Before Endeavours Fade: Guide to the Battlefields of the First World War

by Rose E.B. Coombs

From the Belgian coast, across the fields of Flanders, over the valley of the Somme and down the line to the Argonne, this title covers all the major battlefields of the First World War. It is suitable for those contemplating a tour of the battlefields in Belgium and France.

Genres: History

164 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Ben Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before Endeavours Fade is a visually stunning battlefield guide that commemorates the shared experiences of those who fought on the Western Front during the First World War. It is not a book that describes front-line combat but rather one that conveys visitors through the monuments, memorials, and preserved spaces of the Great War in France and Belgium. Coombs's work brings an immediacy to distant fields and battles long past through a beautiful collection of color photos accompanied by succinct yet informative writing.

Rose Coombs is the right woman to author this book. The daughter of a Royal Army Ordnance Corps veteran, she served as a radar operator in the Second World War and then went on to a successful thirty-six-year career with the Imperial War Museum. Her work with the museum led to numerous opportunities to travel to the battlefields of the Western Front. Coombs amassed an encyclopedic knowledge while leading groups of scholars, students, and tourists on tours of the ground over which the armies fought. She ultimately compiled Before Endeavours Fade to share her experiences of these hallowed places with a broader audience.

Before Endeavours Fade focuses primarily on the areas where British and Commonwealth troops served, although the French and American armies are not neglected. As befits a tour guide, the book contains detailed maps and graphics that highlight points of interest at various sites while also showcasing the modern road network to aid with navigation. A brief synopsis accompanies each of the numerous photos that fill the book, describing highlights of the fighting that took place at each location, as well as helpful information about visiting each location to ensure a successful visit. Coombs’s regard for the fallen is apparent throughout the book and serves as a reminder that visitors, while enjoying a holiday, should approach visiting the spaces featured in the book with a respectful attitude.

While Coombs first published Before Endeavours Fade in 1976, and passed away in 1991, the book’s publisher, After the Battle, continues to release updates, ensuring that new generations of visitors can benefit from Coombs’ work. Visitors to the Western Front should be sure they bring along a copy of Before Endeavours Fade, but anyone with an interest in the First World War will benefit from having it on the bookshelf.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a somewhat unprepossessing book. The edition I was lent was rather old-fashioned looking with black and while illustrations only, but it was full of information about both the history and the graveyards\monuments. The text is extremely well-written and informative. It was a really good guide to what is worth looking out for on any visit to Flanders and the Western Front.

[Cate Neuhauser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read, semi-predictable, but not in a hollywood ending way, in a normal everyday way. Good family dinamics, even though tho book centered on two boys, their familys had real reactions that I would expect from my own family

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent guide to the battlefields of the Great War. A classic.