Henry Horne, 1st Baron Horne

General Henry Sinclair Horne, 1st Baron Horne of Stirkoke, GCB, KCMG (19 February 1861–14 August 1929) was a military officer in the British Army, most notable for his generalship during the First World War. He was the only British artillery officer to command an army in the war.

Early life

Henry Horne was born in Caithness, Scotland, the third son of Major James Horne and Constance Mary Horne. He was first educated at Harrow School, receiving an artillery commission from the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich in May 1880. He married in 1897 and from 1899 to 1902 he fought with the cavalry in the Second Boer War under Sir John French. In the latter stages of the war, he was mentioned in dispatches.

In 1905 Horne was promoted to lieutenant colonel and served with the Royal Horse Artillery under Sir Douglas Haig. His military career was unremarkable until 1912 when he was promoted to brigadier and appointed Inspector of Artillery.

World War I

War broke out two years later and Horne was appointed to command a force of artillery under General Haig, who commanded I Corps. At the Battle of Mons, Horne distinguished himself with a rearguard action that allowed Haig's I Corps to retreat almost effortlessly; admittedly the German Army made few attacks toward Haig's forces, as they were occupied by Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien's costly defensive action.

Horne fought with distinction in the British Expeditionary Force's actions throughout 1914; in October of that year, he was promoted to major general and created a Companion of the Order of the Bath. A few months later, he was given command of the 2nd Division. In May 1915, Horne's division participated in the first British night attack of the war, distinguishing itself at the Battle of Festubert, France; the attack faltered, partly because the artillery ran out of ammunition. The media launched vicious attacks on the Secretary of State for War, Lord Kitchener; the blame was eventually laid on General French who was sacked at the year's end. Significantly, the artillery were reorganised after this fiasco at General Horne's suggestion.

Middle East

In November 1915, Horne accompanied Lord Kitchener to the Dardanelles, where they organised and executed the evacuation of Gallipoli. For several months, Horne was placed in charge of the Suez Canal defences (and given command of the XV Corps).

Western Front

March 1916 saw him back on the Western Front. He joined the Fourth Army which was preparing for an attack on the Somme.

On July 1 1916, General Horne's XV Corps participated in the costliest battle of the First World War. In the pre-battle plans, Horne advocated and became an architect of the "creeping barrage" which was used for the rest of the war. The Battle of the Somme, which raged on for four months, ended with over a million casualties on both sides—more than 57,000 casualties occurred on the first day. 13 British divisions participated in the attack; General Horne's XV Corps consisted of the 21st and 7th Divisions. His divisions focused their attack on two villages, Fricourt and Mametz; they captured both on the first day for about 8,000 casualties.

In September, Horne was created a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath and, after the successful capture of Flers, he was promoted to general and succeeded Sir Charles Monro as commander of the First Army. His first trial occurred in April 1917, when his troops were sent on a diversionary attack on the fearsome Vimy Ridge, which rose hundreds of feet over the surrounding landscape. French Army commander Robert Nivelle was critical of Horne's plan; Nivelle was the one found incompetent and, after one month of relative failure (and a mutiny), Nivelle was sacked and replaced with Philippe Pétain.

The attack on Vimy Ridge was spearheaded by the First Army's "shock troops" (the Canadian Corps). The ensuing Battle of Vimy Ridge, the first of a series of actions known as the Battle of Arras was successful: supported by Horne's 1,000-odd artillery pieces, the Canadian forces took the ridge in four days, with approximately 10,000 casualties (against 20,000 German casualties). The capture of Vimy Ridge would prove essential to the British Army: it served as the backbone of the British defence from March 1918 onward.

Nivelle's failure and sacking lengthened the actions around Arras. With success imminent, General Haig began siphoning troops northward, where many would participate in the Battles of Messines and Passchendaele. The First Army served mainly as a diversion and a placeholder until April 1918.

In April, the Germans embarked on the Spring Offensive which was similar to the Allied Somme Offensive two years previous. At first, the attack was successful. On Horne's front, nine German divisions attacked his weak left flank which was manned by two exhausted Portuguese divisions; the Germans were able to advance six miles to the banks of the River Lawe, where they were repulsed by the 55th and 51st Divisions. Soon the First Army's responsibilities were divided, with the northern half of the army remaining under General Horne while the southern half would be commanded by Sir Herbert Plumer.

After this final German offensive, the British took the initiative permanently. General Haig's forces embarked on the Hundred Days Offensive, which ended the war; General Horne's troops distinguished themselves in the lengthy offensive.

Post-war

At the end of the war, Horne was created a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath. For his wartime services he received the thanks of Parliament and was raised to the peerage as Baron Horne. He was promoted to head of the Eastern Command and retired from the army in 1926. He was appointed Master Gunner of St. James's Park, an honorary position he would hold until his death; he was also appointed Colonel of the Highland Light Infantry.

While shooting in his Stirkoke estate in August 1929, he suddenly died of unknown causes and was buried on his family plot. Upon his death, his titles became extinct as he had no issue.

Further reading

* Beckett. Dr. Ian F, Corvi, Steven J. (editors) "Haig's Generals" Pen & Sword, 2006 ISBN 1-84415-169-7 — Includes a 24-page chapter on Horne by Simon Robbins

External links

* [http://www.caithness.org/caithnessfieldclub/bulletins/1981/october/greatest_soldier.htm Caithness's Greatest General (caithness.org)]
* [http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/horne.htm Who's Who - Sir Henry Horne (firstworldwar.com)]
* [http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/071HLI.htm The Highland Light Infantry (regiments.org)]