PURELY PERSONAL COMMANDERS' RESIGNATIONS

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 76, 31 March 1914, Page 7

PURELY PERSONAL COMMANDERS' RESIGNATIONS

SUGGESTED SUCCESSORS. LONDON, 30th March. It is freely stated in military circles that Sir John Prench intends to notify the commanders that his resignation was purely personal, and that ho hopee^ for the sake of the Army, that the resignations will bo limited to '-himself and General Ewart. A meeting of the military members of the Army Council suggested that Sir John French and General Ewart draft a letter to the Premier explaining their difficulties, and that the Promier should, if necessary, read the letter in the House of Commons to-day. The Standard states that Sir John French's and General Ewart's final decision to maintain their resignations is the governing feature of the crisis. While the Government, is ■willing, as Mr. Asqurth's speech on Friday showed, to repeat tho cense of Colonel Seely's paragraphs, it is bound to decline to stutify itself by reinstating these paragraphs. On this rock the negotiations will split. Lord Haldane's attempt to find a satisfactory formula bag been hitherto reeultless (Received March 31, 11.30 a.m.> LONDON, 30th March. Lieutenant-General Sir James Grierson, R.A., and Lieutenant-General Sir. Lan Hamilton are suggested as successors to Sir John French. Sir lan Hamilton's acceptance would enable the Government to abolish the office of InspectorGeneral of the Overseas Forces. [Lieutenant-General Sir James Moncrieff i Grierson was bom in Glasgow in {859, and is a son. of the late George Moncrieff Griereon. He was educated at the Glasgow Academy and the Military Academy at Woolyfrich, and in 1900 received the i -rank of brevet colonel. He saw considerable service in Egypt, as District Adjutant to the Quarter-master General in the Indian Contingent, 1882 ; he was in the actions of Kassassin and Tel-el-Kebir. for which he was mentioned in despatches and received the Khedive's star. Subsequently he was at Suakin, took part in the advance on Tamai, and in the action of Hashin, wheie he won a clasp, and was a member of the Hazara Expedition. Subsequently he went to South Africa and was in the action of Poplar Grove. Driefontein, BrandfOrt, Vet River, Zand River, Johannesburg, and many others. Afterwards he became Military Attache at the Embassy at Berlin; was Chief Staff "Officer, 2nd Army Corps, from 1902 to 1904 ; Director of Military Operations at Headquarters, and commanding Ist Division Aldershot Command, 1906-10, and now is General Officer Commanding in Chief Eastern Command, General Sir lan Standish Monteith Hamilton, General Officer Commanding-m-Chief of the Mediterranean, and Inspector-Gen-eral of Oversea Forces, is at present in Australia inspecting the Commonwealth Forces. He is to visit New Zealand shortly to inspect the Dominion Forces. General Hamilton entered the Army in 1873, saw service in the Afghan war, 1878-80. and was twice mentioned in despatches. He also served in the Boer war of 1881, the Nile Expedition of 1884, tlite Burmese Expedition of 1886, was a member of the Chitral Relief Force of 1895, Commander of the Third Brigade -at Tirah Campaign, 1897, and served in the late South African war, seeing service at Elandslaagte, defence of Ladysmith, Diamond Hill, and in oilier engagements. In all these campaigns General Hamilton was mentioned in despatches. Ho possesses many tlistJUSßJaJw'tt orders,)