PASSCHENDAELE

Grey River Argus, 2 January 1935, Page 6

PASSCHENDAELE

What Did it Signify ? MR. LLOYD GEORGE HITS OUT. LONDON, Nov. 20. Mr. Lloyd George, when opening an exhibition of war pictures, replied to critics of his War Memoirs, more perticularly his latest volume in which he deals with the .Balth* of Passchendaele. He asked whether the publication lof this kind of ghastliness was justifiable. Certainly not for merely pandering to morbidity, lie said. If that were so, there were no words strong enough to condemn it. “If there were no danger of another war and the repetition of these horrors, then I should say, “Let the unknown truth about- the war be bur ied in the same grave as the Unknown Warrior. ’ “But is there no danger? I am not one of those who think that it is quite imminent. lam a little hopeful that it will be put off, but it. is there, lurking on the path along which humanity has to tread, and any moment it may spring upon us. “If you want to know whether there lis any danger, go Io Lloyd’s and ask what it would cost you for a policy to insure you against the risk of war i for five years. “Then, if you have done any business, try them again for another policy for the next five years. You would then know that the danger of war is n reality which you have got to deal with. ’ ’ WHAT WAR MEANS. Having referred to the pictures in the exhibition, he said: “We must bear in mind the millions of young men now throbbing w’ith life and hope who have got to be saved from the repetition of these terrible experiences. ‘‘Did I say young men? Children would be in the front line next time. The same bombs, the same explosives that kill and multilate—yes, liable to be strangled with the same poisonous fumes as their parents. “We must teach them what war means, and that is why I am glad of this exhibition.

“I know it has been said in reference to something I have written to try and give the realities of war, that if you do it you wil lintimidate youth, undermine their confidence, so that if the occasion should be forced upon us in the future for another great sacri

fice for liberty or right or patriotism it will weaken them.

“People who think that have strangely misread the history of humanity. Whenever a noble cause has been imperilled in the past, men have never yet shrunk from the horrors of death or of torture to defend that cause, nor will they in the future. “But you must take care that if that calamity ever befalls us it will be for an adequate cause. (Hear, hear). Humanity must not be rushed for motives nf ambition, racial hatred, racial jealousies. . . . TILT AT SIR J. SIMON. “I read a speech the other day by my old friend, Sir John Simon. I am glad to find that on all sides it is regarded as a pretty regrettable utterance. “He made a personal allusion to me. He seemed to deplore the length of my reminiscences about the war. Well, I am not the only statesman who has written his memories about the war.

i am, I think, about the fifth in iLi‘‘When Sir John Simon vouies I" write his biography he will have one ad\antage over lhe whole 10l of us when he conics to the story of the war, when the more he compresses lhe better it will be for him (Laughter). The smaller the chapter, the fewer the details about what he did as a politiciaji in the War the better it will be for his fame. ‘‘But I want to say this about that —1 wrote about the war with great re luetance. I. put it off. 1 only wrote it under great pressure, but having written it I thought it essential to tell the whole of the truth as 1 knew it without fear or favour, affection or ill will. “I should like to say one frank work about the suggestion that I ought not to have revealed facts which reflected on men who have passed away. “I was sorry it was necessary. Bn! if that principle was accepted, history could no longer be written or taught. There are only two or three of the great Generals of this Avar who are still alive. “Does it mean that you are not to tell lhe story of the war. and if you are to tell it that you are not to tell the whole of it so that people shall mP know what happened. “AN INSANE HORROR.” “Take Passchendaele —I see some horrible pictures of it here. Most of + hose who took part havo written their own story.” Mr. Lloyd George mentioned General Gough, General Charteris, Sir William Robertson and Earl Ha?g, the lastnamed through his revised despatches, and the fuller account given through his private secretary. “The whole story has been told by them,” said Mr. Lloyd George, “and they did not refrain from criticising politicians—notably one politician. (Laughter). “Well, am I not'entitled to publish contemporary records, records made at the time, in order to inform the nation and the world of the real facts of that dreadful tragedy? “I felt bound to reveal the whole truth to the public, and I mean to go on doing so right to the end. “Here is one thing I want to say, and am glad of this opportunity. There is no crucial or cardinal fact I have stated which has been challenged. I have received an overwhelming number of letters from those who were fortunate enough to survive Passchendaele, who have told me that, so far from over-stating the case, I had understated the facts. “If you look on these facts, you will ask whether I was not right in doing my best to stop that insane horror which achieved nothing.”