James Edward Edmonds
Encyclopedia
Brigadier General
James Edward Edmonds CB
, CMG
(1861–1956) was a British
First World War
officer of the Royal Engineers
who in the role of British official historian was responsible for the post-war compilation of the 28-volume History of the Great War
. Edmonds himself wrote nearly half the volumes, including eleven of the 14 volumes dealing with the Western Front (Military Operations, France and Belgium). His task was not completed until the final volume was published in 1949.
, London and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. Edmonds passed into the Royal Military Academy with the highest marks instructors could remember, he won the Sword of Honour for the 'Best Gentleman Cadet' and was commissioned into the Corps of Royal Engineers
in 1881. In the Royal Engineers his intellect earned him the nickname Archimedes
.
Edmonds possessed a considerable intellect and was fluent in many Europe
an and Asia
n languages. In 1896 he entered the Staff College at Camberley
, achieving the highest score of his class on the entrance exam, double that of classmate Douglas Haig
who would later become commander-in-chief of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) during the First World War. Also in the 1896 class was Edmund Allenby, who would lead British forces in Palestine
during 1917–18, and William Robertson who became Chief of the Imperial General Staff in 1916.
and was posted to the War Office Intelligence Department in 1899. He served as an Intelligence Officer in South Africa
from 1901 - 1904. In 1904 he was appointed to the Far Eastern desk of the War Office Intelligence Department following the removal of an Officer found to have made basic mistakes in the role. He performed well, rising to be the head of the now renamed Military Operations Directorate 5 (MO5) in 1907, by which time he was a highly experience intelligence officer.
Edmonds was arguably the leading army intellectual of his day, as a child living in France
he had witnessed the Franco-Prussian War
and had studied the German
Army ever since. He developed significant German links and was critical in convincing Ministers of the credible German
spy
threat in the build up to World War I
. He is widely credited as being a significant pioneer of intelligence in the departments that developed into MI5
, the British
Security Service.
Edmonds was a key supporter of the appointment of Captain Vernon Kell to the Secret Service Bureaux, the direct predecessor of MI5
of which he became the first head.
led to his replacement in September 1914, within a month of the opening of hostilies. He spent the remainder of the war as a staff officer at GHQ
of the BEF during which time he gathered documents to be used in the Official History. Edmonds needed to demonstrate great diplomacy
to obtain his information. He told his Australia
n counterpart, C.E.W. Bean:
The Official History produced by Edmonds has been subsequently criticised as propaganda
for being too lenient on the British generalship. It has been suggested that Edmonds' favourable portrayal of Haig was a counterpoint to the scathing criticism delivered by former British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George
in his memoirs. In 1991, British historian Denis Winter, a staunch critic of Haig, acknowledged Edmonds' comprehensive understanding of British operations during the war but said "Only a profoundly knowledgeable man could have produced an Official History so misleading and yet with that ring of plausibility which has led to a general acceptance for so long." Andrew Green in 'Writing the Great War: Sir James Edmonds and the Official Histories 1915-1948' (2003) considered the volumes of the Official History for Gallipoli, the Somme, 3rd Ypres and the German March offensive of 1918 and concluded that Edmonds had been far more objective than others had given him credit for.
In 1939 Edmonds became secretary of the Cabinet Office
Historical Section following the resignation of Colonel E. Y. Daniel. Then on 15 November 1939 the section moved to Lytham St Annes
, Lancashire
where it stayed until April 1942 when it moved to the National Library of Wales
in Aberystwyth
.
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
James Edward Edmonds CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(1861–1956) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
First World War
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...
officer of the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
who in the role of British official historian was responsible for the post-war compilation of the 28-volume History of the Great War
History of the Great War
The History of the Great War is a series of 28 volumes covering the military operations of the British Army during the First World War. The full title is the History of the Great War Based on Official Documents but the series is usually referred to as the British Official History...
. Edmonds himself wrote nearly half the volumes, including eleven of the 14 volumes dealing with the Western Front (Military Operations, France and Belgium). His task was not completed until the final volume was published in 1949.
Early Army Life
Edmonds was educated at King's College SchoolKing's College School
King's College School, commonly referred to as KCS, King's, or KCS Wimbledon, is an independent school for day pupils in Wimbledon in south-west London. The school was founded as the junior department of King's College London and occupied part of its premises in Strand, before relocating to...
