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The War the Infantry Knew 1914-1919
The War the Infantry Knew 1914-1919 is a remarkably coherent narrative, in diary form, of an infantry battalion's experience on the Western Front. A moving, truthful historical record, it deserves to be added to the select list of outstanding accounts of the First World War.
612 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1938
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January 16, 2018
This book will be read to the last page by a tiny fraction of the reading public. But those people who do will LOVE this book. Historians and Military History Buffs are among the most romantic souls of all after all. And this book has been appreciated since 1938. The Author/Editor was an eyewitness to nearly all the events for an infantry battalion (400 to 1,000 men) fighting in the trenches on the Western Front. (IMO even those who do not recognize the term "Western Front" will find much to enjoy in this well written daily account). The Author was a well respected serving medical officer...one of the reasons he was able to survive the war was that his duties were medical, meaning he didn't have to lead men in defense and attack on the front line. Those officers usually died or were wounded repeatedly until they did die. That's why most of the officer's memoirs of the The Great War (WWI 1914-1918) are written by men who largely survived because they were fortunate enough to have been wounded (Robert Graves and Siegfried Sassoon of this same regiment are examples)and missed several of the big battles that killed hundreds of thousands over a period of months. Others only served in the last year or months of the war.
The book is not a biography but a history complied from diaries, letters and conversation of about 20 Officers who survived the War and had served for some period in the Battalion. It is in diary form and each day you are reading one of those officer's accounts...many days will have multiple contributors. The War was a long 4 years and therefore the book is long too.
Most days the troops were moving, in training or resting...how they found shelter for the night, forage for their horses, what and how they were fed, slept dry or wet that's most of the story of the Battalion's life. One example finds the Battalion retreating as fast as it can after the Battle of Mons and the Officer responsible for moving all of the baggage and equipment is given his orders regarding his transport wagons. Trouble was his horses were exhausted and he didn't know if they had the strength to pull the wagons to their objective. The Commanding Officer pondered and then stated clearly that if necessary he was to dump the equipment and save the wagons. Then if he had to, dump the wagons and save the horses...men and horses were more valuable than material which could be replaced. I like that.
Another thing Military History Romantics will love are the detailed hand drawn map sketches by the Author. These are in detail...sometimes down to the sector front showing the complete line of the individual trenches clearly marked and named along the battalion frontage. Great stuff and I've never seen it anywhere else.
The Royal Welch Fusiliers is the Regiment which is this Battalion's home along with its sister Battalion. It is unique in that 3 of the Regiment's officers and one enlisted man survived the War to write enduring biographies about their overlapping experiences. Each author is noted in the other 3 books.
Like I mentioned...it is a long detailed book...not for everyone...but for me a keeper.
The book is not a biography but a history complied from diaries, letters and conversation of about 20 Officers who survived the War and had served for some period in the Battalion. It is in diary form and each day you are reading one of those officer's accounts...many days will have multiple contributors. The War was a long 4 years and therefore the book is long too.
Most days the troops were moving, in training or resting...how they found shelter for the night, forage for their horses, what and how they were fed, slept dry or wet that's most of the story of the Battalion's life. One example finds the Battalion retreating as fast as it can after the Battle of Mons and the Officer responsible for moving all of the baggage and equipment is given his orders regarding his transport wagons. Trouble was his horses were exhausted and he didn't know if they had the strength to pull the wagons to their objective. The Commanding Officer pondered and then stated clearly that if necessary he was to dump the equipment and save the wagons. Then if he had to, dump the wagons and save the horses...men and horses were more valuable than material which could be replaced. I like that.
Another thing Military History Romantics will love are the detailed hand drawn map sketches by the Author. These are in detail...sometimes down to the sector front showing the complete line of the individual trenches clearly marked and named along the battalion frontage. Great stuff and I've never seen it anywhere else.
The Royal Welch Fusiliers is the Regiment which is this Battalion's home along with its sister Battalion. It is unique in that 3 of the Regiment's officers and one enlisted man survived the War to write enduring biographies about their overlapping experiences. Each author is noted in the other 3 books.
Like I mentioned...it is a long detailed book...not for everyone...but for me a keeper.
November 2, 2018
Given how many different units served in the British Army, it is remarkable that four of the best English language books to come out of the war were written by men who had all served in the second battalion of the Royal Welch Fusiliers. They are J.C. Dunn’s The War the Infantry Knew 1914-1918, Siegfried Sassoon’s Memoirs of an Infantry Officer, Robert Graves’ Good-Bye to All That, and Frank Richards’ Old Soldiers Never Die. Dunn, Sassoon, and Graves even show up in each other’s books, under fictionalized names in Sassoon’s case. Sometimes you even hear about the same incidents from different perspectives.
