An autograph letter signed by Sassoon, as secretary to Field Marshal Douglas Haig during the First World War
The letter (octavo, four pages - a bifolium - on the letterhead of 'General Headquarters, British Army in the Field', 19 June 1916) is to 'Mon cher Ami'. The original envelope is present, and it is addressed to 'Le Commandant Thouselier | D.S.O. | Grand Quartier Général'). Both the letter and envelope are in fine condition.
Sir Philip Sassoon (1888-1939), 'MP for Hythe and a second lieutenant in the East Kent Yeomanry, spent most of the war working as a secretary and general fixer for Field Marshal Haig, who was Commander in Chief of the British forces in France and Flanders. Today, we might recognise his role as a special adviser. One of his main roles was to liaise with powerful newspaper proprietors, particularly Lord Northcliffe who was critical of the conduct of the war and used The Times and Daily Mail to set out his opinions. Appointed aged just 27 in December 1915, Sassoon spent much of the war in Haig's headquarters in Montreuil, Pas-de-Calais, as he was a fluent French speaker. He liaised with French military command, organised Haig's diary and corresponded extensively with newspaper proprietors' (from his official UK Parliament biographical sketch). The contents of the letter suggest that Thouselier performed a similar role for Marshal Joseph Joffre, Commander in Chief of the French forces on the Western Front until December 1916. The letter is in French; Sassoon sends some photographs (no longer present) of Haig, apologising for the poor quality, and promises to send replacements if he can persuade 'mon Général de se refaire photographier'. He can't find words to describe how touched he was by 'la charmante attention du Général Joffre. D'avoir reçu une décoration de sa main l'a rendu infiniment précieuse et j'en suis très très reconnaissant. Nous avons bien rigolé l'autre jour et je me réjouis à l'idée de faire la bombe avec vous après la victoire prochaine'. The official biographical sketch continues: 'Philip's second cousin, Siegfried Sassoon, has become known as one of the defining voices of the conflict with his searing poetry of the waste of human life involved in trench warfare. Yet in the 1920s and 1930s Philip was much more prominent than Siegfried in public life. It was not until later in the 20th century that Field Marshal Haig came under criticism for the huge casualty rate'.
Item #114870
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