Lord Lansdowne at the War Office (1895-1900) Simon Kerry Thesis
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Lord Lansdowne at the War Office (1895-1900) Simon Kerry Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of East Anglia School of History October 2014 This copy of the thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is understood to recognise that its copyright rests with the author and that use of any information derived there from must be in accordance with current UK Copyright Law. In addition, any quotation or extract must include full attribution. Abstract This thesis investigates Lord Lansdowne’s career at the War Office (1895-1900). At its core, however, is not a traditional biographical quest, but what does his career at the War Office tell us about late Victorian politics, civil-military relations, the reform discourse, the late Victorian Army and the war in South Africa? This is an especially relevant subject of historical study for two reasons: firstly Lansdowne as Secretary of State for War and a representative of his class, time and party epitomised late Victorian politics; secondly as Secretary of State he has been found wanting. The thesis aims to re-examine these questions and force those who have written on the problems Lansdowne encountered to rethink their conclusions. By portraying Lansdowne as a man of his time and returning him to his proper position this thesis demonstrates that it is possible to reinterpret the career of a historical figure. The main part of the thesis looks at how Lansdowne operated at the War Office and the complex inheritance he dealt with. It explores the political rivalries of those with power to influence military policy in Britain and the lack of interest in military matters both in and out of Parliament. Given these dynamics the thesis argues that the War Office and Army were unreformable. The thesis also examines Lansdowne’s legacy in relation to his three immediate successors. Despite the differences in the structure and professionalism of the British Expeditionary Force which performed in Flanders in 1914 and the Army Corps which embarked for South Africa in 1899 the social composition of both forces had not significantly changed. As the best equipped and trained Army to leave Britain for war the BEF vindicated the attempts of Lansdowne and his successors to provide the country with an Army fit for war. Table of Contents Preface ..................................................................................................................................... 4 Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................. 5 Abbreviations ........................................................................................................................... 6 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 8 Chapter One - The Organisation of the War Office ............................................................... 27 Chapter Two - The Environment Outside the War Office ..................................................... 59 Chapter Three - The 1895 Reorganisation ............................................................................. 86 Chapter Four - The Reform of the Army ............................................................................. 109 Chapter Five - The War Office and South Africa 1895-1899 .............................................. 154 Chapter Six - The War in South Africa ................................................................................ 185 Chapter Seven - Lansdowne’s Legacy at the War Office .................................................... 237 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 253 Appendix I: List of buildings in which the various departments of the War Office were housed in the summer of 1899 ............................................................................................. 266 Appendix II: Secretaries of State for War between June 1854 and June 1895 .................... 267 Appendix III: The War Office in 1896 ................................................................................ 269 Appendix IV: Published Studies of Lansdowne’s Colleagues in the 1895 Cabinet ............ 270 Appendix V: Members of the 1895-1900 Cabinet ............................................................... 277 Appendix VI: The Stanhope Memorandum ......................................................................... 279 Appendix VII: Army estimates of effective and non-effective services .............................. 280 Appendix VIII: Speeches in Parliament on military subjects made by Lansdowne, Brodrick, Arnold-Forster and Haldane ................................................................................................ 281 Appendix IX: Numbers of men on the Home and Colonial Establishments of the British Army exclusive of those serving in India ............................................................................ 282 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................ 283 Preface In researching for this thesis thirty-seven public archives were approached, with approximately one hundred and forty collections for inquiry and six private archives with twelve collections for inquiry. Some archival sources were based in Ottawa, Washington, Durham N.C., Dublin and Paris, and these records were sourced either online or from a copy and postal service. No two archives are alike and in researching this thesis an important consideration has been to understand each archive, its records, how it was formed and who is employed there so as to make the best use of resources and time management. Printed primary and secondary sources that have been used include British Public Records, Parliamentary Papers, edited diaries, letters and papers, academic theses published and unpublished, primary and secondary books, newspapers, periodicals, journals and academic articles. Access to these works has been obtained from online sources, the British Library, the University of East Anglia Main Library and other specialist libraries, including the Templer Study Centre at the National Army Museum and the Liddell Hart Centre for Military archives at King’s College London. It has not been necessary to undertake any interviews for this thesis and only one sound recording has been accessed. The conceptual framework used in this thesis has comprised: themes and insight into how humans behave and how the world works, including authority and power, diffusion and disintegration. The thesis has explored: the actions, values and thinking that influence a historical figure; historical questions; and a chronological narrative providing a context within which to consider important themes and questions. A prosopographical approach was adapted from the works of Namier and Syme,1 to demonstrate the cohesive strength of the ruling class in the late nineteenth century. It should be noted that this thesis is not only an examination of late Victorian politics as pursued by the ruling classes but also as experienced by the diplomats, governors, civil servants, soldiers and sailors. Prosopography does not attempt to provide all the answers but has been of use to this thesis in revealing the web of socio-psychological ties that bind a group together. 1 L. Namier, The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III (2 Vols., London, 1929); R. Syme, The Roman Revolution (Oxford, 1939). 4 Acknowledgements For permission to examine collections of records in their care I am very grateful to all the archivists and librarians and that I have been privileged to speak to and meet. I should like to acknowledge the gracious permission of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to quote from material in the Royal Archives. I would like to thank especially Dr William Frame at the British Library, Kate Fielden and Jo Johnston at Bowood House, Aidan Haley and James Towe at Chatsworth House, Mark Blunt at Hove Central Library, Vicki Perry at Hatfield House and Tony Pilmer at the Royal United Services Institution Library. My warmest regards go to Professor Thomas Otte whose constant encouragement and interest in my research was inspiring. 5 Abbreviations Add MS Additional Manuscripts b. Born BH Bowood House BL British Library Bod Bodleian Library BUL Birmingham University Library CAB Cabinet papers held at the National Archives at Kew CH Chatsworth House CO Colonial Office papers held at the National Archives at Kew D.Phil Doctor of Philosophy Ed. Edited by Eds. Editors ENG. Hist English History. Archive term used by the Bodleian Library, Department of Western Manuscripts EUR European manuscripts in the African and Asian Collection at the British Library FO Foreign Office papers held at the National Archives at Kew GRO Gloucestershire Record Office HCL Hove Central Library HH Hatfield House HLRO House of Lords Record Office Ibid. Cited previously MS Manuscript MSS Manuscripts MP Milner Papers NA National Archives, Kew 6 NAI National Archives of Ireland, Dublin NAM National Army Museum NLS National Library of Scotland p. Page pp. Pages PP Parliamentary Papers Private Personal Correspondence PRO Domestic Records of the Public Record Office at Kew RA Royal Archive RC The Report of the Royal Commission on the War in South Africa T Treasury Papers held at the National Archives at Kew ‘the War’