Rats Alley : Trench Names of the Western Front, 1914–1918

Trench Nomenclature Title Copyright Trench Names Contents Foreword by Alan Sillitoe Preliminary Notes Acknowledgements The Scope of this Book Explanatory Note Method and Accuracy of British 1914-18 Map References Archival and Other Sources Treatment of Trench, Map Sheet and Place Names in the Text Glossary Introduction to the 2017 Edition Introduction to the 2006 Edition: The Significance of Trench Names Part One I Trenches and the Landscape II The Early Development of Trench Naming by the British, 1914-15. III British Trench Naming from the Battle of Loos to the End of the Somme BattleIV British Trench Naming in 1917 and 1918 V British Trench and Topographical Names -- Further Considerations VI Military Names VII Topographical Place Names VIII French Trench Names IX German Trench Names X Afterthoughts Bibliography Part Two Gazetteer of Names of Trenches and Other Tactical Features Picture Section. When first published in 2006, Rats Alley was a ground-breaking piece of research, the first-ever study of trench names of the Western Front. Now, in this fully updated and revised second edition, the gazetteer has been extended to well over 20,000 trench names, complete with map references – in itself an essential tool for any First World War researcher. However, combined with the finely considered history and analysis of trench naming during the First World War, this is an edition that no military history enthusiast should be without. Discover when, how and why British trenches were first named and follow the names' fascinating development throughout the First World War, alongside details of French and German trench-naming practices. Looked at from both contemporary and modern points of view, the names reveal the full horror of trench warfare and throw an extraordinary sidelight on the cultural life of the period, and the landscape and battles of the Western Front. Names such as Lovers Lane, Idiot Corner, Cyanide Trench, Crazy Redoubt, Doleful Post, Furies Trench, Peril Avenue, Lunatic Sap and Gangrene Alley can be placed in context. With useful information on where original trench maps are held, and how to obtain copies, Rats Alley is a vital volume for both military and family historians. This book makes it possible to comprehend, via the trench naming, the daily life in the trenches, the vast range of weaponry and the lethal nature of the titanic battles. Names such as Lovers Lane, Doleful Post, Cyanide Trench and Gangrene Alley are as revealing as any history. While based upon the British trenches, there is a comparison with French and German practice. While a poignant concordance of suffering and an intriguing study of language itself, this book is also a vital research tool for military and family historians. --Provided by publisher