E-text prepared by A. Langley
by PHILIP GIBBS
with an Introduction by ANTHONY LANGLEYwritten for Project Gutenberg
Contents
I. The Foreboding
II. Mobilization
III. The Secret War
IV. The Way Of Retreat
V. The Turn Of The Tide
VI. Invasion
VII. The Last Stand Of The Belgians
VIII. The Soul Of Paris
IX. The Soldiers Of France
X. The Men In Khaki
Conclusion
Introduction
This book is a companion book to another book by Philip Gibbs that isalready in the Project Gutenberg library, namely Now It Can Be Told[1].Together, both books constitute the war-time memoirs of Britishwar-correspondent Philip Gibbs, one of the few officially accreditedjournalists allowed on the British sector of the Western front. Hecovered the war from beginning to end. The Soul of the War is thefirst part of his memoirs, published in 1915, Now It Can Be Told is thesecond part, but published immediately after the war. Taken together,both books are amongst the most important and influential books publishedin English during the Great War, being in no small part responsible forthe emergence of the "Lost Generation" myth of the 1920's.
A pre-war best-selling author and journalist, Philip Gibbs was one ofthe most outstanding British war-time reporters and writers. Like manyreporters in the opening months of the war, Philip Gibbs and hiscompanions seemed to posses the knack for being in the wrong place atthe wrong time, following armies across northern France in the vainhope of being on hand to witness battle. He never really succeededduring the first year, aside from joining a British volunteer ambulanceservice on the Ypres front in late 1914. But while other reportersunashamedly spruced up their reporting, dramatizing and glorifyingsmall insignificant incidents and passing occurrences of no import,Gibbs knew how to talk to soldiers coming from or going to the frontlines, how to convey their thoughts and fears and vividly describetheir battle experiences. Gibbs was a very serious writer, andextremely proficient at his trade. He knew how to get to the essence ofthings, to describe the feel of the times, the general attitude, andthe hopes and fears of both fighting men and civilians. Not only isthis voluminous book a brilliantly written commentary on the openingmonths of the war, it is also infused with an inner sadness that couldwell be considered a precursor to the post-war "lost generation" myth,which is yet another indicator at how well Gibbs could gage the feel ofthe times and assess its impact on future developments in society.
In this first book of his, he tells of his wanderings during the firstyear of the war, as he tried (in vain) to witness the fighting inFrance. His observations, descriptions and opinions are however wellworth reading; they are accurate, insightful and to the point. He givesdetailed descriptions of both British and French soldiers and includesan incredibly atmospheric portrait of Paris during the opening monthsof the war as well as a moving account of his time spent with theBritish Field Hospital in Furnes. After being arrested in 1915 ongeneral principle by the British authorities as a nuisance andpotential loose-lipped journalist, he was afterwards appointed one ofthe few officially accredited journalists attached to the Britishforces on the Western front. Thereafter Gibbs continued filingdispatches till the end of hostilities. His writing is heartilysympathetic to the comm