The great retreat of the British Expeditionary Force from
Mons in August
1914 is one of the most famous in military history, and it is justly celebrated.
But not all the British soldiers who were forced back by the German offensive
performed well. Two colonels, Elkington and Mainwaring, tried to surrender
rather than fight on, and were disgraced. This is their story. It is one of the
least glorious and most revealing episodes in the record of the British Army
during the conflict on the Western Front. In this compelling account John Hutton
shows, in graphic detail, the full confusion of the retreat, and the dire mental
state to which brave men can be reduced by extreme stress, uncertainty and
fatigue. But he also describes how Elkington redeemed himself. He joined the
French Foreign Legion, fought gallantly, was severely wounded and was reinstated
by King George V. His is one of the more remarkable stories to come out of the
Great War, as is the story of the attempted surrender at St Quentin
itself.
