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Charles Repington.
Charles
Repington was born at Heytesbury, Wiltshire in 1858. His father, Henry
Wyndham Repington, was Conservative
MP for Wilton (1852-1855). Educated at Eton and Sandhurst, he joined
the Rifle Brigade in 1878. After active service in Afghanistan, he entered
the Staff College at Camberley. Fellow students included Herbert
Plumer and Horace Smith-Dorrien.
After acting as a military attaché in Brussels and the Hague, Repington
served in the Boer War. In 1900 Repington
was posted to Egypt where he became involved with the wife of a British
official. The military authorities warned Repington about his behaviour
and he promised to stop seeing the woman. However, the relationship
continued and when the husband named Repington in divorce proceedings,
he was forced to resign from the army.
Repington now turned to writing and became military correspondent of
the Morning Post (1902-1904) and The
Times (1904-1918). On the outbreak of the First
World War Repington remained in London and relied on his contacts
in the British Army and the War Office
for his information. Through his friendship with the Commander-in-Chief
of the British Army, Sir John French, Repington
was invited to visit the Western Front in
November 1914, whereas most war correspondents were banned from France.
On a visit to the Western Front during
the offensive at Artois, Repington was shown
confidential information about the British
Army being short of artillery shells. When his article about the
shell shortage appeared in The Daily Mail,
its owner, Lord Northcliffe, called for
Lord Kitchener, the War Minister, to
be sacked. Repington now had growing influence over military policy
and one politician described him as "the twenty-third member of
the Cabinet".
The discussion that followed Repington's article resulted in David
Lloyd George being appointed Minister of Munitions. However, Lord
Kitchener got his revenge on Repington by getting him banned from
the Western Front and he was not allowed
to return until March, 1916.
In 1918 Repington and Lord Northcliffe,
the owner of The Times, had a dispute
over the war and this led to him rejoining the Morning
Post. Soon afterwards, Repington was charged with contriving
the Defence of the Realm regulations when
he disclosed secret information in an article he wrote for the newspaper.
Repington was found guilty and fined.
After the war Repington worked for the Daily
Telegraph. He also wrote several books on the war including
The First World War (1920) and After
the War (1922). In these books
Repington divulged private conversations and correspondence. Although
the books sold well, Repington was shunned by former friends who felt
he had betrayed them. Charles Repington died in Hove on 25th May, 1925.
Charles
Repington
Charles
Repington:
Spartacus Biography
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Debates
War
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Charles
Repington
(1)
Charles Repington, The First World War (1920)
The
ostensible cause of the outbreak of the war was the murder of the Austrian
Archduke Franz Ferdinand at Serajevo on June 28, 1914. This murder was
followed by an Austrian ultimatum to Serbia of the most rigorous and
exacting character, and though Serbia humbled herself, and agreed to
almost all the terms, Austria pretended to regard the reply as unsatisfactory,
and at once declared war. This ultimatum was, I believe, drafted by
Count Forgach, my old friend of the Hague days, in collaboration with
ount Berchtold and the German Ambassador at Vienna Sir Edward Grey told
me soon afterwards that the annotated text of it had been seen, before
it was sent off, on the table of one of the chiefs of the Foreign Office
in Berlin. The German military party, determined to wage war at the
first favourable opportunity in order to forestall the impending expansion
of the Russian Army, reckoned the moment propitious and the pretext
adequate for war, and from the first Germany blocked all the openings
to peace.
(2)
Charles Repington, The First World War (1920)
After
a long retreat, great losses, and much suffering, the Allied Armies
turned on the Marne, and from September 6 onward there began that wonderful
series of battles in which the French re-established the campaign and
drove the enemy back in rout to the Aisne. The action of General Joffre
and of his Army Commanders and their valiant troops during this period
filled me with admiration, and, except in July 1918, there was perhaps
never such an abrupt reversal of the roles between two contending armies
as there was at this famous time. I also thought that Sir John French's
decision to cross the Aisne in pursuit was one of the boldest ever taken
by a commander, and the behaviour of our troops in that fight seemed
to me most glorious.
Our Army then moved
to the left and began that series of wonderful actions which culminated
in the defeat of the second great German effort to overwhelm us in the
West, and eventually ended in the establishment of rival lines of defence,
and in the crystallisation of the fighting into the trench warfare which
endured throughout the years 1915, 1916, and 1917.
(3)
Charles Repington, Daily Mail (15th May,
1915)
The results of our attacks on Sunday
last in the districts of Fromelles and Richebourg were disappointing.
We found the enemy much more strongly posted than we expected. We had
not sufficient high explosive to level his parapets to the ground. When
our infantry gallantly stormed the trenches, as they did in both attacks,
they found a garrison undismayed, many entanglements still intact, and
Maxims on all sides ready to pour in streams of bullets. The attacks
were well planned and valiantly conducted. The infantry did splendidly,
but the conditions were too hard. The want of an unlimited supply of
high explosives was a fatal bar to our success.
