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ISBN: 8753 188 X  HB 244 pp
Published by Brasseys Ltd. 

There can be little argument that the subject of this book was indeed Far from a Donkey. I suspect that Ivor Maxse is probably as well known as Douglas Haig. However in the not too distant past all First World War commanders were vilified as "Donkeys".John Baynes set out to disprove this assertion where Maxse is concerned and I believe he has made a cast iron case for his subject. This is not to say that he has overlooked the "warts" but it is a fair and very reasonable defence of the reputation of one of the more charismatic characters of the war.
Frederick Ivor Maxse was born in London in December 1862. His father was an Admiral but Ivor was not destined to follow in his fathers footsteps. He was educated at Rugby and commissioned into the Royal Fusiliers on 9th September 1882, another of the many Great War officers who served in the Victorian army and who came to prominence in 1914. Not surprisingly his first posting was to India to in January 1883 to serve with the regiments 2nd Battalion at Bellary where he was to first show his talent for organisation and efficiency. The Battalion returned home in March 1889 and he was then able to achieve a long felt ambition by obtaining a transfer to the 2nd Battalion, Coldstream Guards. The period 1891-96 was taken up with duties in London and it was reported that they were not arduous. Coldstream officers seemed to be expected to take long leave periods each year. In this period he served in Dublin before joining the 1st Battalion in London in 1895.
In 1897 he was posted to the Sudan taking part in the battle of Omdurman and then served in South Africa during the Boer War where he produced a new system of logistics within the transport service.
He returned to England in November 1900, being posted to the War Office in the mobilisation department his talents for organisation being recognised. In 1903 he was briefly posted to the 3rd Battalion before taking command of the 2nd Battalion in November of that year. It has to be said that his arrival was not welcome, his reputation for discipline and efficiency having preceded him. However this was to change as his concern for the welfare of his men became appreciated. Further promotion came in August 1910 when he took command of the 1st Guards Brigade in Aldershot. It was not surprising to read that his brigade was considered the best trained in the Aldershot command. Even as a Brigadier he took a great interest in his troops recreation and even making sure that they enjoyed the best food available , something not always appreciated by his peers .
The Brigade duly went to France at the outbreak of war but did not take part in any fighting until the heroic action of the Royal Munsters at Etreux, the battalion not receiving Maxses order to retire .He was not at all pleased with the way his Brigade was managed by GHQ staff during the retirement in August and September. So much so that Haig became more than a little annoyed at his complaints, suggesting in his diary that Maxse seemed to have lost his fighting spirit. Not so of course, his Brigade fighting well on the left of the B.E.F in the attempt to take the Chemin des Dames. Then in September in the midst of the Aisne battle he was called back to England to take command of the newly formed 18th Division. This promotion caused some raised eyebrows amongst his peers in view of Haig’s discontent of his complaints during the retreat. . However home he went and began his association with what was to become his beloved Division. Training began in earnest in the true Maxse fashion, everyone to benefit from his ideas. He was not the most reasonable of commanders by any means, being brusque with his subordinates, in many cases just to test them out. After some ruthless weeding of subordinates and some outright poaching of promising young officers from other units and relentless training he took the 18th Division to France, joining X111th Corps on March 1st 1916. His Division took part in the Battle of the Somme, being successful in well documented actions at Mountauban, Trones Wood, Thiepval and the Schwaben Redoubt. This last action was to cause bitter resentment within the 55th Brigade, Maxse blaming and sacking its commanding officer for what he saw as a lack of firmness.
In January 1917 he was promoted to Lieutenant General and ordered to form a new Corps, the XV111th. He approached the forming and training of this Corps with the same enthusiasm and vigour as he had shown with his previous units. In June 1917 his Corps joined Goughs 5th Army in Flanders in time to take part in the 3rd Ypres battles. In March 1918 the 5th Army took the brunt of the German offensive and although the XV111th Corps was heavily engaged Maxse did not escape censure in some quarters for some of his decisions during that battle. At the end of March his Corps was placed under French command and he joined the 1st Army with the title of Inspector General of Training. After the war he was appointed GOC, Northern Command a post he held until his official retirement from the army in 1926. Without doubt Maxse was the most successful of Generals to ensure that everything that could be done to train his men to maximum efficiency was carried out. He was I believe supreme in this role throughout the army.
After the war he devoted his energies to fruit growing at his home in little Bognor. His wife "Tiny" being every bit a devotee as himself .He expended as much time in this occupation as he did training the units he commanded in the war. He died in 1958, being happily married for many years, having lived a full and rewarding life. John Baynes book gives a full account of the life of this most remarkable man, well researched and it contains many pictures and maps. Another of my all time favourites which I often re-read. Another must for my bookshelf.

Reviewer: Maurice Johnson