S1E3: Festubert and Givenchy
After a disastrous offensive at the Battle of Auber’s Ridge, Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force, Sir. John French ordered General Haig to deploy troops from the First Corp to Festubert and Givenchy in May and June of 1915. The Canadians are called to aid the Allies in their hurried plans to overrun enemy lines, as German soldiers are being actively redeployed to Turkey to join the Gallipoli campaign. Join us as we explore what happened during these lesser-known battles.
Sources:
Books
Cook, Tim. At the Sharp End. Toronto, Penguin Group (Canada), 2009.
Websites
“The 2nd Battle of Givenchy, June 15th and 16th, 1915.” http://canadianexpeditionaryforce1914-1919.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-2nd-battle-of-givenchy-june-16th.html. Accessed June 2021.
“The Battle of Festubert.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/battle-of-festubert. Accessed June 2020.
“Festubert.” Canadian War Museum. https://www.warmuseum.ca/firstworldwar/history/battles-and-fighting/land-battles/festubert/. Accessed June 2021.
“The Battle of Festubert.” The Long. Long Trail. https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battles/battles-of-the-western-front-in-france-and-flanders/the-battle-of-festubert/. Accessed June 2021.
“Actions in the Spring and Summer of 1915. The Long, Long Trail. https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battles/battles-of-the-western-front-in-france-and-flanders/actions-in-the-spring-of-1915-western-front/. Accessed June 2021.
“Festubert.” Webmatters. http://www.webmatters.net/index.php?id=15. Accessed June 2021.
Pictures
There are no known pictures of the Canadians at the Battles of Festubert and Givenchy. The pictures above depict Allied or German soldiers in the Artois region. Photographers and dates of the photographs are unknown.
Canadian War Museum. https://www.warmuseum.ca/firstworldwar/history/battles-and-fighting/land-battles/festubert/.
BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-32745211.
Imperial War Museum. https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205333755.