Swinton,E - Swinton Family Society

19992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024202520262027202820292030203120322033203420352036203720382039204020412042204320442045204620472048204920502051205220532054205520562057205820592060206120622063206420652066206720682069207020712072Invent; Swinton, E.xlsA B C D E F G H I J K LPage 281902, Aug: departed from South Africa on the "Galician", for Britain.1902 (Autumn): at Chatam, UK, was posted as a Staff Captain R.E. at the Horse Guards (1903-4).1903: Published a brochure on defence experiences in S. Aftica called "The Defenceof Duffers Drift" under the name Backsight - Forethought. This book has become "The WesternWorlds most popular book in the training of military professionals". It has been used asrequired reading for West Point cadets, and Indian Army junior officers.1905-7: Staff Captain, Army Headquarters, War Office.1907: appointed a Major to the Post of Chief Instructor in Fortification & Geometrical Drawingat the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, England.c1907: met "Buffalo Bill" (Col. Cody) in Britain demonstrating his man lifting kite for 'Observation'.1907: published "The Kite" in Blackwoods Magazine.1908: (Publication): "The Truth about Port Arthur" by E.K.Nozhin, Edited by Swinton,Publ. John Murray, London.1909 published "The Green Curve".1910: appointed Sec. of the Historical Sect. of the Committee of Imperial Defence, & was employedon the British Official History of the Russo-Japanese War for which he was awardedthe Chasney Gold Medal of the Royal United Service Institution (j).1913/4-15/7: Assist. Sec. Military Committee of Imperial Defence & War Cabinet;1914-18: served in World War IWas a Commander of the Legion of Honour & was 3 times mentioned in dispatches.1914: On the outbreak of war he was appointed Deputy Director of Railway Transport (j).1914-15: Offic. corresp. with Brit. Expeditionary Force in France;WWI, 1914, Sept.: visited the war front, witnessing the devastating use of the German machine gun.He determined to find a counter to it and was convinced of the prospect of modifying anagricultural machine - the 'Holt' Catepillar Tractor - into a kind of armoured gun-bearingvehicle(the Tank). Support for the development of it came from Mr Winston Churchillwho allocated £70,000 to its development. The name 'TANK' was also the idea of Col. Swinton,as it was intended to deceive the enemy as to its purpose. The notion of its original purpose wasto transport troops safely through lines of enemy machine gun.Controller, Informat. Dept, Civil Aviation (e);1915: Promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel.1916: raised & commissioned the Heavy Section Machine Gun Corps (Tanks).1917: C.B.; D.S.O., R.E. (temporary Maj. Gen.) Seniority (g)1917: Brevet Colonel.1917, Sept.-Nov.: joined the staff of Rufus Isaac's, Lord Reading, & was sent tothe USA as Special Envoy.1917, Nov. 20: The 1st major offensive using 'Tanks' took place at the 1st Battle of Cambrai when400 tanks were employed, advancing on the German lines capturing about 8,000 Germanprisoners and 100 guns with practically no loss of life.1917: Letter to and from E.D.A. [8805.f.132, 143 & 261] (k).1918, Feb.-Aug.: He was a member of Staff with Lord Reading when Reading was appointed BritishHigh Commisioner & Special Ambassador at Washington, USA.1918, Mar. 18: while in the USA was loaned by the Ambassador to journey through USA speakingabout World War I, as part of the US Third Liberty Loan Drive. (e)1918: At wars end, back in Britain he was invited by Sir Stephenson Kent of the Ministryof Reconstruction to join him as Controller of the Information & Publicity. So he transferredhis headquarters from CID Secretariat at Whitehall Gardens to Richmond Terrace.1919: Retired; Honorary Major-General.1920, Apr.: resigned from the army after 31 years service. He was invited to join the Dept. ofCivil Aviation under SirFrederick Sykes, as Controller of Information.1921, May: Resigned from the Air Ministry and the spent the next 3 years working forMr Lloyd George on his War Memoirs.1922-51: Director of the Citroen Company.1923: Knight of the British Empire; knighted for his work on theintroduction of the Military Tank in World War I.1925-39: Chichele Prof. of Mil. Hist. at Oxford Uni. (d);1925, Oct.-40: Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford; and was later elected Dean.From c1926 was Director of Citroën-Kegresse Cars Ltd (Britain) & following the deathof Citroën his Company directorship was continued by M.M. Michelin & Co., the new proprietors.1934-38: Col. Comandant, Royal Tanks Corps (e);1936:invited by the German National-Socialist Govt. to attend the 'Reichsparteitag' as guest of honour.c1938-40" Ed. the mag. "Twenty Years After; the Battlefields of 1914-18" publ. 40 weekly parts (l).From 1940: Life Fellow All Souls Coll. (b)A portrait by Eric Kinnington is in the Royal Tank Regiments Officers Club, London, Eng. (j).1951: wrote his own autobiography "Over My Shoulder" which was published after his death.1951, Apr. 25: Probate was granted on in London on his 1948 will to his executors Robert ClaytonSwinton M.C. Company Director; William Anthony Hazel, solicitor, & by a codicil dated 1949he added Lillian Alice Florrie Vacour, spinster living at his address,and Henry Michael Lawrence,engineer (£20,105) (i). Georgina Elizabeth Hazel, his neice was also named but this wasrevoked by another codicil of 1950 in which he added "his friend Henry Michael Lawrence, ce.12 Little Park, Wickham, Co. of Hants" as another executor in her place. He left little of hisestate to his wife Grace Louisa Clayton, just personal trinkets & articles which she mayselect; plus income from his residual estate to be paid to her. At the time of his death MissLilian Alice Florrie Vaucour was living at his address & he left her £2000, most of hispersonal papers & literary book, & many named pieces of furniture. He also gave her right