Charles Fair

Charles Fair has had a lifelong interest in the history of the British Army of the 1908-1945 era. His first book, Marjorie’s War: Four Families in the Great War 1914-1918, was published in 2012 and is based on a family archive of 800 letters and 400 photographs by his grandmother and other family members. This includes letters by his grandfather who commanded the 1/19th Londons after High Wood, and a gunner officer who served in 47th Division RFA. He was the Haig Fellowship’s 2009 Scholar for his essay on the social history of the working-class 19th Battalion, the London Regiment (St Pancras). He was a third-generation Territorial officer and served in the infantry. His ‘day job’ is as a consultant and researcher on command and control (C2) issues in the defence industry. He is an active member of the 19th London Old Comrades Association and has led several battlefield tours looking at the actions of 47th and 60th Divisions on the Western and Salonika Fronts.

With Tom Thorpe and Richard Hendry he is a co-editor of the two volume set London Pride: The London Territorial Force in Peace and War 1908-1921 of which he has written or co-written several chapters.

He is currently combining his personal and professional interests by writing his PhD on the selection and training of junior officers in the British Army of the Great War at the Department of War Studies, KCL. The thesis forms the basis of two chapters in Spencer Jones' edited 1917 and 1918 volumes about the British Army of the First World War.