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 1878
Died 1953
British Army Major Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, attached Royal Flying Corps O.C. No. 3 Wing, R.F.C.
Air Force (RAF/RFC) Brigadier General DA&QMG, Royal Flying Corps / Royal Air Force
More about Henry Robert Moore Brooke-Popham -
Died 1916
British Army Major General General Staff
More about Edmund Davidson Smith -
Born 1857
Died 1932
British Army General General Officer's Commanding Second Army
British Army Field Marshal
More about Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer -
Born 1862
Died 1919
British Army Colonel/Temporary Major General Staff
British Army Major General Highland Light Infantry Highland Light Infantry
British Army Major General General Staff Commands and Staff
More about Spencer William Scrase-Dickins -
Born 1878
Died 1952
British Army Captain Royal Artillery
British Army Lieutenant Colonel Headquarters Cameron's Expeditionary Force
British Army Brigadier General Late Royal Artillery Headquarters Staff
More about Arthur Jervois Turner -
Born 1867
Died 1916
British Army Lieutenant Colonel Suffolk Regiment 2nd Battalion
British Army Brigadier General GOC 149th Infantry Battalion
More about Henry Frederick Hugh Clifford -
Born 1861
Died 1945
British Army Brigadier General GOC 17th Infantry Brigade
More about Walter Robert Butler Doran -
Born 1866
Died 1937
British Army Brigadier General GOC 2nd Australian Brigade
Australian Imperial Force Brigadier-General GOC 3rd Light Horse Brigade
More about John Macquarie Antill -
Born 1869
Died 1948
British Army Lieutenant Colonel Northumberland Fusiliers
British Army Lieutenant Colonel Training Reserve 46th Battalion
British Army Brigadier General GOC 18th Brigade, 6th Division
More about Henry Sandys Ainslie -
Born 1858
Died 1931
British Army Temporary Brigadier General GOC 24th Brigade
More about Francis Charles Carter -
Born 1863
Died 1927
British Army Lieutenant Colonel Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment
British Army Brigadier General GOC 61st Infantry Brigade
More about Walter Edward Banbury -
Born 1874
Died 1918
British Army Major 16th Lancers
British Army Brigadier General GOC 5th Cavalry Brigade
More about Charles Lionel Kirwan Campbell -
British Army Brevet Lieutenant Colonel 2nd Cameron Highlanders
British Army Brigadier General GOC 11th Infantry Brigade
More about John Campbell -
Born 1882
Died 1947
British Army Captain Meerut Cavalry Brigade
British Army Colonel Temporary Major General Norfolk Regiment
British Army Major General GOC 66th Division
More about Hugh Keppel Bethell, Kbe -
Born 1863
Died 1934
British Army Lieutenant Colonel 9th Brigade Royal Garrison Artillery
British Army Brigadier General 9th Brigade Royal Garrison Artillery
More about Percy De Sausmarez Burney -
Born 1878
Died 1951
British Army Brigadier General Lahore Division 8th Gurkha Rifles
British Army Brigadier General GOC 189th Brigade
British Army Brigadier General GOC 188th Brigade
More about John Francis Stanhope Duke Coleridge -
Born 1874
Died 1932
Canadian Expeditionary Force Lieutenant Colonel 2nd Canadian Infantry Battalion
Canadian Expeditionary Force Captain Staff
Canadian Expeditionary Force Major Staff
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More about Robert Percy Clark -
Born 1862
Died 1943
British Army Colonel Nigeria Regiment
British Army Brigadier General GOC 184th Brigade, 61st (2nd South Midland) Division TF
British Army Brigadier General Commander Milford Haven Garrison
More about Charles Herbert Philip Carter -
Born 1862
Died 1934
British Army Brigadier General GOC, 27 Brigade
More about Clarence Dalrymple Bruce -
Born 1862
British Army Brigadier General Royal Artillery
British Army Colonel Royal Field Artillery
British Army Brigadier General CRA, 48th (South Midland) Division
More about Henry Hugh Butler