One of the most enjoyable introductions to military history and the experience of the British Army in the opening months of the First World War that you will find. Richard Holmes takes the highly personal and somewhat eccentric approach of following the retreat by challenging himself to do so on horseback - as the BEF had done (at least the more senior officers) will have done 80 years previously. The mix of personal account of the challenge with the background to events has you with him, on horseback, riding the most unusual of battlefield tours. Particularly recommended for someone who may be new to military history, the First World War and the Western Front, but packed with enough detail and commentary for those already with a firm knowledge of the subject. ( )

The flat countryside of northern France and Belgium is eerie when viewed with a historical eye. Today the train from London to Brussels hurtles through an emotive landscape, punctuated by periodic glimpses of pill boxes and cemeteries, grim reminders of 20th century European history. A short train ride south from Brussels brings you to the town of Mons, capital of Hainault, and site of the British Army's first engagement of the First World War. With "Riding the Retreat" Richard Holmes, perhaps best known for his magnificent “War Walks” series, incomprehensibly unavailable on DVD, combines a readable history of the opening part of the Great War with a personal and likeable travelogue recreating the headlong retreat on horseback.

For full review please see: http://southlondonbook.blogspot.com/2009/05/riding-retreat-mons-to-marne-1914.ht... ( )