THE LEGION OF FRONTIERSMEN

OF THE COMMONWEALTH
The Formation
Outrider of Empire On Boxing Day, 1904, a letter appeared in major London newspapers Outrider of Empire
calling for men who had experience of work or action abroad to come
One Hundred Years together for comradeship and service to the State in times of need. One Hundred Years
The scope was later extended to women as well and the Legion has
Topic of the Month served widely and well for over ninety years and included many who Topic of the Month
made the ultimate sacrifice. The letter came from adventurer and
History Pages author Roger Pocock who had seen service in the South African War
Home Page and in Canada with the North-West Mounted Police. Only in his
Introduction fortieth year, he had seen enough adventure to fill several lives. He
Founder held the long-distance horse-riding record, for at the turn of the
Formation century he had ridden unarmed from Fort MacLeod in Canada to
First 10 Years Mexico crossing the great American deserts. He had even ridden up to
First World War the outlaws' stronghold to interview Butch Cassidy and his fellow
25th Fusiliers outlaws for a London newspaper. Cassidy had been so amazed by this
Between the Wars unarmed Englishman that he had agreed to an interview. The 1904
After the Second War letter soon attracted others of a similar adventurous spirit to Pocock
Canada and the Legion was born. Before long it was represented throughout
New Zealand the four corners of the earth.
Australia
Round the World William Le Queux
Pocock had been to Russia as a representative of "The Illustrated
Mail" and indulged in some successful amatuer spying. Via a friend he
Bibliography was taken to see Prince Louis of Battenberg, then D.N.I.. From the
Useful Links positive response Pocock received he became convinced that the
amateur around the frontiers of the world could provide information
of use to Britain and to its interests around the world. In those days
before the establishment of an organised British Intelligence
organisation, there were many of authority who also held the view
that the gentleman amateur was the best source of information.

The newspaper industry was well represented among early members

with H.A. Gwynne, R.D. Blumenfeld, Edgar Wallace, and importantly
the most insistent of those warning of "German Spies", William le
Queux, eagerly joining. Specialist War Correspondents, Edmund Harry de Windt
Chandler, Capt. Walker Kerton, F.A. MacKenzie and Frederick Moore
became members. Pocock enlisted friends among well known authors
and travellers of the day, such as Cutcliffe Hyne, whom wrote the
Captain Kettle books, Morley Roberts and Harry de Windt.

Politicians started to consider the Legion a good idea, more

Conservatives than Liberals, and some influential ones became
members, such as E.G. Pretyman who had served as Civil Lord of the
Admiralty and maintained the Naval links for the Legion. Sir Henry
Seton-Kerr, member for St. Helens was better known as a big game
hunter. These were men of great influence rather than of power. A
Capt. Roger Pocock H.S.H. Prince Louis of
good example was Sir Eric Barrington who had entered the Forign
wearing his early Battenberg
Office in 1867 and had been Private Secretary to, amongst others,
Frontiersman Lord Salisbury and the Marquis of Lansdowne. He retired from the
uniform. Foreign Office in 1907, where he had ended his career as Assistant
Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs - a man with a great
knowledge of the Forign Office and its ways who would have been well
able to promote the interests of the Legion.

As well as men of influence writing and talking about the Legion, the
fifteen foot square room at the top of 6 Adam Street in London soon
came to be filled with a motley collection of seamen, soldiers of
fortune, cowboys, explorers - many of these men with strange life
stories and knowing the shadier sides of the law.

Next Page R.D. Blumenfeld

Morley Roberts
Copyright 2002-2009
Geoffrey A. Pocock.
All rights reserved.

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