Herbert Wrigley Wilson

The responsibility of Austria as the chief cause of the conflict is indisputable. German apologists in their contention that when she declared war on Serbia and bombarded Belgrade, she acted in the belief that the war could be localized, ignored such facts as Fancis Joseph�s and Tisza�s statements, and the discussions at the councils of ministers, which dealt with the risk of general war and showed that it was well known to exist. But at every point she acted with German approval, if not under German dictation, except at one moment (July 30) when she resisted Bethmanns� appeal to her to open discussion at St. Petersburg, a request which, however, reached Vienna simultaneously with a demand from Moltke, that she should mobilize her whole army. . . .

( page 331 )

 

In mitigation of the verdict against Austria, it has been urged that no great power could overlook the murder of the heir apparent to the throne by a plot which had its base in a foreign country. . . .

A second point which has been urged in favour of Austria is that she was �doomed to perish� if she did not clear Serbia out of her way and put down the Jugo-Slav movement. Every state, it has been maintained, has the right to fight sooner than sacrifice its existence. But was Austria doomed to perish if she had handled the Jugo-Slav question as England, for example, handled the Irish question, and the Indian question after the War? Her experiences in Italy in 1815-66 should have shown her statesmen the impracticability of holding down indefinitely a nationality which does not feel that it is being governed in consonance with its own ideas and ideals. . . .

( page 332 )

 

The absence of German responsibility in the conflict has been the theme of many German writers. Kautsky, who as an internationalist and Socialist was distinctly prejudiced against the Hohenzollern régime, and has shown no tendency whatever to suppress truth or to gloss it over, considers that though Germany�s action was insanely provocative, she did not want war. Such a verdict must be received with deep respect. But there are three undisputed facts with regard to Germany�s responsibility. She declared war on Russia on August 1 ; she declared war on France on August 3 ; she declared war on Belgium on August 4.

( page 333 )

 

APPENDIX II

The vast collection of documents published between 1922 and 1927 by the German foreign office under the title of Die Grosse Politik der Europäischen Kabinette, 1871-1914, is of great value for the study of the inner history of this period from the official German point of view. But it must be remembered that the papers contained in such a work must be a selection ; the number of documents in any foreign office which has to do with great affairs and with many countries is so large as entirely to preclude exhaustive publication. . . .

Bismarck, in a famous passage, perhaps went to extravagant lengths in deriding the importance of diplomatic documents, but what he says is worth remembering :

For the most part they are just paper smeared with ink. The worst of it is that they are so lengthy. . . . As for using them some day as material for history nothing of any value will be found in them. . . . Even the dispatches which do contain information are scarcely intelligible to those who do not know the people and their relations to each other. . . . It is easier to find out something from the newspapers, of which indeed governments also make use, and in which they frequently say much more clearly what they want. But that also requires a knowledge of the circumstances. The most important points, however, are always dealt with in private letters and confidential communications, also verbal ones, and these are not included in the archives.  (Busch, Bismarck, I, 559-60)

( pages 353-4 )

The War Guilt by H. W. Wilson.
London : Sampson Low, Marston, etc., 1928.

Wilson, Herbert Wrigley, 1866-1940. Title Battleships in action. Boston, Little, Brown [1926] Publisher Grosse Pointe, Mich., Scholarly Press, 1969. Description 2 v. illus., maps, plans, ports. 25 cm. Language English Note "Included in the present book is the period covered in ... [the author's] Ironclads and the Downfall of Spain, but everything that appeared in those books has been re-examined critically in the light of fresh evidence, and almost every page has been completely rewritten."--Pref. v. 1, p. vii. Note Bibliography: v. 1, p. 309-317; v. 2, p. 325-331.

Wilson, Herbert Wrigley, 1866-1940. Title The war guilt, by H. W. Wilson ... dedicated by permission to M. Raymond Poincar�, who also contributes a foreword. Publisher London, S. Low, Marston & Co., ltd. [1928] Description xxiii p., 1 �., 366 p. front., ports. 24 cm. Language English Note "The period covered by this volume is ... from the close of the Franco-German War of 1870-1 to the opening of the great war."--Pref. Note Bibliography: p. 347-353.

