Project Gutenberg 2025-08-11 Public domain in the USA. 320 Buchan, John 1875 1940 Tweedsmuir, John Buchan, Baron 20011509 The history of the South African forces in France $aLondon :$bThomas Nelson & Sons Ltd, $c1920. Brian Coe and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net "The history of the South African forces in France" by John Buchan is a historical account written in the early 20th century. It chronicles South Africa’s official expeditionary contribution to World War I, centering on the South African Infantry Brigade and its attached services in France. The narrative blends strategic overview with unit-level detail across major battles and theatres, including the Somme, Arras, and Ypres, while also covering the Western Desert campaign in Egypt and the work of artillery, signals, transport, and medical units. The opening of this history explains the author’s official commission, sources, and aim to tell a clear, authoritative record, then recounts how the brigade was raised: its four battalions (including the South African Scottish), leadership under Brigadier-General Henry Timson Lukin, supporting heavy artillery (re-numbered as R.G.A. siege batteries), signals, and medical services, and its training in England. Diverted to Egypt at the end of 1915, the force joins the Western Frontier operations against the Senussi, fighting at Halazin and then at Agagia, where coordinated infantry and yeomanry action captures Gaafer Pasha, before advancing on Sollum amid severe water shortages. The armoured cars’ dash under the Duke of Westminster smashes a retreating camp and then pulls off a dramatic long-range rescue of British sailors, effectively ending the immediate threat from the west. The brigade returns to Egypt, then sails for France, joins the 9th (Scottish) Division, learns trench warfare in Flanders, and moves to the Somme. A concise overview of the Somme’s purpose frames their first major test: holding newly won ground near Bernafay and aiding in the struggle for Trônes Wood, during which Lieutenant-Colonel F. A. Jones of the 4th Regiment is killed. On 14–15 July, they attack Longueval–Delville Wood; the South Africans seize most of Delville but face incessant shelling and counter-attacks, thin lines, and blocked communications, with notable bravery such as Private W. F. Faulds’s rescue under fire. The section closes as reinforcements are juggled and a renewed push is ordered for the morning of 17 July. (This is an automatically generated summary.) 20190113033926buchan 1920 GB Reading ease score: 70.0 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- France South Africa. Army World War, 1914-1918 -- Regimental histories -- South Africa D501 Text Category: History - Modern (1750+) Category: History - Warfare 1029028 2025-09-30T08:42:19.722024 text/html 948685 2025-08-11T19:33:29 text/html 3265143 2025-09-30T08:42:38.048996 application/epub+zip 3264884 2025-09-30T08:42:24.073044 application/epub+zip 415470 2025-09-30T08:42:21.364154 application/epub+zip 3604047 2025-09-30T08:42:46.283921 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 3523711 2025-09-30T08:42:36.220990 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 767331 2025-09-30T08:42:16.267109 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 747435 2025-08-11T19:33:29 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17230 2025-09-30T08:42:46.448962 application/rdf+xml 10859 2025-09-30T08:42:22.529029 image/jpeg 1940 2025-09-30T08:42:22.335052 image/jpeg 3106112 2025-09-30T08:42:19.908119 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia