Last Letters. The Story of Maj. Geoffrey Compton-Smith

Visitors to the regimental museum in Caernarfon Castle will have seen a striking portrait of Major Geoffrey Compton-Smith DSO, together with his cigarette case. They will also probably have read his poignant last letter to the Regiment just before he was executed by the IRA in 1921, asking amongst other things that his death should help to lessen the strife between Britain and Ireland.

His grandson Rupert Peploe has now privately published a limited-edition biography of Maj. Compton-Smith, largely based on family letters but also drawing on a wide range of other sources in order to build up a picture of this officer. It is interesting to note that he was brought up in the Richmond, London area and was one of a number of siblings. His father is portrayed as an autocrat, and despite artistic leanings Geoffrey felt forced by him to apply for a Regular Army commission in the Yorkshire Regiment in 1911, subsequently serving in the Sudan and India. On home leave early in 1914 he was able to study briefly at the Slade college of art, and met Gladys Lloyd from Hampshire, who would later become his wife. They were contemporaries of the artists C.R.W.Nevinson, and John and Paul Nash (John in particular had also been attracted to Gladys).

Having had to return to India in July 1914, he was able to get back to the UK in July 1915 and was offered a Captaincy in the RWF. He accepted this and crossed to France, eventually reaching the 1st Battalion that October. It had already been a bad year for his family, a brother in the 6th Battn. Manchester Regt. and a maternal uncle (Brig.-Genl. Lee) having died in the Gallipoli campaign. He served with both Robert Graves and Siegfried Sassoon, who refers to him as "Major Robson". Geoffrey had become senior Captain in his unit by Dec. 1915 and was an acting Major by April 1916, when he became engaged to Gladys. His war service is described from official diary/history sources, and to an extent in his letters home. He did keep a detailed diary or diaries, but alas most have not survived.

Between June and July 1916 he was attached as Staff Captain to the 20th Brigade, including the attack on Mametz village on 1 July 1916, and was wounded on Bazentin Ridge on 14 July, being hospitalised in Manchester. He and Gladys were married in August 1916, and he returned to France in October 1916, being appointed commanding officer of the 10th Battn. RWF. He left some extremely interesting (probably post-war) notes on leadership, discipline, training, and the over-decoration of Staff officers. His battalion suffered badly at Serre as the Somme offensive ended that November. His diary for April 1917 did survive, which gives an account of the attack on Guemappes. He was involved in the operations at Polygon Wood/Zonnebeke that September, but suffered shellshock and was invalided to the UK, becoming a training officer at Aldershot.

Geoffrey had already seemingly been suffering from depression, and this continued during 1918. However, he returned to France that April as commander of the 12th Battn. King's Liverpool Regiment, serving until the Armistice. His wife's family had also suffered during the war, her brother (an RE officer in the 38th Welsh Division) being shot by one of his own men who was duly executed; while another brother in the RFC was killed in action, and a third wounded in East Africa. The book includes quite a few letters from these and other family members, including Gladys, so could also be legitimately described as the story of a "family at war" as well.

Geoffrey moved to Ireland in January 1919, becoming an intelligence officer based in Limerick. His keenness on sailing and art seem to have persuaded him to stay on in the Army. His wife was with him until all military wives were returned to the UK that September. He did pass for entry to the Staff College early in 1921, but was kidnapped and killed that April. His family's efforts to find out what had happened, and the eventual recovery of his body in 1926, are chronicled.

I'm very happy to own a copy of this book, which is a nicely-produced 243-page illustrated hardback. It costs £22 incl. postage in the UK - unless one arranges to collect it in person (in the Bristol area) when it would be just £15. The author/publisher can be contacted at rupertpeploe(at)yahoo.co.uk

Clive Hughes