Skipman Posted 22 May , 2013 Share Posted 22 May , 2013 A general's letters to his son on obtaining his commission " I have known the Germans intimately, both in peace and in war, and am convinced that individually they have nothing like the fighting spirit and fearless courage which is the birthright of the British race, but unfortunately for us they are the most disciplined nation in the world, and it is this quality which renders them so formidable. " I have no idea who General X Y Z might be. Preface by General H S Smith-Dorrien Propaganda? Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkTurner Posted 22 May , 2013 Share Posted 22 May , 2013 I believe the author is Maj-Gen T D Pilcher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 22 May , 2013 Share Posted 22 May , 2013 thank you Mark. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlesmessenger Posted 22 May , 2013 Share Posted 22 May , 2013 Mark is quite right, ithe author was Pilcher, who commanded 17th (Northern) Division before becoming unstuck in July 1916.Charles M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Maria Posted 22 May , 2013 Share Posted 22 May , 2013 Rather poignantly, his own son was killed at the battle of Neuve Chapelle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkTurner Posted 25 May , 2013 Share Posted 25 May , 2013 His 1922 Who's Who entry lists his publications as: Letters from the Boer War; The Writing on the Wall; A General's Letters to his Son; A General's Letters on Minor Tactics; War according to Clausewitz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
generalist Posted 1 February , 2014 Share Posted 1 February , 2014 Rather poignantly, his own son was killed at the battle of Neuve Chapelle. By an unfortunate chance, his stepson (his wife divorced him in 1911, and he remarried in 1913) was also killed at Neuve Chapelle, three days earlier - http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/597655/ Pilcher had written quite widely, and this wasn't his first anonymous work - he'd published an invasion-scare novel in 1906, as well. (I have no idea if it was well-received). Andrew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
generalist Posted 1 February , 2014 Share Posted 1 February , 2014 The follow-up book: A General's Letters to his Son on Minor Tactics: https://archive.org/details/generalsletterst00xyzf (1918) and the earlier but perhaps relevant Some Lessons From The Boer War: https://archive.org/details/somelessonsfrom00pilcgoog (1903) Andrew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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