MILITARY CHANGES

Evening Post, Volume CCXV, Issue 13, 17 January 1938, Page 7

MILITARY CHANGES

"BRASS HATS'* ANGRY

PURGE OF THE GENERALS

Bitterness among elderly ■ "Brass Hats" over the recent shake up in the Army Council has flared up in the House of Commons, said the London correspondent of the "New York Times" recently. In the presence, of Leslie Hore-Belisha, Minister of War, an angry protest was delivered by retired Major-General Sir Alfred Knox, diehard Conservative member for Wycombe, whose brother, Major-General Sir Harry Knox, was' one of the victims of the sensational "purge" of the high command. Under the rules of' Parliament, Sir Alfred had to. put his attack in question form, but.there was no mistaking the indignation behind it. . "Is it not true," he asked the ■. Wai Minister, "that these distinguished officers were in effect dismissed at a few hours' notice And doesn't the Secretary of State for War consider that their forty years' experience might have continued to be of value to the country in ■ supplementing the knowledge he has been able to obtain in si* months' acquaintance with the Wat Office" Mr. Hore-Belisha ignored -the pinprick and answered in his most soothing manner, "Sir Alfred perhaps has some acquaintance with the facts which I do not possess. All I know is that these officers—and I have paid them due tribute for what they did— retired to facilitate the promotion ol younger men'." . "asked: to resign." But Sir Alfred persisted in charging that old generals were asked to resign and demanded that the Government publish its correspondence with them' "in view of the fact that silence is imposed on : these officers by regulation, and that , the WaiMinister . has free access to the Press every day." This was the first hint that correspondence back and forth was necessary before the generals visited the War Office to lay down their commands. ' Duncan Sandys, son-in-law of Mr. Winston Churchill, then asked whether Mr. Hore-Belisha was aware "that his ' announcement on policy had been warmly welcomed by the entire country"—an indication, in other words,- that Mr.- Churchill/himself approved what had been done. But Mr. Hore-Belisha made no further answer. Earlier, however,'.. he had: hinted that the seniority rule: would: be flouted as often as necessary , in the interests of the" army's efficiency. Finally, he repeated his recen,t tributes to the.'.'long distinguished - ser-> vices rendered over many years by those senior officers who have vacated their posts and not least their public spirit in vacating them to facilitate these changes." Lord Swinton's slowness in carrying out an expansion ■of the air force brought him under fire by both Labourites and Conservatives, but Mr. Neville Chamberlain staunchly defended the Air Minister again "carping criticisms" in the ' Commons. A POINT OF ATTACK. . Mr. Reginald Fletcher, Labour military expert, raised the question of tha "desirability" of the Air Minister's being a member of the House of Commons and went on to criticise Lord Swinton's administration. "The reputation of the Ministry," he declared, "does not stand high among the other Government Departments." He also criticised the "obstinacy" of Mr. Muirhead, Under-Secretary of State for Air. who, since! Lord Swinton sits in the House of Lords, is the Ministry's sole spokesman in tha Commons. '. Lord Swinton's unsuccessfur fight against an investigation of Imperial Airways' plane and'pilot troubles was followed a few days ago:by. Mr.■Chamberlain's decision to reconstitute the inquiry board he had apppointed. This is only the latest of several scrapes he has got into. The fact that the Government agreed to provide time for Mr. Fletcher to raise,his question after the close of regular 'business in the Commons seemed to indicate that Lord Swinton might follow the Marquess of Londonderry into retirement Instead, Mr. Chamberlain sharply, counter-attacked, saying:— ■ "It is a little too absurd for Mr. Fletcher to. pretend that the interests of the State are not served unless the Secretary of State for Air is a -member of this House. The real fact is that he thinks there has been some criticism of the Air Ministry and he hopes to take advantage of what he thinks of as the temporary unpopularity of the Air Minister." Mr. Chamberlain asserted 'that "justice" would some day be given to Lord Swinton and that when the country realised that he had built up "a magnificent air force unequalled in the world for keenness of spirit of its men and equipped with machines of power as a fighting force undreamed of before he came into j office, he. will have earnea and will receive, the, gratitude of his country rather than the'.carping criticism of Mr. Fletcher." Mr. Chamberlain's statement ::wjpn the cheers of Government supporters. The matter was then dropped and the House adjourned.