The story of Aubers Ridge is very important. The Battle was one of the small set-piece battles which the British Expeditionary Force launched in the late winter and spring of 1915.  These included Neuve Chapelle in March, Aubers in early May, to be followed by Festubert. With very few British troops on the continent, these battles along with Second Ypres were tough desperate times for the BEF.  As stated by Nigel Cave in the introduction, ‘Given the size of the French casualties, a decision to halt an attack after a setback would not have been regarded in an understanding manner by the French staff – o popular opinion. Aubers Ridge had to be seen bearing these considerations in mind if there is to be any hope of understanding what transpired to be the sheer futility of it all”... Each area of the attack is brought out in extensive detail. Describing the 1st Division attack from Rue du Bois on the southern front, it is mentioned that  after capturing and securing the German front line trenches and overwhelming the fortified positions at Ferme Courd Avoue and Ferme du Bois, the battalions would regroup and hold the line, linking with the Meerut Division on its left. This is an example of how the individual Divisional detail is always intertwined with the wider contextualized detail so well in these books.  

Jon Sandison, Freelance