The Silent General Horne of the First Army

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. Though he wrote no memoirs nor kept anything more than sketchy diaries, 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.

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.