TROOPS ON STRIKE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20252, 11 May 1929, Page 2 (Supplement)

TROOPS ON STRIKE.

BRITISH ARMY INCIDENTS. COMPLAINTS OF CONDITIONS. HIDDEN STORY OF THE WAR. REVELATION BY LORD BYNG., Viscount Byng of Vimy recently rovealcd for tho first time tho full facts of a " strike " in tho British Army ut Calais in January, 1919. Lord Byng was sent by Lord Haig to straighten out the trouble. Tho malcontents, mostly artisan " civilian soldiers," were dissatisfied because of poor food and worse accommodadation. t

A more sinister effort to' establish a " Soviet " among 2000 line troops in tho leave camp was quelled without a shot being tired, thanks to firm handling of an ugly situation. " In order to get things in their right perspective," said Lord Byng, " it must be rememberod that there were two distinct elements of trouble: one was a striko based on grievances; the other was a mutiny against discipline. " I was in command of tho Third Army in January, 1919. One day I was sent for by Lord Haig. ' I want you to go down to Calais,' he said. ' There is trouble. ' What kind of trouble V I asked. ' Thero is a strike, or something of the kind/ ho returned. I went that night. " When I arrived in Calais, I found that the troops working there were actually on strike. They were mainly Railway Operating Department men, Army Service Corps, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, and members of women's auxiliary services. " I made inquiries, and I found that this refusal to work had been going on for about three weeks. I also found that the malcontents had just grievances. Officers Turned Out of Camp.

" The bother was complicated by a real mutiny on the part of line troops. Some two thousand men front different regiments had, two days before .1 arrived, returned from leave to the rest camp at Calais. Taking advantage of the strike in progress among the base units, these men, apparently egged on by a small group of ringleaders, had mutinied, turned nil officers out. of the camp, and formed a kind of Soviet. The two things were entirely separate, the base troops and the returned leave men wevo poles apart in their aims and objects. . '• Well, I soon saw that this mutiny could not be overcome without a display of force, and I immediately asked Lord Haig for two divisions. These troops were sent post haste. In the meantime I met and talked with the ringleaders amojig the base troops, and I became convinced that they had a legitimate ' grouse.' I told them quite plainly that.they had gone too far, but that I could sympathise with them.

" These men were most willing to be reasonable—they were all of tho artisan tyye, sound, knowledgable fellows, able to face facts. I asked Lord Ilaig to send down to me the 'heads of the various branches of the Service to which these base troops were attached, and when wo met in conference 1 made it quite plain that I thought these strikers had cause for discontent.

" The upshot was that I finally sent for the leaders. We had a perfectly frank discussion, and I told them that I would have their grievances attended to if they would go back to work. They promised to see their followers, and to let mo know tho result.

"At midnight tho leaders returned. ' We are so satisfied with what has been done for us,' they said, ' that our men will return to work at six a.m. to-mor-row.' And they did. " The other affair was settled almost as simply. The officer in clntrgo of the troops sent from the lino went into the rest camp. ' .All men who arc on the side of law and order, come over!' he said. Ninety per cent, of them did so. Tho remaining ten per cent, wore arrested. Of these about seven per cent., when they found how things were, asked to bo given another chance. They were released, and, with their fellows, returned peaceably to their units in Iho forward areas. Finally the four ringleaders were arrested, tried by court-martial, and sentenced to a term of imprisonment. Origin oi the Strike. How tho strike originated was told bv Mr. P>. G. A. Cannell, one of tho lingleaders, who, after service in the line, with tho 18th Middlesex Regiment, was sent down to the base, and transferred lo (ho Royal Army Ordnance Corps. Ho is now a London bus conductor, living in Douglas Road, Twickenham. "Wo bad stood the conditions until wo could stand them no longer," he said recently. " Wo could see women from Calais leaving the camp daily with largo baskets filled with meat, bread, jam, and other stores, which should have been issued to us. Then things came (o a head with a rush. Wo heard (hat a man who had been grumbling about the conditions had been arrested for sedition.

" Next day, when we were paraded, as usual, tho sergeant-major gave tho order for the different units to move off. Not a man stirred! You should havo seen the ' Regimental's ' face! It went purple and his eves goggled. Then ho bellowed out another order. No ono obeyed it! " Then, half a dozen of ns—l was one —who had been chosen as spokesman, came forward and told the colonel wo would not go to work again until the man who had been arrested was released and our grievances righted. He began to argue with us, but we cut him short In a bedy, but quite orderly, we marched down to the office of tho Base Commandmnnt.

" Well, when the colonel returned anc] saw all the men paraded outside his office, he almost ■ exploded. ' Talco those men •away,' lie ordered. ' Beg pardon, sir, I can't do that,' I told him. Then I explained everything, and that wo wanted him to telephone to Boulogne and have tho arrested man released. Lord Byng Keeps His Word; " Tho colonel looked very worried. Then he refused point-blank. ' All right, sir,' I said, ' we have two special trains, with steam up, waiting to go to Boulogne. If you won't do it, wo shall go thoro and release him ourselves!'

"That did it! 110 promised to telephone, and we marched back to camp. It was funny for us to be signing chits for •officers to leave camp, but that was tho rule we made. No officer or N.C.O. could go out without a written permit. " Then wo heard that Lord Byng was coming—and troops from tho lino! 1 was 0110 of tho lenders chosen to meet him. Wo told him our grievances—how wo were still working all day on Sundays, and every Saturday afternon, and about our intolerable sleeping quarters, and the food shortage. Ho promised that he would have the things righted. " He kept his word."