A SOLDIER NOVELIST

Evening Star, Issue 18045, 12 August 1922, Page 11

A SOLDIER NOVELIST

SMPINC EXPERT OF THE WAR

Major H. Hesketh Prichard, D. 5.0., M.C., whose death occurred a few weeks ago, was a notable traveller and big game hunter, an excellent cricketer, a keen naturalist, and tho author, in collaboration with his mother, of some readable romantic novels. But his most important work was done as a. teacher of marksmanship in tho war, an account of which he gave in his book, ‘Sniping in Franco’ (1920). It was in 1915 that Prichard, realising that the German snipers were getting the upper hand, obtained through the good offices of Lieutenant-colonel Stuart, his commanding officer, the appointment of “sniping expert” to the Third Army, It was one of those strictly unofficial appointments in winch some of the best work done by the Expeditionary Force had its origin. Prichard, by dint of his enthusiasm and tho valuable results he was soon able to show, steadily overcame the apathy or tho opposition of short-sighted commanding officers. Attached at first to individual corps, divisions, and brigades, he gradually gained the support of the higher commanders, particularly that of Sir Charles Monro, then commanding the Third Army, and Sir R. Hairing, com-manding-the Eleventh Corps, and he raised tire standard of marksmanship throughout the Army in Franco until tho German sniper was outclassed. Although he approached tho problem rather as a big gamo shot than as a Bisley enthusiast, yet he admitted that one of his best liteutenants was a King's Prizeman, and ho acknowledged how much Bisley experts had done for British marksmanship, and how much more they might have done had their advice been sought and taken earlier by the War Office. Such blunders as issuing telescopic-sighted rifles as trench stores was sheer waste of costly weapons. Major Prichard’s training of observers, at first a “ side-show,” led to extraordinary results, and his description of the devices used to outwit tho enemy sniper’ is full of beautiful examples of deduction. In one instance the appearance of a cat on a parapet led to the destruction of an entirely unsuspected German headquarters. Major Prichard was twice mentioned in despatches, and received the P.S.O. and M.C. and the Military Order pf Avis.