A Large Collection of Letters Regarding Northern Command First World War Training Schools, Including Anti-Gas & Grenade Instruction June 1915 to December 1916

Comprising approximately 390 letters, many handwritten, others typed & signed (henceforth noted as TLS), these arranged in 7 files relating to each correspondent, bound together with treasury tags in largely reverse chronological order. Roughly 115,000 words. With approximately 104 additional letters, telegrams and documents, bound in as they relate to the matters under discussion. The correspondence shows the then Major Scovell (1881-1948), a veteran of the Second Boer War, post-WW1 Liberal politician, and great-nephew of notable British Army Officer and Waterloo veteran, George Scovell (1774-1861), during an 18 month period at Northern Command Headquarters in York, from mid-1915 until the end of 1916, co-ordinating training efforts, acting as the bridge between The War Office and Horse Guards in London, and his regional colleagues, establishing and improving Schools of Military Instruction, with a particular focus on Commanding Officers and NCOs. This during a crucial period of the First World War, a time of dynamic change in military tactics and battlefield threats, when lessons were being learned from the Battles of Verdun and the Somme, casualties were enormous, and new young officers & troops had to be trained at an unprecedented speed and scale to cope with novel forms of warfare. Of particular note is the correspondence with Arthur Smithells, covering his rise in less than a year from civilian Professor in Chemistry at Leeds University with no military background, to Chief Advisor for Anti-Gas Training for the Home Forces, based at Horse Guards in London and with an honorary rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. Also, that with Major Burton, which provides considerable detail regarding the establishment and development of Grenade and Anti-Gas Instruction at Farnley Park, Otley. Some correspondence is noted as private, i.e. off the official record, much is casual, critical and surprisingly indiscreet. Below are details of the individual files. Acheson, Archibald Charles Montague Brabazon (1877-1954), then Viscount Acheson, working at the Staff Duties Branch of the War Office in London, with the rank of Captain. Acheson was a veteran of the Second Boer War, seems to have seen some active service at the beginning of WW1, and had an interesting private life, marrying two American heiresses and dying in New York. This file contains 80 letters, 53 from Scovell, of which 48 are TLS, one is handwritten and 4 are typed and unsigned, and 27 from Acheson, 13 handwritten, 12 TLS and 2 typed and unsigned. These date from June 24th 1915 – November 29th 1916. Plus 25 related telegrams, notes and documents. These letters are couched in often familiar terms, with much slang, and suggests that they were friends. Unsurprisingly, given Acheson's role, the focus is on men and Officers, their movements, accommodation, quality, discipline, training and general conduct, as well as dealing with supplies. Some quotes below: Feb. 11th 1916: "Why have you insulted me with that beastly "black dog" CVO yourself for your cocktails!" (Acheson) Feb. 1916: "I am hoping to be allowed to send some more young officers to their battalions in France to finish their training with the battalions, though they would not be allowed to go into the trenches." (Acheson) Apr. 4th 1916: "If you can do anything to get a closer co-ordination of effort between the Army Schools in France and those at home you will be doing us a real good turn. An exchange of ideas can do no harm." (Scovell) Apr. 22nd 1916: "Cannot the War Office give increased powers to Commandants of Young Officers Groups to "boot out" incompetent Young Officers" (Scovell) Sept. 27th 1916: "Map-reading and Musketry Knowledge at Gailes [Scottish military training school] are low in standard […] it would save a tremendous amount of worry if all officers coming from Cadet Battalions could fire their Muskets and Revolver Courses before joining their Battalions on first commission" (Scovell) Oct. 3rd 1916: "God knows.