Wilson, Herbert Wrigley, 1866-1940. Title Battleships in action [by] H. W. Wilson. Illustrated with over 100 half-tone reproductions, battle-plans, and diagrams. Publisher Boston, Little, Brown [1926] Description 2 v. fronts, plates, ports., maps 25 cm. Language English Note Printed in Great Britain. "Included in the present book is the period covered in my earlier works, Ironclads in action and the Downfall of Spain, but everything that appeared in those books has been re-examined critically in the light of fresh evidence, and almost every page has been compleely rewritten."--Pref., v.l, p. vii. Note Bibliography: v. 1, p. 309-317; v. 2, p. 325-331.

Wilson, Herbert Wrigley, 1866-1940. Title Hush; or The hydrophone service, by H. W. Wilson. Publisher London, Mills & Boon, limited [1920] Description viii, 188 p. front., plates, ports., diagr. 23 cm. Language English

Wilson, Herbert Wrigley, 1866-1940. Title Convicted out of her own mouth; the record of German crime Publisher New York, George H. Doran company [1917] Description 31 p. 19 cm. Language English

Beresford, Charles, Lord, 1846-1919. Title Nelson and his times, by Vice-Admiral Lord Charles Beresford and H.W. Wilson. Publisher [London, A. & F. Pears, Ltd., 1905] Description x, 16, xi-xii, 17-20, xiii-xiv, 21-36, xv-xxiv p. illus. (incl. ports., maps, plans, facsims.) 40 cm. Language English Note Cover-title. At head of title: Pears [Christmas] annual 1905. Advertising matter included in paging. First published 1898; reissued by Pears in commemoration of the hundredth anniversary of Nelson's death. Subject Nelson, Horatio Nelson, Viscount, 1758-1805.

Wilson, Herbert Wrigley, 1866-1940. Title Japan's fight for freedom. The story of the war between Russia and Japan, by H.W. Wilson. Illustrated with many photographs taken on the field of battle and authentic sketches by famous artists. Publisher London, Amalgamated Press, 1904. Description 3 v. illus., maps, ports. 33 cm. Language English

Wilson, Herbert Wrigley, 1866-1940. Title After Pretoria: the guerilla war. The supplement to "With the flag to Pretoria", by H.W. Wilson. Publisher [London] The Amalgamated press, 1902. Description 2 v. illus. (incl. maps) ports. Language English Note Paged continuously.

Wilson, Herbert Wrigley, 1866-1940. Title Adam Duncan, by H. W. Wilson. Publisher London, K. Paul, Trench, Tr�ber & co., limited [1900] Description 4 p. l., [vii]-xvi p., 1 l., 156 p. front. (port.) 16 cm. Series The Westminister biographies Language English Note Added series t.p., engraved. Note Bibliographical note: p. [154]-156. Subject Duncan, Adam Duncan, viscount, 1731-1804.

Wilson, Herbert Wrigley, 1866-1940. Title The downfall of Spain, naval history of the Spanish American war, Publisher Boston, Little, 1900. Description xiv p., 1 l., 451, [1] p. front., plates, ports., maps, plans, diagrs. 24 cm. Language English

Wilson, Herbert Wrigley, 1866-1940. Title With the flag to Pretoria. A history of the Boer war of 1899-1900, Publisher London, Harmsworth brothers, limited, 1900-01. Description 2 v. fronts., illus. (incl. maps) ports., fold. maps. 33 cm. Language English

Wilson, Herbert Wrigley, 1866-1940. Title The downfall of Spain; naval history of the Sapnish-American war, by H. W. Wilson. Publisher London, Low, Marston and company, limited, 1900. Description xiv p., 1 �., 451, [1] p. front., plates, ports., maps, plans, diagrs. 24 cm. Language English Note "Authorities": p. 442-444.

