Draft of letter from Robertson to Isabella H C S Thomson, wife of Maj Henry George Allen Thomson, General Staff, 9 Corps, Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, commiserating with her on her husband's illness, and regretting that he cannot meet with her. 2pp.
Draft letter from Robertson to Lt Col Clive Wigram, Assistant Private Secretary to HM King George V, complaining that some of the Cabinet want to reduce the number of existing divisions in the field. 2pp.
Incomplete draft private letter from Robertson to Lt Col Arthur John Bigge, Baron Stamfordham, Private Secretary to HM King George V, notably on the poor relations between FM Sir John Denton Pinkstone French, Commander in Chief, British Armies in France, and FM Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener of Khartoum and Broome, Secretary of State for War; the character of French, the lack of confidence of the French Higher Command in his abilities, and his failure to provide adequate information concerning events on the Western Front to the British Government; enclosing information on ammunition requirements on the Western Front, and a General Staff assessment of the situation (not included); possible remedies for the problems outlined, notably the use of the Imperial General Staff provide adequate military advice to the Government, popular and trusted commanders on the Western Front, good relations between the War Office and the British General Staff in France, and greater Anglo-French cooperation. 8pp.
Draft of letter from Robertson to the Rt Hon Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, Secretary of State for War, deploring the withdrawal of officers from the BAOR (British Army of the Rhine) for home appointments. 6pp.
Draft of memorandum by Robertson given to the Rt Hon David Lloyd George upon his election as Prime Minister, giving his views on the present situation, and emphasising the need to reorganise manpower at home, improve railways in France, gain more control over the conduct of the war, and prepare for a lengthy conflict based mainly on the Western Front. 6pp.
Draft memo, 2 May 1915, on operations at Gallipoli
Uncorrected proof of memorandum [by FM Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener of Khartoum and Broome, Secretary of State for War], on the Dardanelles operations, giving the original reasons for the offensive, the course of events from Jan to May 1915, and outlining the political and military advantages and disadvantages of continuing operations. 5pp.
Draft telegram (R57) from Robertson to honorary Brig Gen Wallscourt Hely-Hutchinson Waters, Chief of the British Military Mission to the Imperial Russian General Headquarters, requesting information on the Russian attitude to British assistance in finance and munitions matters. 1p.
Draft telegram (R33) from Robertson to temporary Lt Gen George Francis Milne, General Officer Commanding in Chief, British Salonika Force, asking his opinion of French Gen Maurice Paul Emmanuel Sarrail, Commander in Chief, Allied Army of the Orient, as a commander. 1p.
Draft telegram (R32) from Robertson to Lt Gen Sir Percy Henry Noel Lake, General Officer Commanding in Chief, Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force, concerning the provision of river transport in Mesopotamia. 1p.
Draft of telegram from the Rt Hon Sir Edward Grey, 3rd Bt, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, to the Rt Hon Francis Leveson Bertie, Baron Bertie of Thame, British Ambassador at Paris, concerning a possible attack on Salonika, Greece, by Greek forces in concert with the Central Powers, and advising French Gen Maurice Paul Emmanuel Sarrail, Commander in Chief, Allied Army of the Orient, to take the necessary military and naval measures. 2pp.
Draft text about the organisation of an Inter-Allied War Committee, Nov 1917
Three drafts of the scheme of organisation of an Inter-Allied War Committee, as proposed by the Rt Hon David Lloyd George, Prime Minister. The final version is a copy of a damaged original made by Victor Bonham-Carter, (author of A Soldier True, (Frederick Muller Ltd, London, 1963) a biography of FM Sir William (Robert) Robertson, 1st Bt), and is an amended draft approved by the British and French Governments, giving the proposed body much greater powers of control over military strategy. 3pp.
Extract from the proceedings of the third meeting of the third session of the Allied Supreme War Council at Versailles on 1 Feb, giving the opinion of Robertson on Joint Note Number 12 by the Permanent Military Representatives to the Supreme War Council, relating to the plan of campaign for 1918, concerning the need to consolidate resources on the Western Front and expressing his disapproval of the planned offensive against Turkey. 1p.
Extracts from parliamentary debates in the House of Commons on the functions of the Supreme War Council, and the position of French Marshal Ferdinand Foch as Generalissimo of the Allied forces. 9pp.
French General Staff memo, 1 Dec 1915, on the troop strength and equipment of the German Army
French General Staff memorandum, in French, on the situation of the German Army, notably its manpower and equipment. 7pp.
French General Staff memo, 14 Dec 1915, on the outcome of the Chantilly Conference
French General Staff memorandum, in French, giving the conclusions of the Chantilly Conference. 3pp. (See the Chantilly Conference papers at 3/4).
French General Staff memo, 2 Dec 1915, on a plan of action
French General Staff memorandum, in French, outlining a plan of action by France and the Allies. 11pp. (See the Chantilly Conference papers at 3/4).
French General Staff memo, 4 Dec 1915, on the economic war
French General Staff memorandum, in French, on the economic war. 5pp. (See the Chantilly Conference papers at 3/4).
French General Staff memo, 5 Dec 1915, on the comparative strengths of the fighting nations
French General Staff memorandum, in French, comparing the strengths of the various warring nations in the line. 4pp. (See the Chantilly Conference papers at 3/4).
French General Staff memo, 6 Dec 1915, on the possibility of an attack on Egypt by Turkey
French General Staff memorandum, in French, on the possibility and importance of a Turkish attack on the centre of Egypt. 9pp. (See the Chantilly Conference papers at 3/4).
French General Staff memo, 6 Dec 1915, on the progress of the war
French General Staff memorandum, in French, on the direction of the war. 4pp. (See the Chantilly Conference papers at 3/4).