Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An important Knight Bachelor’s C.B., Great War C.M.G. group of thirteen awarded to Brigadier-General Sir James “Archimedes” Edmonds, late Royal Engineers, who, among other accolades, outscored the likes of Haig and Allenby at Staff College and, as a talented Intelligence Officer, assembled sufficient evidence of German espionage to prompt the creation of the Secret Service Bureau: but he will best be remembered for his extraordinary contribution as Editor in Chief to the 29-volume Official History of War, a project that took until 1949 to be completed - himself writing nearly three quarters of the volumes detailing the campaign in France and Flanders

Knight Bachelor’s Badge, 1st type breast badge, silver-gilt and enamel, hallmarks for London 1927, in its fitted case of issue; The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, C.B. (Civil) Companion’s neck badge, converted from breast wear, silver-gilt, hallmarks for London 1903, in its Garrard & Co. case of issue; The Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, C.M.G. Companion’s neck badge, silver-gilt and enamel, in its Garrard & Co. case of issue; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 4 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1902 (Lt. Col. J. E. Edmonds, R.E.); 1914 Star, with clasp (Col. J. E. Edmonds, C.B.); British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. (Col. J. E. Edmonds); Coronation 1911; Jubilee 1935; Coronation 1937; France, Legion of Honour, Officer’s breast badge, gold and enamel; France, Croix de Guerre 1914-18, with bronze oak leaf; Bulgaria, Order of St. Alexander, 4th Class breast badge (pre-1912 type), silver-gilt and enamel, in its Rothe, Vienna fitted case of issue, mounted court-style as worn where applicable, generally good very fine and better (13) £4000-5000

Appointed Knight Bachelor London Gazette 4 June 1928.

C.B. London Gazette 19 June 1911.

C.M.G. London Gazette 3 June 1916.

James Edward Edmonds, who was born in London in December 1861, showed early signs of a brilliant intellect, becoming fluent in German, French, Italian and Russian while still a schoolboy. Having then undertaken a more scientific education at King’s College School, London, and the R.M.A. Woolwich, he passed out top of the latter establishment and was awarded the Pollock Gold Medal.

“Archimedes”

Duly commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers in July 1881, he was advanced to Captain in 1890 and returned to “The Shop” as an Instructor in the same year, following which, in 1895, he came top of the Staff College entrance examination, easily outscoring such contemporaries as Allenby and Haig - who nicknamed him “Archimedes” - and somehow found time to publish his first book, The History of the Civil War in the United States 1861-65.

Spymaster

A natural candidate for intelligence duties, and having been advanced to Major, he joined the War Office Intelligence Department in 1899, in which capacity he was sent out to South Africa and present in operations in Cape Colony and the Transvaal in the period January to May 1902 (Medal & 4 clasps).

Appointed to the Far Eastern desk at the War Office Intelligence Department on his return to the U.K., Edmonds excelled in his new duties and became head of the newly titled Military Operations Directorate 5 (M.O.5) in 1907. And, in the crucial period leading up to the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, he accrued sufficient evidence of German foul play to convince government ministers to establish the forerunner of M.I. 5 - the Secret Service Bureau.

During the course of these activities at the War Office he also served as British Delegate to the Geneva Conference in 1906 and in a similar capacity to the Red Cross Conference in 1907, and was awarded the Bulgarian Order of St. Alexander. And, in what might be considered a landmark award to a Spymaster, he was nominated for the C.B. in the Coronation Honours of 1911.

The Great War - Mons and beyond

As Chief of Staff to 4th Division on the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, Edmonds was quickly embarked for France, but now approaching his mid-50s he was physically overcome by the traumas of the retreat from Mons and stepped down in September. He was nonetheless mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 19 October 1914), and thereafter served as a G.S.O. 1 at G.H.Q., B.E.F. until appointed Deputy Engineer in Chief of the B.E.F. in 1918.

He was awarded the C.M.G. and appointed an Officer of the Legion of Honour (London Gazette 24 February 1916), in addition to being mentioned in despatches on four further occasions (London Gazettes 1 January and 15 June 1916, 20 May 1918 and 5 July 1919, refer).

Given the Herculean task that was about to be set him, this protracted period of staff duties in the highest echelons of British command had placed him in a unique position to garner information from all manner of senior commanders, and to see - and comprehend - the wider picture: ‘I was on terms of friendship with all the British Generals from Haig downwards. I never belonged to any party and since I was not competing for promotion, I enjoyed confidences I otherwise might not have had.’

Editor in Chief

Duly appointed Director of the Military Branch, Historical Section, Committee of Imperial Defence, in 1919, Edmonds was charged with overseeing the publication of the Official History of the War, acting as Editor in Chief and himself writing many of the volumes in respect of the military operations in France and Belgium.

Invariably such an emotive and monumental publication was never going to escape criticism, some parties labelling the finished product as official propaganda - and protesting at the manner in which Haig was portrayed. Yet fairer counsel has ascribed such criticism to the ill-informed, in fact sometimes to critics who had patently not even read the history. Beyond dispute is Edmonds’ transparent understanding of British operations in the Great War, not least in respect of France and Flanders - here was an exceptional scholar who had been privy to all manner of secret intelligence on a daily basis, and who went to significant lengths to research his facts before going to print. Indeed much of his own work reflected a willingness to be judgmental.

Edmonds was knighted in 1928 and, under the auspices of the Cabinet Office, awarded the Jubilee 1935 and Coronation 1937 Medals. And he finally stepped down from his duties in the Historical Section in 1949, when the final - 29th - volume of the official history was published. He died in 1956.