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The Kensington Battalion was one of the many 'service' battalions raised as part of Kitchener's New Army, the massive volunteer army raised in Britain after the outbreak of war in 1914.
The battalion arrived on the Western Front in time for Christmas 1915, and remained in France until it was disbanded on 5 February 1918, during a manpower crisis. Inglis follows the men of the battalion after they moved into other units, and on into the post-war world.
During this period the battalion fought in many of the most famous battles on the Western Front, and Inglis provides good coverage of each of these battles. The battalion also made a brief appearance on the Italian front, making an interesting change in this sort of book.
This is a very well balanced unit history, with a good mix of close-up detail and the wider picture, supported by an excellent selection of photos as personal memories.
Chapters
1 - A Kensington Battalion of Lord Kitchener's New Army
2 - France at Last: Christmas in the Trenches
3 - Festubert, Givenchy and Souchez
4 - Excitement at Vimy Ridge
5 - The Devil's Wood and Hebuterne
6 - On the Redan Ridge Anxiously Waiting
7 - Christmas at Yvrench
8 - Miraumont
9 - Oppy Wood
10 - Starting Again
11 - Cambrai
12 - To the End of the War: A) The Great Retreat, B) POWs
13 - Après le Guerre: The Old Comrades Association
Appendix A: Casualties and Honours
Appendix B: Sources
Author: G. I. S. Inglis
Edition: Hardcover
Pages: 288
Publisher: Pen & Sword Military
Year: 2010