Papers of Maj Gen Sir George (Grey) Aston

Introduction

• Biographical history
• Provenance
• Scope and content
• Arrangement
• Conditions of access and use
• Related material

Brief List

• 1 Aston's diaries, 1899-1926

• 2 Newspaper cuttings relating to Aston, 1933

• 3 Papers related to writings by Aston, 1905-1930

• 4 Aston's correspondence, 1893-1933

Papers of Maj Gen Sir George Sir George (Grey) Aston (1861-1938)

INTRODUCTION

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

Born in 1861; educated at Westminster School and Royal Naval College, Greenwich; joined Royal Marine Artillery, 1879; served with the Royal Marine battalion in Sudan, 1884; member of the Foreign Intelligence Committee, Admiralty, 1886; service in the Naval Intelligence Department, Admiralty, 1887-1890; Staff College, 1891; Intelligence Officer, Mediterranean Fleet, 1892-1895; Professor of Fortification, Royal Naval College, Greenwich, 1896-1899; served in Boer War, South Africa, 1899-1900; Deputy Assistant Adjutant General, Royal Marines, 1901; Secretary to Naval Reserves Committee, 1902; Deputy Assistant Adjutant General, Staff College, 1904-1907; Brig Gen, General Staff, South Africa, assisted to draft South African Defence Act 1908-1912; publication of Defence of United South Africa as a part of the British Empire (Cape Times, Cape Town, 1910); publication of Letters on Amphibious Wars (John Murray, London, 1911, 1920); Aide de Camp to the King, 1911-1917; attached to Headquarters Staff, South African Forces, trained the commanders and Staff Officers of South African Forces, advised Government of the Union of South Africa on naval and military matters 1912; Special Service, Admiralty War Staff, dealing with secret offensive war plans, vulnerable points of naval importance 1913-1914; publication of Staff Duties and other Subjects (Hugh Rees, London, 1913); Chairman of the Committee on Defence of Admiralty Oil Reserves, 1914; commanded expeditions to Ostend and Dunkirk, 1914; publication of Sea, Land and Air Strategy (John Murray, London, 1914); Commandant, 1914-1917; Maj Gen and retired, 1917; publication of The Triangle of Terror in Belgium (John Murray, London, 1918); employed in secretariat of the War Cabinet, 1918-1919; publication of War Lessons New and Old (John Murray, London, 1919); Memories of a Marine: an amphibiography (John Murray, London, 1919); Mostly about Trout (G Allen and Unwin, London, 1921); The Problem of Defence (P Allan and Co, London, 1925); Letters to young flyfishers (P Allan and Co, London, 1926); The Navy Today (Methuen and Co, London, 1927); The Study of War for Statesmen and Citizens (Longmans and Co, London, 1927, 1973); The Life of Nelson (London, 1928); The Biography of the late Marshal Foch (Hutchinson and Co, London, 1929); His Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (G G Harrap and Co, London, 1929); The Great War of 1914-1918 (Thornton Butterworth, London, 1930); Secret Service (Faber and Faber, London, 1930); editor of Hamley's Operations of War and of the Study of War (1927).

PROVENANCE

The papers were placed in the Centre by the family in 1974. They were removed and transferred by the family to the Royal Marines Museum, Eastney in accordance with an original promise for a Royal Marines Museum to house the material if one was ever established. The collecton now at LHCMA consists of photocopies of the most significant material.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

Photocopies of diaries, 1899-1926; newspaper cuttings relating to Army Training Reports, 1925-1932; articles including those on World War One, Marshal Ferdinand Foch and sea diplomacy and law, 1929-1930; correspondence, 1892-1933, including Dardanelles campaign, 1917.

ARRANGEMENT

The papers are arranged in sections as above.

CONDITIONS OF ACCESS AND USE

Access

Open, subject to signature of reader's undertaking form.

Copyright

Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Trustees of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, attention of the Director of Archive Services.

Language

English.

RELATED MATERIAL

Locations of originals

The originals are held at the Royal Marines Museum, Eastney. The balance of the collection at Eastney consists of further newspaper cuttings relating to army training reports by Aston 1921-1925 and 1933 and reviews of his books; further writings, 'Four years in Africa: 1909-1912' (1929), transcript of 'Eleven years: 1909-1914' (1933), 'Some reflections by Edward Grey' (1939) edited letter by Aston with correspondence from publishers, correspondence relating to Neumann diary (1928), article 'Dutchman at Trafalgar' and related correspondence (1929), articles and lectures relating to British sea power 1830-1930 (1930,1933), copies of lectures on 'Nelson in battle'(1928), agreements and correspondence about Aston's literary works (1918-1930); further correspondence, including Aston's correspondence with and notes on Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon, envelope of 'correspondence with Lord Grey returned by G[eorge] M[acaulay] Trevelyan' (1902-1903), letters on the loss of MHS VICTORIA (1893), letters from Sidney Whiteman about Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, lectures on imperial strategy, combined operations and correspondence (1905-1919); pamphlets 'HMS VICTORY: a history' by Commander Wharton (1878), 'War time speeches' by F M Jan Christian Smuts (1917), 'The defence of Duffer's Drift' (1912); British Gazette nos. 6, 7 & 8 (1926)

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