Francis Yeats-Brown
Encyclopedia
Major Francis Charles Claypon Yeats-Brown, DFC
(15 August 1886 – 19 December 1944) was an officer in the British Indian army and the author of the celebrated memoir The Lives of a Bengal Lancer, for which he was awarded the 1930 James Tait Black Memorial Prize
.
, the son of a British diplomat
. He studied at Harrow
and Sandhurst
. When he was 20, he went to India
where he was attached to the King's Royal Rifle Corps
at Bareilly
in present-day Uttar Pradesh
. He was then transferred to the cavalry
and sent to the perennially turbulent North West Frontier region. His time there engendered in him a sympathy for the Muslim
point of view, and in later years he would support the creation of an independent Pakistan
.
During World War I
, Yeats-Brown saw action in France
and in Mesopotamia
, where he was a member of the Royal Flying Corps
. His acts of bravery gained him the DFC. In 1915, his plane was damaged on landing on a sabotage mission outside Baghdad, and he spent the following two years as a prisoner of war
. This provided the material for his first book Caught by the Turks (1919).
Following a temporary commission in the Royal Air Force
he returned to the Indian Army in August 1919. He retired from the army in 1924, and joined the staff of the Spectator
magazine as assistant editor. He quit the post in 1928. Bengal Lancer, his most famous book, was published in 1930. The book is a memoir of Yeats-Brown's time in India from 1905 to 1914, with an emphasis on cantonment
life at and around Bareilly. An immediate hit with readers and critics, the book won the James Tait Black Award that year, and was turned into a successful 1935 film of the same name
, starring Gary Cooper
. In 1936, he published Lancer at Large where he showed an affinity for the principles of yoga
.
During the 1930s, Yeats-Brown also became involved in right-wing politics. He was a member of the January Club
, and wrote newspaper articles in praise of Francisco Franco
and Hitler, asserting that Hitler had solved Germany's unemployment problem.
When World War II
broke out, Yeats-Brown took up a commission again. During 1943–44, he toured the camps of India and the battlefields of Burma, gathering material for a book entitled Fighting India. He died in England
in December 1944.
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
(15 August 1886 – 19 December 1944) was an officer in the British Indian army and the author of the celebrated memoir The Lives of a Bengal Lancer, for which he was awarded the 1930 James Tait Black Memorial Prize
James Tait Black Memorial Prize
Founded in 1919, the James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are among the oldest and most prestigious book prizes awarded for literature written in the English language and are Britain's oldest literary awards...
.
Life and career
Yeats-Brown was born in GenoaGenoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, the son of a British diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
. He studied at Harrow
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
and Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
. When he was 20, he went to India
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
where he was attached to the King's Royal Rifle Corps
King's Royal Rifle Corps
The King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire...
at Bareilly
Bareilly
Bareilly is a prominent city in Bareilly district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Standing on the Ramganga river, it is the capital of the Bareilly division and the geographical region Rohilkhand...
in present-day Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
. He was then transferred to the cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
and sent to the perennially turbulent North West Frontier region. His time there engendered in him a sympathy for the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
point of view, and in later years he would support the creation of an independent Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Yeats-Brown saw action in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and in Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
, where he was a member of the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
. His acts of bravery gained him the DFC. In 1915, his plane was damaged on landing on a sabotage mission outside Baghdad, and he spent the following two years as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
. This provided the material for his first book Caught by the Turks (1919).
Following a temporary commission in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
he returned to the Indian Army in August 1919. He retired from the army in 1924, and joined the staff of the Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
magazine as assistant editor. He quit the post in 1928. Bengal Lancer, his most famous book, was published in 1930. The book is a memoir of Yeats-Brown's time in India from 1905 to 1914, with an emphasis on cantonment
Cantonment
A cantonment is a temporary or semi-permanent military or police quarters. The word cantonment is derived from the French word canton meaning corner or district, as is the name of the Cantons of Switzerland. In South Asia, the term cantonment also describes permanent military stations...
life at and around Bareilly. An immediate hit with readers and critics, the book won the James Tait Black Award that year, and was turned into a successful 1935 film of the same name
The Lives of a Bengal Lancer
The Lives of a Bengal Lancer is a 1935 American adventure film loosely adapted from the 1930 book of the same name by Francis Yeats-Brown. The plot of the movie, which bears little resemblance to Yeats-Brown's memoir, concerns British soldiers defending the borders of India against rebellious...
, starring Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper
Frank James Cooper, known professionally as Gary Cooper, was an American film actor. He was renowned for his quiet, understated acting style and his stoic, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Westerns he made...
. In 1936, he published Lancer at Large where he showed an affinity for the principles of yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
.
During the 1930s, Yeats-Brown also became involved in right-wing politics. He was a member of the January Club
January Club
The January Club was a discussion group founded in 1934 by Oswald Mosley to attract Establishment support for the movement known as the British Union of Fascists....
, and wrote newspaper articles in praise of Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
and Hitler, asserting that Hitler had solved Germany's unemployment problem.
When World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
broke out, Yeats-Brown took up a commission again. During 1943–44, he toured the camps of India and the battlefields of Burma, gathering material for a book entitled Fighting India. He died in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in December 1944.
Selected works
- Caught by the Turks (1919).
- The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1930)
- Golden Horn (1932)
- Dogs of War (1934)
- Lancer at Large (1936)
- Yoga Explained (1937)
- European Jungle (1939)
- Indian Pageant (1942)
- Fighting India (1945)
Honours and awards
- 10 October 1919 - Flying Officer Francis Charles Claydon Yeats-Brown of the Royal Air Force is awarded the Distinguished Flying CrossDistinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
in recognition of distinguished services rendered during the war.