Writing a history of the Lonsdales has been done to a high standard before by several notable authors with a keen interest in the subject and a particular flair for telling a story. Authors with a keen eye for detail such as Stuart Eastwood and Douglas Sutherland, writing broader histories of the Border Regiment as a whole, take on board an informative prose that enlightens as well as educates. Even publications such as The Border Regiment in the Great War by Col. H.C. Wylly, CB, which at times can be a little dry, uses structured, factual information to it fullest. It is a combination of these styles that have been used to compile our history of the Lonsdales. It provides a factual base on which a story can be developed. That said, writing about the Lonsdales isn't just about informing the reader of their actions at a time of war it is also about having a passion for history and an interest in the subject to drive that passion forward.
The author of this history is not a historian, nor a writer but has had a keen interest in the Battalion for over a decade. This history (not yet complete) will cover the period 1914 – 1918.
The following pages continue the Lonsdales story. They are in chronological order.
- Blackhall Camp - Formation and training (September 1914 – November 1915)
- The Lonsdales Land in France (November and December 1915)
- A Quiet Six Months (January – June 1916)
- Night Raid on the Leipzig Salient (5 June 1916)
- The Big Push (1 July 1916)
Sources used for this history
- Lonsdale Battalion War Diary (November 1915 – July 1918)
- Record of the XIth (Service) Battalion (Lonsdale) - In England
- Record of the XIth (Service) Battalion (Lonsdale) - In France
- Border Regiment in the Great War, The by H.C. Wylly
- Lonsdale Battalion 1914 – 1918, The by Colin Bardgett
- Thiepval: Battleground Somme by Michael Stedman
- Tried and Valiant The Story of the Border Regiment 1702-1959 by Douglas Sutherland