Sir William Maxwell (1860 – 23 December 1928) was a British journalist, soldier, writer and civil servant.
[Roth, Mitchel P. and James Stuart Olson. (1997)]
''Historical Dictionary of War Journalism,'' p. 196.
/ref>
Early life
Maxwell was born in 1860 in Workington, Cumberland of Irish-born parents William and Mary Maxwell, his father was an Insurance Agent. Maxwell was described in 1881 as a "Reporter on Newspaper".
War correspondent
Maxwell was a war correspondent for the London ''Standard Standard may refer to:
Symbols
* Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs
* Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification
Norms, conventions or requirements
* Standard (metrology), an object th ...
'', covering the Anglo-Egyptian victory at Battle of Omdurman
The Battle of Omdurman was fought during the Anglo-Egyptian conquest of Sudan between a British–Egyptian expeditionary force commanded by British Commander-in-Chief (sirdar) major general Horatio Herbert Kitchener and a Sudanese army of the M ...
(1898).
He forwarded reports to London from South Africa throughout the Second Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...
(1899–1902). He survived enteric fever
Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several d ...
and reported the Siege of Ladysmith
The siege of Ladysmith was a protracted engagement in the Second Boer War, taking place between 2 November 1899 and 28 February 1900 at Ladysmith, Natal.
Background
As war with the Boer republics appeared likely in June 1899, the War Office ...
. He followed Lord Roberts' campaign from the capture of Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State (province), Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legisla ...
through battles at Lydenberg and the Komatipoort
Komatipoort is a town situated at the confluence of the Crocodile and Komati Rivers in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. The town is 8 km from the Crocodile Bridge Gate into the Kruger Park, and just 5 km from the Mozambique border ...
.
In 1905, he resigned from the ''Standard,'' becoming a foreign correspondent for the London ''Daily Mail
The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...
'' during the Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...
(1904–1905).[Roth]
p. 267.
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Prior to the outbreak of the Great War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
in Europe, he covered the Balkan War
The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defea ...
(1912).
During the First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, he reported the First Battle of the Marne
The First Battle of the Marne was a battle of the First World War fought from 5 to 12 September 1914. It was fought in a collection of skirmishes around the Marne River Valley. It resulted in an Entente victory against the German armies in the ...
(September 1914) for the London ''Daily Telegraph
Daily or The Daily may refer to:
Journalism
* Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks
* ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times''
* ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...
.'' Shortly afterwards, he enlisted with the rank of captain and assignment to the general staff.
Military Censor
As the Chief Field Censor on the staff of General Sir Ian Hamilton in the Gallipoli campaign (April–December 1915), Captain Maxwell played a central and crucial role in the unsuccessful attempt to mitigate reports about events unfolding in the Dardanelles and on the Turkish coast in 1915.
Press correspondents at Gallipoli were required to submit all their writing to Captain William Maxwell, whose approval was necessary under regulations drawn up by and enforced by the British Army. Although many later questioned the level of censorship at Gallipoli, most accepted the censorship as an essential element of wartime reporting. Gallipoli's geographic isolation made Maxwell's task was made easier by the isolation of the area that he oversaw. The Gallipoli campaign was fought on the edge of a virtually uninhabited mountain range. The only way to cable messages from Gallipoli was through the official channels.
Later life
After the war Maxwell became a section chief in the Secret Service. Maxwell never married and he died at "Longfield" his home in Wraysbury
Wraysbury is a village and civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in England. It is under the western approach path of London Heathrow airport. It is located on the east bank of the River Thames, roughly midway between Wind ...
on 23 December 1928, aged 66. William Maxwell married Clara Hardy, daughter of Adam Hall Hardy, of Buttershaw, Bradford, on 15 June 1886, at St Pauls Church, Buttershaw
Selected works
* 1902 — ''With the "Ophir" Round the Empire: An Account of the Tour of the Prince and Princess of Wales'', London: Cassell & Co.
* 1906 — ''From Yalu to Port Arthur'', London: Hutchinson & Co.
OCLC 2010584
* 1921 — ''What's Wrong with Your Work?'', New York: Trade Press Feature Service, Inc.
Honours and awards
* 1906 — Order of the Rising Sun
The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight ...
, Japan.
* 1919 – Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Notes
Notes
References
* Knightly, Phillip. (1975). ''The First Casualty – From Crimea to Vietnam: The War Correspondent as Hero, Propagandist, and Myth Maker.'' New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
Harcourt () was an American publishing firm with a long history of publishing fiction and nonfiction for adults and children. The company was last based in San Diego, California, with editorial/sales/marketing/rights offices in New York City an ...
. (cloth); (paper) [re-issued by Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004: (paper
OCLC 55138599
* Roth, Mitchel P. and James Stuart Olson. (1997). ''Historical Dictionary of War Journalism.'' Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maxwell, William
1860 births
1928 deaths
British war correspondents
War correspondents of the Russo-Japanese War
Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Date of birth missing
People from Workington
English people of Irish descent