Biography of Field Marshal Lord Cavan, one of the most successful British generals of the First World War. Field Marshal Lord Cavan (1865-1946) was one of the most distinguished commanders of the modern British army, but he divided opinion among his contemporaries. Some senior soldiers were disdainful. Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson described him as 'ignorant, pompous and vain' and Brigadier General Sir James Edward Edmonds commented that Cavan 'was bone from the neck upwards'. Yet many of Cavan's subordinates praised him, saying 'I had never seen Lord Cavan before and I was filled with admiration by the calm and quiet self-confidence of his manner' and 'Our new General, Lord Cavan, is simply A1 and the whole show runs like a well-oiled machine.' So what were the real qualities and achievements of this remarkable but hitherto neglected officer who in a long career served in the Boer War and the First World War and then presided over the post-war reduction of the British army? Michael Senior, in the first full biography of Cavan, assesses him as a leader, a corps commander and an administrator, and places him among the front rank of the soldiers of his generation. He also explores Cavan's personal life, his personality and how his aristocratic background, his wealth and his love of fox hunting affected his conduct in both war and peace. AUTHOR: Dr Michael Senior has had a life-long interest in the First World War and, since his retirement, he has devoted much of his time to research, lecturing and writing about aspects of the Western Front. He has had articles published by the Western Front Association of which he is a member. His books include Fromelles 1916, Haking: A Dutiful Soldier, Victory on the Western Front: The Development of the British Army 1914-1918 and The Soldiers' Peace: Demobilizing the British Army 1919.
