THE BOOKMAN

Evening Post, Volume XCVIII, Issue 82, 4 October 1919, Page 15

THE BOOKMAN

LOBD FRENCH'S BOOK. "1914." By Field-Marghal Viscount Frenoh -of Ypres, K.P., O.M. London : Constable and Co. (The Austraasian Publishing Co., Sydney.) "There appeared in th«i Evening Post of 6fch September last an article, of two columns, containing extracts from Lord French's book "1914." In that article reference was made to the author's meeting with the ex-Kaiser) his description of the Retreat from Mons, arid his unfortunate differences of opinion with the late Lord Kitchener. General French's admiration for Marshal Foch was also referred to. It now remains to refer to some other portions of "1914"—0f apt and significant title. Foch's preface to thev work is a splendid recognition of the valour of the British Army, and is (yharacteristic, of a great man. After relating what had been done to check this Germans at the Marne, the Aisne, the Somme, Arras, on the Yser, and at Ypres, and the removal of _the British. Army to the north, he ■Writes:— : .•..'■:' , • Quant aux Allies, tie soni reduita a xecevoir le phoo aveo dcs efiectifs restraints, dos munitions comptees et r«ree, une faible artiUerie lourde Toute releve leur est ia-'•, terdite par la penurie do troupes, quells ()ue soit la duree do la bataille. Pour ne citerqu'un exemplo, le premier corps Britannique rest* engage dv. 20 Octobre au 15 Novembre—au milieu dcs plus violentes attaques et maltfre, de formidablcs pertes. Mais a cette doriiiere date la bataille etait gagnee. Leu Allies avaient in-flig-e un retentysant echec a l'ennemi:' ib avaient s»uve les' comjiiuiucations de la Manche et par la fixe le sort et l'ay&iir de la Coalition. < ; Si I'uhion etroito chi Oomnmndement Allie et la valeur dcs troupes ont perinis ces glorieux resultats, e'est quo lo Marechal French a deploye la plug entiere droiture, la plus complete confiaace, I» plus grtmdo energie: resolu a se Eaire passer stir Is corps plutot qua rcouler. Lord French is generously described by,Marshal Foch as "a great soldier, one whose troops maintained the high standard set by those of Wellington. The extracts from the work which follow , are additional to those already published in these columns. Lord French writes as a soldier rather than an artist. He relies on facts rather than on words to impress his readers. He is frankness itself. Ho does not attempt to shield himself nor shirk, his .responsibilities. He does not spare himself from blame. Upon the War Office he is particularly severe for failure to supply him with munitions, which in action" "paralysed all our power of initiative, and at critical times menaced our defence with irretrievable disaster." He dedicates "1914" to Mr. Lloyd George, and attributes "the successful {solution of the problem to his matchless energy, which enabled him to come, through the great ordeal as England's most valued leader in her direst peril." ■ The following passages are taken from "1914," and are given without further comment: — HISTORIC BOULOGNE. "Over all towered the monument to the greatest world-soldier--tho warrior Emperor who, more than 100 years before, had contemplated from thiit spot the invasion of England. Could he have now re-visited "he glimpses of the moon' would he not have rejoiced at this friendly invasion of France by Rutland's 'good yeomen,' who were now offering thoir lives to save France from possible destruction as a power of the first class? It wt.s a wonderful and never-to-be-forgotten scene in the settingsun : and, as I walked roum] the camps and bivouacs, I could not but "think of the many fine fellows around me who had said good-byo-to Old England for ever." BELGIUM A "DARK HORSE." ■ "Belgium remained a 'dark horse' up to the last, and it is' most unfortunate that she could never bo persunded to decide upon her attitudo in the event of- a general, war. All we over had in out mind' was defence against o.tlack by Germany. IWo had guaranteed the neutrality of Bel- , gium, and all reports; pointed to aii intention by Germany to violate that neutrality. What wo desired above all things was that I Belgium should realise the danger which subsequently laid her waste. We were anxious that she should assist, and cooperate in her own defence. Tho idea of attacking Germany through Belgium or in ,a.ny other 'direction never entered our heads." MARSHAL JOFFRE. "I had heard of tho French Gommander-in-Chief for years, bus had never before seen him. He struok roe at once aB a man of strong will and determination, very courteous and considerate, but firm and I steadfast of mind and purpose, and Hot ] easily turned or persuaded. Ho appeared to me to bo capable of exercising a powerful in ftuenco "over; the' troops ho commanded, and r.s likely to enjoy their confidence. These were all 'first impressions'; but I may say here that everything Ithsn thought of General Jolfre was far more than confirmed through the year and ahalf of fierce struggle during which I wa3 associated with him. His steadfastness and determination, his courage and patience, were tried to the utmost, and never found wanting. History will rank him as one of tho supremely great loaders. The immediate task before him was stupendous, and nobly did ho arise to it." .— TIiMFrAITION RESISTED. "Early in Iho afternoon it was clear to me that further definite decisions must be takoni We could hot stand on the Une towards which the troops were now retiring. The fortress of Maubeuge lay close on my right rear. It w well fonified and provisioned. It wasi impossible for anyone who has -not been sitna-tcd as I was, to realise tho terriblj; temptation which such a place offers ih an army seeking , shelter against overpowering odds. For a short time on this fatoful afternoon I debated with mysslf whether or not I should ' yield to this temptation; but I did not I hesitate long, because there were two con- ' siderations which forced themselves prominently upon my nind. In the first placo I had an instinctive feeling that this was exactly what the enemy was try- ■ ing to make mo do; and, in the second , plaoe, I had tho example of Basaihe and i Motz, in 1870, present in my mind, and the j words of Sir Edward Hamley's able comment upon tho deci.'iion of the Frenoh Marshal camo upon mo with overwhelming force. Hamloy describes it a3 'the anxiety of the temporising mind whioh | prefers postponement of-a crisis to vigor- ■ ous enterprise.' Of Bazaine, ho says, 'in \ clinging: to Metz ho acted like one who, when the ship is foundering, should lay hold of the anchor.' I therefore abandoned all such ideas, and issued orders at about 3 p.m., directing the retreat some miles further baok to tho line Le Cateau-Oam-brai." LORD HALDAKE JUSTIFIED. "Lord Haldane had. only bouiq eight or nine years to wait for his reward Within that time he saw his Territorials doing splendid and invaluable work as complete divisions in the field, and fighting with success against the most powerful and efficient army in the world. When I say ho 'got his reward' I may well be misunderstood. He got nothing but calumny and grossly unjiist-abuse;' but the '.reward' to such a. man does not come in the ordinary way. He had proved the value of his great work, and that is all the reward he over wanted It is ix> this organisation that J largely attribute the success of th*e Territorials in the field throughout the. war. .-. Backed up by the opiniqn and advice of a very few soldiers of experience, the Secretary of State for War cast all this ' prejudice to the winds, and determined i upon a regular and complete divisional ronrganisaiiou for the Territorials. It was indeed a great and courageous decision." THE SPIRIT AT MONS "In, all these roadside talks and confidences never did I h«?.r one word of complaint or breath of criticism^ The spirit of, discipline was as ' palpably shown amongst these scattered groups of unkempt, overstrained, tired soldiers as on any King's Birthday review war held on tho Horse Guards Psxade. Their oas re-

