Stand & Fall: A Soldier's Recollections of the 'Contemptible Little Army' and the Retreat from Mons to the Marne, 1914

A Highland Regimental Scout recounts his experience of the Retreat from Mons. This is a superb account of the early stages of the First World War in Europe. Its author was a infantryman of the British Army who had been a serving soldier for seven years before the outbreak of war. His principal speciality was as a scout within his famous Highland regiment-the Black Watch. As an author he is able to deliver a gripping story in an impactful, spare style, ideal for conveying this narrative of non-stop combat as French's 'contemptible little army' fought stubbornly from Mons to the Marne. The quality and professionalism of the British Regular Army of the period shines through on every page of this story of dogged retreat during a time of fluid manoeuvring. Cassells' was a war of charging Uhlan cavalry, of famous regiments like the Scots Greys playing their traditional cavalry role, of advancing grey waves of German infantry, and the of a hugely outnumbered army falling back, undaunted in spirit and bloodily contesting every inch of ground. This book cannot be recommended too highly--not only is it a riveting account of the Retreat from Mons the ordinary fighting infantryman knew, but it is a first rate narrative of personal experiences at the sharp end of war in the early Twentieth century.