Charles R M F Crutwell

Hearts & Dragons: The 4th Royal Berkshire Regiment in France and Italy During the Great War, 1914-1918 Charles R M F Crutwell

A British regiment in two campaigns during the Great War

This is the story of a territorial regiment-the 4th Royal Berkshire Regiment-during the First World War. Its title makes reference to its famous Welsh dragon cap badge and its regimental patch-a blue heart. Although it is a unit account, its author ,who served with the regiment, wrote much of its content from first hand experience so it also has the immediacy and detail only an eyewitness can bring to his writing. This is a riveting account of a regiment's ordeal in France as the Berkshire men fought in the trenches, made and endured raids and took part in the attacks that became infamous in the history of the war on the Western Front. We find them at 'Plugstreet' at Hebuterne, at Artois, Pozieres and finally at the Third Battle of Ypres. In the final phase of the war the regiment was transferred to the Italian Front where it experienced the marked contrast of mountain warfare. This book contains a comprehensive list of the regiment's casualties and an hour roll making it invaluable for both those interested in military history and for genealogists alike.