GHQ 'Surveys'

[MikeMeech]

Hi

 

Looking through War Diaries during the 'lockdown' for my own particular research I have come across various other things of interest including in the October 1916 War Diary of the Guards Division (WO 95/1192/5) with a document dated 5th October, 1916, from GHQ to all Armies reference the organization of the extra Lewis guns to be issued to battalions and also the Guards Division reply.  I have used the term 'Survey' for wont of a better term, I have mentioned the 'Contact Patrol' survey of late 1917 in the past,  it is also quite common to find drafts of 'SS' and other documents in TNA files with comments from various units and individuals and 'alternative' ideas it appears that GHQ was rather more open to ideas than some writewrs would have us believe.  It appears this GHQ  'surveying' may well have been very common so have forum members have any other examples?

The Guards Division documents are attached below along with the GHQ Contact Patrol request from 1917.

 

Mike

[MikeMeech]

Hi

Another example of a 'GHQ Survey', this time from a September 1918  War Diary (WO 95/1195/3) that relates to views on 'Automatic Rifles'.  I have also added the Guard's Division reply, unlikely to have been the only reply to GHQ via their Corp and Army levels of command.  I have put and example of this process from 1916, 1917 and 1918 on so I would suspect it is a quite 'common' process.  Has anyone noticed other examples when going through War Diaries and other documents?  Of course it may be an uninteresting part of WW1.

 

Mike

[MikeMeech]

Hi

During the process of developing SS143 , Peter Simkins in 'From the Somme to Victory' mentions (p.47) mentions Solly-Flood, with other British officers, visiting the French in late November 1916 to look at their tactics.  Below is part of the report on this event written by Major General J S M SHEA who commanded 30th Division, also attending was Brigadier-General Lord Loch, Brig-Gen Solly-Flood and Lieut. Colonel Grant.  This was in the 9th Division's War Diaries, which also contains the four pages about the exercise plus other correspondence.  This was prior to the more famous visit to the French the following year that included Currie and twenty other officers.  I hope it is of interest.

Mike