Book shows South Northamptonshire was at heart of World World One strategy
1913 airship
VAST military manoeuvres by tens of thousands of soldiers and airmen in south Northamptonshire in the early 20th Century helped turn the tide of World War One, a new book claims.
For five days in September 1913, with rumblings of war stirring across Europe, south Northamptonshire and north Buckinghamshire were turned into a ‘battleground’ for British manoeuvres for more than 40,000 military personnel.
Leading military figures from many nations attended and even King George V was among the observers. According to John Sunderland and Margaret Webb, both from Towcester, who have written All the Business of War, it turned out to be a vital dress rehearsal for The Great War.
Mr Sunderland said: “What started out as local history evolved into a more complete story as we realised this was national history.”
In the previous year there had been similar manoeuvres in East Anglia, Mr Sunderland said. But those were simply an exercise in command, pitting two equal forces. In 1913, the aim was to test command and support in the field during a mobile campaign and utilised a small target force drawn from the cream of the British Army.
Mr Sunderland said: “A year later it was the real thing as the British Expeditionary Force took on the might of the German Army in what became the retreat from Mons. What was learned in 1912 and 1913 proved crucial. For example the use of aeroplanes for observation was developed in the skies over Towcester.”
During ‘The Great Retreat’ from Mons, in France, in August 1914, Allied aeroplanes spotted a 50km gap between German lines. This allowed a crucial attack on both flanks which forced the Germans to retreat and led to them abandoning plans to quickly take France.
The full significance of the preparation is explored in the new book, which has been written to mark the approaching centenary of the 1913 exercise and is published this month. Mr Sunderland and Mrs Webb have spent the past five years researching and writing the story.
Both are committee members of the Towcester & District Local History Society which is their partner in publishing the book.
It hopes to have the book, priced at £10, on display at Waitrose in Towcester on Saturday. It will also be on sale at Towcester Tea Rooms, Humbugs and Greens Antiques in the town, Towcester Public Library and the Central Library in Northampton.
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