Talk:Edwin Boxshall/GA1

1. Well-written

Criteria: the prose is clear, concise, and understandable to an appropriately broad audience; spelling and grammar are correct; and it complies with the Manual of Style guidelines for lead sections, layout, words to watch, fiction, and list incorporation.

• I would consider moving the first sentence of the second paragraph of "Early life and First World War" to the third paragraph discussing the Military Mission cover as he wasn't commissioned until August 1917.

Done.

• I would add a mention that Romania was originally neutral but joined the Allies in August 1916 to provide some context and that, although defeated, the part of Romania Boxshall was operating from wasn't occupied. I would also provide some context to the reader around the Russian Civil War and the Romanian military intervention in Bessarabia to explain what Boxshall was doing there.

Done. Added context with two sources to support (Hall and Clodfelter).

• "He has been described as one of the longest-serving officers in British intelligence history", I would attribute this statement in the article ("...described by XXXXXX as ...") to avoid any potential issues wiuth MOS:AWW.
  • Done.
• I would provide a link to 1945 Birthday Honours in relation to his MBE

Done.

2. Verifiable with no original research

Criteria: it contains a list of all references (sources of information), presented in accordance with the layout style guideline; reliable sources are cited inline. All content that could reasonably be challenged, except for plot summaries and that which summarizes cited content elsewhere in the article, must be cited no later than the end of the paragraph (or line if the content is not in prose); it contains no original research; and it contains no copyright violations or plagiarism.

• Missing a citation after "Boxshall was succeeded as the Foreign Office’s SOE Adviser by Christopher M. Woods followed by Gervase Cowell"

Done. Added missing sfn

• You mention his 1947 divorce in the infobox but it is not cited and not mentioned in the article

Done. Added per Davenport

• His rank of lt-col is mentioned only in the infobox and uncited

Done.

• The introduction to Who's who in Central and East-Europe states that the information contained was gathered form the subjects. I think, therefore, that you should be treating it as an WP:SPS, I don't think you should state eg. that he held the honours listed on this basis. You could, though say "his entry in teh 1935 Who's who in Central and East-Europe stated that he held..."

Done.

• Spot checks:

"He developed a wide network of influential contacts, including arms magnate Sir Basil Zaharoff, whose support helped legitimise his commercial role" checks out to Bennett 2012, p. 166.

"During this time, he was instrumental in brokering military-industrial contracts, including the sale of submarine equipment to the Romanian Navy." checks out to Deletant 2016, p. xi.

MBE checks out to the Gazette

Noted, thank you for verifying.

3. Broad in its coverage

Criteria: it addresses the main aspects of the topic; and it stays focused on the topic without going into unnecessary detail (see summary style).

Consider adding the following from the London Gazette:

• appointment as temporary honorary 2nd lieutenant 11 August 1917
• promotion to temporary honorary captain 22 August 1919
• relinquished commission 1 October 1920 but retained the honorary rank
• commissioned 2nd lt on the General List 29 August 1941
• I've not managed to track down his subsequent promotions in the Gazette but you can follow his progress as a holder of a Regular Army Emergency Commission through the Army List

The first quarter 1942 list show he was promoted to the war substantive rank of lieutenant on 29 August 1941 and held the temporary rank of captain from 29 November 1942.

The 1st quarter 1945 Army List shows promotion to the war substantive rank of captain on 21 August 1942 and the temporary rank of major on the same date.

The first quarter 1946 list shows he became a war substantive major on 1 November 1945 and temporary rank of lt-col on the same date

Done. Added verified London Gazette and Army List citations with a new Military commissions section summarising confirmed ranks and promotion dates (1917–1945).

4. Neutral

Criteria: it represents viewpoints fairly and without editorial bias, giving due weight to each.

Resolved

I found no issues with WP:NPOV

5. Stable

Criteria: it does not change significantly from day to day because of an ongoing edit war or content dispute.

Resolved

No disputes evident in page history or on talk page

6. Illustrated

Criteria: media are tagged with their copyright statuses, and valid non-free use rationales are provided for non-free content; and media are relevant to the topic, and have suitable captions.

• There is a photo on Getty that could be cropped and used under a fair use tag

Done. Added 1979 Getty image of Boxshall under fair-use rationale with appropriate caption and licensing details.

Good work! Passing this for GA - Dumelow (talk) 13:52, 11 October 2025 (UTC)

Thank you @Dumelow, appreciate your time and detailed feedback. -Aeengath (talk) 14:59, 11 October 2025 (UTC)