5. Papers created as Commander in Chief, Eastern Command and Home Forces, 1918-1919

ROBERTSON: 5 Papers created as Commander in Chief, Eastern Command and Home Forces, 1918-1919

ROBERTSON: 5/1/1-80 Inspection reports of various depots and troops in Britain, carried out by Robertson in his capacity as General Officer Commanding in Chief, Eastern Command and Home Forces, 5 Mar 1918 - 2 Mar 1919

ROBERTSON: 5/1/1-80 1918 Mar 5-1919 Mar 2

Inspection reports of various depots and troops in Britain, carried out by Robertson in his capacity as General Officer Commanding in Chief, Eastern Command and Home Forces, and other papers relating. to those reports. 1 file, with index.

ROBERTSON: 5/2/1-7 General correspondence, 19 Dec 1918 - 9 Feb 1919

ROBERTSON: 5/2/1 1919 Jan 8

Letter from Robertson to Lt Gen Sir Archibald (James) Murray, General Officer Commanding in Chief, Aldershot Command, advising him as to the wisdom of asking for a committee of inquiry [?into Palestine/Gaza]. 1p.

ROBERTSON: 5/2/2-4 1919 Feb 14

Letter to Robertson from Lt Gen Sir George Mark Watson Macdonough, Adjutant General to the Forces, concerning the inadequacies of the demobilisation camp at Dunkirk, France, and telegrams between the Rt Hon Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, Secretary of State for War, and FM Sir Douglas Haig, Commander in Chief, British Armies in France, regarding the situation. 5pp.

ROBERTSON: 5/2/5 1919 Mar 24

Letter from Robertson to Herbert James Creedy, Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for War, asking for access to the War Office file on Gallipoli and Gen Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton. 1p.

ROBERTSON: 5/2/6 1919 Mar 26

Letter from Robertson to the Rt Hon Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, Secretary of State for War, on the possible re-employment of Gen Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton. 1p.

ROBERTSON: 5/2/7 1919 Feb 9

Letter from Brig Gen Charles Howard Foulkes, Commander Special Bde, Royal Engineers and Director of Gas Services, General Headquarters, forwarding a report, dated 19 Dec 1918, on the operations of the Special Bde during World War One. Includes four maps showing gas operations on the Western Front from 1915 to 1918 (using Ordnance Survey maps printed Dec 1918), and a graph showing the use of gas and casualties from 1915 to 1918. 6pp, 4 maps, 1 graph.

ROBERTSON: 6 Papers and correspondence as General Officer Commanding in Chief, BAOR (British Army of the Rhine), 1919-1920

ROBERTSON: 6/1/1-3 Printed memoranda by French Marshal Ferdinand Foch, Allied Supreme Commander on the Western and Italian Fronts, concerning the conditions required to ensure peace in Europe, 28 Nov 1918 - 31 Mar 1919

ROBERTSON: 6/1/1-3 1918 Nov 28-1919 Mar 31

Printed memoranda by French Marshal Ferdinand Foch, Allied Supreme Commander on the Western and Italian Fronts, concerning the conditions required to ensure peace in Europe. 1 file.

ROBERTSON: 6/1/1 1918 Nov 28

Memorandum in French by French Marshal Ferdinand Foch, Allied Supreme Commander on the Western and Italian Fronts, in preparation for an Allied Conference in London on 1 Dec, summarising his opinion on the conditions required to assure peace on the frontiers of the Entente, notably that the Rhine river should become the Western frontier of Germany, with the Rhineland to be held as a buffer state under the control of the Allies, with Allied occupation of bridgeheads on the right bank of the river, in order to guard against the military resurgence of Germany; the creation of a Confederation of the Rhine, consisting of all the French, Belgian, Luxembourg and Rhenish provinces, with a population to counter the 64 million Germans on the right bank of the Rhine river. 8pp.

ROBERTSON: 6/1/2 1919 Jan 10

Memorandum in French by French Marshal Ferdinand Foch, Allied Supreme Commander on the Western and Italian Fronts and Senior Allied Military Advisor to the Paris Peace Conference, notably outlining the historical background to German militarism; recommending the use of the Rhine river as the Western frontier of Germany and stating the military benefits of Allied occupation of the left bank of the river; recommending the neutrality or independence of the regions on the left bank of the Rhine, with free trading powers with the rest of Europe; stressing the importance of the League of Nations as a means of diminishing the military bearing of various nations, and enforcing principles of right and justice. 13pp.

ROBERTSON: 6/1/3 1919 Mar 31

Memorandum in French by French Marshal Ferdinand Foch, Allied Supreme Commander on the Western and Italian Fronts and Senior Allied Military Advisor to the Paris Peace Conference, emphasising the need for the West European powers to use the Rhine river as a natural military frontier, and to garrison the Rhineland in a permanent fashion to protect the security of France and Belgium. 5pp.

