BRITISH IN FRANCE

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 October 1939, Page 10

BRITISH IN FRANCE

MAHVEL OF TRANSPOHTATION. LONDON, September 15. The news of the crossing of the first British troops to France without the knowledge of the Nazis was received with great enthusiasm in Britain, where many sections of the public with little imagination had begun to express impatience at the apparent lack of activity by British forces. At the same time, the first announcement was accompanied' by what Mr Arthur Greenwood, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, called “crass stupidity and vacillation.’’

Mr Greenwood’s criticism was based on the peculiar behaviour of the Ministry of Information. News of the British troops’ crossing was authorised for publication at 5.52 pan. on September 11. At 11.38 pan. newspapers were thrown into confusion by an announcement withdrawing the authorisation. In the early hours of the morning police called at newspaper offices and seized copies at termini and on trains. Finally, after a new edition was being published a further bulletin was issued at 2.55 a.m. once more releasing the news. After all this indecision, Britain was informed —what many thousands of people already knew —that her soldiers were in France but had not yet gone into action. The greatest secrecy was observed in the transhipment, and that it was carried through without a casualty reflects great credit on the organisation. It is understood that German calculations up to a year ago were that even if the short Channel crossingmight not be preventable, it was possible to make long sea. transportation a dangerous hazard, and that submarines and aircraft could prevent overseas possessions from being reinforced with speed. Britain countered that by placing her overseas forces in accessible positions during the months of peace and so limited transportation to the troops. destined' for France. As far as is known the enemy gleaned no knowledge of the long columns that passed in recent nights through the dark country lanes to British harbours. As the heavy columns arrived, dockers made short work of stowing armoured fighting vehicles on shipboard. Steam was up and the ships were quickly away, shadowed by the escorts of the Royal Navy. Brigade after brigade, division after division, were thus transported. . The work went on Slid some idea of ; the enormous nature of the. task may l be gathered from the fact that a divii sion with its vehicles on a single road I stretches for 20 miles. ; It is known that German military attaches reported the British Army as having risen from negligible to full Continental standard and that the nation bad turned military from top to bottom inside twelve mouths. A New Zealander was among the first to see the British troops landingin France.. He was Mr' Geoffrey Cox, who is on the Paris staff of the “DailyExpress,’’ and was a. 1932- Rhodes Scholar. It was no affair of flags or flower-throwing, he said. The attitude of the men seemed to be: “We’re hero to do a job we think worth doing and' we don’t want any unnecessary fuss.’’ The French, too shared the feeling of not wishing for heroics, but the people wore moved by the sight of the khaki columns landing on their soil once more.

“Out in the grey Channel I saw the dark shapes of the British and French destroyers which had escorted the latest ships to the port,” said Cox.' “Above floated an observation ballon. scanning the port approaches for submarines. From the coastal forts

great guns pointed out to sea, covering the approaches from England. Not. a man was lost on this crossing. “Through the gate of their temporary barracks swung a detachment of sappers, shovels on shoulder. Other troops, waiting for trains and lorries, crammed the bakers’, the wineshops, and tobacconists’. Veterans of the last war acted as interpreters, but little interpretation was needed. “These men were taken right into French life. I saw infantrymen sitting on doorsteps like the members of any French family, with babies sitting on their knees, while hordes of little boys examined their buttons, caps, and uniforms. Other sections of these troops were moving steadily to the Western Front. In a village I suddenly came on a camouflaged column drawn up like the German columns I saw entering Austria and Czecho-Slovakia.

l_ MEN VERY MUCH AT HOME. y e “In the narrow streets of the old '" port town, the. British troops were already completely at home. Infantry \ men wearing the new battle-dress, r white-belted' military police, red hat--5 banded staff officers carrying canes, sergeants wearing the old style flat 11 forage caps strolled along and looked s at the shop windows. r “A lorry packed with newly-landed * north-countrymen, waving cheerily st went past. Other lorries, filled with supplies, rolled to the station. The , port seemed completely taken over by the British.' British lorries and ambulances rolled through the streets. l " Army nurses, with red-white-and-blue hatbands and with steel helmets slung s over their arms, sat in their grey uni- ! ~ forms in the corner of a restaurant n eating lunch. '■ “In the other corner a group of of!t feers constituted an informal mess. I noted' that, almost all of them spoke d French. The chief immediate cons cern of these troops is to find some e branch of French tobacco which is ; smokeable. The French are greatly ’’ struck by the easy air of confidence of these men, and the excellence of y their bearing and equipment. s “An American, military expert who s was with me was most impressed with 3 the calibre of this army, which he considers is probably the best fitted t out in the world.” 3 The French official wireless de- ■’ scribed the enthusiasm with which tho British Expeditionary'Force was 1 welcomed in France, quoting ac--1 counts of the warmth of the affection •_ shown by the French populace to the “Tommies” when they passed through r the villages on their way to the front. Men of the R.A.F. advance guard of 1 the. B.E.F. were to be seen in their blue uniforms on the streets of Paris ' from the first days of the war. They ' wore in the French capital to arrange J for the arrival of huge numbers of ' fighters and bombers at selected ' French military airfields. Thorough preparations, based on : experience of the last war, have been ; made for the reception of the* British ■ forces. Base camps have been got ready near the ports ami provision lias been made for supplies. , Dumps are springing up and hospitals have been prepared. Once again British troops are moving through .France in the well-known railway goods trucks inscribed “Forty men—eight horses.” Members of the advance, guard from England are being shown the mar- ’ vels of the Maginot Line. One result ] of this sugterraanean system of refences is that the B.E-F. is reaching i the front in far greater security than ‘the Old Contemptibles. who in 191 In ■had to face shot and shell, along ex- t posed roads and cart tracks, as they marched to meet, the enemy.