Author: Michael Senior
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
ISBN: 1526758210
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 290
Book Description
Field Marshal Lord Cavan (1865-1946) was one of the most distinguished commanders of the modern British army, but he divided opinion among his contemporaries. Some senior soldiers were disdainful. Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson described him as âignorant, pompous and vainâ and Brigadier General Sir James Edward Edmonds commented that Cavan âwas bone from the neck upwardsâ. Yet many of Cavanâs subordinates praised him, saying âI had never seen Lord Cavan before and I was filled with admiration by the calm and quiet self-confidence of his mannerâ and âOur new General, Lord Cavan, is simply A1 and the whole show runs like a well-oiled machine.â So what were the real qualities and achievements of this remarkable but hitherto neglected officer who in a long career served in the Boer War and the First World War and then presided over the post-war reduction of the British army? Michael Senior, in the first full biography of Cavan, assesses him as a leader, a corps commander and an administrator, and places him among the front rank of the soldiers of his generation. He also explores Cavanâs personal life, his personality and how his aristocratic background, his wealth and his love of fox hunting affected his conduct in both war and peace.