116 Facts About Edward Spears

Edward Spears served as a liaison officer between British and French forces during both World Wars.

Edward Spears's paternal grandfather, Alexander Spiers, was a lexicographer known for publishing an English-French and French-English dictionary in 1846, which was widely used in French colleges.

Edward Spears moved frequently with his grandmother, including to Menton, Aix-les-Bains, Switzerland, Brittany, and Ireland.

Edward Spears's friends referred to him by the name Louis.

In 1918, Edward Spears changed the spelling of his surname from Spiers to Edward Spears.

Edward Spears stated that this change was due to frequent mispronunciations of his original name, though it has been suggested that he sought a name that appeared more English, particularly given his rank as a brigadier-general and his position as head of the British Military Mission to the French War Office.

Edward Spears denied having Jewish ancestry, but his great-grandfather, Isaac Spiers of Gosport, was married to Hannah Moses, a shopkeeper from the same town.

Edward Spears's ancestry was known at the time; in 1918, the French ambassador in London referred to him as "a very able and intriguing Jew who insinuates himself everywhere".

In 1903, Edward Spears joined the Kildare Militia, the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers.

Edward Spears acquired the nickname "Monsieur Beaucaire", a reference to the protagonist of a novel by the same name.

Edward Spears's upbringing, which involved instruction from a series of tutors, had not prepared him for socializing in military circles, and he struggled to adapt to life in the officers' mess.

In 1911, Edward Spears worked at the War Office on the development of a joint Anglo-French codebook.

Edward Spears continued his interest in military translations, publishing Cavalry Tactical Schemes, another translated French military text, in 1914.

Edward Spears later claimed that he was the first British officer to reach the front lines.

On 14 August 1914, Edward Spears was sent to the Ardennes to act as a liaison between Field Marshal Sir John French and General Charles Lanrezac, commander of the French 5th Army.

Edward Spears's role was complicated by Lanrezac's secrecy and dismissive attitude toward the British.

Telephone communications were unreliable, with Edward Spears describing frequent delays; on occasion, he was mistakenly connected to advancing German forces.

Edward Spears relayed this information to Sir John French just in time, saving the army.

Edward Spears demanded an apology from Franchet d'Esperey's chief of staff, which was granted.

Edward Spears suggested that Sir John French meet with Franchet d'Esperey to resolve the misunderstanding, which took place a few days later.

Edward Spears remained with Franchet d'Esperey after the Battle of the Marne until late September 1914, when he was assigned as liaison officer to the French 10th Army under General Louis de Maud'huy near Arras.

Edward Spears was mentioned in dispatches and again commended by Maud'huy, leading to his award of the Military Cross.

Again on the front in April 1915, Edward Spears accompanied Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, on a tour of inspection.

In May 1917, Edward Spears was promoted to major and appointed General Staff Officer 1st Grade before assuming a liaison role in Paris between the French Ministry of War and the British War Office.

Edward Spears navigated this environment and established an independent role within the liaison structure.

Edward Spears's role required him to report directly to the British War Office, bypassing the military attache.

Edward Spears objected, recognizing the potential consequences of Wilson's removal, but his protests were unsuccessful.

Edward Spears was summoned to London to brief the War Policy Cabinet Council on French morale.

Edward Spears recorded in a 1964 BBC interview that Prime Minister David Lloyd George asked repeatedly for assurances that the French would recover.

Edward Spears, feeling insulted by the remark, responded that the question itself showed a lack of understanding of both concepts.

In Paris, Edward Spears worked to support these objectives and was additionally tasked with liaising with the Polish army.

Edward Spears reported that Clemenceauwas strongly supportive of Britain and confident that France would fight to the end.

Edward Spears observed Clemenceau's determination and political maneuvering, describing him as one of the most difficult and formidable figures he had encountered.

Edward Spears informed London that Clemenceau was intent on asserting French dominance over the Supreme War Council and was prepared to challenge its authority.

However, Edward Spears maintained his position by leveraging his close ties with Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau.

Meanwhile, Wilson, now Chief of the Imperial General Staff, was advised by Foch to remove Edward Spears, prompting Edward Spears to defend himself by arguing that his role was tied to Clemenceau rather than Foch.

The antisemitic French ambassador in London believed Edward Spears had ingratiated himself with French officials, including former War Minister Paul Painleve, and accused him of passing secrets to the British.

Wilson dismissed the claim, stating that Edward Spears was jealous of Mantoux, whom he saw as a rival interpreter.

In 1908, while serving as a young cavalry officer, Edward Spears suffered a concussion after being knocked unconscious during a polo match.

Edward Spears was treated at a nursing home in London, where he developed a relationship with Jessie Gordon, one of the two women running the facility.

