HEROISM IN EVOLUTION, 1915–1916 137
Chief recommended that all three men get the VC. With the approval of
the Secretary of State for War Lord Derby, the names were forwarded to
the King, who approved the awards on 15 March 1917.^20 This solved the
controversy as far as the Lancashire Fusiliers were concerned, but as we shall
see in Chapter 9, the issue had far reaching implications.
The wastage and frustration of Neuve Chapelle and Gallipoli set the
pattern for the remainder of 1915. The Gallipoli Campaign by early June
bogged down into a Western Front-style trench slugging match, ending
any hope of a decisive blow on the Dardanelles.^21 Hope was also dashed
in France and Belgium. In April the Germans attacked the Ypres salient
using gas for the first time, driving the Canadians and French back after
weeks of hard fighting and high casualties.^22 Douglas Haig tried (and
failed) again to take Aubers Ridge in mid-May, soaking up 11,629 casu-
alties in the first day’s assault alone. Another 16,648 British troops fell in
the abortive attack on Festubert near the end of the month.^23 Following
an equally futile assault on Givenchy in mid-June, French, Haig, and the
BEF went dormant for the summer, having exhausted both their manpower
and their munitions.^24 Joffre demanded their cooperation in the French
fall push, the British portion of which came to be known as the Battle of
Loos.^25 Between late September and early October the BEF lost 50,380 men
killed and wounded. Total British casualties to this point in the war were
over 512,000, of which some 200,000 were either killed or missing in
action.^26
The British high command had precious little to show for the prof-
ligate expenditure of life that accompanied their efforts. Despite some local
successes at Neuve Chapelle and Loos, there had been no decisive break-
through. In 1914 the British soldier had shown an aggressive nature beyond
that exhibited in the nineteenth century. This trend continued into the early
months of 1915, but it is also evident that the soldiers did not appreciate
being spent like water. The aggressiveness of heroism exhibited in the earlier
months tapered off as the fruitless offensives continued (Table 7.1). As war-
winning acts dwindled, particularly those listed in the offensive category
(capture, attack, assault, etc.) the humanitarian categories rose to take up
the slack. Although it is probably a statistical anomaly, it is interesting to
note that while the percentage of Victoria Cross incidents involving saving
the life of an enlisted man rose from 15 percent in the first quarter to 53
percent in the last, saving officers rose only from 0 percent to 13 percent.
While these figures do reflect a higher standard of aggressiveness in the
Army as opposed to the nineteenth century, there is a marked decline in the
willingness of soldiers to expose life and limb for commanders who had
lily
(lily)
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