The Thirty-Nine Steps, by John Buchan

[Moonraker]

Though this well-known book and its author are mentioned in passing several times here on the GWF, I don't think we've had a specific thread about it - but then, if I recall correctly, it's set in the summer of 1914 and ends with the hero, Richard Hannay, re-joining his old regiment on the outbreak of war - so it's of limited relevance to this Forum.

However, in one of today's Daily Telegraph supplements there's an article by Christian House about the book, which states that the novel was serialised in Blackwood's Magazine during the summer of 1915 and published as a book in October.

Apparently Hannay was based on Edmund Ironside, a subaltern Buchan had met during the Boer War, who had spied on German colonial troops in West Africa before the war and during 1914 and was the first uniformed British officer to arrive in France after the declaration of war.

The article says that the book caused a sensation among the troops and much of the first print run was lost in the trenches, to the extent that it is almost unheard of today to come across a first edition in its original dust jacket.

Buchan reported from the battlefields of Ypres and Loos and was appointed the Government's Director of Information in 1917, the year when his brother Alastair was killed on the Western Front.

Moonraker

[ss002d6252]

Apparently Hannay was based on Edmund Ironside, a subaltern Buchan had met during the Boer War, who had spied on German colonial troops in West Africa before the war and during 1914 and was the first uniformed British officer to arrive in France after the declaration of war.

Appears he was William Edmund Ironside, later a Field Marshall in WW2. It appears he landed 10/09/14 from the medal roll - at least 4 of the men on the same roll landed before him.

Craig

[Guest]

Buchan, along with a score of other journalists and authors formed the core of the Propaganda Bureau in Sep 1914. He also wrote a rather poor history of the Royal Scots Fusiliers which is full of hyperbole. A man known never to allow facts to get in the way of a good story.

[Guest]

Appears he was William Edmund Ironside, later a Field Marshall in WW2. It appears he landed 10/09/14 from the medal roll - at least 4 of the men on the same roll landed before him.

Craig

There are many men who have earlier disembarkation dates and indeed a handful who were already in France when war was declared. The medal rolls are not particularly reliable however the idea that Ironside was the first into France is not substantiated in the documents to my knowledge. It is an unreferenced view promoted by Life Magazine in the late 1930s. He was at Staff College when war was declared so it seems highly unlikely he was one of the first off the boat. MG

Edit. The medal roll on Ancestry does not have a disembarkation date (the man above him has 10/09/14). His MIC shows him at 6 Div's No.3 base w.e.f 29th Oct 14. As a 6 Div Staff Officer he is very unlikely to have been one of the first off the boats. The earliest 6th Div Staff Officer disembaked on 5th Sep 1914, over 4 weeks after the first men to disembark. MG

[ss002d6252]

There are many men who have earlier disembarkation dates and indeed a handful who were already in France when war was declared. The medal rolls are not particularly reliable however the idea that Ironside was the first into France is not substantiated in the documents to my knowledge. It is an unreferenced view promoted by Life Magazine in the late 1930s. He was at Staff College when war was declared so it seems highly unlikely he was one of the first off the boat. MG

Thanks Martin - I had a feeling that there would be a good few before him.

Craig

[Moonraker]

The article stated "first British uniformed officer". I thought that this claim would be soon debated! I wonder if we've discussed it before - the best I could find was this 2006 thread about units.

But I would have thought individual officers would have been crossing the Channel every day in early August. Wikipedia is cautious: "on 5 August, he was confirmed in his appointment as a Staff Captain,^[4] and assigned to Boulogne-sur-Mer and then St. Nazaire, both large Army bases supporting the British Expeditionary Force (BEF).^[7] By some accounts, he was one of the first British officers to arrive in France.[11]"

The "11" link leads initially to a photograph of a young lady in a swimsuit on the front cover of a 1939 edition of Life, but find your way to page 63 of that issue, and there is a categoric statement (for what it's worth) that Ironside was "the first".

Moonraker

[Guest]

The article stated "first British uniformed officer". I thought that this claim would be soon debated! I wonder if we've discussed it before - the best I could find was this 2006 thread about units.

But I would have thought individual officers would have been crossing the Channel every day in early August. Wikipedia is cautious: "on 5 August, he was confirmed in his appointment as a Staff Captain,^[4] and assigned to Boulogne-sur-Mer and then St. Nazaire, both large Army bases supporting the British Expeditionary Force (BEF).^[7] By some accounts, he was one of the first British officers to arrive in France.[11]"

The "11" link leads initially to a photograph of a young lady in a swimsuit on the front cover of a 1939 edition of Life, but find your way to page 63 of that issue, and there is a categoric statement (for what it's worth) that Ironside was "the first".

Moonraker

If Life magazine in 1939 is being used as a reliable source, it is a sad day. In the references above in your post (sourced from Wiki) ref #4 (Army List) is to a document printed in March 1915, some eight months after the events and I suspect has no relevance other than recording psc and him being a Staff Captain. The Army List of course does not record his disembarkation date.

He was 6th Div Staff Officer and the 6th Div arrived a month after the first formations.

As far as I can see there is no proof that he was the first to disembark. The only source that claims this is Life magazine some 25 years after events which provides no reference. It has zero credibility in any serious research circles.

MG

[charlesmessenger]

Actually Ironside would have been one of the ifrst officers to arrive in France in his capacity as Staff Gaptain HQ No 3 Base Boulogne. The bases needed to be established before anyone else could land.

He also carried out his spying in German SW Africa post South African War, masquerading as a Boer wagon master and being awarded a German campaign medal.

Charles M.

[Guest]

Actually Ironside would have been one of the ifrst officers to arrive in France in his capacity as Staff Gaptain HQ No 3 Base Boulogne. The bases needed to be established before anyone else could land.

