1. A Visit to Lord Roberts 2. Irish and Indian Beginnings 3. 1857 4. On the Staff: Roberts's career in the 1860s and 1870s 5. War in Afghanistan 6. Command in Madras 7. Command of the Indian Army I 8. Command of the Indian Army II 9. Home and Ireland 10. Turning the Tide of War in South Africa 11. Commander-in-chief at Whitehall 12. Campaign for National Service and the Irish Crisis 13. Death, Apotheosis and Oblivion Bibliography Index
This biography of Field Marshal Lord Roberts explores a military career that spanned the apogee of the British Empire.
Rodney Atwood received his PhD from the University of Cambridge, UK and has served in the Royal Tank Regiment.
[Uses] the most recent studies and selected primary source material
to achieve a more balanced and nuanced portrayal of the “Indian”
general. The result has been to put a dent of humanity,
authenticity, and historical veracity in the façade of heroic
infallibility previously propagated by Roberts himself and his
circle of acolytes.
*International Journal of Military History and Historiography*
Frederick Roberts, one of the commanding military figures of the
Victorian and Edwardian era, has been ill served by two previous
modern biographies in 1954 and 1972 that failed both to reveal the
complexity of the real character behind the popular image of
'Bobs', and also to analyse the proper military, political and
social context in which Roberts climbed to the top of his
profession. Rodney Atwood has now provided a balanced re-assessment
of the often controversial role of Roberts, from campaigns in
Afghanistan and South Africa to that for conscription before the
First World War. It is an indispensable contribution to the
historiography of the Victorian and Edwardian army.
*Ian Beckett, Professor of Military History, University of Kent,
UK*
Revisionist is often used as a coded insult amongst historians.
However in the case of Rodney Atwood’s latest book it truly is
revisionist in the best sense of the word, causing us to
re-evaluate much of what we thought we knew about one of the most
influential figures of the Victorian era. This biography goes back
to the original documents, where they still exist, rather than
relying on Lord Robert’s autobiography Forty-one Years in India as
so many biographers have. Rudyard Kipling said that Forty-one Years
was remarkable “…for the things he does not say”. Many of these
‘things’ have now been said by Rodney Atwood. As a consequence we
have a biography that examines Lord Robert’s weaknesses, his
prejudices and his vulnerability alongside his better known
strengths to give us perhaps our best insight to date into the life
of a remarkable man.
*Christopher Brice, author of The Thinking Man's Soldier: The Life
and Career of General Sir Henry Brackenbury 1837-1914 (2012)*
To mark the hundredth anniversary of Lord Roberts' death, Rodney
Atwood has written a compelling biography of a soldier who bestrode
the late Victorian military stage. 'Bobs', as he was affectionately
known, became the general to whom politicians turned in a crisis
and, in both Afghanistan and South Africa, Roberts succeeded where
others had failed. The author expertly documents Roberts’ triumphs,
yet does not shy away from revealing how an essentially kindly man
could on occasion display extreme ruthlessness in his dealings with
the enemy. Capable of inspiring great loyalty, he at the same time
infuriated his critics (and envious rivals within the British Army)
with his rampant ambition and assiduous self-promotion. An
archetypal popular hero of the British Empire at its zenith,
Roberts emerges as so much more in this latest book from the
skilful pen of Rodney Atwood.
*Dr Alastair Massie, Head of Academic Access at the National Army
Museum, UK*
Rodney Atwood’s new biography, The Life of Field Marshal Lord
Roberts, is an essential read for all those interested in the
British army and Imperial expansion during the Victorian era. A
fresh interpretation of Roberts’ transformation into one of
Britain’s leading military figures has been long overdue. Atwood
examines Roberts with great care highlighting his military
successes in India, Afghanistan, and South Africa, his reforms as
Commander in Chief, and the variety of controversies that
surrounded his long career. As Atwood successfully demonstrates,
“Little Bobs” was truly a remarkable officer.
*Stephen Miller, Professor of History, University of Maine,
USA*
Clearly written and carefully researched, Atwood’s book provides
numerous insights into the career of one of Britain’s most famous
generals, as well as the institution that he rose to command.
*History: Reviews of New Books*
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