2nd Bedfords at Zandvoorde

Tuesday 27th October 1914: The adjutant of the 2nd Bedfords tells us that they have taken up a position south of the Menin Road outside Ypres in between Kruiseke and Zandvoorde in the front line, facing south. A Company is on the right, B Company in the centre and C Company on the left with D Company held in reserve.

The adjutant tells us that the Germans appear to be concentrating in the south and east. He feels that during the next few days there will be a major German attack all along the British Expeditionary Force line around Ypres. Should the enemy be able to take the city they will have conquered the last little piece of Belgium. More significantly for the BEF, if the Germans break through their line there will be nothing to stop them running south and west down the French coast, taking major ports such as Dunkirk and Calais. They will then be only twenty one miles from England and in a position to mount an invasion. The battle over the next few days may decide the fate of the war.

Sources: X550/3/wd