Whilst “German prisoners declare that their officers are under oath to drive the British from Ypres or die in the attempt,” and reports from Belgium suggested German troops were heading for the front, although making preparations if they had to retreat (page 9), the paper was able to look back at the fighting in the vicinity to date, with republication of Sir John French’s official despatch, which gives readers much detail on pages 10 and 11. The third despatch so far to be published, they would become a familiar aspect of war reporting in the Telegraph over the following four years, enabling readers to see the official version of what was going on.