THE HISTORY OF THE CHESHIRE REGIMENT IN THE GREAT WAR
By Colonel Arthur Crookenden
The regimental history of the Cheshires has been intelligently, compiled by the Colonel (Chester : W. H. Evans). As 38 battalions were raised and 15 of them served on five different fronts, the editor has wisely fixed his attention on the actions for which battle honours were awarded instead of attempting a continuous narrative. As it is, the reader gets typical episodes of the War in France, Palestine and elsewhere, which are of general interest. The rst Cheshires had the ill-luck to be almost wiped out at Elouges on the first day of the retreat from Mons but they held up a whole enemy corps and thus enabled the 5th Division to get clear. Four years later the 12th Cheshires were virtually destroyed in the holding attack on the Bulgarian front near Lake Doiran which diverted the enemy's attention from the Serbian advance further west that led to Bulgaria's collapse. In between these notable actions the several battalions saw much hard fighting in many places, and, as the editor says, their worst experiences probably remain unwritten. Once again we have the regimental criticisms of Staff orders for impossible attacks by infantry against machine-guns. The sketch-maps and photographs are inter- esting and there are lists of the 379 officers and 8,42o other ranks who fell.
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