A talk by Michael Lucas 'The Real General Mitford'

Bertram Mitford (1863-1936), like many in authority, attracted wildly different opinions: Kitchener, and 'The Wipers Times' thought highly of him: Sir John French and Hubert Gough did not.

With distinguished service in the Sudan and South Africa, but some failures in peacetime, he was 'dug out' of early retirement in 1914.

Mitford trained and then led 72 Brigade at Loos (a disaster for which his superiors were responsible, not he) and the Somme, before promotion to command 42nd (East Lancs) Division.

No 'chateau general', this talk, based on his extensive diaries, concentrates largely on his life as brigadier on the Western Front.