Army Manoeuvres of 1912
Encyclopedia
The Army Manoeuvres of 1912 was the last exercise of its kind conducted by the British army before the outbreak of the First World War. (The Army Manoeuvres of 1913
were on a much smaller scale.) In the manoeuvres, Sir James Grierson
decisively beat Douglas Haig
, calling into question Haig's abilities as a field commander.
J. E. B. Seely
, the Secretary of State for War
had invited General Foch
, a Russian delegation under Grand Duke Nicholas, and the Ministers for Defence of Canada
(Sam Hughes
) and South Africa
(Jan Smuts
). King George V
arranged to visit the battlefield.
and Hunstanton
. Red forces were pushing south as quickly as possible. Blue had ordered a general mobilisation and its prime goal was to stop Red forces entering London
: Blue forces were based around Cambridge
. Time was of the essence for both sides.
The Chief Umpire was Sir John French
, who was based in Cambridge
.
.
Also as the 'invader' Haig had the initiative.
The Blue cavalry was pushed forward to the line Gog Magog
—Rivey Hill
. Grierson issued orders to his aircraft pilots to locate the enemy which they did within an hour of take-off. At the suggestion of Trenchard
(who was accompanying one of the pilots), the Blue aircraft were then dispatched to inform the Blue cavalry of the enemy location. The intervention of aircraft handed Grierson the element of surprise and, although the Red forces also employed aircraft, they were unable to regain the initiative. According to his diary, Grierson "stayed in camp all day receiving reports and very soon locating all the lines of march and halting places of the Red forces".
17 September 1912
Blue cavalry advanced to locate the enemy and fought with the 2nd Division near Hundon
in Suffolk
. The 3rd Division ended the day in position from Reid's Farm to Rivey Hill
. The 4th Division concealed itself from aircraft and, after dark, moved through Saffron Walden
and camped to the east of it.
18 September 1912
The Blue infantry was ordered to advance to the line Horseheath
—Helions Bumpstead
. The hitherto concealed 4th Division closed up on the right of the 3rd, which had been strung out to represent the main force. The Blue cavalry was ordered to co-operate on the right of the 4th Division and the Territorials to advance from Cambridge
to Linton
. In the ensuing 'battle', Blue forces won a clear victory, bringing the manoeuvres to a close a day early. Grierson had the 10th Brigade in hand. Although the Red cavalry were somewhere to the rear of the Blue forces, they were not deployed in the battle. Haig was thus defeated in front of his own staff, the King, and the foreign observers.
The Blue forces bivouacked at Linton
and Grierson celebrated his victory with champagne.
19 September 1912
At the final conference in Trinity Hall
with the King presiding, the opponents were asked to explain their tactics and moves. Grierson was well-received. "He looked like victory", said one observer. His speech was confident, lucid, and vigorous.
In contrast, Haig's speech was disastrous. According to John Charteris
, he did not read out his written statement, which gave a "clear and convincing account of his views, he did not even refer to it when he spoke but to the dismay of his staff attempted to extemporise. In the effort he became totally unintelligible and unbearably dull. The university dignitaries soon fell asleep, Haig's friends became more and more uncomfortable, only he seemed totally unconscious of his failure."
Warner suggests that the notes Haig made in advance might have been prepared on the assumption that the battle was evenly balanced and would have sounded absurd if used after the result was declared.
Haig learnt the lessons of the manoeuvres and thenceforth encouraged the development of observer aircraft.
Grierson's style also encouraged his staff to take responsibility. Sir Percy Radcliffe recalls that he was sent with an order to throw in the Territorials at a certain point. Seeing there was not time, on his own initiative he threw them in at another with total success.
, the Secretary of State for War
:
Army Manoeuvres of 1913
The Army Manoeuvres of 1913 was a large exercise in the Midlands in September 1913. Learning from the Army Manoeuvres of 1912, many more spotter aircraft were used...
were on a much smaller scale.) In the manoeuvres, Sir James Grierson
James Grierson
Lieutenant General Sir James Moncrieff Grierson KCB, CMG, CVO, ADC was a British soldier.- Military career :Grierson was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1877....
decisively beat Douglas Haig
Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig
Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCIE, ADC, was a British senior officer during World War I. He commanded the British Expeditionary Force from 1915 to the end of the War...
, calling into question Haig's abilities as a field commander.
