Keith Gregson
FINAL MONTHS OF WAR
Devastation following the Battle of Lys on the Western Front during the German Spring Offensive of 1918
Keith’s wife Barbara’s grandad Fred and his great-uncle John
were both captured by the Germans in 1918 and spent the remainder of the war as PoWs
‘It broke the British line and nearly broke the British Army’ – Historian Lyn MacDonald
As we near the end of our centennial First World War commemorations, it is worth reflecting on what has been highlighted. Essentially this has been the great land battles (with the exception of the sea Battle of Jutland) and nearly all of these (again with one exception – the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign) on the Western Front. The names of these battles trip easily off the tongue, as they have for the last 100 FINAL MONTHS OF WAR years – The Somme, Ypres, Arras, Loos, Verdun – yet one significant ‘battle/campaign’ on that front rarely receives the same exposure. It is known commonly as the ‘German Spring Offensive’ of 1918. Covering the months from March to May, this offensive cost numerous British and Empire lives; left many wounded and (particularly) caused thousands to spend the ensuing six to nine months in prisoner of war camps.