Michael Senior

Did Lewis Carroll

Sir Richard Haking commanded the British XI Corps from 1915 to 1918 mainly in France, but also in Italy (December 1917-March 1918). This first study of Haking takes the form of a review and analysis of his career as a Corps Commander, placing the activities of XI Corps in the context of events on the Western and Italian Fronts. It has three aims. First, it is intended to make a balanced assessment of Haking as a Corps Commander in the light of an established popular reputation, which places him firmly in the donkey category of First World War generals. The second aim is to examine how Haking carried out his role as a Corps Commander, and the third aim is to relate the experiences of Haking and XI Corps to a number of important topics connected with the conduct of the war: trench warfare on the Western Front, with particular reference to the much-criticized attack at Fromelles in July 1916; the British involvement in Italy; the relationship with the Portuguese Expeditionary Force in France; and the British victories in 1918. Reference is made to several key operating issues such as command and control on the Western Front; the learning curve in the BEF; the doctrine of the offensive; and the British policy on defense in depth. Each is discussed taking account of Hakings experiences as XI Corps Commander. The study concludes, contrary to the general view, that, overall, Haking made a positive contribution to the conduct of the war, and that his dismal reputation is largely unjustified.

Lt Gen Sir Richard Haking, XI Corps Commander 1915–18, A Study in Corps Command

Haking: A Dutiful Soldier

'OF COURSE I AM A VICTIM OF SOMETHING!' I remember being asked to talk to an 80 year old man about his life. The talk took place in a faraway nursing home. For some reason, which I was to later find out, he wanted to get a few things off his chest. So we sat down and I let him talk. What was supposed to be a 60 minute chat ended up going over 2 days and more people engaged in the conversation - more by fluke then plan. From that chat I put the words of wisdom to good use. Part one is here in 'The 21 ways to die a slow death' and part two you will find in 'If I had my time again - the biggest regrets of an 80 year old man'. The reason he wanted to talk was because he was dying and we discussed many things and amongst them was how people 'die' before their time. He would often say, People 'dont really get a chance to live because they are preoccupied with dismantling their life in real time'; 'we all feel we are a victim of something.' And what he said more than emphasised my thoughts at the time: We are so busy finding whats wrong with our life we forget to live it. In fact, 'EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US IS DYING RIGHT NOW, RIGHT THIS SECOND.' So why is it that we stuff up and in due course slowly kill ourselves when all we truly seek is contentment? In fact, how rewarding is your life right now? Most of this world is intent on making a quick buck and blind-siding us with all the materialistic trash we 'need' to have. This book is simply designed to take care of the killers in your life that stop all the good stuff like happiness, contentment and peace of mind from happening; moreover which exists inside your own world - right now. All the common ways you may feel down and out, defeated and despondent - all the ways you can DIE A SLOW DEATH are listed here. But more importantly, here are the ways you can STOP the slow death and live a happy and rewarding life while you can. Of course there will be challenges but soon enough situations which once seemed complicated and demanding will now seem surprisingly simple and easy to navigate. And they're in your hands - right now. So, let this be your guide toward being the person you deserve to be! Be sure to give attention to one of the ways in this book '21 ways to DIE a slow DEATH' too, particularly Section '5' - Act like a Victim: 'In my 80 years I have met with many who have felt disappointed or dismayed that life treats them unfairly. In jobs, friendship, sport, family, the constant theme of being lucky and /or unlucky pervades their thinking. I noted that we are all dealt different hands from lifes deck of cards.Not everyone will have 4 aces in their hand at any given point but they will get an ace at some stage. It just depends on what they do with this ace.' said the old man. This book will reveal the 4 aces and the simple yet powerful techniques taught in this section are incredibly helpful in supercharging your life! Problems and people go hand in hand and whilst problems are versions of questions-simple to hard - it is reasonable to assume that most people choose to see them as solvable, unexplainable, unsolvable or demonstrative. Its all in the perception or distortion - Section 12 However, realising this in real time can be a challenge. When they can't be dealt with directly, emotions get displaced somewhere else. We dump them onto minor issues that (unconsciously) remind us of the deeper trouble. As a result, these minor issues are felt to be bigger than they really are; physically and mentally our life changes around us. There are ways to stop this and this book will show you how. If you dont know 'The 21 ways to die a slow death' then all the happiness in the world will pass you by and the 'killing' continues each and every day. Challenging? Confronting? Awakening? It has to be for you to enjoy life you DESERVE to live. I hope you enjoy the read and become a better person from it. - Michael Father Senior

Michael Senior

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