The Silent General

"Farr's book assesses Horne's command style, his relationship with the Canadians and his dealings with the commander-in-chief; this is where the value of the book lies, and that value is considerable. Farr has plugged quite a considerable gap in the biographical writings of the war." (Society of Friends of the National Army Museum) Whether or not Henry Sinclair Horne was the 'silent' General he might certainly, if he were still alive, lay claim to being the 'forgotten' General of the Western Front. Though he wrote no memoirs nor kept anything more than sketchy diaries, it is still surprising that such an important contributor to the defeat of the German army in the Great War has not until now received the attentions of a biographer. Henry Horne first made an impact during the Boer War, fortuitously as it was to turn out, under the eyes of a Colonel Douglas Haig. By the outbreak of the Great War, Henry Horne was a Brigadier General. Two years later he was a full General in command of the BEF's First Army. His was one of the most rapid elevations to top rank recorded in the war. In the two years he spent as an army commander he commanded the brilliant capture of Vimy Ridge, the desperate defensive Battle of the Lys, the successful assault on the Drocourt-Queant Switch, the outstanding crossing of the Canal du Nord and the liberation of Douai, Cambrai, Lens, Valenciennes and Mons. This belated biography assesses Henry Horne's relationship with Haig and the Canadian Corps. It also evaluates his contribution to the technical advances of the artillery during the war and describes the battles which he conducted. It attempts to accord to Henry Horne the recognition and credit that he deserves but which has for so long been withheld. About the Author Don Farr is an acclaimed World War I historian, with publications including Mons 1914-18: The Beginning of the End, and spent many years researching the life and times of Henry Horne.