The Old Contemptibles

'It is my Royal and Imperial Command that you concentrate your energies and the valour of my soldiers to exterminate the treacherous English and walk over General French's contemptible little army.' So spoke Kaiser Wilhelm II of Imperial Germany in August 1914. But as it turned out, walking over the 'Old Contemptibles', those implacable riflemen of the British Expeditionary Force, proved a tougher task than the Kaiser imagined - and beyond the capability of the German armies. At Mons, Le Cateau, the Marne, on the Aisne and at the Battle of First Ypres, they shot the Kaiser's legions to pieces. This is the dramatic story of how those men, regular soldiers from every walk of life, plunged into this new and terrible war, held their muddy trenches against impossible odds and gave the Empire time to muster its forces and ready itself for the long struggle ahead. 'The Old Contemptibles' brings those battles vividly to life in all their terror and glory. But Robin Neillands does more than explain the role of the BEF in the early months of the First World War. He also tells the story of why they were sent to France and of that wily officer, General Henry Wilson, whose years of secret intrigue with the French High Command first committed the British Army to this global war. 'Excellent' - Literary Review 'Informed and explicit, this is military history at its best' - Western Daily Press 'Brings to life the horrific experiences of the British Expeditionary Force' - Soldier Robin Neillands is the author of several acclaimed works on the First World War including ‘The Great War Generals on the Western Front’, ‘Attrition: The Great War on the Western Front, 1916’ and ‘The Death of Glory’. Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.