Product Description

A now classic account of 1914, the first year of the First World War, by Edward Spears who as liaison officer to the French and British Armies was an eyewitness to dramatic and momentous events in this gigantic clash of arms.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1176853 in Books
• Published on: 2000-12-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 624 pages

About the Author
Edward Spears was a career soldier, who thanks to his fluent French, was seconded to France and Belgium with the British Expeditionary Force in 1914. He made friendships with senior soldiers and politicians which lasted the rest of his life. His record in WWII included rescuing de Gaulle when France fell to the Germans in 1940 and being Palestine Viceroy, 1942-44.

Customer Reviews

Unique document on first month of worldwar 1
Edward Spears gives in his book Liaison 1914 an outstanding account of the dramatic retreat during the first 40 days of worldwar 1. As a british liaison officer, attached to the french fifth army, he was well placed to give a eyewitness report. Spears is a well talented writer and ably pictures the chaos, the suffering and the conflicting information experienced by the left wing of the allied armies. Although the book gives a clear picture on the general course of events, his personal experiences in particular make his book a unique document of this episode. For instance his visit, as a subaltern, to Lanzerac, the commanding general of the fifth army, to plea for help to the endangered BEF is moving (pg 199). Together with The Guns of August this book, no doubt, is the best ever written about the first month of worldwar 1.

The best read I've had of WW1
Spears started WW1 as a Lieut and ended it as a General. This book is his eye witness account of what he did in the war.

He was picked from obscurity to liaisse between the British & French armies. Rapidly he moved from transalating to decesion taking. He attended may meetings that shaped the war, but also observed many of the more mundane goings on.

The book is long but exceptionally readable. A rare work of detail which reads as easily as a novel.

An individual and an objective account of august 1914
I never read a so personally determined account which gave in the same time an objective overall view of the dramatic and hidden history of the first months of the Great war. There is no comparable book on this time and this subject.