ROBERTSON: 6/2/1-14 Papers relating to the organisation and functions of the British Zone of Occupation in Germany, 12 Apr - 20 May 1919

ROBERTSON: 6/2/1 1919 Apr 12

Memorandum by temporary Brig Gen Reginald Francis Arthur Hobbs, Deputy Adjutant and Quartermaster General to Lt Gen Sir Charles Fergusson, 7th Bt, Military Governor of the British Zone of Occupation in Germany, outlining the organisation and personnel of the Military Governor's Staff. 2pp.

ROBERTSON: 6/2/2 1919 Apr 16

Memorandum by Lt Gen Sir Charles Fergusson, 7th Bt, Military Governor, British Zone of Occupation in Germany, giving notes on administration, justice, circulation, trade, food supply and control, industries and labour in the occupied territory. 3pp.

ROBERTSON: 6/2/3 1919 Apr 27

Memorandum by Robertson to the General Staff, BAOR (British Army of the Rhine), making informal comments upon discipline, training, dress, and the command of Cologne. 3pp.

ROBERTSON: 6/2/4-7 1919 May 2

Memorandum by Lt Gen Sir Charles Fergusson, 7th Bt, Military Governor, British Zone of Occupation in Germany, on the administration of justice in the occupied territories, outlining the features of summary trials and military courts. Enclosed are notes for the guidance of Presidents of Summary Courts as regards sentencing for civil offences, and instructions regarding the punishment of juvenile offenders. 13pp.

ROBERTSON: 6/2/8 1919 May 3

General Staff memorandum outlining the system of command in the British Zone of Occupation in Germany, namely the division of the Zone into five Corps areas under the civil and military control of Corps Commanders, with direction by the Military Governor and the Commander in Chief. 2pp.

ROBERTSON: 6/2/9 1919 May 3

General Staff memorandum requesting a continued level of efficiency from the troops of the BAOR (British Army of the Rhine) whilst peace negotiations are taking place. 1p.

ROBERTSON: 6/2/10 1919 May 7

Letter from Robertson to the five Corps Commanders of the BAOR (British Army of the Rhine), or their representatives, Lt Gen Sir Alexander John Godley, Lt Gen Sir James Aylmer Lowthrop Haldane, temporary Lt Gen Sir Richard Harte Keatinge Butler, Lt Gen Sir Thomas Lethbridge Napier Morland and Maj Gen Sir (Edward) Peter Strickland, on the provision of food to the troops. 1p.

ROBERTSON: 6/2/11 1919 May 19

Notes of a conference held at the Commander in Chief's house on 17 May, between Robertson, the General Staff and the Corps Commanders, notably raising points concerning the administration, interior economy, training, and discipline of the BAOR (British Army of the Rhine). 2pp.

ROBERTSON: 6/2/12 1919 May 20

Memorandum by the General Staff, BAOR (British Army of the Rhine), on the amount and type of training necessary whilst active service is suspended. 2pp.

ROBERTSON: 6/2/13 [1919]

Poster of an Order by French Marshal Ferdinand Foch, Allied Supreme Commander on the Western and Italian Fronts, announcing the requisitioning of all personnel and material of railways, telegraphs and telephones in occupied Germany. 1p.

ROBERTSON: 6/2/14 [1919]

Poster of an Order to the civil population of Germany by French Marshal Ferdinand Foch, Allied Supreme Commander on the Western and Italian Fronts, concerning the occupation of Germany by the Allies. 1p.

ROBERTSON: 6/3/1-4 Correspondence with Gen Sir Henry Hughes Wilson, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, and Maj Gen Sir Charles 'Tim' Harington Harington, Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff, concerning the reduction of the BAOR (British Army of the Rhine), 27 Jun - 3 Jul 1919

ROBERTSON: 6/3/1 1919 Jun 27

Letter from Robertson to Gen Sir Henry Hughes Wilson, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, querying whether the evacuation of British troops from the Rhineland will begin upon the signature or the ratification of the Versailles Peace Treaty. 2pp.

ROBERTSON: 6/3/2 1919 Jun 29

Letter to Robertson from Maj Gen Sir Charles 'Tim' Harington Harington, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, notably on the promotion and future employment of senior officers of the BAOR (British Army of the Rhine), and the possible ratification date of the Versailles Treaty. 5pp.

ROBERTSON: 6/3/3 1919 Jul 1

Letter to Robertson from Gen Sir Henry Hughes Wilson, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, notably on the reduction of the BAOR (British Army of the Rhine) from ten to six divisions following ratification of the Versailles Treaty; plans for the future of senior officers of the BAOR (British Army of the Rhine). 2pp.

ROBERTSON: 6/3/4 1919 Jul 3

Letter from Robertson to Gen Sir Henry Hughes Wilson, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, on the reduction of the BAOR (British Army of the Rhine) following ratification of the Versailles Treaty, and the future of the Rhineland High Commission. 2pp.

