The Life, Letters and War Diaries of Sir David Watson, Volume I 1914-1916, 2nd Ed. PDF Download

Author: G F Wagner Editor
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Languages : en
Pages : 252

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Book Description
To the Reader ..... this book was not supposed to be !I only sought out Major-General Sir David Watson's War Diaries to find all references to my grandfather, who was his Aide-de-Camp during World War I. In the process, I became engrossed in the diaries and read them in their entirety. Simultaneously, I sought out references to Watson in the history books. Here I discovered that the man described in the books was not the man revealed in the diaries. Historians have characterized Watson as a political insider who used his wealth and connections during the war to obtain high command. He has likewise been judged as one of the worst Canadian generals of World War I. Comments from friends, however, and the diaries and letters, reveal him otherwise as a modest man who cared deeply about his men, deliberately shared their privations, and worked tirelessly on their behalf. Watson was born in Quebec City to humble circumstances. And yet, he was renowned there as a star athlete, and rose to become one of its wealthiest citizens. His was one of Horatio Alger's rags-to-riches stories, except that in his case, it was all true. Then, at age 45, he went overseas and rose from Colonel to Major-General in the Canadian Corps. He led 2nd CDN Battalion, 5th CDN Brigade and then 4th CDN Division from 1916 until War's end, and was knighted for his service. He then died suddenly of a stroke in 1922. And so my original intention, which was to learn more about my grandfather, subsequently morphed into a desire to set the record straight on Sir David Watson's character and war record.In 'Dave, we hardly knew you', Watson's War Diaries have been transcribed in full, along with the letters he wrote and received at the time, plus newspaper articles by journalists who visited him at the Front, all inserted chronologically. They reveal his views on American neutrality, citizen soldiers, his conversations with German prisoners, and his views on the War in general, all as quoted by the Press. And wherever necessary, editorial comment have been inserted either for clarity or to better inform the reader.Watson wrote to his family, the CDN Corps General Staff, and friends such as Max Aitken (Lord Beaverbrook). Viewed collectively, the diaries and letters put an entirely different slant on the man. And, for diehard fans of Great War history, his thoughts & words make for interesting reading. Volume I covers Watson's early life (1869-1914) and the first three years of the Great War (1914-1916), supplemented by some 60 photographs and maps, most of which have never been seen before.