The winds of change - December 1915

Send us Fan MailThe year 1915 had been a chastening experience for the men of the BEF.   Tens of thousands of men had been killed on the Western Front in the failed battles at Neuve Chappelle, Aubers, Festubert, and Loos.  The Gallipoli campaign had been an abject disaster, costing the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, his job.Against this military morass of killing,  the senior command of the British Army were wrought with infighting, nepotism, backstabbing, intrigue, and gossip.  Sir Douglas Haig vociferously declared that his boss, Field Marshall Sir John French was utterly unsuited to high command., French's despatch from the Battle of Loos contained many mistruths and falsehoods that ultimately cost him his job.  New members of senior command were either inept or viewed with the utmost suspicion and distrust.In this episode, we look at the situation at the end of 1915, examine the issues faced by British high command, and the monumental decision made in Parliament that was to bring the Great War to almost every home in Britain and was to sow the seeds for the killing fields of the Somme and Passchendaele. Support the podcast - www.patreon.com/footstepsofthefallen or www.buymeacoffee.com/footstepsblog