J. E. B. Seely
J. E. B. Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone
John Edward Bernard Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone CB, CMG, DSO, PC, TD was a British soldier and politician. He was a Conservative Member of Parliament from 1900 to 1904 and a Liberal MP from 1904 to 1922 and from 1923 to 1924...
, the Secretary of State for War
Secretary of State for War
The position of Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a British cabinet-level position, first held by Henry Dundas . In 1801 the post became that of Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The position was re-instated in 1854...
had invited General Foch
Ferdinand Foch
Ferdinand Foch , GCB, OM, DSO was a French soldier, war hero, military theorist, and writer credited with possessing "the most original and subtle mind in the French army" in the early 20th century. He served as general in the French army during World War I and was made Marshal of France in its...
, a Russian delegation under Grand Duke Nicholas, and the Ministers for Defence of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(Sam Hughes
Sam Hughes
For other people of the same name see Sam Hughes Sir Samuel Hughes, KCB, PC was the Canadian Minister of Militia and Defence during World War I...
) and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
(Jan Smuts
Jan Smuts
Jan Christiaan Smuts, OM, CH, ED, KC, FRS, PC was a prominent South African and British Commonwealth statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various cabinet posts, he served as Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 until 1924 and from 1939 until 1948...
). King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
arranged to visit the battlefield.
Scenario
The forces of an imaginary country (Red) had crossed the frontier dividing Red from Britain (Blue) between Wells-next-the-SeaWells-next-the-Sea
Wells-next-the-Sea, known locally simply as Wells, is a town, civil parish and seaport situated on the North Norfolk coast in England.The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 2,451 in 1,205 households...
and Hunstanton
Hunstanton
Hunstanton, often pronounced by locals as and known colloquially as 'Sunny Hunny', is a seaside town in Norfolk, England, facing The Wash....
. Red forces were pushing south as quickly as possible. Blue had ordered a general mobilisation and its prime goal was to stop Red forces entering London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
: Blue forces were based around Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. Time was of the essence for both sides.
The Chief Umpire was Sir John French
John French, 1st Earl of Ypres
Field Marshal John Denton Pinkstone French, 1st Earl of Ypres, KP, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCMG, ADC, PC , known as The Viscount French between 1916 and 1922, was a British and Anglo-Irish officer...
, who was based in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
.
Forces
The forces were nearly equal in size. Each consisted of a cavalry division, two infantry divisions, army troops, two aeroplane flights, and an airship. (The airships were Gamma and Delta.)Red Army
- Commander: Lieutenant-General Sir Douglas HaigDouglas Haig, 1st Earl HaigField Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCIE, ADC, was a British senior officer during World War I. He commanded the British Expeditionary Force from 1915 to the end of the War...
- Cavalry: Major-General Edmund AllenbyEdmund Allenby, 1st Viscount AllenbyField Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby GCB, GCMG, GCVO was a British soldier and administrator most famous for his role during the First World War, in which he led the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in the conquest of Palestine and Syria in 1917 and 1918.Allenby, nicknamed...
- 1st Infantry Division: Major-General Samuel LomaxSamuel LomaxLieutenant General Samuel Holt Lomax was a senior and highly respected British general who served in the opening months of World War I and was the first British Lieutenant Generals to be killed on active service during the entire war.-Military service:Born in August 1855 to Thomas and Mary Helen...
- 2nd Infantry Division: Major-General Henry LawsonHenry Merrick LawsonLieutenant General Sir Henry Merrick Lawson KCB was a British Army General during World War I.-Military career:...
Blue Army
- Commander: Lieutenant-General Sir James GriersonJames GriersonLieutenant General Sir James Moncrieff Grierson KCB, CMG, CVO, ADC was a British soldier.- Military career :Grierson was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1877....
- Cavalry: Colonel Charles BriggsCharles James BriggsLieutenant-General Sir Charles James Briggs KCB KCMG was a British Army officer who held high command in World War I.-Military career:...
- 3rd Infantry Division: Major-General Henry RawlinsonHenry Rawlinson, 1st Baron RawlinsonGeneral Henry Seymour Rawlinson, 1st Baron Rawlinson, GCB, GCSI, GCVO, KCMG , known as Sir Henry Rawlinson, Bt between 1895 and 1919, was a British First World War general most famous for his roles in the Battle of the Somme of 1916 and the Battle of Amiens in 1918.-Military career:Rawlinson was...
