Teribus,

First, I did not at any time "pull up" or accuse Raggytash of abuse, I noted that the thread was started by him and the title chosen by him, but that title is not abuse.

Second, I know that knowledge doesn't always move on because I am an actual researcher in a different subject entirely, I could give you examples but there isn't any point (though I have had a debate with Keith on another thread about some). I have no reason to doubt that the same occurs in research in history.

Third, amazingly and appallingly you have described the Somme as a tactical victory. At a cost of well over a million killed or maimed, over 400,000 in the British Army alone. What kind of tactical victory is that?

Similar numbers died at Passchendaele and we have already seen that we could have had a negotiated peace before that.

Finally you absolve Lloyd George of responsibility by saying that the House of Commons voted to declare war on Belgium. Lloyd George was a member of the House of Commons when it did so. And he seems to have voted for the war. Whatever else Haig did he didn't have that on his conscience.