This study has been undertaken, first to show Officers of the Regiment the use that will be made of their war Diaries, and the nature of the information that is required for historical work, and second to encourage all Officers, who were present at the action to submit any further information that is in their possession. It is also hoped that it prove of some instructional value.
I am indebted to the courtesy of the Historical section, committee of Imperial Defence, for permission to use the war diaries when writing this account.
I also wish to record my indebtedness to my Colleague Captain J.J. Bell 20th Battalion, London Regiment, for his untiring assistance and advice; and to acknowledge most gratefully the valuable help given to me so freely by
Captain C.T. Atkinson, O.U.O.T.C officer in charge of the Historical section (military branch) Committee of Imperial Defence.
A.F.Becke (Major Retd)

THE ROYAL REGIMENT OF ARTILLERY
AT LE CATEAU
Wednesday, 26 August. 1914.

INTRODUCTION
The more closely it is studied the more certain it becomes that the Action fought by General Sir H. Smith-Dorrien and the troops under his command on August 26th, 1914, was not only a triumph for the British arms but had a most important bearing on the whole retreat. Indeed it is not too much to claim that future historians will pronounce
Le Cateau to be one of the most important delaying actions recorded in history.

The time has come when the part played by the Regiment on this critical day can be examined. It is impossible at this stage to give the Germans any information that can be of the slightest value to them; on the other hand it is necessary to set down as soon as possible the story as far as it is known, so that survivors may be able to correct statements, placing of Batteries etc., which at present it is impossible to give more accurately from the data available. Any further delay will obviously make correction more difficult.

Once comparative accuracy is reached then the work will be made easy for the Historian of this period of the Regiment's History, and incidentally the production of the Staff History of the War will be assisted materially when the time come- to write it.

At first sight it would appear that nothing further is required than a close study of the War Diaries submitted periodically by each unit ; but officers who have kept them know their shortcomings as well as those whose duty it is to work on them. Kept as they were amidst the confusion of a great retreat, by officers overcome by weariness, in several cases by junior officers who were the only survivors of historic units that had suffered heavily in the fro-hit, sometimes put together weeks afterwards, when memory was dulled by other events which had thronged thick and fast on top of one another, the wonder is not that there are omissions of important facts and mis-statements but that they do succeed generally in giving a wonderful picture of this strenuous and critical day. But the diaries, even when they are first hand evidence, are insufficient by themselves and as far as possible they have been supplemented by statements from officers who were present at the engagement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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