, London and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. Edmonds passed into the Royal Military Academy with the highest marks instructors could remember, he won the Sword of Honour for the 'Best Gentleman Cadet' and was commissioned into the Corps of Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
in 1881. In the Royal Engineers his intellect earned him the nickname Archimedes
Archimedes
Archimedes of Syracuse was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer. Although few details of his life are known, he is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity. Among his advances in physics are the foundations of hydrostatics, statics and an...
.
Edmonds possessed a considerable intellect and was fluent in many Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n languages. In 1896 he entered the Staff College at Camberley
Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army from 1802 to 1997, with periods of closure during major wars. In 1997 it was merged into the new Joint Services Command and Staff College.-Origins:...
, achieving the highest score of his class on the entrance exam, double that of classmate 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...
who would later become commander-in-chief of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) during the First World War. Also in the 1896 class was Edmund Allenby, who would lead British forces in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
during 1917–18, and William Robertson who became Chief of the Imperial General Staff in 1916.
Military Intelligence and MI5
Edmonds passed the two-year staff course at the top of his class. He was understandably marked for work in military intelligenceMilitary intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
and was posted to the War Office Intelligence Department in 1899. He served as an Intelligence Officer in 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...
from 1901 - 1904. In 1904 he was appointed to the Far Eastern desk of the War Office Intelligence Department following the removal of an Officer found to have made basic mistakes in the role. He performed well, rising to be the head of the now renamed Military Operations Directorate 5 (MO5) in 1907, by which time he was a highly experience intelligence officer.
Edmonds was arguably the leading army intellectual of his day, as a child living 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...
he had witnessed the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
and had studied the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Army ever since. He developed significant German links and was critical in convincing Ministers of the credible German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
spy
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
threat in the build up to 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...
. He is widely credited as being a significant pioneer of intelligence in the departments that developed into MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
, the British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
Security Service.
Edmonds was a key supporter of the appointment of Captain Vernon Kell to the Secret Service Bureaux, the direct predecessor of MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
of which he became the first head.
Later career
At the outbreak of the war, Edmonds was chief-of-staff of the British 4th Division but the strain of the retreat following the Battle of MonsBattle of Mons
The Battle of Mons was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force in the First World War. It was a subsidiary action of the Battle of the Frontiers, in which the Allies clashed with Germany on the French borders. At Mons, the British army attempted to hold the line of the...
led to his replacement in September 1914, within a month of the opening of hostilies. He spent the remainder of the war as a staff officer at GHQ
GHQ
GHQ from General Headquarters, may refer to:*a high level military command center, see headquarters**GHQ India - headquarters of the British India Army...
of the BEF during which time he gathered documents to be used in the Official History. Edmonds needed to demonstrate great diplomacy
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
to obtain his information. He told his Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n counterpart, C.E.W. Bean:
- I was on terms of friendship with all the British generals from Haig downwards. I never belonged to any party and since I was not competing for promotion, I enjoyed confidences I otherwise might not have had.
The Official History produced by Edmonds has been subsequently criticised as propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
for being too lenient on the British generalship. It has been suggested that Edmonds' favourable portrayal of Haig was a counterpoint to the scathing criticism delivered by former British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
in his memoirs. In 1991, British historian Denis Winter, a staunch critic of Haig, acknowledged Edmonds' comprehensive understanding of British operations during the war but said "Only a profoundly knowledgeable man could have produced an Official History so misleading and yet with that ring of plausibility which has led to a general acceptance for so long." Andrew Green in 'Writing the Great War: Sir James Edmonds and the Official Histories 1915-1948' (2003) considered the volumes of the Official History for Gallipoli, the Somme, 3rd Ypres and the German March offensive of 1918 and concluded that Edmonds had been far more objective than others had given him credit for.
In 1939 Edmonds became secretary of the Cabinet Office
Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United Kingdom....
Historical Section following the resignation of Colonel E. Y. Daniel. Then on 15 November 1939 the section moved to Lytham St Annes
Lytham St Annes
Lytham St Annes is a conurbation in the Fylde district of Lancashire, England. The neighbouring towns of Lytham and St-Anne's-on-the-Sea have grown together and now form a seaside resort...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
where it stayed until April 1942 when it moved to the National Library of Wales
National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales , Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales; one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies.Welsh is its main medium of communication...
in Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
.