Don't Forget Me, Cobber: The Battle of Fromelles

The extraordinary story of the lead up to the battle of Fromelles, the battle itself, as well as the successful search for the 'missing of Fromelles'. On the evening of 19 July 1916 on a strip of farmland north of Fromelles, the AIF fought its first battle in France. Outnumbered two to one, a well-organised German division faced two divisions, one Australian and the other British, and yet inflicted a costly defeat. By dusk the following day there were 2436 Allies dead and 4123 wounded, no territory gained and only 501 Germans killed and 943 injured. As far as the Australians were concerned, at the disastrous battle of Fromelles, their commander, Major General McCay, was obsessed with ambition and glory on the battlefield. At dawn on 20 July, McCay went to survey the aftermath and was heard to remark that 'they'll get used to it'. After the war McCay's powerful friends ensured that Fromelles was never examined in any depth, and when it was, all blame was put on the British. Don't forget me, cobber is the extraordinary story of the lead up to the battle, the battle itself, as well as the successful search for the 'missing of Fromelles'. Lost in mass grave pits since 1916, some 190 Australians and 328 British soldiers have been discovered after seven years of campaigning by Lambis Englezos, who also writes of his experience here. The book also includes a complete Roll of Honour of the British and Australians killed, as well as some of the Germans.

About the Author :
Robin S Corfield is a well-respected military historian who specialises in Australian Infantry battalion histories. He became interested in Fromelles during his work on the 57th and 60th Battalion history, and discovered many discrepancies in the published material and official records. Later work on the 58th and 59th Battalion's history caused him to ask more questions. In 1994, at the beginning of the project he 'walked' the battlefield, later going to the Public Records Office in London to study the papers of the British brigades and battalions at Fromelles. At the Australian War Memorial in Canberra he researched the Australian records. Then 'with some idea of the event' he met survivors, read letters, diaries, books, organized translations of German accounts, listened to tapes, conducted interviews, traced relatives, argued with historians, and constructed the Rolls of Honour and the list of prisoners. This research sparked the interest in Fromelles and eventually led to the discovery of the mass graves in France.

Review :
"Although it is impossible to understand any battle without walking the ground, Corfield comes close to making it possible." --Weekend Australian "Robin Corfield's achievement is simply that he has told us, better than anyone before him, what happened at Fromelles and why Fromelles matters." --Les Carlyon, author, Gallipoli, from the foreword