George Steer
George Lowther Steer | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date South Africa |
| Died | December 25, 1944 (aged 35) |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, author, war correspondent |
| Known for | Frontline reporting during Second Italo-Ethiopian War and Spanish Civil War; coverage of Guernica bombing |
George Lowther Steer (22 November 1909 – 25 December 1944) was a British journalist and author born in South Africa, recognized for his frontline reporting during conflicts preceding World War II, particularly the Second Italo-Ethiopian War and the Spanish Civil War. Working for The Times, his firsthand accounts revealed war atrocities committed by Italian troops in Ethiopia and German forces in Spain. His 1937 exclusive on the Guernica bombing influenced Pablo Picasso’s renowned anti-war painting, Guernica. During the Second World War, Steer returned to Ethiopia to support the campaign that expelled Italian occupiers and reinstated Emperor Haile Selassie.
Early life
Steer was born in South Africa in 1909 to a father who managed a newspaper. He pursued classical studies at Winchester College and later at Christ Church, Oxford. His journalism career began in South Africa before relocating to London, where he joined the Yorkshire Post.
War correspondent
In 1935, Steer reported on Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia for The Times. He documented the widespread deployment of mustard gas and attacks on Red Cross ambulances by Italian forces. Additionally, he facilitated the delivery of gas masks to Ethiopian defenders as protection against these prohibited chemical weapons. Steer established a strong rapport with Emperor Haile Selassie, who subsequently became godfather to Steer’s son. While in Ethiopia, he married his first wife under difficult circumstances; sadly, both she and their newborn died during childbirth after returning to London.
Spanish Civil War
In 1937, Steer covered the Spanish Civil War from the Basque region. His reports emphasized how British merchant vessels defied the Nationalist blockade of Bilbao to deliver food supplies to the starving civilians. Positioned near the front lines, he gained significant attention with his exclusive report on the bombing of Guernica on 26 April 1937. His dispatch described German bomb casings stamped Rheindorf 1936 and detailed how thermite incendiaries were combined with high-explosive bombs to generate intense firestorms. This coverage alerted Western audiences to Germany’s strategy of terror bombing against non-combatants.
Nationalist forces rejected Steer’s accounts, attributing destruction to Republican actions, but an investigation by the League of Nations found neither side’s claims fully accurate. To counter skepticism, Steer presented detailed evidence including bomb craters and identification of Luftwaffe aircraft such as Heinkel He 111 bombers involved in the raid. Although he did not witness the bombing itself, he arrived soon after to document devastation and interview survivors. As Nationalist troops advanced, he was among the final journalists to evacuate Bilbao, heading west toward Santander.
Winter War in Finland
Due to his antifascist stance, The Times terminated Steer’s contract since its editorial policy supported Franco’s Nationalists and generally favored appeasement toward Germany and fascist regimes. Returning to South Africa, he authored Judgment on German Africa, which examined Nazi Germany's influence attempts in its former African territories including Cameroon, South West Africa (present-day Namibia), Tanganyika, and Togoland.
Following the outbreak of Second World War, Steer was assigned by the Daily Telegraph to report on the Winter War in Finland, where Soviet air raids targeted Finnish towns. Unlike previous conflicts, Britain, France, and Germany actively supported Finland by supplying weapons and volunteers. The conflict concluded in March 1940 with an armistice requiring Finland to cede nearly 10% of its land despite inflicting heavy losses on Soviet forces.
Return to Ethiopia
After Italy declared war on Britain, strategies were developed to launch an invasion of Ethiopia from Kenya and Sudan with the objective of removing the Italian occupation and reinstating Emperor Hailie Selassie. Steer enlisted in the British Army's Intelligence Corps, where he covertly accompanied Selassie under the pseudonym "Mr Smith." He subsequently commanded a mobile propaganda team that effectively weakened Italian control by distributing leaflets and broadcasting messages via loudspeakers, encouraging defections and altering Ethiopian allegiances.
In addition, Steer transmitted Italian operas and frontline updates from Libya, contributing to British efforts against superior Italian forces in 1941. The joint campaign by British and Ethiopian troops, including irregular units led by Orde Wingate, culminated in the liberation of Addis Ababa in April 1941, signaling the collapse of Italian rule.
Following this, Steer was assigned to India to lead a Field Propaganda Unit operating in Burma, tasked with diminishing Japanese morale through speeches and musical broadcasts. Advancing from Lieutenant to Lieutenant-colonel, he was also attached to the Special Operations Executive. His initiatives received support from General William Slim, who aimed to broaden these psychological operations.
Personal life
In May 1936, during a pause in his humanitarian efforts, Steer wed French journalist Margarita Herrero. Shortly thereafter, Italian authorities expelled him for assisting Ethiopians. Margarita passed away during childbirth in London while Steer was covering the Spanish Civil War. He later remarried Esme Barton.
Death
Steer's life ended in a Jeep accident in Burma as he was traveling to a Christmas celebration.
Legacy
In 2006, Guernica commemorated Steer with a bronze bust and named a street in his honor. Four years later, Bilbao also dedicated a George Steer Street, an event attended by his son and granddaughter.
Books by Steer
- Caesar in Abyssinia: An account of the Italo-Abyssinian war, 1935-6 (1936)
- The Tree of Gernika: A field study of modern war (1938)
- Germany in Africa: Articles on former German African Colonies (1938)
- A Date in the Desert (1939)
- Judgment on German Africa (1939)
- Abyssinia to-day with W. Arnold-Forster (1939)
- Sealed and delivered: a book on the Abyssinian Campaign (1942)
Books about Steer
- Nicholas Rankin – Telegram from Guernica: The Extraordinary Life of George Steer, War Correspondent , 2003, Faber and Faber