Haig's Tower of Strength (ePub)
General Sir Edward Bulfin – Ireland's Forgotten General
WWI Boer/Zulu War Biographies Military
Imprint: Pen & Sword Military
File Size: 3.2 MB (.epub)
Pages: 320
ISBN: 9781526722614
eBook Released: 7th September 2018
National Publicity!
Former Brigadier and author John Powell talks about his biography of General Sir Edward Bulfin on the Mentioned in Dispatches by the Western Front Association with Dr Tom Thorpe. Click here to download and listen to this episode via iTunes.
As featured by The Irish Times: Haig’s ‘tower of strength’ – An Irishman’s Diary on Sir Edward Bulfin
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This is the first biography of General Sir Edward Bulfin, who rose to high rank, despite his Irish Catholic birth and close nationalist relations. Not only that but, by the outbreak of the Great War, Bulfin was a brigade commander never having attended Sandhurst, Staff College or commanded a battalion.
In his early career, he was a protégé of Sir William Butler, a fellow Irishman, and earned his spurs in the Boer War. In 1914 Haig found him a 'tower of strength', helping to save the day at First Ypres. Seriously wounded at the height of the battle, Bulfin, on recovery, was given 28th Division, which he led through Second Ypres and Loos. Unable to get on with Gough, he was sent home to raise 60th London Division, taking it to France, Salonika and Egypt where Allenby chose him to command a corps. His success against the Turks at Gaza, Jerusalem and Megiddo justified Allenby's confidence.
Despite ruthlessly crushing an uprising in post-war Egypt, Bulfin refused Churchill's order to command the police against his fellow Irishmen in 1920.
A private man, Bulfin left few letters and no papers. The author is to be congratulated on piecing together this fascinating biography of an enigmatic figure, who deserves to be better known, both in Britain and Ireland.
As featured on
Dispatches Podcast of the Western Front Association
As referenced in article on Haig's anti-Catholicism
The Catholic Herald, 9 November 2018
Whenever I read the word 'Forgotten' in the title of a military history, I shudder with a dose of cynicism at its overuse in recalling long ago generals and battles. In this instance, however, John Powell - a retired British Army brigadier - is quite correct to do so in this fine and refreshing biography of General Sir Edward Bulfin, GOC XXI Corps under Allenby in Palestine.
Australian Army Journal
John Powell has done Bulfin and us a great service in bringing this little known general of the Great War to our attention. It is a most worthy addition to the historiography of the war, and one hopes he will do more in filling the gap in our knowledge of the lesser known generals who commanded at brigade, divisional and corps level.
Rising from command of the 2nd Brigade at First Ypres, where he was seriously wounded on 1st November, Bulfin was appointed GOC of the 28th Division in early 1915 in France and found himself relieved of command as a consequence of standing up to Gough over the latter’s impossible demands. Some may consider that Bulfin was a scapegoat but no one can deny that following a long and extremely costly week in front of Loos during his Division lost 146 officers and 3,230 men almost one third of the infantry strength of the Division. Back in UK Bulfin was then tasked with raising the 60th London Division which he commanded at Vimy in 1916 and in Salonika and Egypt. He was chosen by Allenby to command XX1 Corps which he led with success at the capture of Gaza, Jerusalem and Megiddo. This is a fascinating and important biography by Brigadier John Powell, who like Bulfin was Colonel of the Green Howards, which fills a big gap in our understanding of this very private and proud Irishman about whom Allenby wrote: “There is no one I would rather have as a colleague in battle; no one I would less like to have as an opponent.”
Military Historical Society
John Powell has done Bulfin and us a great service in bringing this little known general of the Great War to our attention. It is a most worthy addition to the historiography of the war, and one hopes he will do more in filling the gap in our knowledge of the lesser known generals who commanded at brigade, divisional and corps level.
Amazon Customer
Read the full review here
As featured in 'First Flush'
Books Ireland, November/December 2018
As featured in
The Irish Times 7/9/18
About John Powell
John Powell retired from the Regiment in 1998. He had served as CO of the 1st Battalion in Londonderry from 1987-1989 and for the tercentenary in Catterick. He was Deputy Colonel of the Green Howards from 1996-2001, he currently lives in Hampshire