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. His self-effacement in a profession not renowned for shrinking violets undoubtedly made its contribution to his relative anonymity - he wrote no memoirs nor kept anything more than sketchy diaries - but 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. After a customary slow start in the late Victorian army, 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-Quéant Switch, the outstanding crossing of the Canal du Nord and the liberation of Douai, Cambrai, Lens, Valenciennes and Mons. Napoleon always sought to ensure that his generals were lucky. In that respect Henry Horne would have suited him. He was lucky in having a long-standing close professional relationship with the Commander-in-Chief, FM Haig; in having under his command at First Army the elite Canadian Corps and some distinguished British divisions; and in having as his Chief of Staff one of the outstanding staff officers of the war.

But there was more to Henry Horne than just luck. 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.

• Cover
• The Silent General
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• List of Maps
• Acknowledgements
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Part One: 1861–1914
  • I Early Days
  • II The Young Officer
  • III South Africa
  • IV The Inter-War Years
• Part Two: World War: August 1914–April 1916
  • V August–December 1914: BGRA I Corps
  • VI 1915: Divisional Commander
  • VII November 1915–April 1916: Near Eastern Interludes
• Part Three: World War: April–October 1916
  • VIII Corps Commander: The Somme: The Opening Days
  • IX Corps Commander: The Somme: Mametz Wood
  • X Corps Commander: The Somme: Bazentin Ridge
  • XI Corps Commander: The Somme: Flers-Courcelette
  • XII The ‘Creeping Barrage’
• Part Four: World War: October 1916–November 1918
  • XIII Army Commander: Vimy Ridge
  • XIV Army Commander: Arras: ‘The Stationary Army’
  • XV Army Commander: The German Lys Offensive
  • XVI Army Commander: The Scarpe and Drocourt-Quéant
  • XVII Army Commander: Canal du Nord, Cambrai and Douai
  • XVIII Army Commander: Valenciennes
  • XIX Army Commander: Mons
• Part Five: 1918–1929
  • XX The Post-War Years
  • XXI An Assessment
• Illustrations
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index
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