“THIS DAMNABLE WAR”

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 4346, 4 January 1938, Page 7

“THIS DAMNABLE WAR”

DIARIES OF EARL OF YPRES

“ How this damnable war has changed everything!” This is what Field-Marshal the Earl of Ypres wrote in a letter dated September 7, 1918—a few days after his appointment as Viceroy of Ireland—to Viscount Esher. This letter is one of those included in his ‘ War Diaries, Addresses, and Correspondence,’ recently published (states a ‘ Daily Telegraph ' review). The book, edited by Major the Ho,n. Gerald French—whose ‘ Life ’ of his illustrious father appeared some years ago—will be studied avidly by military experts; but. apart from its valuable technical aspects, it is an intimate revelation of the personality of the great soldier who commanded the British Expeditionary Force up to the end of 191.5.

Lord Ypres—the habit of calling him Sir John French persists—kept a diary of events during his campaigns, and, as Major French tells us, “ the wea-ther-beaten state of many of the pagee testifies to the conditions in which much of the writing had perforce to lie done.” There is. consequently, a refreshing, though a characteristic, abruptness about many of these hastilyjotted reflections, investing them with an interest that would almost certainly have been absent from carefully-con-ceived observations written at leisure. In the letter to Viscount Esher, alreadv quoted, the Field-Marshal refers to “ that horribly (to me) sad time when I was driven out of France bj Asquith at the instigation of Haig.” “ Mv dinner with you that night in Paris was the only bright spot in a very dark week. It was not at all. with me, a question of personal advancement, or ‘ fame, 1 or anything of that kind. 1 had lived all my life for ‘ service in the field.’ and I had. tried to prepare myself for it; and 1 was taken away from it for no adequate reason. Nothing that can happen to me could compensate for the loss of 1916 and 1917 and half of 1918 in the field. However, there it is; and, after all. what does it matter?” The officer who became Field-Mar-shal Karl Ha is is frequently mentioned throughout the diaries, particularly in connection with the South African war and the war on the Western Frontin the period before he succeeded Sir John. He is, too. the subject of a letter written by Sir John in July, 190-5, when Coniinander-in-Chief at Aidershot, to the War Minister, Mr H. O. Arnold-Forster.

The Minister had in view the appointment of a Director of Staff Duties and ho wrote: “1 must know who ia the man who, in the opinion of leading soldiers, is best qualified. ’ In reply, Sir John mentioned Major-general Douglas Haig, then Inspector-general of Cavalry in India. “ Gen. Haig,” he wrote, “ is possessed of a very high order of intelligence, and no one in the Armv that 1 know of has greater staff capacity.” Gen. Haig was, in fact, appointed Director in 1907. KING'S TRIBUTE TO TROOPS. The book contains a number of references to King George 1 .’s views of the progress of the Great ar. In a letter to Sir John, dated October 29, 1914, His Majesty wrote: — “ IVe are now passing through some anxious and critical days, and I follow with the keenest interest your daily telegrams. 1 do indeed feel proud of my Army under your cojnmand, and 1 am certain that no troops in the world could do better. Their bravery, patience, and endurance fill me with admiration, and 1 do appreciate to the utmost ail that you are doing and the generals under you, though the strain upon your powers must be very great. . . . That success will ultimately be ours I have no doubt.” In an entry a month later, November 30, when the King was at Headquarters on the Western Front. Sir John wrote:

“ 1 dined with His Majesty this evening. He is very pessimistic about the war and greatly fears invasion. He thinks that the Germans have 250.000 men put by and ready for the express purpose of invasion. He says we must absolutely break up the German Empire and they must give up all their fleet.” But three months later, on February 11, 1915. when Sir John was in London attending a War Council and was received by the King, he wrote: “ 1 found His Majesty much more confident as to the outcome of the war.” A diary entry dated March 31, 1915, when Sir John had an interview with Lord Kitchener in London, states: — “ He told me definitely that he considered Joffre and ( were ‘ on our trial.’ That if we showed within the next month or six weeks that we could really make some ‘ substantial advance ’ and ‘ break the German line ’ lie would, as far as lie was concerned, always back ns up with all the troops he could send. But that if we failed it would be essential that the Government, should look out for some other theatre of operations.” ■

In a diary entry dated March 36, 1915, Sir John writes that lie would like to he Hear about the strength of the German and French forces. He was “ quite unable to understand ” the situation.

“ We know that the Germans now have loss than 1,400.000 men on the western line. Surely the French must have far more than this. In one of their official communications to me they mentioned *2.000.000 as their numbers along the whole of the front. Until we can thoroughly understand one another and realise our mutual strength and power, we cannot act effectively together.” Comments on the officers of the new army appear in a diary entry of November IS. 1015;

“ All the corps commanders feel that the officers of the new army are very unprofessional and have all the defects which that entails. But they are gallant, very intelligent, zealous, and earnest, and strong hopes are entertained of a great improvement in them before the spring.”

On the same day it is recorded: “ The command fin all ranks) of the Canadian Corps leaves a good deal to he desired. All their appointments are made with greater regard to social, political, and other conditions than by reason of actual fitness for the positions. This must always handicap the fighting value of the Canadian Corps in relation to others.”-