A NEAR THING
In the words of the British official historian of military operations, Hallowe’en 25 years ago was “one of the most critical days in the history of the British Expeditionary Force, if not of the Briitsh Empire.” The Germans were driving westwards in confident expectation of seizing the Channel ports. When a shell burst in the chateau occupied by the Ist and 2nd Division headquarters, killing one of the majorgenerals and most of the staff officers, the tale of disaster seemed to be moving to a predestined end. Then it was that a red-tabbed horseman galloped up to Sir Douglas Haig with the news that the 2nd Worcesters had counter-at-tacked and hurled the enemy back from Gheluvelt. Through four more years of war the Ypres sector held, but it had been a desperately near thing on Hallowe’en, 1914.
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Bibliographic details
Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 10 February 1940, Page 5
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140A NEAR THING Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 10 February 1940, Page 5
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