He also carried out his spying in German SW Africa post South African War, masquerading as a Boer wagon master and being awarded a German campaign medal.

Charles M.

Charles

With the greatest respect there are two issues with this argument

1. Ironside is recorded as being with the 6th Div Staff in the medal rolls

2. The HQ No. 3 Base part of the 1914 Medal Roll shows only 10 Officers and does not include Ironside (he is in 6th Div part of the 1914 Star medal Roll as already stated). The earliest disembarkation date shown within the No. 3 Base roll is 9th Aug 1914, some four days after the earliest recorded disembarkation among the Base Officers

I have researched the 1914 Star Officers medal roll in some detail. The No. 3 Base men are shown below.

I strongly suspect he started with 6th Div (as per the medal rolls) an subsequently ended up with No. 3 base.

MG

[Guest]

Ironside with 6th Div

I would simply make the obvious point that there is no evidence in the rolls that he disembarked first. It is pure hearsay and the contextural evidence suggests the unit he is recorded with, arrived in September. If he was with No. 3 base, he would have arrived a month before any other No. 3 base Officer. No. 3 Base was set up much later than No.1 and No. 2 base. The deployment of the BEF was in stages and No. 3 Base was not part of the initial deployment of 1, 2, 3 and 5 Divs. MG

Edit 2: My error. No. 3 Base Camp personnel have disembarkation dates clustered around 9th/10th Aug (similar to No.1 and No.2 base Camps). There was also an advanced base camp (similar dates) . In addition there werre Nos. 1,2,3,4,5 and 6 Gen Base Depots all with staff disembarking around 18th-20th Aug. as well as Nos. 1,2,3,4,5 and 6 Infantry Base Camps . The disembarkation dates for these are not recorded except for just two individuals on 19th and 20th Aug,

Edited with more info.

[Steven Broomfield]

I am a great fan of Buchan's adventure and historical yarns. Best light reading there is. Top man.

[MikeyH]

Anyone recall the very enjoyable film version of 'The Thirty Nine Steps', with Kenneth More in the 1950's?

Mike.

[MaureenE]

Read The Thirty Nine Steps online, https://archive.org/details/thirtyninesteps01buchgoog

or download an audio version https://archive.org/details/39_steps_0807_librivox

Both files from Archive.org

Cheers

Maureen

[Guest]

I see it was reprinted in 1941 as well, when invasion fear would have again been at its height.

[Steven Broomfield]

Anyone recall the very enjoyable film version of 'The Thirty Nine Steps', with Kenneth More in the 1950's?

Mike.

Yes. Although anything with Kenneth More in is good value, the Hitchcock version is by far the better movie (although hardly faithful to the book). The 1970's Robert Powell vehicle is probably the least satisfying version.

[nigelcave]

I am a great fan of Buchan's adventure and historical yarns. Best light reading there is. Top man.

And so politically incorrect! I have been re-reading several of them recently - Greenmantle and Mr Standfast; and, away from matters war, John McNab, which was on our class reading list when I was eleven. I recalled enjoying it way back then and it is still a very well crafted read.

His history of the South African Brigade is useful, as well. All things considered, he was a remarkable man.

[The Scorer]

A few years ago, I watched the play "39 Steps" at (I think) the Criterion Theatre in Piccadilly.

It's based on the book, but played for laughs, which it succeeds in supplying. There are only a few actors, who (apart from the one who plays Richard Hannay all the time) play several characters each and are on and off the stage with great rapidity.

There's a touring version currently in South Wales and it will doubtless move elsewhere later. It's well worth seeing if you can!

[Steven Broomfield]

And so politically incorrect! I have been re-reading several of them recently - Greenmantle and Mr Standfast; and, away from matters war, John McNab, which was on our class reading list when I was eleven. I recalled enjoying it way back then and it is still a very well crafted read.

His history of the South African Brigade is useful, as well. All things considered, he was a remarkable man.

I've just read the Dickson McCunn trilogy (Huntingtower, Castle Gay and The House of the Four Winds), which I can heartily recommend.

A few years ago, I watched the play "39 Steps" at (I think) the Criterion Theatre in Piccadilly.

There's a touring version currently in South Wales and it will doubtless move elsewhere later. It's well worth seeing if you can!

Seconded. Done by Patrick Barlow, late of the National Theatre of Brent, I believe.

[IPT]

For me, The Thirty Nine Steps works on many levels.

[Old Tom]

In the various film versions the 39 steps have lead to different levels. Sea level in one case and up the 'Big Ben' (it has a better name which will not come to mind) in another.

Old Tom

[rolt968]

I was given the 39 Steps, Greenmantle, Mister Standfast and Huntingtower by my P7 teacher when I was ill with chickenpox. She actually read the 39 Steps to us in class. For some reason for many years for some reason Greenmantle seems to have been thought the best Richard Hannay by the cognoscenti. I preferred Mr Standfast which was one of two things which started my interest in WW1.

[delta]

The Hitchcock version is by far the better movie (although hardly faithful to the book).

I agree but then again, Hitchcock rarely was faithful to the original text in his films

[seaJane]

I have almost everything by or about John Buchan that's been published in book form and somewhere in the collection it does say that Buchan thought Hitchcock's film better than his book.

[MBrockway]

One of my favourites also.

I cut my mountaineering teeth in holidays at grandparents' place solo tramping around the hills and moors above Gatehouse of Fleet station, scene of several of the episodes in the book.

If you enjoy this genre, you'll also likely appreciate Geoffrey Household's Rogue Male set just before the next war.

[J T Gray]

He also wrote a biography/hagiography of Francis and Riversdale Grenfell.

Adrian