In October 1916, near the Western Front, Edward Spears met Mary Borden, an American novelist and wealthy heiress.

Edward Spears suffered from osteomyelitis as a teenager and struggled with poor health throughout his life.

Edward Spears later suffered from depression and was unable to continue working.

Edward Spears resigned his commission in June 1919, concluding his tenure as Head of the Military Mission in Paris.

Edward Spears later remained in the position for 42 years and an affair developed.

Edward Spears became the second Lady Spears and died in 1975.

In 1921, Edward Spears entered into a business partnership with a Finnish associate with the goal of establishing trade connections in the newly founded First Czechoslovak Republic.

Edward Spears later served as a director of J Fisher, a merchant company with trade ties to Czechoslovakia, and as a director of a Czech steelworks.

Duff Cooper remarked that Edward Spears was "the most unpopular man in the House" and advised against trusting him.

Edward Spears served as a Member of Parliament twice, representing Loughborough from 1922 to 1924 and Carlisle from 1931 to 1945.

In December 1921, Edward Spears was selected as the National Liberal Party's parliamentary candidate for Loughborough.

Edward Spears was elected unopposed in 1922 after the Labour Party candidate failed to submit nomination papers on time, and the Conservatives had agreed not to put up a candidate to oppose him.

Edward Spears delivered his maiden speech in February 1923, in which he criticized both the Foreign Office and the British Embassy in Paris.

Edward Spears retained his seat as a National Liberal in the 1923 general election but was defeated in 1924, finishing third behind the Conservative and Labour candidates.

Edward Spears made two further unsuccessful attempts to return to Parliament: at a by-election in Bosworth in 1927 and in Carlisle during the 1929 general election.

At the General Election in October 1931, Edward Spears stood as a National Conservative candidate and was elected Member of Parliament for Carlisle.

At the general election in November 1935, Edward Spears again stood as a National Conservative candidate at Carlisle and was returned with a reduced majority.

Edward Spears became its chairman in 1936; it would become a focus for those MPs who were suspicious of the European policies of Neville Chamberlain's National Government.

In 1939 Edward Spears published Prelude to Victory, an account of the early months of 1917, containing a famous account of the Calais Conference in which Lloyd George had attempted to place the British forces under the command of General Nivelle, and culminating in the Battle of Arras.

The book contains a foreword by Winston Churchill, stating that Edward Spears had not, in his view, been entirely fair to Lloyd George's wish to see Britain abstain from major offensives until the Americans were present in force.

Edward Spears became a member of the so-called 'Eden Group' of anti-appeasement backbench MPs.

On 22 May 1940, Edward Spears was summoned to 10 Downing Street.

Edward Spears put forward the view that tanks could be halted by blowing up buildings; he urged that prefects should not leave their departments without first ensuring that all petrol had been destroyed.

Edward Spears became aware of the difficulties of re-creating a liaison organisation; in 1917 his mission had been established over several years.

Reynaud referred to 'mortal danger' with reference to a possible attack by Fascist Italy, which had not yet entered the war; Edward Spears' view was that the French army in the Alps was strong and that the only danger from the Italians would be if they interfered with the transport of troops from French North Africa.

Sir Ronald declined to comment, but Edward Spears said it had no chance of success; America would not declare war overnight and, in any case, it was not within the President's power.

Edward Spears did not take part in the discussions but was present 'taking voluminous notes'.

Edward Spears was impressed with the way that Churchill dominated the meeting.

Edward Spears guessed that he was trying to assess the French will to fight.

Edward Spears was moved 'by the emotion that surged from Winston Churchill in great torrents'.

In reply, Edward Spears had inquired how many French troops were being transferred from North Africa.

Also present was General Charles de Gaulle; Edward Spears had not met him before and was impressed with his bearing.

Edward Spears referred to Churchill's words of defiance at the meeting, feeling that some of the French might remain in the struggle if they could be made to believe that Britain would fight on.

Edward Spears's concern was now to link up with the Ambassador, Sir Ronald Hugh Campbell, and he set out by car for Tours.

Edward Spears found the atmosphere quite different from that at Briare, where Churchill had expressed good will, sympathy and sorrow; now it was like a business meeting, with the British keenly appraising the situation from its own point of view.

The news was received by the British with shock and horror; Edward Spears' feelings were expressed by the exclamation marks which he scrawled in his notes.

The British walked around the sodden garden of the prefecture, Edward Spears reporting that Reynaud's mood had changed since that morning, when he had spoken of his resistance to the 'armisticers'.

Edward Spears told Churchill that he was certain that de Gaulle was staunch, but that General Weygand looked upon anyone who wished to fight as an enemy.

Just as Churchill was about to take off for Britain, Edward Spears obtained his assurance that he had never given consent to a separate armistice.

