Haig’s Tower of Strength: General Sir Edward Bulfin-Ireland’s Forgotten General by John Powell

This is the first biography of General Sir Edward Bulfin, who rose to high rank despite his Catholic Irish republican background, at a time when sensitivities were pronounced. By the outbreak of the Great War, Bulfin was a brigade commander despite not having attended Sandhurst or Staff College and never having commanded a battalion. In his early career he was a protégé of Buller’s, and he made his name in the Boer War. In 1914, Haig credited him with saving the day at First Ypres despite being wounded and gave him the 28th Division. Unable to get on with Gough, he was sent home. He raised the 60th London Division and took it to France, Salonika and Egypt, where Allenby chose him to command a corps. His success against the Turks at Gaza, Jerusalem and Megiddo justified Allenby’s confidence. Despite ruthlessly crushing disturbances in post-war Egypt, Bulfin’s beliefs and background led him to refuse Churchill’s order to command the police and army in Ireland. A private man, Bulfin left few letters and no papers, and the author deserves credit for piecing together this fascinating biography of an enigmatic military figure.