“Not only a magnificent leader of men, but also a soldier of the very highest class.”
Hanway Cummings lived an extraordinary life, and in his memoirs his bright military mind and sense of strategy are made clear.
With retrospect, many mistakes were made during the First World War and Hanway shows in plain words exactly what went wrong and why.
These memoirs are concise, frank and full of insight, with a focus on the final years of the war.
As a Brigadier, Hanway shows incredible empathy for his men and always sides with the soldier over the commander.
A detailed memoir of how the First World War was fought, A Brigadier in France is a valuable insight into British command.
Praise for A Brigadier in France
‘contains the material of which true history is made. General Cumming wrote simply and modestly, with excellent clearness though he recorded many details, and with a due, and apparently instinctive, sense of proportion.’ - The Spectator
Hanway Robert Cummings (1867 – 1921) fought in the Second Boer War and the First World War. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in 1917 and the French Légion d'honneur. He was killed during the Irish War of Independence, and was the highest ranking British Officer to be killed in the conflict.
