Riding The Retreat

The retreat of the British Expeditionary Force from Mons in August 1914 marked one of the two occasions on which we nearly lost the First World War through a military defeat in the field... Richard Holmes, has had the idea of riding with four friends along the route of the retreat, from Mons to the Marne where the German advance was stopped at the start of September. His ride, like the campaign of August 1914, took place in scorching weather and he passed through still recognisable battlefields and cemeteries of distracting sadness. The author tells two stories in parallel: that of his own journey and a first-rate account of what happened eighty years before.

Max Egremont, Evening Standard

A book that amuses yet haunts, brisk at one moment, melancholy the next... an effortless blend of past and present.

Michael Sheridan, Independent on Sunday

Succeeds admirably in both parts: the travelogue weaves in and out, giving welcome relief from the sweat and fear, the sleeplessness, the fearful wounds and the killing... Masterly.

The Marquess of Anglesey, Daily Telegraph