THE INFANTRY FIELD-MARSHAL’S PLEA FOR BATTLE WINNERS SOLDIERS PLAGEM ON FARMS

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24581, 1 June 1945, Page 4

THE INFANTRY FIELD-MARSHAL’S PLEA FOR BATTLE WINNERS

SOLDIERS PLAGEM ON FARMS

My attention was lately called by a distinguished officer to the fact that, whereas in official correspondence ana in the press it is the to use initial capital ferring to other arms of the servic S loyal Armoured Corps, Royal teKe togfSg ©3 SStlJg ance and proposed to do it *nt tte St SfimW posslWy b. imdg; standable. though misguided, in peace, “&l in u“ e S b deS'S£t.t three (at*, wjrff all battles and all wars are won Swebnd by tte infantryman. SecoU the ffifantryman always bears the Krimt His casualties are heavier, ne suffers greater extremes of discomfort and fatigue than the other arms. Third, the art of the infantryman is i«s stereotyped and far harder to acquire irfmodern war than that of an other arm The role of the average artillerymm. for instance, is largely routtne; the setting of a fuse, the loading of a gun evln the laying of it are processes’which, once learnt, are mechanical. The infantryman has to use initiative and intelligence in oJmost every step he moves, every action he takes on the battlefield. We ought therefore to put our men of best intelligence and endurance into the Infantry. Pay and Prestige Yet the infantry in peace or war receives the lowest rates of pay, the drabbest uniforms, sometimes even the least promising of recruits; most im. portant of all it ranks lowest in the public estimation and prestige. This is all wrong' and should be set right by methods more important than a capital I. In all the long history of War on land the front-line fighting man, whose role is to close with the enemy and force him to fleer surrender or be killed—the only , method by which battles are ever won—has ‘two cate- ■ gorites only—those who fight mounted —once the Knights-at-arms, then the Cavalry, now the Boyal Armoured Corps—and those who fight on their f ee t_the/ Inevitable, enduring, despised, long-suffering-infantry (with a very capital I). Artillery, Engineers, R.A.S.C., and the like simply handle the weapons and equipment which Infantry have from time to time discarded whpn they found that they encumbered their mobility and lessened their power to perform their primary role of -closing with the enemy. The cannon, bombard, or what-not, when first introduced was an infantry weapon; when it impeded mobility it was handed over to the second-line men, to support the Infantry. Similarly with other weapons and devices. So that the real front-line fighters, mounted or dismounted, are the men who .should receive such panoply and glamour as are accorded to this dreary business of war. The mounted men have always had it—prancing steeds,

rjjy FIELD-MARSHAL VISCOUNT WAVELL in “The Times.”] (Published by Arrtngement) •.