Wilson, Herbert Wrigley, 1866-1940. Title Democracy and the war Publisher [London] : National Review, [1899] Description p. 506-514 Language English Note Title from caption. Signed: H.W. Wilson. Offprint from "National review", vol. 34, Dec. 1899.

Beresford, Charles William De la Poer Beresford, 1st baron, 1846-1919. Title Nelson and his times, by Rear Admiral Lord Charles Beresford ... and H.W. Wilson ... With many illustrations mostly from contemporary sketches, selected, arranged, and annotated by Edward H. Fitchew. Publisher London, Printed by Eyre & Spottiswoode, Her Majesty's printers, published by Harmsworth brothers, ltd. [1898] Description viii, 232 p. col. front., illus.(incl. plans, maps, facsims.) 33 x 25 cm. Language English Subject Nelson, Horatio Nelson, Viscount, 1758-1805.

Wilson, Herbert Wrigley, 1866-1940. Title Ironclads in action; a sketch of naval warfare from 1855 to 1895, with some account of the development of the battleship in England. With an introduction by A.T. Mahan. Publisher London, S. Low, Marston 1898. Description 2 v. illus., maps. Language English Note Includes bibliography.

Clowes, W. Laird (William Laird), Sir, 1856-1905 Title The royal navy, a history from the earliest times to the present; by Wm. Laird Clowes. Assisted by Sir Clements Markham, Captain A. T. Mahan, U.S.N., H. W. Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, etc Publisher London, S. Low, Marston and company, limited, 1897-1903 Description 7 v. fronts., illus. (incl. plans) plates, ports., maps (part fold.) facsims., charts. 27 cm Language English Note Title in red and black Title of v. 7 reads: THe royal navy, a history from the earliest times to the death of Queen Victoria The history of the period 1603-1660, originally assigned to E. Fraser, has been written by L. Carr Laughton. cf. Introd. to v. 2

Clowes, W. Laird (William Laird), Sir, 1856-1905. Title The royal navy, a history from the earliest times to the present / by Wm. Laird Clowes, assisted by Sir Clements Markham, Captain A. T. Mahan, U.S.N., H. W. Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, E. Fraser, etc. Publisher Boston : Little, Brown and co. ; London : S. Low, Marston and co., limited, 1897-1903. Description 7 v. : ill., charts, facsims., maps (some fold.), plans, ports. ; 27 cm. Language English Note Title of v. 7 reads: The royal navy, a history from the earliest times to the death of Queen Victoria. The history of the period 1603-1660, originally assigned to E. Fraser, has been written by L. Carr Laughton. cf. Introd. to v. 2. Includes indexes.

Wilson, Herbert Wrigley, 1866-1940. Title Ironclads in action : a sketch of naval warfare from 1855 to 1895, with some account of the development of the battleship in England / by H.W. Wilson ... With an introduction by Captain A.T. Mahan ... Publisher Boston : Little, Brown, 1896. Description 2 v. : 76 pl. (incl. fronts., ports., maps, plans) tables ; 24 cm. Language English Note Appendices (v. 2, p. [260]-188): I. The development of the French navy, 1855-1895. II. Report of the French committee in 1870 upon the practicability of attacking the Prussian littoral. III. British ironclads. IV. Leading authorities consulted.

Wilson, Herbert Wrigley, 1866-1940 Title Ironclads in action; a sketch of naval warfare from 1855 to 1895, with some account of the development of the battleship in England [by] H.W. Wilson. With an introduction by Captain A.T. Mahan Publisher London, S. Low, Marston, 1896 Description 2 v. plates, ports., maps, plans. 24 cm Language English Contents Appendices (v.2, p. [260]-288): I. The development of the French navy, 1855-1895. II. Report of the French committee in 1870 upon the practicability of attacking the Prussian littoral. III. British ironclads. IV. Leading authorities consulted