John Masefield - Official Historian

[PhilB]

Was Masefield the official historian of Haig`s army (and, if so, what did he publish apart from The Old Front Line & Gallipoli?) or is this a slight exaggeration for an American readership?

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/...9679C946996D6CF

Prospect of Labor's Ruling British Parliament; Official Historian of Haig's Army, John Masefield, Talks About Politics, Battle Scenes, German Unrest, Peace Outlook, and After-the-War Problems

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By MONTROSE J. MOSES.

Jan 27, 1918, Sunday

Section: The New York Times Magazine, Page 65, 4384 words

[MartH]

Very interesting

I'm not aware aware of him working for the CID at the time, nor was he working with Sir John Fortescue.

Wiki suggests he had no access to Official Documents Clickty Click, though it suggests he was asked by the Head of Military Intelligence to write a book, but during the war that would not be an Official History.

I'm off out soon but will do some more research later.

The Somme book was "The Old Front Line"

[Anthony Gorst]

QUOTE (Phil_B @ Jan 9 2009, 06:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Was Masefield the official historian of Haig`s army (and, if so, what did he publish apart from The Old Front Line & Gallipoli?) or is this a slight exaggeration for an American readership?

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/...9679C946996D6CF

Prospect of Labor's Ruling British Parliament; Official Historian of Haig's Army, John Masefield, Talks About Politics, Battle Scenes, German Unrest, Peace Outlook, and After-the-War Problems

E-MAIL

Save

By MONTROSE J. MOSES.

Jan 27, 1918, Sunday

Section: The New York Times Magazine, Page 65, 4384 words

Phil -

See here - http://ies.sas.ac.uk/cmps/Projects/Masefie...ciety/jmsws.htm

Not sure he was an official historian in the sense we would now understand it but certainly seems to have some official connection - I think one of his tours in the US was undertaken under the auspices of the Foreign Office (although I can't remember where I read this ).

Tony

[PhilB]

Thanks, gents. It looks like "official" may have meant "asked by Haig".

Such was Masefield’s triumph (ie his Gallipoli book) that an invitation was received from Sir Douglas Haig to write the chronicle of the Somme. Whitehall bureaucracy eventually forced Masefield to abandon the original plan and the Somme chronicle eventually appeared as two truncated volumes: The Old Front Line and The Battle of the Somme.

[truthergw]

Well, if the CiC asks you to write a book that is pretty official? It would certainly qualify as authorised.

[PhilB]

Yes it would. It`s not quite what we usually mean though.