There have been many Kitchener biographies over the years, some balanced, some practically hagiographic. This most recent is a good one. The problem with doing a biography on a figure such as Kitchener is not only that he is so iconic but that he was a very complex person whose career covered more than one nearly legendary period in the history of the British Army. Anne Samson’s biography of Kitchener is not just the latest, but her Kitchener: The Man Not the Myth, immediately stands out as different enough to be unique, and well done enough to be quite impressive.
As a military historian whose career began over 40 years ago studying late Victorian and Great War British military, I was initially put off by Dr. Samson’s admission that she is not a military historian and so would not deal directly with the military aspects of Kitchener’s career. By the end of the book, though, this proved to be a benefit and not a detriment, and perhaps an apology is in order as Samson’s biography is now a favorite. It is very well written, and Samson’s turn of phrase, insight, and analysis are outstanding.
H.H. Kitchener built his career through the building and maintenance of the empire in the glory years of the Victorian era. Never attaining the heroic stature of Wolseley, Roberts or even Buller, unfortunate controversy over his desecration of the Mahdi’s grave and the desperate measure of concentration camps in the Boer War tend to sully his reputation. Samson even notes the story of “Breaker” Morant, which hurt Kitchener’s image much more in the modern world (thanks to the excellent movie of the same name) than it did to his contemporaries.
Outliving and outlasting most of those contemporaries, Kitchener almost by default became the symbol of a desperate nation facing the horrors of the Great War. To the generation of Britons who fought World War I, nothing could match the power and encouragement of the steely-eyed Lord Kitchener demanding the nation’s participation in the fight. Unfortunately, his leadership was not as remarkable as this image, and it was primarily his death by a German mine that turned him from scapegoat to martyr.
There are only a few critical points to make about Dr. Samson’s book. Thomas Pakenham’s The Boer War is still the definitive study of that conflict and could have helped in some of the events and assessment of Kitchener’s actions had she included it in her study of that period. She does an excellent job using the multitude of biographies as starting points, but Pakenham should also have been used.
One other thing worth noting is that Dr Samson does not address the questions regarding Kitchener’s sexuality. This would not be an issue, except that her title and narrative suggest that the book will delve into his personal side, and she even devotes an entire chapter to his private life. It could be suggested that if the book details his religious beliefs then his sexuality is also not off limits. To those who know the rumors, her multiple references to Oswald Fitzgerald are more than just hints and should be addressed. Perhaps it is simply a reflection of today’s neo-Victorian squeamishness that sex is not mentioned, and it does not detract from the quality of the book, just as it did not detract from Kitchener’s skills as an Army officer. As with lack of military details, the more one already knows about Kitchener, the better Samson’s book is.
Overall, these negatives are more "nitpicking" than serious issues, and Samson’s Kitchener: The Man Not the Myth is a welcome addition to both Victorian and Great War scholarship.
James Thomas
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