Kitchener: The Man Behind the Legend

Kitchener was one of the most successful and far-sighted generals Britain has ever had, and his reputation was worldwide. But he has always been a mystery. Legends proliferated about him in his lifetime, and the circumstances of his death have remained an enigma. Not until later, with fresh material coming to light, was it possible to find the real person behind the legend. In this absorbing and percipient study, we begin to realise what a debt Britain owes to Kitchener. Far from being the remote, austere figure of the placards, he was a daring adventurer and spy, a meticulous planner and perfectionist, and a commander who took his place in the forefront of the battle in order to know exactly what was happening. Like modern generals, Kitchener believed that battles should be won before they are fought, and proved that small, well-organised armies could defeat vastly superior forces. In the Sudan he defeated is enemy in a final, searing battle; in South Africa he fought an entirely different campaign in which he methodically removed all his enemy's advantages. Setbacks only spurred him to greater efforts. He was trusted by civilians; worshipped by his soldiers; and detested but most of his officers. When he became Commander-in-Chief in India he had no war to fight, but he left the army in good shape for when its time came. His talent as a planner was great, and much thought was given to thwarting Russian ambitions in Afghanistan. In the end the Soviets did not invade that country until sixty years after his death. And although, in company with Churchill, he is blamed for the Dardanelles disaster, recent disclosures of the limitations of contemporary naval gunnery have shown that the real blame lay elsewhere. Philip Warner studied Kitchener for many years. In this book he investigates the personal myths as well as the public man; Kitchener's dislike of politicians and the stormy episodes this caused later in h