Sir William Glasgow: Soldier, Senator and Diplomat
(Hardback)
Publishing Details
Sir William Glasgow: Soldier, Senator and Diplomat
By (Author) Peter Edgar
Big Sky Publishing
Big Sky Publishing
1st August 2011
Australia
Classifications
General
Non Fiction
994.00
Physical Properties
Hardback
400
Width 155mm, Height 232mm
Description
William Glasgow, believed that each man must help to defend his country, so as a teenager he joined the local mounted infantry militia. In October 1899 Lieutenant Glasgow, aged twenty-three, sailed with the first Queensland contingent to the war in South Africa. He and his unit helped to relieve Kimberley, take Bloemfontein, capture Johannesburg and Pretoria, and defeat the enemy at Diamond Hill, earning him a Distinguished Service Order medal. In 1914, Major Glasgow, now a married man with two young daughters, sailed to war with the first AIF contingent. He led a charge on Dead Man's Ridge, Gallipoli, in August 1915 and then, promoted to command a brigade in 1916, he was in action on the Western Front at Mouquet Farm, Noreuil, Messines,Zonnebeke and Dernancourt. Famously, his brigade played a leading role in the April 1918 counter attack to regain Villers-Bretonneux. Glasgow then commanded the 1st Division in the 100-day advance to victory. On the voyage home in 1919 he learned that he had been knighted and was now Sir William. In 1920 Glasgow became a Senator and, in 1927, Minister for Defence. The decorated soldier was now responsible for devising defence policy despite severe financial difficulties. When war broke out again in 1939, Glasgow was sent to Canada as Australia's first High Commissioner. By the time he returned to Australia in 1945, with victory in sight, he could look back on a long and distinguished career of service to his country.
Author Bio
Peter Edgar holds a BA (Hons) in history (special subject military history) from the University of Adelaide and an MA (Hons) in history from the UNSW University College, Australian Defence Force Academy. His first book was To Villers-Bretonneux, and his second was Sir William Glasgow, Soldier, Senator and Diplomat. Counter-attack: Villers-Bretonneux April 1918 is his third book written in association with the Army History Unit.