glittering uniforms, sabretaches, scimi. tars, dolmans, leopard-skins, and the like id the old days; the imposing clau f ' ter of tanks and smart blacK berets in - ; these sterner days. But the infantry, man who bears the danger, the dirt; I and the discomfort has never enjoyed the same prestige. ’ »• ■ In peace, the Royal Armoured Corpt the Artillery, the Engineers all had * inspectors to look after their interests, i The Infantry had to content theraselvea i with a humiliating asterisk in the :i Army List and a footnote which ex- ? plained that the Director of Military Training (who was sometimes a gun-' -4 ner or engineer) also acted as In- ■ spector of Infantry. The Royal Arm- &■ cured Corps had a centre at Boving- 4};; ton, the Artillery at Woolwich, the. ‘ Engineers at Chatham. But the In- ' 1 fan try were homeless. There wag g “Cavalry - Journal,” an “Artillery Journal,” an "Engineer Journal,” but '%i no “Infantry Journal.” I understand t that it is intended to repair omissions after the war. ||| Emblem of Honour I#* But I believe that what the Infantry 'ftfjfe would appreciate more than anything Sk is some outward and visible symbol! w. No one grudges the parachutist htaifp very distinctive emblem, but the fantry man is, I will maintain, subject W . to greater and more continuous, though t?. less spectacular, risk than the para-i& chutist, and should certainly have emblem. What it should be I musb*|bi leave to others—a rampant crossed bayonets, a distinctive pipingf ’w It can surely not have escaped that nearly all our leaders who distinguished themselves in this IJjpm have been infantrymen—Field-Mas', f' shals Dill, Alexander, Montgomery*-’ | ‘ Wilson; Generals Auchinleck, nor, Platt, Leese, Dempsey, and Last war was a very static war, there was a fashion for cavalry erals; in this war infantry genettiftfl ‘ have shown that they can move as any. , A Capital*!” ‘ So let us always write Infantry tnßpfe a specially capital “I” and thuikijßßS them with the deep admiration thBEBSE? deserve. And let us Infantrymen wro our tiattledress,. like our rue, wither difference; afid throw a chest in ittjffijjg,; we are the men who win battles Wm,, 1 will conclude with a story whatEfe was told me some 10 years ago WBife General Gouraud, a great French general of the last war, wlgfe: i was .then Governor of Paris. He wflgE dining with three British generals, (wt , different arms of the service. He us the following, as current 'in thura French Army to illustrate the charag^~; : teristics of the three principal arms: -aia “The general gives an order to infantryman. The infantryman, be ini* £ rather stupid, does-not well what the general wants, but goes psfti | and engages the enemy. , .. ‘I-. “The general gives an order to -tfadp artilleryman. The artilleryman imaer*|S&' stands it perfectly, but being rmgM|; cleverer than the general goes and doeri ? something quite different,'' “The general gives an order 1 to ,n||£i cavalryman. The cavalryman smil»v.r politely and goes off tb water..and feed his. horses.” ~ : ..M I We all assured him that things wwj# S, arranged differently in the BritUu} I

REPLY TO^COMPLAMBp--. STATEMENT BY PlßE<fo§pHip OF RehabilitatioctK (p.A.) WELLINGTON, “It would be as making hysterical outbursts,'wlSmjHffi, that reported to have been~3gHßp against this department by .Mr'Jß® Montgomery' at the Farmers’ IMgs* coofe#®!.* ;tom«*toa NwtHK. made sure "of thfcir'facts, ■ Director of Rehabilitation, UHR9& Baker, to-day. ; „: ; “Mr Montgomery’s motion.,i parently based on statements rajMgaEl the conference by two looney.- silWBMi men delegates who had taßgjMSli farms"with the assistance of tion finance. Both-were men been graded A for farming, were considered competent their, rehabilitation their own farm. . . 'XsSSMBm “In the case of one of the formBMHBB vicemen mentioned he exenwgHßE siderable persuasion' with ment to be assisted on his own Choosing. ' So eager mMSSm to obtain this particular iuniPß board sanctioned bis being asiMMUaMpto it at a very considerable .nraH| on the price he had prevtOUStfaBIBMB to pay. He secured the planfHßmWß Surely, as an A grade farmerffhiHWß have known that the plant at tMpHHH must have been of little accoUßpilMß be states, with apparent that be found the machinery. awMBW; in a dilapidated'state, and him £3OO for replacements. JUbMBmI suming that that amount 'had^Si—t advanced to him, considering WiMl department saved him in thenwtwiMK he would still be very vreupffiSHßthedeaL However, he bad eaanMHWl'i portunity to make his- own .wMK : which, alter all, was his regqpßPWK mainly, although every would be afforded by rebamMHK officers should it be reo uested. “Regarding testing for tubeftawMßK it is not at present common ’P(%jaaß| for the board to see that such -mSKm. is made, but should this becameilMW ral policy throughout the countEKaHßßg board will then act accimllMWKl Reasonable and ordinary pracWMBR are now taken with the stag-wSIHIBB “In the case of the other/:-ftaHl serviceman delegate’s protest itemised valuation sent him, phasised that a former semaßMpi arranging to purchase freehriMaWg leasehold, and seeking this deparmjHHp financial assistance, cannot hwCMBI department responsible for evenMHß that goes wrong. He should, if tbfflHK! competent and experienced take a farm, be able to asseslUßp. values involved. In this we axeWKM to advise him, but on him miifflK the chief responsibility. It is hifejn& position in the first place, and he think it attractive to come to UwHBsP financial aid. We, on our part, dfljMHp best to ensure that the propositiadlWg - as attractive as it appears to tbe^^p.