“Once they were young. The British High Command of the Great War at the battle of Omdurman 1898.” By Peter Hart and Branch AGM
Please note the change of talk and the earlier start time of 7:30pm due to the AGM.
In a change of talk due to health issues we welcome back Peter Hart.
Peter’s talk will tell the story of the Battle of Omdurman using mainly the voices of officers who attained high rank in the Great War just sixteen years later including Winston Churchill, Herbert Kitchener, Horace Smith-Dorrien, Charles Townshend, Granville Egerton, Ivor Maxse, Edward Stuart-Wortley and Henry Rawlinson. These were Douglas Haig’s contemporaries, two his political ‘masters’, some his competitors with whom he vied for promotion and some his subordinates commanding divisions or brigades.
The vision of a Great War general is hard-wired into our brains: old, stuffy, moustachioed, leading a sedentary existence in chateaus far behind the lines. It wasn’t true in 1914-18, but they were relative youngsters in the Sudan. They were not born old in 1914, they too had been young men, strong and virile, but often they showed the military qualities that marked them out for promotion.
Consider the sheer imposing size of the Dervish army as it swirled with ominous intent towards the isolated Sudanese brigade during the Battle of Omdurman. We now know who won this nerve-jangling battle; at the time the participants did not, and they often feared for their lives.
Peter’s talk will be preceded by the Branch AGM which will start at 7:30pm
This meeting will be held in Cobham. Members of The Western Front Association and non-members are equally welcome. We ask for a modest £5 donation on the door. This includes tea, coffee and biscuits at the break (before the Q&A session with the speaker). It also includes free tickets for the book raffle.
People joining us at Cobham can use our cashless card system and use their credit card/phone with the reader that will be available at the signing-in desk.
To help make things easier and safer, we are asking those coming to Cobham to bring their own mug for coffee or tea.
The Branch AGM will start at 7:30pm. Peter’s talk will start following the AGM at around 8pm. Doors open at Cobham at 7:15pm.