The Lion and the Rose. Volume 1 : The 4th Battalion the King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment 1914-1919 (Hardcover)

"The 4th King's Own (Royal Lancaster) Regiment first saw action in the Great War in May 1915 at Festubert. This infantry battalion went on to fight on the Somme, in the Ypres Salient, at Gillemont Farm, at Givenchy, and in the advance of the 100 Days. Its epic stand at Givenchy on 9 April 1918 must rate as one of the greatest defensive actions of the war. This previously untold story narrates the individual parts played by nearly 2,000 men who served with the 1/4th (as it became known), from the day that war was declared in August 1914 until the Armistice in November 1918 and in a few cases, whose war continued long afterwards. Appendices in The Lion and the Rose also give the most complete Battalion Roll to date, and list those awarded medals for their bravery and also those nominated for recognition. Using contemporary combat reports and a wealth of unpublished resources, Kevin Shannon gives a highly detailed and informed account of the battalion's major actions, many of which are described down to individual platoon level. Yet he also offers insight into the personal concerns and antagonisms in the British chain of command; everyday life in the infantry, both in the trenches and at rest; the men's correspondence with friends and relatives back home; and the strategies employed to uplift morale and distract from the tedium of routine"--Publisher description. The Rose and the Lion tells the story of an infantry battalion in the Great War. Based on many unpublished sources, the book narrates the individual parts played by nearly 2,000 of those who served with the 4th King's Own (Royal Lancaster) Regiment from the day that war was declared in 1914 until the armistice in 1918 and in a few cases, the stories of men whose war continued long afterwards. The battalion first saw action in Festubert in May 1915 and went on to fight on the Somme, the Ypres Salient and Gillemont Farm, though the battalion's epic stand at Givenchy on 9 April 1918 must rate as one of the greatest defensive actions of the war. Using contemporary combat reports, many of the major actions are described down to individual platoon level. The Rose and the Lion does not just concentrate on the major battles, but also examines everyday life in the trenches. Appendices give the most complete battalion roll to date and list those awarded medals for their bravery and also those nominated unsuccessfully for recognition.