Historical Nonfiction

That stiff man with the stork is actually one of the most revered British generals from WWI. He was so good he got a Viscountcy. Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby, first experienced combat in the Boer War. There, he became completely contemptous of the established command system. This contempt got him banished during WWI to the Middle East. Ironically, this was the making of his career. Allenby quickly gained the respect of the troops of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force by moving his HQ to a position closer to the front and visiting the troops regularly in the frontlines. He reorganized the EEF into an effective Corps system and imposing discipline and professionalism on the whole command.  He also gave financial support to T.E. Lawrence’s efforts to unite the Arabs in revolt against their Ottoman overlords. It is even believed that one of his victories was a prelude to the Blitzkrieg that would prove so effective in WWII. All in all, a pretty cool guy.