rare information about the British at war on this 'sideshow' front, valuable details about guns and battery life and an insight into the personalities and activities of his Italian allies.

"With the Guns" brings the campaigns of the field gunners back to life for modern readers.

348 pages, Paperback

First published July 18, 2007