- 4th Infantry Division: Major-General Thomas D'Oyly SnowThomas D'Oyly SnowLieutenant-General Sir Thomas D’Oyly Snow KCB, KCMG was a British General in the First World War who commanded during some of the major battles of the Western Front. He had two nicknames, ‘Slush’ and ‘Snowball’, both plays on 'Snow'.-Education and early military career:Snow was born on 5 May 1858...
Organisational strength
However, despite the near equality of the forces on paper, the odds were in Haig's favour, as his forces were cohesive, with superior organisation and training, whilst Grierson's were more of a scratch teamScratch team
A scratch team is a team, usually in sport, brought together on a temporary basis, composed of players who normally play for different sides. A game played between two scratch teams may be called a scratch match....
.
- The Staff of the Red Army were the Aldershot command, who were accustomed to working together. In contrast, the Blue Staff were drawn from all commands except Aldershot.
- The Red cavalry was a division of regular cavalry, while the Blue cavalry was a disparate group of two brigades drawing on the Household CavalryHousehold CavalryThe term Household Cavalry is used across the Commonwealth to describe the cavalry of the Household Divisions, a country’s most elite or historically senior military groupings or those military groupings that provide functions associated directly with the Head of state.Canada's Governor General's...
, Scots GreysScots GreysThe Royal Scots Greys was a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1707 until 1971, when they amalgamated with the 3rd Carabiniers to form The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards ....
, Yeomanry, and Cyclists. - The Red infantry was the Aldershot divisions. The Blue infantry came from the Southern Command (3rd Division) and Eastern Command (4th Division and Territorials).
Also as the 'invader' Haig had the initiative.
Progress of the manoeuvres
16 September 1912The Blue cavalry was pushed forward to the line Gog Magog
Gog Magog Downs
The Gog Magog Downs are a range of low chalk hills, extending for several miles to the southeast of Cambridge in England. The highest points are marked on Ordnance Survey 1:25000 maps as "Telegraph Clump"Telegraph Clump, at , Little Trees HillLittle Trees Hill, and Wandlebury Hill,Wandlebury...
—Rivey Hill
Rivey Hill
Rivey Hill is a hill overlooking Linton in Cambridgeshire. It is the highest point for several miles around and stands at the impressive height of 112 m/367 ft. The hill has steep sides going down into Linton and a prominence of 21 m...
. Grierson issued orders to his aircraft pilots to locate the enemy which they did within an hour of take-off. At the suggestion of Trenchard
Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard GCB OM GCVO DSO was a British officer who was instrumental in establishing the Royal Air Force...
(who was accompanying one of the pilots), the Blue aircraft were then dispatched to inform the Blue cavalry of the enemy location. The intervention of aircraft handed Grierson the element of surprise and, although the Red forces also employed aircraft, they were unable to regain the initiative. According to his diary, Grierson "stayed in camp all day receiving reports and very soon locating all the lines of march and halting places of the Red forces".
17 September 1912
Blue cavalry advanced to locate the enemy and fought with the 2nd Division near Hundon
Hundon
Hundon is a village and civil parish in the Borough of St Edmundsbury in the English county of Suffolk. It has a primary school, post office, pub and two places of worship. The village is about north west of the small town of Clare, and from the larger town of Haverhill.-External links:* * * *...
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. The 3rd Division ended the day in position from Reid's Farm to Rivey Hill
Rivey Hill
Rivey Hill is a hill overlooking Linton in Cambridgeshire. It is the highest point for several miles around and stands at the impressive height of 112 m/367 ft. The hill has steep sides going down into Linton and a prominence of 21 m...
. The 4th Division concealed itself from aircraft and, after dark, moved through Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden is a medium-sized market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. It is located north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and approx north of London...
and camped to the east of it.
18 September 1912
The Blue infantry was ordered to advance to the line Horseheath
Horseheath
Horseheath is a hamlet in Cambridgeshire, England, situated a few miles south-east of Cambridge, between Linton and Haverhill, on the A1307 road....
—Helions Bumpstead
Helions Bumpstead
Helions Bumpstead is a small village in Essex located near Haverhill and the Essex/Suffolk/Cambridgeshire borders. It is 2 miles from Steeple Bumpstead. Helions Bumpstead has "the greens"; Pale Green , Wiggens Green , and Drapers Green . There are four roads into and out of the village they are;...