This is the official history of the Second Battalion. I had come across many references to it in other works, and finally got around to it. In general I avoid unit histories because many are poorly written and factually suspect, with the unit's accomplishments overstated and its setbacks downplayed or ignored. This, however, is an extraordinary book. Reading it is probably as close as we can ever come to understanding the actual lives of infantrymen, not just their times in the trenches and under fire, but marching, training, bivouacking, recreation, and other details. Captain Dunn writes with clarity and insight, and while he makes an attempt to be fair, he does not shy away from calling a fool a fool. He is especially good at recreating the frustrations of dealing with staff officers and the fits of incompetence that seemed as much a part of them as their red tabs. This book is most highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the Great War.
For the digital version, a comment needs to be made regarding the accuracy of the scan. I am grateful that a digital version exists, so that I did not have to lug around a paperback as thick as Moby Dick, but there are a number of errors that readers have to deal with. The digitization software does a generally adequate job recognizing words, although it frequently changes 'cl' to 'd', so that words like clock/close/clear become dock/dose/dear. A much bigger problem is that the software struggles to recognize numbers. The error rate here is high enough that it breaks the narrative flow of the text and irritates the reader. Some of the digitization errors are so common that eventually the reader begins to automatically recognize and correct for them, but that is not an excuse for sloppy (or nonexistent) proofreading. Herewith are some of the Greatest Hits readers of the digital version will have to accommodate themselves to: 10 becomes 'to'; 15 becomes 'IS'; 50= 'so'; 100 = 'too'; 200 = 'Zoo', 800='goo'; and 1000, inexplicably, is 'moo'. Sometime in the distant future, when paper copies are gone, scholars may puzzle over repeated references to the British Army's 'Tooth Brigade' without realizing it was actually the 100th. Alas.
This is the official history of the Second Battalion. I had come across many references to it in other works, and finally got around to it. In general I avoid unit histories because many are poorly written and factually suspect, with the unit's accomplishments overstated and its setbacks downplayed or ignored. This, however, is an extraordinary book. Reading it is probably as close as we can ever come to understanding the actual lives of infantrymen, not just their times in the trenches and under fire, but marching, training, bivouacking, recreation, and other details. Captain Dunn writes with clarity and insight, and while he makes an attempt to be fair, he does not shy away from calling a fool a fool. He is especially good at recreating the frustrations of dealing with staff officers and the fits of incompetence that seemed as much a part of them as their red tabs. This book is most highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the Great War.
For the digital version, a comment needs to be made regarding the accuracy of the scan. I am grateful that a digital version exists, so that I did not have to lug around a paperback as thick as Moby Dick, but there are a number of errors that readers have to deal with. The digitization software does a generally adequate job recognizing words, although it frequently changes 'cl' to 'd', so that words like clock/close/clear become dock/dose/dear. A much bigger problem is that the software struggles to recognize numbers. The error rate here is high enough that it breaks the narrative flow of the text and irritates the reader. Some of the digitization errors are so common that eventually the reader begins to automatically recognize and correct for them, but that is not an excuse for sloppy (or nonexistent) proofreading. Herewith are some of the Greatest Hits readers of the digital version will have to accommodate themselves to: 10 becomes 'to'; 15 becomes 'IS'; 50= 'so'; 100 = 'too'; 200 = 'Zoo', 800='goo'; and 1000, inexplicably, is 'moo'. Sometime in the distant future, when paper copies are gone, scholars may puzzle over repeated references to the British Army's 'Tooth Brigade' without realizing it was actually the 100th. Alas.
August 2, 2018
This was an incredibly interesting and moving account from individual soldiers (mostly commissioned and non-commissioned officers) of their experiences of the Great War. Compiled from diary entries and other contributions of members of 2nd Battalion Royal Welch Regiment it gives a real sense of their day to day experiences and frustrations from 1914 through to 1920.
It is not a quick read but for those interested in WW1 history this is a valuable book.
It is not a quick read but for those interested in WW1 history this is a valuable book.
July 28, 2017
A must read if you are interested in the experiences of the infantry in the British trenches of the Western Front. Compiled from the War Diary, personal diaries, letters, memoirs, and reminiscences of officers and men of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers. This is a long read but every page offers interesting insights into the war 'as the infantry knew it'.
May 11, 2024
I've read a lot of military history books, most of which are written by officers who were close to, but not on, the front line.
This one is different. The writing, the detail, and the scope are all magnificent. It gives a close-hand account of what happened, using many different sources as well as the author's.
I get annoyed with the staff/rear officers' accounts of war using phrases such as 'good show,' that liken war to a 'game' or dry accounts of formations moving here and there.
This book gives a good idea of how difficult, horrific, miserable and often boring war is, as well as the frustrations, brief humour and sidebars of life in an infantry battalion.
If you want to read one book about life in the front in WWI, this would be my recommendation.
This one is different. The writing, the detail, and the scope are all magnificent. It gives a close-hand account of what happened, using many different sources as well as the author's.
I get annoyed with the staff/rear officers' accounts of war using phrases such as 'good show,' that liken war to a 'game' or dry accounts of formations moving here and there.
This book gives a good idea of how difficult, horrific, miserable and often boring war is, as well as the frustrations, brief humour and sidebars of life in an infantry battalion.
