Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart (1895-1970), Military historian and strategist
Sitter in 27 portraits
Liddell Hart was gassed on the Somme in 1916, and suffered two mild heart attacks in 1921 and 1922 (which were probably the long-term effects of his gassing), an experience which coloured his thinking. Officially disabled, he introduced new methods of instruction and drill, contributed to the Infantry Training Manual, and left the army in 1927. He was an influential commentator on war, notably in Strategy - The Indirect Approach (1929). Thirty books followed. He was military correspondent for the Daily Telegraph (1925-35) and The Times (1935-9). An early campaigner for nuclear disarmament, his views influenced President Kennedy before the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.