The Generals of the First World War have generated much debate and controversy.
General Sir Hubert Gough is no exception.
Some thought him callous, a butcher among generals, while many believed him unusually considerate, thoughtful of his soldiers within the demands of war.
First gazetted in 1889, Gough’s military career spans the bridge between the Imperial conflicts of late-Victorian rule and the modern warfare ushered in by the twentieth century.
From India to South Africa his early career marked him for greatness, yet in Ireland the so-called “officers’ mutiny” of March 1914 almost brought it to an end.
Within months of the incident war was declared, and on the Western Front Gough’s talents saw his rapid rise to the head of Fifth Army, the youngest general in the British Army.
However, in spring 1918 he became one of the war’s political casualties, a scapegoat for a government who wished to avoid admitting the Army had been deprived of resources.
Despite some less successful forays into business and politics in the following years, Gough was a soldier’s soldier, working for the welfare of the soldiers he had commanded.
Written by an acclaimed military historian, ‘Goughie’ is the remarkable story of General Sir Hubert Gough’s long and adventurous life, filled with adversity, loss and triumph, and is as impressive as it is moving.
Praise for Anthony Farrar-Hockley
‘A magnificent book… makes you burst to tell your friends to read it.’ - Daily Mail
‘Wonderfully detailed… one of the most outstanding books.’ - Sir Basil Liddell Hart
Anthony Farrar-Hockley (1924-2006) was a British Army officer with a life-long interest in history. A Para during the Second World War, he later served in Korea with the Gloucestershire Regiment. His first book was an account of his experiences on the battlefield and as a POW. On his return home he went on to hold a number of posts alongside his career as a military historian, going on to author more than a dozen works.
General Sir Hubert Gough is no exception.
Some thought him callous, a butcher among generals, while many believed him unusually considerate, thoughtful of his soldiers within the demands of war.
First gazetted in 1889, Gough’s military career spans the bridge between the Imperial conflicts of late-Victorian rule and the modern warfare ushered in by the twentieth century.
From India to South Africa his early career marked him for greatness, yet in Ireland the so-called “officers’ mutiny” of March 1914 almost brought it to an end.
Within months of the incident war was declared, and on the Western Front Gough’s talents saw his rapid rise to the head of Fifth Army, the youngest general in the British Army.
However, in spring 1918 he became one of the war’s political casualties, a scapegoat for a government who wished to avoid admitting the Army had been deprived of resources.
Despite some less successful forays into business and politics in the following years, Gough was a soldier’s soldier, working for the welfare of the soldiers he had commanded.
Written by an acclaimed military historian, ‘Goughie’ is the remarkable story of General Sir Hubert Gough’s long and adventurous life, filled with adversity, loss and triumph, and is as impressive as it is moving.
Praise for Anthony Farrar-Hockley
‘A magnificent book… makes you burst to tell your friends to read it.’ - Daily Mail
‘Wonderfully detailed… one of the most outstanding books.’ - Sir Basil Liddell Hart
Anthony Farrar-Hockley (1924-2006) was a British Army officer with a life-long interest in history. A Para during the Second World War, he later served in Korea with the Gloucestershire Regiment. His first book was an account of his experiences on the battlefield and as a POW. On his return home he went on to hold a number of posts alongside his career as a military historian, going on to author more than a dozen works.
