THE GRENADIER GUARDS IN THE GREAT WAR OF 1914-1918
The King. Colonel-in-Chief.
INTRODUCTION
I regard it as a high privilege to be associatedwith this book, which has been written by anold officer of the Regiment. I can fully appreciatethe magnitude of the task which confrontedhim when he undertook to examine innumerabledocuments relating to hundreds of thousandsof men and covering a period of several years,and select therefrom all that particularly concernedthe Regiment.
I often think that an officer who finds himselfin command of a battalion of Grenadiers onactive service must be nicely poised between theweight of responsibility and the upholding powerof tradition. At first the former seems to beoverwhelming, but in time the feeling of confidenceand trust in all ranks of the Regiment is so greatthat the idea of failure can be eliminated.
I think this history will make my meaningclear. As Time marches on with its many inventions,it does not become easier to upholdthe traditions so nobly set by our forbears.Gas and high explosives take heavier toll ofbrave men than the weapons of old, and yet itis still the solid determination of the man thatwins the fight, whether offensive or defensive.Although the tale of our great Dead is a longviiione, and thousands have been maimed in thestruggle, the Regiment has borne its part in amanner worthy of it, and in accordance with theparting words of trust of our Sovereign andColonel-in-Chief.
CAVAN,
Lieut.-General.
PREFACE
This account of the part taken by the GrenadierGuards in the European War is, substantially, thework of the officers of the Regiment themselves.Letters and diaries full of interesting detail havebeen sent to me, and a vast amount of informationcollected by Colonel Sir H. Streatfeild at theRegimental Orderly Room has been placed at