Charles à Court Repington
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Colonel Charles à Court Repington (1858 – May 25, 1925), CMG
, was a British Army officer and war correspondent
.
, Wiltshire
in 1858, where his father was a Conservative Party
Member of Parliament. His family name was à Court; in his memoirs, Repington wrote: "The à Courts are Wiltshire folk, and in old days represented Heytesbury
in Parliament... The name of Repington, under the terms of an old will, was assumed by all the à Courts in turn as they succeeded to the Amington Hall
Estate, and I followed the rule when my father died in 1903."
Educated at Eton
and Sandhurst
, his military career began with service in the Rifle Brigade of the British Army
in 1878. After serving in Afghanistan
, Burma, and Sudan
, he entered the Staff College
at Camberley
, where his classmates included Herbert Plumer and Horace Smith-Dorrien
. On graduation, he served as a military attaché
in Brussels
and the Hague
, following which he served as a staff officer during the Boer War
in South Africa
. What appeared to be a promising career was cut short during a posting to Egypt
in 1902.
Repington had an affair with the wife of a British official, which became public, and he was reprimanded by senior military authorities. However, during the divorce proceedings, it was revealed that Repington had ignored warnings about his behaviour and had continued the affair. Repington was forced to resign his commission.
On returning to London, he took a position as a military correspondent with the Morning Post
from 1902–1904, and The Times
from 1904-1918. His coverage as a war correspondent
in the Russo-Japanese War
of 1904-1905 later appeared in book form as The War in the Far East. "Repington was a firm advocate of a strong national army (at the expense of the navy, much to the annoyance of Admiral Fisher). His journalism therefore tended to be geared towards propounding his belief in a firm national defensive policy."
During World War I
he relied on his contacts in the British Army and the War Office
for his information, and through his friendship with the Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force, Sir John French
, Repington was able visit the Western Front
in November 1914, at a time when most rival war correspondents were banned from France. During this visit, which occurred near the time of a major offensive at Artois
, Sir John French, meantioned a shortage of artillery ammunition as the reason for the failure of the previous British attack at Neuve Chapelle in March 1915. Repington made the most of his private conversation, and the appearance his article in The Daily Mail, resulted in a political scandal leading to the forced resignation of both Sir John French and the War Minister
, Lord Kitchener
. Repington now had growing influence over military policy through the newspapers, but was banned from visiting the Western Front again until March 1916.
Repington resigned from The Times in January 1918 due to a dispute with its owner, Lord Radcliffe over the conduct of the war, and returned to The Morning Post; not long afterwards, he was found guilty under the Defence of the Realm Act of disclosing secret information in one of The Morning Post articles and was fined.
After the end of World War I, Repington joined the staff of the Daily Telegraph and subsequently published numerous books. These works, including The First World War in 1920 and After the War in 1922 were bestsellers, but cost Repington friendships for his apparent willingness to report what they considered to be private conversations.
Repington died on May 25, 1925 in Hove
, England
.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, was a British Army officer and war correspondent
War correspondent
A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories firsthand from a war zone. In the 19th century they were also called Special Correspondents.-Methods:...
.
Biography
Charles Repington was born at HeytesburyHeytesbury
Heytesbury is a village in Wiltshire, England, in the Wylye Valley, about three miles south of Warminster.-History:...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
in 1858, where his father was a Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament. His family name was à Court; in his memoirs, Repington wrote: "The à Courts are Wiltshire folk, and in old days represented Heytesbury
Heytesbury
Heytesbury is a village in Wiltshire, England, in the Wylye Valley, about three miles south of Warminster.-History:...
in Parliament... The name of Repington, under the terms of an old will, was assumed by all the à Courts in turn as they succeeded to the Amington Hall
Amington Hall
Amington Hall is an early 19th century former country house at Amington, Tamworth. Staffordshire which has been converted into residential apartments. It is a Grade II* listed building.The manor of Amington was anciently owned by the Clinton family...
Estate, and I followed the rule when my father died in 1903."
Educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
, his military career began with service in the Rifle Brigade of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in 1878. After serving in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Burma, and Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, he entered the Staff College
Staff college
Staff colleges train military officers in the administrative, staff and policy aspects of their profession. It is usual for such training to occur at several levels in a career...
at Camberley
Camberley
Camberley is a town in Surrey, England, situated 31 miles southwest of central London, in the corridor between the M3 and M4 motorways. The town lies close to the borders of both Hampshire and Berkshire; the boundaries intersect on the western edge of the town where all three counties...
