Henry Wilson’s Mischief: Field Marshall Sir Henry Wilson’s Rise to Power 1917-18

Abstract

Henry Wilson rose from being, in the summer of 1917, a general who had failed to distinguish himself in the war to become the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, in the spring of 1918. He rose because he was confident that he alone amongst his fellows understood the correct path for Britain to follow if it were to avoid disaster in the war; but also because by his political intriguing he ensured that Lloyd George could not ignore him. An understanding of the process by which Wilson became C.I.G.S. is important not only because it helps us to reach a better understanding of a general important in his own right, but also because the Wilson intrigue was a crucial part of Lloyd George’s battle with the generals, and an excellent illustration of the kinds of considerations which often underlie crucial decisions in time of war.