(4)
Charles Repington, diary entry (11th November, 1915)
Derby is a useful public servant, tall, bluff, hearty, and always smiling;
not clever, but very shrewd, a man of the world with very good sense,
and at this moment is popular with all classes, including labour and
the Army. I do not see anybody better than he for the post of War Secretary
if Lloyd George does not want it. But I question whether it is wise
for me or The Times to advocate Derby's appointment. I
am inclined to think we had better wait and let things work out naturally.
(5)
Charles Repington, diary entry (21st December, 1915)
We heard this morning that our troops had evacuated Gallipoli and Anzac
successfully; a great relief to us all, and especially to the Government,
which would probably have been turned out had the operation cost as
much as was feared by Ian Hamilton and others.
Saw a friend and discussed the general situation. The continuation of
the allied pressure on the three main fronts is in our opinion the best
road to victory. We agreed upon the usefulness of the Balkan theatre
to us.
(6)
Charles
Repington, diary entry (5th January, 1916)
Went
down to hear the Prime Minister bring in the Compulsion Bill. A packed
house. The Prime Minister very quiet and undemonstrative. He spoke so
low that he was invited to speak up. A great want of magnetism, and
judged by this speech his powers are failing, but it may be only a trick.
He gave no explanations of the military necessity for the Bill, but
restricted himself to the political side, to his pledge, and to the
terms of the Bill. Sir John Simon, who has happily left the Government,
got up next and made an unhappy speech for a Minister who has had all
the facts before him. He was cheered by the riff-raff of the Left, but
he made a bad impression.
(7)
Charles Repington, diary entry (4th February, 1916)
Finished
rather an important article about the German casualties, making out
that they have lost 150,000 men a month since the war began; that is
the permanent net loss including sickness. I find that my article on
'The Western Front' is regarded as unanswerable, and is generally agreed
with by the most important people.
(8)
In
the spring of 1916 Charles Repington went to the Western
Front (31st March, 1916)
A
company of German prisoners was paraded for my inspection. They were
captured in Avocourt Wood a few days ago. They are a villainous-looking
lot with bad faces, and many were miserable-looking specimens of humanity.
There were all sorts of men. There were Poles who were delighted to
be free; others were short of fingers or were deaf; others had joined
in February and were captured within two months. There were scarcely
any men who would have been taken by the German Army in peace-time.
(9)
In
the spring of 1916 Charles Repington went to the Western
Front (1st April, 1916)
We visited the trenches of the 4th Army, which are held on their left
by the 7th Cavalry Corps. A long walk through woods to a ruined farm.
In front is the first line of all, which is an outpost line by a small
number of men and a few machine guns just to check the enemy had to
split up an attack. All these trenches are protected by wire, mostly
barbed, but not altogether so; and as it is the order in the 4th Army
to add two yards of depth to one or other of the lines of wire entanglement
every week, the result is a perfect sea of wire.
The dug-outs are very deep, with good wooden bunks, one above the other,
for the men to sleep in. There are blankets and straw in the bunks.
Each dug-out has at least two entrances, in case one is blown in by
a shell.
The parapets are arranged for rifle fire, but there seems to be a great
absence of head cover. The machine guns and 37-mm guns are placed in
concealed pits flanking the lines and covering all approaches. The tops
of them are covered with canvas and pieces of bracken or branches.
(10)
Charles
Repington had a
meeting with Winston Churchill on 3rd
June 1916. He recorded his thoughts on the meeting in his diary.
Winston was full of the naval-fight off Jutland. He had
been asked to issue the semi-official communiqué which appeared
in Sunday's papers, June 4, and was not quite sure whether he had done
right or not. Balfour's private secretary had made the demand, whereupon
Winston had consulted Lloyd George and Rufus Isaacs, who said that he
could not refuse, so he returned to the Admiralty, and said he would
draft something if Balfour personally asked for it. This Balfour did.
Winston thinks
that the success of the German Battle Cruiser Squadron against our superior
squadron of similar type is a very serious matter and requires investigation.
I agreed, but we are evidently very badly informed of all these events
as yet, and cannot draw conclusions.
(11)
Charles
Repington,
diary entry (9th June, 1916)
The torpedoing or mining of the
Hampshire, and the drowning of nearly every one on board, including
Lord Kitchener, O'Beirne, and FitzGerald, is a great tragedy. They were
on their way to Russia, and were blown up off the Orkneys. The news
came while many of our friends were selling at a bazaar in the Caledonian
Market, and the women of the East End shed tears at the news. We hoped
against hope, but no doubt now remains. A great figure gone. The services
which he rendered in the early days of the war cannot be forgotten.
They transcend those of all the lesser men who were his colleagues,
some few of whom envied his popularity. His old manner of working alone
did not consort with the needs of this huge syndicalism, modern war.
The thing was too big. He made many mistakes. He was not a good Cabinet
man. His methods did not suit a democracy. But there he was, towering
above the others in character as in inches, by far the most popular
man in the country to the end, and a firm rock which stood out amidst
the raging tempest.
(12)
Charles
Repington,
diary entry (6th July, 1916)
Lord Esher had arranged this trip to the Somme for me. The invitation
having come, I set out and left for Amiens at this morning. I was met
at the station by Colonel Hutton Wilson, who was in charge of the Press,
and I put up at the Hotel du Rhin. Brigadier-General Charteris, now
in charge of the Intelligence in Macdonogh's place, came to lunch, and
said that
I was free to go where I pleased, the only stipulation was to kill Germans.
The strategic objective in this area was a secondary consideration.
There were about 60 German battalions against us, and 30 against the
French, when the action began on July 1. There are 120 battalions against
us now, all the German troops eastward to Verdun having
been milked. At present the Germans were afraid to milk their front
to northward for fear lest we should make another attack there.
Rawlinson was in
charge of the 4th Army, which was making the attack. He had been given
fifteen divisions but
Gough, after the attack, had been placed in charge of the 8th and 10th
Army Corps, which, with Snow's 7th Army Corps, had made the unsuccessful
attack between Gommecourt and Thiepval. Since the beginning some divisions
had been taken out of our line and replaced owing to the failure and
losses of our attacks at Gommecourt, Thiepval and Orvillers. Charteris
said we had lost 55,000 men, and put down the German losses at 75,000,
which I did not believe. He is going to say officially that the Germans
have lost 60,000 and says that I can safely say 50 000.
(13)
Charles
Repington,
diary entry (8th July, 1916)
I went by invitation to G.H.Q., which are at Beauquesne, north of Amiens.
Haig is living at a chateau in a wood on the right-hand side of the
road, a mile along the Marieux road. I found Haig with Kiggell: the
latter was very pleasant, but spoke little. Haig explained things on
the map. It is staff work rather than generalship which is necessary
for this kind of fighting. He laid great stress on his raids, and he
showed me on a map where these had taken place. He said that he welcomed
criticisms, but when I mentioned the criticisms which I had heard of
his misuse of artillery on July 1, he did not
appear to relish it, and denied its truth. As he was not prepared
to talk of things of real interest, I said very little, and left him
to do the talking. I also had a strong feeling that the tactics of July
1 had been bad. I don't know which of us was the most glad to be rid
of the other.
(14)
Charles
Repington went to see Sir John French during
the Somme Offensive (17th July, 1916)
Went to see Sir John French at the Horse Guards. He had just got word
from the War Office that our losses up to Saturday evening were 103,000,
of which between twenty and thirty thousand were missing. Sir John asked
me whether I thought the game was worth the candle. The bit of ground
we have gained is about the same as we had gained at Loos at half the
cost, and we now had twice the Army. He does not think that we can win
at the rate. Nor do I, but where are the thirty new divisions which
I said we should want in 1916?
(15)
Charles
Repington went to see Winston Churchill
during the Somme Offensive (20th July, 1916)
Finished and sent off my second and third articles on the first phase
of the battle on the Somme. They have to go to the G.H.Q. in France,
which I think an absurdity.
Lunched with Winston Churchill at 41 Cromwell Road. He knew all about
the battle and the causes of our heavy losses. He has always been against
this offensive, and thought it would come to no good. But we agreed
that something had to be done, and we could not sit still. He was very
pleased with his journalistic success. He had got £1000 for writing
four long articles in a Sunday paper, and felt sure that he could make
£5000 a year, and place himself on the right side in matters of
finance.
He told me that I ought to have had one of the highest commands, and
that no one had my brain. I wonder whether he says this to everybody.
I took the compliment for what it was worth.
(16)
on
2nd August, 1916, Sir John French arranged
for Charles Repington to see how the War Office was dealing with Zeppelin
air raids.
About 10.30 p.m. came the news over the telephone of the imminence of
a fresh Zeppelin raid. We all went off, and I had an opportunity of
seeing the whole of the anti-Zeppelin arrangements working at full pressure
in the stables, or cellars, at a certain place. General Shaw was there
in control of a Staff of about twenty or thirty young officers, naval
and military, clerks, telegraph and telephone and wireless operators,
etc. The telephonic and telegraphic system very complete, and messages
came in with few delays.
I went first to the Chart Room, where the position of most if not all
the Zeppelins in the North Sea before the raid began was shown. This
is done in the following manner: Zeppelins cannot navigate at night
with any certainty of knowing where they are. They, therefore, send
by wireless to Germany the number of their ship - L29, or whatever it
is - and two German wireless stations, at a wide distance apart, get
the message and send it back at once the exact bearing of the airship,
which they can do by one of the many inventions of this art. The airship
officer plots the two bearings, the intersection of which then gives
him his position. But we also pick up the airship's number, and, by
cross bearings from our wireless stations, can plot in the Chart Room
the exact position of every Zeppelin.
(17)
Edward Lawson-Levy, The Story of the Daily Telegraph (1955)
The
first
of a line of military correspondents was Captain Battine, a cavalry
officer who came to the Telegraph on the recommendation of Sir
John French. Battine was succeeded by Colonel Repington when he left
The Times. He wrote at a time in international affairs when his
special knowledge and talent were particularly valuable. Though his
critics chose to regard him as a somewhat extinct volcano his contributions
to the Telegraph in the comparatively short period before his
death retained the distinction which characterized all that he did.
