Minutes of Proceedings and Précis prepared for the Army Council for the Year 1905.

£1,500 · Offered by Maggs Bros Ltd

Extremely uncommon, apparently a print-run of 20 copies, designated “Secret”. We have been able to trace only the copy of this and the previous years’ Minutes… in the Arnold-Forster Papers in the BL Manuscripts Collection. This copy has an inked inscription identifying it as the copy of the Director of [Army] Finance, Sir Guy Fleetwood Wilson, who held the post until 1908 and had formerly been Kitchener’s Financial Adviser in South Africa, and Assistant Under-Secretary of State for War. Formed with great expediency on the recommendation of Esher’s committee in 1904 the Army Council was intended to replace the functions of the Commander in Chief. Its first head, as Secretary of State for War, was H.O. Arnold-Forster, “never popular in the clubs” [Luvaas Education of an Army p.276], both his policies and his manner grated on those whose support he needed to rely upon, he “lectured the generals of the Army Council as if they were schoolboys and treated the House of Commons with scarcely more respect” [Hamer The British Army p.230]. His overly rapid programme of reforms “… provoked strong opposition and against which Esher [who had declined Balfour’s offer of the War Office] intrigued. Arnold-Forster condemned Esher’s “constant interference” by “an unauthorised and irresponsible person”.” [ ODNB ]. With the fall of Balfour’s Liberal Government at the end of 1905 Arnold-Forster was replaced by R.B Haldane who was to meet with a far greater measure of success in the drive to reform

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.