Lives of the First World War
Discover, explore and remember millions of personal stories from the First World War
"Lions led by Donkeys?"
"Lions led by Donkeys?"
The name and inspiration for this Community comes from a research project at the University of Birmingham. ‘Who were all these generals anyway?’ This question, asked one spring evening at an extra-mural class in Wolverhampton, encouraged John Bourne, of the University's Centre for War Studies, to begin researching the hundreds of Generals who took part in the leadership of the British Army during WW1. Most people interested in the Great War are familiar with the names of a handful of senior commanders: French, Haig, Allenby, Byng, Plumer, Rawlinson. And probably familiar with the questionable verdict that many were ‘donkeys’ who sent their lion-hearted men to brutal deaths on squalid battlefields, the state of which they were culpably ignorant and from whose deprivations they were comfortably remote. But what about the totality of general officers in an army of 60 divisions and two million men? Who were they? How many were there? How were they chosen, promoted and dismissed? A group of researchers set out to discover the answers to these questions under the name of the Abbots Way Research Group. The fruits of this research are now being written up in a book, with contributions not only from John Bourne but also from Simon Robbins, Andrew Godefroy, Bryn Hammond and Professor Peter Simkins. The group has identified 1,257 Western Front generals. This "Lives of the First World War" community will include those on Peter Bourne's list, together with some of the other Generals who led forces in other theatres of WW1. The website for the "Lions led by Donkeys" project is here: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/activity/warstudies/research/projects/lionsdonkeys/index.aspx
Created by: Bryan5462
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Born 1856
Died 1946
British Army Brigadier General Royal Artillery
More about Charles Henry Alexander -
Born 1859
Died 1944
British Army Colonel Staff
British Army Honorary Brigadier General Staff
British Army Brigadier General Staff
More about Robert John Tudway -
British Army Lieutenant Colonel Dragoons
British Army Brigadier General Command Cavalry Brigade
More about Oswald Buckley Burghant Smith-Bingham -
Born 1860
Died 1957
British Army Brigadier General Infantry Brigade
British Army Brigadier General Retired Pay
More about Frederick Charles Lloyd -
British Army Major Royal Field Artillery
British Army Brigadier General Royal Artillery
More about Horace Giesler Lloyd -
Born 1867
Died 1943
British Army Major General Staff
More about Arthur Lachlan Lynden-Bell -
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Born 1873
British Army Second Lieutenant Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment)
British Army Lieutenant Colonel/Temporary Brigadier General Army Service Corps/Staff
More about Percy Matcham Davies -
Born 1871
Died 1928
British Army Major Royal Garrison Artillery
British Army Lieutenant Colonel Royal Garrison Artillery
British Army Brigadier General CHA VII Corps, Royal Garrison Artillery
More about William Bower Anley -
Born 1872
British Army Lieutenant Colonel Royal Engineers
British Army Gentleman Cadet at Royal Military Academy, Woolwich Royal Engineers
Royal Navy Lieutenant Colonel Royal Naval Division Engineers Gallipoli
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More about Arthur Basil Carey -
Born 1872
British Army P1100 Lieutenant Colonel Temporary Brigadier General Staff Canadian Forces
More about Charles Johnstone Armstrong -
British Army Major and Brevet Colonel, temporary Brigadier-General Dorsetshire Regiment
More about Henry Lethbridge Alexander -
Born 1867
Died 1947
British Army Lieutenant Colonel Army Service Corps
British Army Colonel Army Service Corps
British Army Brigadier General Staff
More about Colquhoun Scott Dodgson -
Born 1881
Died 1944
British Army Captain Prince Of Wales Leinster Regiment
British Army Brevet Lieutenant Colonel General Staff Office
British Army Brigadier General General Headquarters Staff
More about John Greer Dill -
Born 1855
Died 1921
British Army Major General Royal Artillery
British Army Major-General
More about Benjamin Burton -
Born 1870
Died 1933
British Army Major Royal Field Artillery
British Army Brigadier General Royal Field Artillery
More about Henry Jenkins Brock -
Born 1866
Died 1936
British Army Major Royal Garrison Artillery
British Army Temporary Brigadier General Royal Artillery
More about Herbert Edward John Brake -
Born 1870
Died 1935
British Army Major Royal Artillery
British Army Brigadier General Royal Artillery CRA, 21st Division
More about William Basil Browell -
Born 1869
Died 1949
British Army Major Royal Field Artillery
British Army Brigadier General Royal Artillery
More about Austin Thomas Anderson -
Born 1876
Died 1940
British Army Lieutenant Colonel /Temporary Brigadier General Australian Imperial Force/ Staff
Australian Imperial Force Brigadier General
Australian Imperial Force Royal Australian Garrison Artillery Staff
More about Cyril Bingham Brudenell White