Reporting the First World War: Charles Repington, The Times and the Great War, A. J. A. Morris

[Nasco12]

Charles a Court Repington was Military Correspondent of the Times for most of the First World War as well as the ten years leading up to it. He was extraordinarily prescient. It is difficult to think of anyone who on the big questions got it right more often. For example he:

• saw that a war was coming
• saw the need for a territorial army
• believed well before the outbreak of war that Germany's main thrust would come through Belgium
• understood that the Western Front was decisive
• saw that the Dardanelles Campaign was a risky venture
• saw the need for conscription

He was even co-responsible for the term "The First World War.

 

So it is good to see that A.J.A. Morris has taken it upon himself to write his biography. Less good is the price. This is an academic textbook and it commands academic textbook prices - £60 seems to be the going rate. Luckily, I found one going for slightly less.

 

So, was it worth it? Well, it certainly helped my vocabulary. Morris is a great one for dropping unusual words into the text. Contumacious, hecatombs, importunate, duns and threnody all make an appearance. But otherwise I have to confess I found the book itself a bit of a disappointment. I thought it would be mainly about Repington's articles. While Morris might outline their basic thrust I cannot remember him ever quoting from one. He also has little to say about Repington's books. And while he mentions Repington's financial difficulties he has little to say on how he got into them. It is of course possible that Morris is more interested in the insider stuff and considers what Repington actually wrote unimportant but I find that difficult to believe.

 

Where Reporting the First World War really succeeds in its description of the big players of the time. The soldiers are extraordinary. Some are hotheaded. Some are womanisers. Some are bankrupts. Many are all three. Repington himself was not a man afraid of making enemies. If he expressed his opinion and somebody didn't like it, too bad. As he said himself: "A military critic who does not lose one valued friend a month should reconsider his position."

 

The politicians are quite another matter. In peacetime they pinch the pennies and in war think they know better than the soldiers how to run things. Only Haldane and Esher emerge with any credit. In the Second World War Britain was lucky to have in Alanbrooke a man who was prepared to politely - and sometimes not so politely - tell Winston Churchill that his schemes were idiotic. First time round they didn't with the result that far too much of Britain's effort was frittered away on sideshows like Salonica and Gallipoli.

 

One of the tragedies is the one-sided relationship Repington had with Haig. Haig despised Repington, almost completely without foundation. Repington, on the other hand, with one or two reservations was a big supporter.

Edited 25 October , 2017 by Nasco12
Presentation + typo

[MaureenE]

Repington's autobiography is available online

The First World War, 1914-1918: Personal Experiences of Lieut.-Col. C. à Court Repington 1920.  Volume I, Volume II Archive.org.

 

Cheers

Maureen

[Nasco12]

Thanks for that. I liked this on p. 35:

 

Quote

I had watched the state of our ammunition in France with great anxiety and growing anger. Every time that I went over I heard of promises from the War Office, and found on my next visit that the promises had not been kept. Representation after representation had had no effect. I found our trenches being plastered with shells, and our guns restricted to a few rounds per day. Three times I endeavoured to see Lord K[itchener]. on this subject, and three times I failed. It was useless to see any one else, and I found that my allusions to the subject in the Times, censored as everything inconvenient to the Government was censored during the war, were not enough to rouse the country to the facts. The Army in France knew the situation. Lord K. and the M.G.O.'s branch knew it. The public knew nothing, and it was not certain that the Cabinet was any wiser.

 

Edited 28 October , 2017 by Nasco12
typos

[stiletto_33853]

Hmmm,

Not so sure about this one. 

 

In the words of a well known Rifle Brigade officer who is/was well known for his studies and research "A Court Repington was a crushing snob and extremely conceited."

 

Having said that his books

"Vestigia" 1919, is  well worth reading for it's graphic account of The Battle of Omdurman and The Relief of Ladysmith.

 

"War in The Far East" 1905 gives a scholarly account of The Russo-Japanes War. The book is based on Repington's Despatches to the Times.

 

"Imperial Strategy" 1906 contains a series of articles written by Repington for the Times and the following lectures he gave.

 

"Foundation of Reform" 1908

 

"Essays and Criticisms" 1911

 

Repington was commissioned into the 4th Battalion, The Rifle Brigade in 1878 seeing active service with his battalion in Afghanistan (1878-79), on the Staff in The Sudan (1898) and the Boar War retiring as a Lt.-Col. in 1902. 

 

Andy

 

 

Edited 8 January , 2018 by stiletto_33853

[Terry_Reeves]

All the points that Nasco made in post 1 were also made were also made by others. Repington was not a genius.

 

TR

Edited 28 October , 2017 by Terry_Reeves