The Norfolk Regiment on the Western Front: 1914-1918

Description

Steve Smith tells the story of the five Battalions of the Norfolk Regiment who served on the Western Front using previously unseen photographs, diaries, accounts, and letters. He has also had full access to the Norfolk Regiment Museum archives. It is the men who served in the Norfolks who will tell this story. This book will interest readers nationally & locally as it not only studies the Regiment's participation in well-known battles such as Ypres and the Somme, but also takes a fresh look at the lesser-known battles fought, battles such as Elouges in 1914 and Kaiserschlacht in 1918. Steve has considered the German perspective too, looking at the men who faced them at places such as Falfemont Farm in 1916. Using new evidence from the Regiment's participation in the Christmas Truce, he separates the truth from myth surrounding the stories of football played at this time, a controversy that still rages. Steve has walked the ground over which they fought and fresh maps complement this research so the book serves as a history book for those at home and a guidebook for those who wish to get out and explore, down to trench level, the ground covered in its pages.

Steve's interest in military history stems from his family's experiences WW1 & WW2 where he has traced all of their histories. It is both a passion and a calling to him. He served in the RAF from 1985 to 2003 as an RAF Police NCO and settled in Norfolk. He is married with three daughters and is now a qualified battlefield guide and author of two books relating to subjects in both World Wars. His main interest in life is now guiding groups and walking the battlefields of France and Belgium to develop his knowledge of that subject.