‘ENEMY BEHIND THE LINES’

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 August 1935, Page 5

‘ENEMY BEHIND THE LINES’

WAR LN SALONIKA. LONDON. June .22. Lord Milne, who was ComnuiuderdnChief of the Salonika Army, made re-; lerenee last night to “battles in Whitehall’ which interfered with the direction of operations in the field. He was presiding at the 14th annual dinner of the officers of the Salonika Army ami Black Sea Force. Captain Cyril Falls, the official historian of the campaign, had. he said, in his second and last volume, just published, criticised him, but he had criticised others a great deal more severely, “which," he added, “gives me a great amount of pleasure.” (Laughter.) ”1 hope you will read the book.” he proceeded, “for you will then understand the difficulties with which we had to contend. I cannot help feeling sometimes that the enemy behind was almost worse Ilian the enemy in front. The enemy in trout 1 could always deal with: I had to. When you read that history 1 would like you to pay great attention to tho vacillation which was going on behind.

“When I was in the War Office we used to talk of inter-departmental battles in Whitehall, and I can assure you the battles of Whitehall, were sometimes waged in very bitter spirit indeed. Success in these minor battles was sometimes more Important than the cause itself. Small requests would be refused tor some petty r<as<>n which ought not to have been thought of when the question of the Empire was at stake." The historian." he concluded. "says that the final battle might have been fought in another way. ! <u:i agree with him. If I had been a tree agent it would not have b<-<-n fought where it was fought, hut in another place

altoget her. “But I was not a free agent. You will find in the book the reasons why in the end the alternative was either to let down the prestige of Great Britain or make the best of a bad job and show that we were loyal to the end."