Devon Heritage Centre (DHC hereafter): 1262M/0/FH/42

TYPESCRIPT OF WORK OF LORD FORTESCUE DURING FIRST WORLD WAR, Post 1919

Having found a great deal that was of interest in the letters and papers received and sent by our great grandfather the first Earl Fortescue when in 1803 invasion by Napoleon was anticipated and much work in connection with the Defence of the Realm was imposed on him as on all other Lords Lieutenant, it has occurred to me that it may similarly interest my descendants especially if the head of the family has again the honour of being H. M. Lieutenant, to see the sort of work that fell to my lot in the Great War 1914 – 1918.

Though I am writing only in 1924 I cannot pretend that my memory of the period is very clear: I recall it mainly as a confused mass of perpetual correspondence, committee meetings and anxiety.

I kept a diary of a sort: occasionally there are long notes about the events of the day especially if I had met and talked with anyone who had inside knowledge of what was going on; but more often the entries are very brief indeed, sometimes no more than “work as usual”.

However, between it and the papers I kept (which are filed in the library one of the cabinets under various headings) I can reconstruct a good deal. My activities were varied as in addition to being Lord Lieutenant I was Chairman of the County Council and also Chairman of the Territorial Force Association. As all government communications were with the holder of one of these offices this prevented over-lapping and saved a lot of trouble in that way, but the combination of three important posts in one person naturally made the correspondence and work of that person heavy.

It is just worth mentioning that the area of the County is 1,671,364 acres and the population (1911) 699,703. The Territorial Force of the County comprised two regiments of Yeomanry, Cavalry, R.G.A, R.F.A., R.E., four infantry battalions a company of A.S.C. and two field Ambulances. Their establishment was 6596 O.R. and their strength in August 1914 was 5601 O.R. The Administrative County, i.e. that under the jurisdiction of the County Council was the whole geographical county less the city of Exeter and the borough of Plymouth.