themonsstar Posted 28 December , 2009 Share Posted 28 December , 2009 This is the file from the National Archives, On the interview General Townshend give to the Times newspaper & French newspapers Nov 1918. No 2 No 3 No 4 No 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themonsstar Posted 28 December , 2009 Author Share Posted 28 December , 2009 No 6 No 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themonsstar Posted 28 December , 2009 Author Share Posted 28 December , 2009 No 8 No 9 No 10 No 11 No 12 No 13 No 14 No 15 No16 No 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CGM Posted 29 December , 2009 Share Posted 29 December , 2009 Sometimes the NAs really come up trumps, don't they. I haven't read it all in detail yet, but it looks fascinating. Should we assume that General Townshend was well aware of Kings Regulations paragraph 453 when he gave the interview, or was this a genuine error on his part? Can we learn anymore about his character from this? Many thanks for posting these pages. CGM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattgibbs Posted 29 December , 2009 Share Posted 29 December , 2009 How about a quotation of Kings Regulations 453. My copy is 1940, no doubt quite different from the WW1 version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themonsstar Posted 29 December , 2009 Author Share Posted 29 December , 2009 Here is the para from KR 453 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Wilson Posted 29 December , 2009 Share Posted 29 December , 2009 Thank you for sharing this material which prompted me to revisit Volume 2 of Repington's book 'The First World War 1914-18, pages 476 -478 and 480. Colonel Repington records in his diary for the 7th November he had received a letter that morning from Major-General Sir Charles Townsend, dated 9.30am the 28th October 1918 written in the train between Paris and Rome: My Dear Repington, - I reach Paris at 11am; and I am going to see General Foch if I can. I know him well, you know. I reach London Friday or Saturday, and I shall be glad to see you again. What do you think of my coup in advising the Turks to make peace? I initiated the whole thing with Izzat Pasha, the Grand Vizier, telling him that Turkey was done, that if any terms could be got, it would be now; tomorrow might be too late. The Turks had treated me so honourably that I would be willing to do all I could, but my absolute freedom and the freedom of the British and Indian Prisoners was my condition. I left the Sublime Porte that afternoon, 17th October, a free man, and left at daylight next morning in a steam yacht for Smyrna secretly, as they did not want the Germans to find out. I told Izzat he would have to agree to opening the Dardenelles and the Bosphorus, and he said he was prepared to do this. I reached Smyrna by special train, 19th October, and found all Smyrna lining the streets and cheering for 'Peace' as I drove through the streets with the Governor in his motor car. There was no secrecy whatever and my departure, I find was announced in all the Turkish papers in Constantinople the next day! Imagine Bernstorffs face! I reached Mitylene at 3am on the 20th October, 18, in a tug, passing through the Turkish minefield at night; such was my impatience to be under the British flag again, and how the crews of the destroyer and the monitor at Mitylene cheered me as I went on board the destroyer Forester. I sent a long wire to the Foriegn Office from Mitylene and then proceeded to the fleet at Mudros reaching there at 3pm; 20th Ocober and was guest of the Admiral. I took a Turkish naval officer with me, and he was sent back to Symrna to fetch the Turkish delegates. So you see, my dear Repington I have done what I was sent to Mesopotamia with my poign'ee d'hommes to do, but my diplomacy - at the same time dealing a heavy blow to Germany and Austria, namely, the loss of Turkey and the Dardanelles-Gallipoli and Bosphorus Straits, while we automatically capture 20,000 Germans at Constantinople and Tchatalgah, just as Junot, with his 14,000 men, was bottled at Lisbon in 1809. To bottle the Black Sea Fleet in Sebastopol is now too easy - they will never fight a battle in the open. This stroke also frees our armies in Syria and Irak from a secondary theatre to add the masse principale to the Principal Theatre. The Turkish Government sent me word by Rauof Bey at the Conference that they hoped I would come back as Ambassador, but of course that I told them, is not my pigeon; some F.O.diplomist will come. Izzat Pasha also said he hoped I would return as 'You know us, we have absolute confidence in you'. But all I ask is to be given a chance on the Western or other front to regain my cruel loss of two years' service due to no fault of mine, God knows, and all the world knows, during which time all my juniors have been promoted Lieut-General over my head, and I feel this very bitterly. As soon as I reach London I will let you know, and you must dine with me. I will be so glad old chap, to shake your hand again. I am very fit. I told you, I think, of my famous swim across the Halka Channel in forty minutes in a rough sea 1.25 miles, so I'am all right. Always yours, Charles Townsend. Repington records in his diary for the 9th November 1918: In the afternoon went to see Doris Keane in her new comedy by left after the first act to welcome General Townsend and his wife, who reached Victoria, 3.31pm. He was looking brown, and much older and very thin, but on the whole, well. Lord and Lady Beresford drove them off in their motor. Many other friends present to greet them. Sunday, November 10th. Nothing more of a definate character about the Armistice. Lunched with the Beresfords and met the Townsends and Sir Edward Carson. Townsend told us a lot more about his experiences,and we walked back to his hotel together, and I had some more details from him. I have put it all in an unsigned article for the Morning Post tomorrow and also wrote another article of the negotiations if one can so call them. Clearly Townsend wanted to share the circumstances of his escape from captivity with others. His letter to his friend Repington which is littered with the word I, was intended to be informative, but it also provides an insight into what Townsend had experianced since his release. It was clearly written before he gave the newspaper interview in Paris contravening King's Regulations and I suspect in the euphoria of the moment Townsend opened up, just as he did in his letter to Repington, the former Military Correspondent for The Times who was now working for the Morning Post. Philip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Dunlop Posted 30 December , 2009 Share Posted 30 December , 2009 What a fascinating set of documents. Nice work. They do give insight into Townshend's character. He should have known the regulations. Any military court would have assumed so - ignorance of military law was definitely not a defence! It is fascinating to see how he tried to explain away what happened. Equally interesting to see the official correspondence. Thanks. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoMH Posted 30 December , 2009 Share Posted 30 December , 2009 Themonsstar, Thank you for posting these documents. They are fascinating. I came across Repington myself the other day, and was able to see 'After the War' on line. Other writing, including the volume quoted by Philip, is available at: www.archive.org Unfortunately, I don't seem to be able to post the direct link just now... Joanna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Wilson Posted 30 December , 2009 Share Posted 30 December , 2009 Thermonsstar, Thank you for posting these documents. They are fascinating. I came across Repington myself the other day, and was able to see 'After the War' on line. Other writing, including the volume quoted by Philip, are available at: www.archive.org Unfortunately, I don't seem to be able to post the direct link just now... Joanna Joanna Repington was a prolific gifted correspondent as evidenced by the wealth of material on him. He was seen by many as a too-clever-by-half, intriquing scoundrel. His circle of friends placed him in a position of considerable influence. He was the Military Correspondent of The Times from 1903 until his resignation from the paper in January 1918. The events which led up to his resignation are well documented in A.J.A. Morris's book 'The Letters of Lieutenant-Colonel Charles a' Court Repington' as published by The Army Records Society in 1999. Repington clearly had the ear of General Sir William Robertson, for following his meeting with him on the 2 February 1916 he wrote a confidential letter on 3 February to Robertson enclosing four documents: 'A' is a letter from Townsend to me which gives his state of mind. 'B' is a set of mainly congratulatory messages. 'C' is a letter from Townsend to his wife. Some private messages, and remarks about Nixon are left out. 'D' is Townsend's appreciation of the position before he fought at Ctesiphon................. For a detailed account of Repington's discussion on the 2nd February,1916 see 'The First World War,1914-18' Vol. 1 pages 116-19. The conversation that day was wide ranging and included the question of Mesopotamia and the need for Robertson to have authority over the C.-in-C India for the general control of the operations in Mesopotamia and elsewhere. Morris has this to say of Repington 'his letters reveal something of his true character whilst also serving to illuminate that fascinating boundary where publicity and politics merge or, more often, collide.' Philip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themonsstar Posted 30 December , 2009 Author Share Posted 30 December , 2009 Here are the Telegraths to the Times in London. No 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themonsstar Posted 30 December , 2009 Author Share Posted 30 December , 2009 No 3 No 4 No5 No6 No7 No 8 No9 No10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themonsstar Posted 30 December , 2009 Author Share Posted 30 December , 2009 Next set of Telegraths. 1/4 2/4 3/4 4/4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themonsstar Posted 30 December , 2009 Author Share Posted 30 December , 2009 Next set 1/5 2/5 3/5 4/5 5/5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themonsstar Posted 30 December , 2009 Author Share Posted 30 December , 2009 Next set 1/5 2/5 3/5 4/5 5/5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themonsstar Posted 30 December , 2009 Author Share Posted 30 December , 2009 Next set 1/7 2/7 3/7 4/7 5/7 6/7 7/7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themonsstar Posted 30 December , 2009 Author Share Posted 30 December , 2009 Next set 1/8 2/8 3/8 4/8 5/8 6/8 7/8 8/8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themonsstar Posted 30 December , 2009 Author Share Posted 30 December , 2009 Next set 1/7 2/7 3/7 4/7 5/7 6/7 7/7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themonsstar Posted 30 December , 2009 Author Share Posted 30 December , 2009 Last set of Telegraths & the File WO141/64 1/4 2/4 3/4 4/4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Wilson Posted 31 December , 2009 Share Posted 31 December , 2009 Themonsstar Thank you for the opportunity to read these Telegrams in WO141/64. Best wishes Philip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveMarsdin Posted 31 December , 2009 Share Posted 31 December , 2009 Good morning, Thank you very much "themonsstar" -it brings history to life, seeing the actual telegrams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew B. Posted 9 March , 2010 Share Posted 9 March , 2010 Thanks for that - very interesting seeing the primary documents. I come to this from an Indian Army perspective Though Townsend was an officer with military ability all that I have read over the years (for the most part admittedly not primary documents like this) have left me with a poor impression of the man. I find him a political officer who was personally quite vain and graspingly ambitious, who was more concerned with his place in history than the fate of his men. I question the extent of his influence on ending the war as he saw it. I also question that he did not know the fate of his men during the war - something I once read left me with the impression knew but he chose to ignore it, or chose not to ask so as not to upset his own position. He was comfortable in a villa and he was all right jack. The one book I recall reading was A. J. Barker's "Townsend of Kut" - whats the the modern take on this book and Townsend? I have to say I am no expert on the man and have read about him at a distance and I am willing to be influenced otherwise. Matthew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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