ROBERTSON: 6/4/1-15 Correspondence with Gen Sir Henry Hughes Wilson, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, and the Rt Hon Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, Secretary of State for War, 29 Mar -16 Nov 1919

ROBERTSON: 6/4/1 1919 Mar 29

Letter from Robertson to Gen Sir Henry Hughes Wilson, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, requesting clear instructions on his relations with French Marshal Ferdinand Foch, Allied Supreme Commander on the Western and Italian Fronts, the extent of his responsibility to the Rt Hon Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, Secretary of State for War, and his working relationship with temporary Lt Gen Sir (Joseph) John Asser, General Officer Commanding, British Troops in France and Flanders. 1p.

ROBERTSON: 6/4/2 1919 Apr 15

Memorandum from the Rt Hon Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, Secretary of State for War, outlining the role of the BAOR (British Army of the Rhine), and Robertson's subordination to French Marshal Ferdinand Foch, Allied Supreme Commander on the Western and Italian Fronts. 2pp.

ROBERTSON: 6/4/3 1919 Apr 21

Draft of letter from Robertson to the Rt Hon Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, Secretary of State for War, deploring the withdrawal of officers from the BAOR (British Army of the Rhine) for home appointments. 6pp.

ROBERTSON: 6/4/4 1919 Apr 27

Letter from Robertson to the Rt Hon Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, Secretary of State for War, on the difficulties of constructing a serviceable BAOR (British Army of the Rhine), mainly lack of men and equipment. 2pp.

ROBERTSON: 6/4/5 1919 Apr 28

Letter from Robertson to the War Office, giving a report on the capabilities of the BAOR (British Army of the Rhine) for undertaking field operations, especially noting deficiencies in cavalry, Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, and Signal Service personnel. 3pp.

ROBERTSON: 6/4/6 1919 May 11

Letter from Robertson to the War Office, reporting the feelings and grievances of the troops under his command in the BAOR (British Army of the Rhine), including some minor instances of unrest and indiscipline due to the demobilisation system. 3pp.

ROBERTSON: 6/4/7-8 1919 Jun 14

Letter to Robertson from B B Cubitt, Secretary of the War Office, regarding the publication in The Daily Herald of a private and personal memorandum from Lt Gen Sir George Mark Watson Macdonough, Adjutant General to the Forces, to Robertson regarding the morale and attitude of the BAOR (British Army of the Rhine) troops, and the latter's response and explanation. 6pp

ROBERTSON: 6/4/9 1919 Jul 10

Letter from Robertson to the Rt Hon Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, Secretary of State for War, requesting instructions on the role of the BAOR (British Army of the Rhine) and Robertson's relations with French Marshal Ferdinand Foch, Allied Supreme Commander on the Western and Italian Fronts, and Victor Alexander Sereld Hay, Baron Kilmarnock, British High Commissioner of the Inter-Allied Rhineland High Commission, following the ratification of the Versailles Treaty (see 6/3/2). 2pp.

ROBERTSON: 6/4/10 1919 Jul 25

Letter to Robertson from B B Cubitt, Secretary to the War Office, in reply to Robertson's queries regarding the role of himself and the BAOR (British Army of the Rhine) following the ratification of the Treaty of Versailles, notably advising that the main focus of the British troops will now be to maintain order rather than prepare for the resumption of military operations, and clarifying future relations with French Marshal Ferdinand Foch, Allied Supreme Commander on the Western and Italian Fronts, and the Inter-Allied Rhineland High Commission. 1p.

ROBERTSON: 6/4/11-13 1919 Aug 2

Three copies of a letter to Robertson from J A Corcoran, [Secretary to the] War Office, on the subject of his circulation of a private and personal memorandum from Lt Gen Sir George Mark Watson Macdonough, Adjutant General to the Forces, to his Corps Commanders. 3pp.

ROBERTSON: 6/4/14 1919 Nov 16

Letter from Robertson to the Rt Hon Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, Secretary of State for War, notably on an inspection by Robertson of the troops of the Plebiscite Div, and the morale of the men; possible problems with shortages of coal and food in the British Zone of Occupation in Germany, if the weather worsens; attitudes of the French and the Americans towards the German people. 5pp.

ROBERTSON: 6/4/15 [1919 Aug 17-19]

Text of after dinner speech by Robertson on the occasion of the visit of the Rt Hon Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, Secretary of State for War, Gen Sir Henry Hughes Wilson, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, and Lt Gen Sir George Mark Watson Macdonough, Adjutant General to the Forces, to the BAOR (British Army of the Rhine). 4pp.

ROBERTSON: 6/5/1-37 Inspection reports of BAOR (British Army of the Rhine) units, and papers relating, 26 Apr - 5 Dec 1919

ROBERTSON: 6/5/1-37 1919 Apr 26-1919 Dec 5

Inspection reports of BAOR (British Army of the Rhine) units, and papers relating. 1 file, 37 items.