Herbert Wrigley Wilson
Encyclopedia
Herbert Wrigley Wilson (1866 - 12 July 1940), known often only as H. W. Wilson, was a British
journalist
and naval historian.
He was the eldest son of the Reverend George Edwin Wilson (Vicar of St. John's, Huddersfield
, in West Yorkshire
, and later of Great Missenden
in Buckinghamshire
) and, like three of his five brothers, became a journalist. According to the memoirs of his brother G. H. Wilson, editor of the Cape Times
, H. W. Wilson was "chief leader writer" and assistant editor of the Daily Mail
from 1898 until his death during 1940. According to the newspaper's owner, Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe
, Wilson was the "mental backbone of the newspaper".
From 1914 to 1919, Wilson was joint editor with John Alexander Hammerton of the periodical The Great War:The Standard History of the All-Europe Conflict, published by the Amalgamated Press. The first volume was largely concerned with justifying Britain's entry into the war, and with encouraging the British people to sign up and fight. In its entirety, it ran to 13 volumes.
Other than his newspaper work, Wilson was also co-author, with William Le Queux
, of a novel named The Invasion of 1910
(1906), and was the author of numerous books about naval
and military history
:
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and naval historian.
He was the eldest son of the Reverend George Edwin Wilson (Vicar of St. John's, Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
, in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, and later of Great Missenden
Great Missenden
Great Missenden is a large village in the Misbourne Valley in the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England, situated between the towns of Amersham and Wendover. It closely adjoins the villages of Little Missenden and Prestwood. The narrow High Street is bypassed by the main A413 London to...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
) and, like three of his five brothers, became a journalist. According to the memoirs of his brother G. H. Wilson, editor of the Cape Times
Cape Times
The Cape Times is an English language morning newspaper owned by Independent News & Media and published in Cape Town, South Africa. The first edition of the newspaper was published on 27 March 1876 by then editor Frederick York St Leger...
, H. W. Wilson was "chief leader writer" and assistant editor of the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
from 1898 until his death during 1940. According to the newspaper's owner, Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe
Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe
Alfred Charles William Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe rose from childhood poverty to become a powerful British newspaper and publishing magnate, famed for buying stolid, unprofitable newspapers and transforming them to make them lively and entertaining for the mass market.His company...
, Wilson was the "mental backbone of the newspaper".
From 1914 to 1919, Wilson was joint editor with John Alexander Hammerton of the periodical The Great War:The Standard History of the All-Europe Conflict, published by the Amalgamated Press. The first volume was largely concerned with justifying Britain's entry into the war, and with encouraging the British people to sign up and fight. In its entirety, it ran to 13 volumes.
Other than his newspaper work, Wilson was also co-author, with William Le Queux
William Le Queux
William Tufnell Le Queux was an Anglo-French journalist and writer. He was also a diplomat , a traveller , a flying buff who officiated at the first British air meeting at Doncaster in 1909, and a wireless pioneer who broadcast music from his own station long...
, of a novel named The Invasion of 1910
The Invasion of 1910
The Invasion of 1910 is a 1906 novel written mainly by William Le Queux . It is one of the more famous examples of Invasion literature and is an example of pre-World War I Germanophobia, as it preached the need to prepare for war with Germany.-Background:The novel was originally commissioned by...
(1906), and was the author of numerous books about naval
Naval history
Naval history is the area of military history concerning war at sea and the subject is also a sub-discipline of the broad field of maritime history....
and military history
Military history
Military history is a humanities discipline within the scope of general historical recording of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, their cultures, economies and changing intra and international relationships....
:
- Battleships in Action (1896)
- The Protection of Our Commerce in War (1896)
- Ironclads in Acton (1897)
- The Forthcoming Naval Review and Its Predecessors (1897)
- The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present (7 vols., 1897-1903)
- Nelson and His Times (1898)
- When War Breaks Out (1898)
- The Growth of the World's Armaments (1898)
- The Naval Situation with Textual Tables (1899)
- Adam Duncan (1731-1804) (1899)
- The Downfall of Spain (1900)
- With the Flag to Pretoria (1900-01)
- After Pretoria (1902)
- New Light on Napoleon's Invasion Projects (1902)
- Mr. Chamberlain's New Policy (1903)
- Japan's Fight For Freedom (1905)
- The Great War (13 vols., 1914-19)
- Convicted Out Of Her Own Mouth: The Record of German Crimes (1917)
- Hush, or the Hydrophone Service (1920)
- Northcliffe House (1927)
- The War Guilt (1928)
- His Majesty The King (1935)