Lord Gort’s Spartan Quarters

Northern Advocate, 1 February 1940, Page 8

Lord Gort’s Spartan Quarters

The Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in France (Viscount Gort, V.C.) and the senior officers of his staff, with whom he must be in unbroken touch, work together in one building.

I saw today the room in which Lord Gort himself works, writes E. A. Montague to the London “Evening Standard."

It is small and uncarpeted. Most of one wall is hidden by a huge map spread out on an easel in front of it.

Opposite this there i's a bare wooden table supported on trestles.

A hard wooden chair is drawn up to it, and on the table there are a leading lamp, a wire basket “for letters and various groups of papers neatly arranged.

Near the table there is a small stove,

Maps hang on the walls and a few wooden or canvas chairs are distributed round the room.

It is a purely business office, except that no business man would be content with such spartan furnishing. Other room's in the building are like it. When I was there the lights had just fused, and one of the most responsible officers in the Expeditionary Force was carrying on his work for the moment by the aid of two candles stuck in thefr grease on his table.