Nick Higham, "Mavericks: Empire, Oil, Revolution and the Forgotten Battle of World War One" (Bloomsbury, 2025)

Oct 10, 2025

Nick Higham, a former BBC foreign correspondent turned historian, dives into the captivating world of mavericks during World War One in his latest book. He reveals the daring Baku expedition, led by the colorful Lionel Dunsterville, who aimed to secure oil and thwart Bolshevik advancements. Higham shares stories of eclectic characters like the resourceful Edward Noel and the inventive Toby Rawlinson. The discussion also explores the risks they faced in chaotic war zones and the legacies that remain of these unique heroes shaped by their extraordinary experiences.

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INSIGHT

India Office Archives Are Key

Official India Office files contain vast cable traffic and memos that illuminate British operations across Persia and the Caucasus.
Memoirs and diaries must be cross-checked because they often exaggerate or invent events.

INSIGHT

Cross-Check Memoirs With Archives

Memoirs and diaries from participants often exaggerate or invent episodes, so cross-referencing with official cables is essential.
Good archival work transforms colourful memoirs into reliable history by testing claims against records.

INSIGHT

Russian Collapse Rewired WWI Strategy

The Bolshevik peace and Russian army collapse in 1917 opened the Caucasus to Ottoman advance and German gains.
Britain's strategic fear of losing Baku's oil and a Muslim uprising in India drove intervention far from home.

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As the First World War drew to a close and regimes began to collapse across Europe, British officials plotted a daring campaign to send an unlikely band of maverick soldiers, diplomats and spies to the chaotic region around the Caspian Sea. Their mission: to block the advance of the Turks, to hold back the rising Bolsheviks and prevent a Turkish-inspired jihad overwhelming India, and to secure the vital supply of oil from Baku.
It was an almost impossible task, but Mavericks: Empire, Oil, Revolution and the Forgotten Battle of World War One (Bloomsbury, 2025) by Nick Higham tells the gripping stories of the remarkable and enterprising characters at the centre of it all, who would be tested to the limit. There was Lionel Dunsterville, the inspiration for Kipling's Stalky and commander of the expedition; Ranald MacDonell, a Scottish aristocrat and diplomat who smuggled millions of roubles for the war effort; Edward Noel, a seemingly indestructible soldier who was held hostage for sixty-five days in horrific conditions; Toby Rawlinson, the younger brother of one of Britain's most senior generals and a brilliant inventor; and Reginald Teague-Jones, a spy who printed his own currency and would eventually emerge as an author at the age of ninety-nine.
Drawing on personal diaries, memoirs and once-secret government archives, Mavericks brings to life a cast of eccentric heroes who survived against all odds to tell their extraordinary tales. This is a propulsive story of boldness and intrigue, set in a forgotten corner of the Great War where the rules were made to be broken.

This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda’s interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts.

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