The Press. Friday, December 17, 1915. Retirement of Sir John French.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15464, 17 December 1915, Page 5

The Press. Friday, December 17, 1915. Retirement of Sir John French.

The most momentous piece of news which we publish this morning is tho official announcement that Sir John French, at his own request, has been relieved of tho command of the British Forces in France and Flanders. And is (succeeded by Sir Douglas Haig. F or sixteen months Sir John French has been in command of the operations, and during thattti e has been subject to a constant strain of incessant labour and pressing anxieties, such as. it is safe to say, no British Genera] has over before had to endure. The nearest parallel that occurs to us is tho case, of Wellington in th 0 Peninsular War. Tho strain on the commander on that occasion was continued over a' much longer period, but Wellington never had the feeling which must have often weighed on French's mind, that on lb; suecoss of his operations depended iho .savins of England from a direct menac,?. j -Moreover, it must be borne in mind j that Wellington was then in the very prime of life —he was in his fortieth year when the Peninsular War commenced—whereas French is now sixtythree years of age. It is not improbable wo think, that we are on the eve of fresh developments of the most vital character on the Western front. The j prospect which at one time looked very promising of a great turning movement through Serbia and tho plains of Hun- « gary has apparently been brought to 1 nought by the failure to capture Con- ! stantinoplc, and tho consequent failure I I to bring in the Balkan States. It ' < looks as if it has now become impera- ' '■ tive to try to blast our way to victory through the Western front. If this i ' assumption i> correct, it is easy to ! i undoraUnd that Sir John French ha* '«

como to the conclusion that the direction of such n momentous operation had bettor be loft in the hand/; of a younger man. whose mental and physical energies have not been exhausted by a strain, such as few men could have withstood so Ion:: n«td so successfully as the leader who now gives up the control. Sir Douglas Haig has given ample proof or" his capacity for the post. Sir John French in his despatches has given the most eloquent and unstinted praise to his masterly conduct of critical operations, conducted under the most difficult conditions. We are si:ro that in giving the command into the hands of i Sir Douglas Ilaig he does so with en- ; tire confidence, and that confidence the • people 01 the Fmpire share without ' reservi'. i Our debt to v>ir .John French is cnor--1 moiu- . how great we shall not fully j realise until the history of the war iconics to he v. lit ten in proper persneci live. He is a great soldier. In ! South Africa he showed qualities which stamped lii 111 as f , leader far above the ordinary. Indeed no general came out of that war with <u enhanced a ! reputation. Before <'olesbcr c he held oil ,t i:ir -ti;:erior force, of Boers for !-:>me time by admirable tactics, •Hid hi." reliei' cl Kimborley wa.s a brilliant achievement, which for s-liill and boldness was not surpassed liy ..nything in the war. The great cavalry charge oi a division against the Boer position barring the way, which he led in person, accompanied by Sir Douglas Haig, was one of the most dramatic strokes of the campaign, and would alone have made him a reputation as a leader. After the war. .John French did work for the Kmpirc of incalculable benefit. It was he, more than any other individual .soldier, who improved tho training of the British soldier, applying the lessons learned in the war, inculcating a ncw spirit among officers and men, and making the little arn\y the splendidly tempered weapon it proved itself to be in the tremendous trial-of Mons and Ypres. Ho knew bettor than tho politicians that war with Germany was coming, and JlO must ever have had in hLs mind the day when the British army would cross the Channel to the assistance of France. "When the test came h 0 and the army were ready. Through n 0 fault of his own, his force, left "in the air" ns iregards the French on his right, was suddenly faced with overwhelming odds, and threatened' with extinction.

Hojw much of the success of that great retreat was due to him one can only suquise, for, being the Commander-in-Chicf, ho gave the credit of generalship to his subordinates. He shared in the victory of the ilanie, the turning point of the war, when ho struck at von Kluck's flank. But history may judge that his greatest achievement was the selection of the Ypres line, and the holding of it in those dreadful days when the battle for Calais hung in the balance. His strategy and tactics then were masterly. Some day he may give us his reasons for holding the Ypres salient. They doubtless included realisation of the moral value of the step, the effect on the Belgians of knowing that that historic city, and that corner of Belgium, were Leld against the invader. And there may have been a subtler reason, prescienco that this British wedge thrust into the German line would enrage the Germans and adversely affect their strategy by making them hurl corps after corps in vain efforts to remove it. We do know, however, that he hung on until there were no reserves left, -that he bade his men do the impossible, that he went into the firingiino to rally them,* and that in tho darkest hour ho never lost heart. That he did not subsequently break the German line was not his fault. Ho was the victim of his country's unpreparcdness, and had to wait until it gave him sufficient ammunition to pave adequately the way for the attack. At NeuveChapelle, and perhaps again at Lroos, he missed a great victory by the mistakes of others. There will be universal regret that, having triumphantly borno tho heat and burden of terrible days, when the enemy had every advantage, ho is not able to direct to victory tho gigantic preparations that have been made. The nation will, however, have tho benefit of his services at Home, both in the field and in the council, the Government having appointed him Field-Marshal commanding the troops in tho United Kingdom, and the King having conferred upon him a Yiscountcy. He takes with him tho devotion of the greatest army Britain has ever put into the field, and the gratitude of the whole Empire.