, where his classmates included Herbert Plumer and Horace Smith-Dorrien
Horace Smith-Dorrien
General Sir Horace Lockwood Smith-Dorrien GCB, GCMG, DSO, ADC was a British soldier and commander of the British II Corps and Second Army of the BEF during World War I.-Early life and career:...
. On graduation, he served as a military attaché
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
and the Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, following which he served as a staff officer during the Boer War
Boer War
The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. What appeared to be a promising career was cut short during a posting to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
in 1902.
Repington had an affair with the wife of a British official, which became public, and he was reprimanded by senior military authorities. However, during the divorce proceedings, it was revealed that Repington had ignored warnings about his behaviour and had continued the affair. Repington was forced to resign his commission.
On returning to London, he took a position as a military correspondent with the Morning Post
Morning Post
The Morning Post, as the paper was named on its masthead, was a conservative daily newspaper published in London from 1772 to 1937, when it was acquired by The Daily Telegraph.- History :...
from 1902–1904, and The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
from 1904-1918. His coverage as a war correspondent
War correspondent
A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories firsthand from a war zone. In the 19th century they were also called Special Correspondents.-Methods:...
in the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
of 1904-1905 later appeared in book form as The War in the Far East. "Repington was a firm advocate of a strong national army (at the expense of the navy, much to the annoyance of Admiral Fisher). His journalism therefore tended to be geared towards propounding his belief in a firm national defensive policy."
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he relied on his contacts in the British Army and the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
for his information, and through his friendship with the Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force, Sir John French
John French, 1st Earl of Ypres
Field Marshal John Denton Pinkstone French, 1st Earl of Ypres, KP, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCMG, ADC, PC , known as The Viscount French between 1916 and 1922, was a British and Anglo-Irish officer...
, Repington was able visit the Western Front
Western Front
Western Front was a term used during the First and Second World Wars to describe the contested armed frontier between lands controlled by Germany to the east and the Allies to the west...
in November 1914, at a time when most rival war correspondents were banned from France. During this visit, which occurred near the time of a major offensive at Artois
Artois
Artois is a former province of northern France. Its territory has an area of around 4000 km² and a population of about one million. Its principal cities are Arras , Saint-Omer, Lens and Béthune.-Location:...
, Sir John French, meantioned a shortage of artillery ammunition as the reason for the failure of the previous British attack at Neuve Chapelle in March 1915. Repington made the most of his private conversation, and the appearance his article in The Daily Mail, resulted in a political scandal leading to the forced resignation of both Sir John French and the War Minister
Secretary of State for War
The position of Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a British cabinet-level position, first held by Henry Dundas . In 1801 the post became that of Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The position was re-instated in 1854...
, Lord Kitchener
Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener
Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, ADC, PC , was an Irish-born British Field Marshal and proconsul who won fame for his imperial campaigns and later played a central role in the early part of the First World War, although he died halfway...
. Repington now had growing influence over military policy through the newspapers, but was banned from visiting the Western Front again until March 1916.
Repington resigned from The Times in January 1918 due to a dispute with its owner, Lord Radcliffe over the conduct of the war, and returned to The Morning Post; not long afterwards, he was found guilty under the Defence of the Realm Act of disclosing secret information in one of The Morning Post articles and was fined.
After the end of World War I, Repington joined the staff of the Daily Telegraph and subsequently published numerous books. These works, including The First World War in 1920 and After the War in 1922 were bestsellers, but cost Repington friendships for his apparent willingness to report what they considered to be private conversations.
Repington died on May 25, 1925 in Hove
Hove
Hove is a town on the south coast of England, immediately to the west of its larger neighbour Brighton, with which it forms the unitary authority Brighton and Hove. It forms a single conurbation together with Brighton and some smaller towns and villages running along the coast...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Honours
- Order of St Michael and St GeorgeOrder of St Michael and St GeorgeThe Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, Companion - Order of Leopold (Belgium), Commander
- Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
(France), Officer
Selected works
Repington wrote several books, including- 1905 - The War in the Far East
- 1919 - Vestigia, Reminiscences of Peace and War
- 1920 - The First World War, 1914-1918, Vol. I
- 1920 - The First World War, 1914-1918, Vol. II
- 1922 - After the War; London--Paris--Rome--Athens--Prague--Vienna--Budapest--Bucharest--Berlin--Sofia--Coblenz--New York--Washington; a Diary