Edward Spears believed that this event played its part in swaying the majority of the cabinet towards surrender.

Edward Spears later spoke to Roland de Margerie, Reynaud's Chef de cabinet and raised the matter of several hundred German pilots who were prisoners of the French, asking that they be handed over to the British.

Edward Spears now had misgivings about Reynaud's determination to stay in the war, if necessary from French North Africa.

Edward Spears was outraged that despite the critical situation, the French Commander in Chief in North Africa was opposed to receiving troops from France.

Edward Spears longed for the presence of Churchill, which would have been 'worth more than millions in gold could buy'.

Edward Spears did guarantee that any successor would not surrender the fleet in an armistice.

Edward Spears felt sympathy for the French army, but contempt for Weygand, 'a hysterical, egocentric old man'.

Edward Spears felt that her pernicious influence had done Reynaud great harm.

Edward Spears was optimistic that it would be accepted for how could it be that of the countries fighting Germany, France should be the only one to give up the struggle, when she possessed an Empire second only to our own and a fleet whole and entire, the strongest after ours in Europe'.

Edward Spears returned to Downing Street 'with a heavy heart'.

Edward Spears noted that it would consist entirely of defeatists and that the French Prime Minister had 'the air of a man relieved of a great burden'.

Edward Spears's fault lay in his inability to pick good men.

Edward Spears telephoned Churchill and got his somewhat reluctant agreement to bring over both de Gaulle and Georges Mandel.

Winston Churchill wrote that Edward Spears personally rescued de Gaulle from France just before the German conquest, literally pulling the Frenchman into his plane as it was taking off from Bordeaux for Britain.

Towards the end of June 1940, Edward Spears was appointed head of the British government's mission to de Gaulle, whose headquarters were finally established at 4 Carlton Gardens in London.

De Gaulle was further discredited with the Americans and began to criticise Edward Spears openly, telling Churchill that he was 'intelligent but egotistical and hampering because of his unpopularity at the War Office etc.

Still acting as Churchill's personal representative to the Free French, Edward Spears left England with de Gaulle for the Levant via Cairo in March 1941.

However, de Gaulle and Edward Spears argued in favour of firmness, the former arguing that a detachment of his Free French should be sent to confront the Vichy Armistice Army troops in the hope that the latter would be persuaded to change sides.

De Gaulle and Edward Spears held that it was essential to deny the Germans access to Vichy French Air Force bases in Syria from where they would threaten the Suez Canal.

Edward Spears countered furiously by threatening to summon up British troops to take over the aerodrome and the matter blew over.

In Fulfilment of a Mission Edward Spears writes bitterly about how Britain was providing pay for Vichy sailors who were allowed to remit money back to France.

De Gaulle and Edward Spears held the view that the British at GHQ in Cairo were unwilling to accept that they had been duped over the level of collaboration between Germany and the Vichy-controlled states in the Levant.

Edward Spears urged aggressive propaganda aimed at the Vichy French in support of the Free French and British policy.

Edward Spears felt that the Free French would be considered as something different as they were allies of Britain and enjoyed the dignity of fighting their enemy instead of submitting to him.

On 13 May 1941, the fears of de Gaulle and Edward Spears were realised when German aircraft landed in Syria in support of the Iraqi rebel Rashid Ali, who was opposed to the pro-British Kingdom of Iraq.

Edward Spears soon became aware of the poor liaison which existed between the British Embassy in Cairo, the armed forces, Palestine and the Sudan.

In January 1942, having received the title of KBE, Edward Spears was appointed the first British minister to Syria and Lebanon.

Edward Spears lost his parliamentary seat in the 1945 General Election, which saw the Conservative Party defeated in a landslide.

Edward Spears published several books during the post-war period: Assignment to Catastrophe ;.

Edward Spears was created a baronet, of Warfield, Berkshire, on 30 June 1953.

Edward Spears died on 27 January 1974 at the age of 87 at the Heatherwood Hospital at Ascot.

Edward Spears was happy in France, he liked the spirit of the people.

Edward Spears liked the sailors of Brittany and the peasants of Burgundy.

Edward Spears realised that it required qualifications beyond a mere knowledge of two languages.

Sir Edward Spears appears as an interviewee in numerous episodes of the 1964 documentary series The Great War, especially in reference to the major roles he played as liaison to the French Fifth Army in the episodes Our hats we doff to General Joffre, detailing the Great Retreat to the Marne and This business may last a long time, detailing the First Battle of the Marne and the subsequent Race to the Sea.

Edward Spears appeared in the 1969 French-West German documentary The Sorrow and the Pity about collaboration in Vichy France.

Edward Spears appeared near the end of his life, in the episode "France Falls" of the landmark 1974 documentary series, The World at War.