. The hitherto concealed 4th Division closed up on the right of the 3rd, which had been strung out to represent the main force. The Blue cavalry was ordered to co-operate on the right of the 4th Division and the Territorials to advance from Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
to Linton
Linton, Cambridgeshire
Linton is a village in rural Cambridgeshire, England, on the border with Essex. It has been expanded much since the 1960s and is now one of many dormitory villages around Cambridge. The railway station was on the Stour Valley Railway between Cambridge and Colchester, now closed. The Rivey Hill...
. In the ensuing 'battle', Blue forces won a clear victory, bringing the manoeuvres to a close a day early. Grierson had the 10th Brigade in hand. Although the Red cavalry were somewhere to the rear of the Blue forces, they were not deployed in the battle. Haig was thus defeated in front of his own staff, the King, and the foreign observers.
The Blue forces bivouacked at Linton
Linton, Cambridgeshire
Linton is a village in rural Cambridgeshire, England, on the border with Essex. It has been expanded much since the 1960s and is now one of many dormitory villages around Cambridge. The railway station was on the Stour Valley Railway between Cambridge and Colchester, now closed. The Rivey Hill...
and Grierson celebrated his victory with champagne.
19 September 1912
At the final conference in Trinity Hall
Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the fifth-oldest college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by William Bateman, Bishop of Norwich.- Foundation :...
with the King presiding, the opponents were asked to explain their tactics and moves. Grierson was well-received. "He looked like victory", said one observer. His speech was confident, lucid, and vigorous.
In contrast, Haig's speech was disastrous. According to John Charteris
John Charteris
Brigadier General John Charteris CMG, DSO was a British general during the First World War. He was Sir Douglas Haig's Chief of British Army Intelligence Officer at the British Expeditionary Force's headquarters from 1915 to 1918....
, he did not read out his written statement, which gave a "clear and convincing account of his views, he did not even refer to it when he spoke but to the dismay of his staff attempted to extemporise. In the effort he became totally unintelligible and unbearably dull. The university dignitaries soon fell asleep, Haig's friends became more and more uncomfortable, only he seemed totally unconscious of his failure."
Warner suggests that the notes Haig made in advance might have been prepared on the assumption that the battle was evenly balanced and would have sounded absurd if used after the result was declared.
Analysis
"Haig was completely out-generalled by Grierson, in spite of the efforts of the umpires and judges to make the contest appear more even.". A major factor was that Haig had not realised the importance of the spotter aircraft. Grierson had hidden his forces from observation and Haig never knew where the Blue forces were. In his speech at Trinity Hall, Grierson recounted "I told them to look as like toadstools as they could and to make noises like oysters." In contrast, Grierson had almost perfect knowledge of the movements of Haig's troops.Haig learnt the lessons of the manoeuvres and thenceforth encouraged the development of observer aircraft.
Grierson's style also encouraged his staff to take responsibility. Sir Percy Radcliffe recalls that he was sent with an order to throw in the Territorials at a certain point. Seeing there was not time, on his own initiative he threw them in at another with total success.
Anecdotes
Things went wrong for SeelyJ. E. B. Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone
John Edward Bernard Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone CB, CMG, DSO, PC, TD was a British soldier and politician. He was a Conservative Member of Parliament from 1900 to 1904 and a Liberal MP from 1904 to 1922 and from 1923 to 1924...
, the Secretary of State for War
Secretary of State for War
The position of Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a British cabinet-level position, first held by Henry Dundas . In 1801 the post became that of Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The position was re-instated in 1854...
:
- His horse went lame and its replacement was delayed, so Seely kept the King waiting, for which he apologised. When the pair paused in their ride, the King cried out, "I wish you would stop your horse eating my foot." Seely jabbed the mount, but the King's foot was badly bruised. Seely apologised again but the King was displeased.
- Seely galloped ahead to their destination to find the Canadian and South African Ministers for Defence in a fist fight. The South African had contended that one South African was better than twenty Britons in a battle whilst the Canadian had riposted that one Canadian was better than twenty South Africans. They decided to settle the matter with the fight. The King witnessed the brawl and Seely apologised yet again.
Literature
- Report on the British Manoeuvres of 1912 by General Foch, (cited in English translation in Patricia E. Prestwich, ‘French Attitudes Towards Britain, 1911–1914’ (Ph.D. thesis, Stanford University, 1973) p297.)