peated question, was: 'When shall we turn round and faoe them again?' Then they would add 'We can drive them to hell,' "■ PENALTY OF INTERFBRENpE. >"I am tLnxious to lay'particular stress on a principle which seems tome of the utmost importance,. namely, the danger of undue interfereilce by the Government at Home with the Commander of ml army in the field SCanton's interference with M'Lellan in the American Civil War sftould have been a. sufficient warning. 1 have referred to the natural anxiety which was equally felt by the French President, Government, and generals for the safety of Paris. The utmost pressure was brought to bear upon me to alter my dispositions co.as to make a dangerous stand on lines and in places which,, in my judgement, would have exposed the British Amy to the greatest danger of annihilation. The •battered of_ my troops was not realised, but perhaps in View OI the situation such pressure was natural and inevitable. I nad'ths power, in. accordance with the instructions which I had received before oonimjr to France, to use my full discretion in agreeing- to or resisting such demands, and, in all .my happy eaperienos of them, never did I find my French comrades resentful of such Resistance when th»y reflised the true reason for it. But when, in spite of' m'jr earnest representation of the true condition of affairs, the Secretary of State :for War himself, and the Government with him, brought still greater pressure toi bear, backed by the authority they possessed to enforce their views, I was placed in a._ppsiti6n; of the utmost diffioulfcy. Lord Kitchener came '< to Paris with no other object than to in- ' sist trpoo my atroetiit|r-th« retrtort, although no sign of a halt appeared at any part of the Allied line. < He was ignorant of tho oondition of the army as I knew it, and was mistaken, in his aaßertion_ that reinforcements of men and material had already reached me. Th« impression conveyed by hie visit was that I had greatly macnified the losses whioh had ooourred, and exaggerated the eohditson of the troops. It was diffioult to resist such presure. Fortunately I was able to do so." Lord French's "1914" is in the nature of a elaseio on the •w»r, find will be found of great value by the historian of these past five troubled years. It is likewise a book for the general ancl non-military j reader, for it is plainly tJle statelnent of an earnest, ontspoken man. j