If you want to read one book about life in the front in WWI, this would be my recommendation.
December 25, 2025
Exceptional account of the Great War. Highly recommended.
“The War the Infantry Knew 1914-1919” by J.C Dunn chronicles the experiences of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers from mobilisation in 1914 to demobilisation in 1919. It is an exceptional firsthand account of the Great War, providing an unfiltered look into the daily experiences of British infantrymen on the Western Front. The writer, who served as a medical officer during the whole war, combined his own observations with interviews and contributions from his fellow officers and men (including Robert Graves and Wilfred Sassoon) to provide an extraordinary window into the horrors, heroism and life in the trenches that defined most of the Western Front. The excellent introduction provides further context and background to this extraordinary historical document that doubles as a personal and the battalion’s testimony.
With over 600 pages in the form of a diary, some jargon, many abbreviations and numerous characters making short appearances, this is a long read and does require some perseverance. However, the reward is a compelling and impactful read that I often felt like an embedded journalist.
The narrative is rich with spine-chilling personal anecdotes, hard-hitting descriptions of trench warfare, and insightful commentary on the many aspects of the war. To give a few examples from the rich pickings this book has to offer. On the Second Battle of Ypres: ”… which for sentimental and political reasons had to be held”. On deserters: “… slipping away every time there is risk to their skins, so more and more average men learn to shirk with impunity; attacks fail, and losses run into untold thousands, because the most dutiful of our men are not backed up.” On attacks: “It was not unusual for a brigade to reach its objective with only 100 casualties, …, and have 1000 in falling back because the position was untenable, made so in part by its own failure to help clear its flanks during the advance”. On the aftermath of battle and most unsettling one: “Everyone lay down where he found himself and slept, though the imaginative shouted, cried horrors and gesticulated in their sleep.”
Two additional aspects caught my attention reading the “The War the Infantry Knew”. Firstly, I learned about new aspects of trench life such as the Foden Ovens, Lucas Lamps and chip fryers. Secondly, the British Army did learn from earlier mistakes and introduced improvements. These included plans being made based on proper maps and first-hand knowledge of the terrain, or location calls being used instead of battalion calls when telephoning.
In summary, ”The War the Infantry Knew” is an indispensable and impactful read for anybody interested in World War 1 or military history. It is a long, but compelling and rewarding read. It is in my Top 5 of World War 1 books. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
“The War the Infantry Knew 1914-1919” by J.C Dunn chronicles the experiences of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers from mobilisation in 1914 to demobilisation in 1919. It is an exceptional firsthand account of the Great War, providing an unfiltered look into the daily experiences of British infantrymen on the Western Front. The writer, who served as a medical officer during the whole war, combined his own observations with interviews and contributions from his fellow officers and men (including Robert Graves and Wilfred Sassoon) to provide an extraordinary window into the horrors, heroism and life in the trenches that defined most of the Western Front. The excellent introduction provides further context and background to this extraordinary historical document that doubles as a personal and the battalion’s testimony.
With over 600 pages in the form of a diary, some jargon, many abbreviations and numerous characters making short appearances, this is a long read and does require some perseverance. However, the reward is a compelling and impactful read that I often felt like an embedded journalist.
The narrative is rich with spine-chilling personal anecdotes, hard-hitting descriptions of trench warfare, and insightful commentary on the many aspects of the war. To give a few examples from the rich pickings this book has to offer. On the Second Battle of Ypres: ”… which for sentimental and political reasons had to be held”. On deserters: “… slipping away every time there is risk to their skins, so more and more average men learn to shirk with impunity; attacks fail, and losses run into untold thousands, because the most dutiful of our men are not backed up.” On attacks: “It was not unusual for a brigade to reach its objective with only 100 casualties, …, and have 1000 in falling back because the position was untenable, made so in part by its own failure to help clear its flanks during the advance”. On the aftermath of battle and most unsettling one: “Everyone lay down where he found himself and slept, though the imaginative shouted, cried horrors and gesticulated in their sleep.”
Two additional aspects caught my attention reading the “The War the Infantry Knew”. Firstly, I learned about new aspects of trench life such as the Foden Ovens, Lucas Lamps and chip fryers. Secondly, the British Army did learn from earlier mistakes and introduced improvements. These included plans being made based on proper maps and first-hand knowledge of the terrain, or location calls being used instead of battalion calls when telephoning.
In summary, ”The War the Infantry Knew” is an indispensable and impactful read for anybody interested in World War 1 or military history. It is a long, but compelling and rewarding read. It is in my Top 5 of World War 1 books. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
March 26, 2013
I found this a very difficult read, draggy at most points, but I guess it was reflective of the infantry life in the front in WWI. Not recommended unless you are a real military history buff.
September 29, 2012
A Very good book with a detailed first hand account.
May 21, 2013
A superb and sobering account in diary form of an infantry batallion through the Great War. A little difficult in parts to follow who's narrating but compelling nonetheless.
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December 27, 2018A good historical accounting of the first word war, but just too dry to read.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews