LORD FRENCH'S CRITIC

New Zealand Times, Volume XLV, Issue 10432, 10 November 1919, Page 5

LORD FRENCH'S CRITIC

WAR HISTORIAN DISMISSED. Australian uu"3"N.Z. Cable' AssbcuTtion: (Received November "0", 5.5" p.m.) LONDON, November 6. According to the "Daily Express," with Cabinet's approval the Committee of Imperial Det'onco lias dismissed Mr J. W. Fortescuo from the position of official historian of the war in consequence of his stricturoa on Lord French in defeno cof General Smith-Dpmen. In reviewing Lord French's book in the "Quarterly Review/' Mr Fortcscue created a sensation by making an attack upon Lord French. Ho said: "This is one of the most unfortunate books ever written. On August 2Sth, 1914, Lord French and his staff completely lost their heads* and in a vain endeavour to conceal this Lord French hastak«n- leave of all sonso of accuracy and descended to misstatements and misrepresentations of the clumsiest kind in order to injure tho .reputation of a subordinate who ia forbidden to defend himself... Coming from one in Lord French's position, this brings shame and dishonour upon tho whole army. When General Grierson died Lord French wanted Genoral Plumer to succeed, but Kitchener preferred to send General Smith-Dorrien. Thereby hangs a sorry tale. An unsavoury incident is the fact that in his dispatch of September 7th, Lord French gave Genoral Smith-Dorrlon' full credit for bis cool courage in accepting battle at Le Cateau. He now would have us believe that General Smith-Dorrien was only opposed by cavalry. "Lord French also says that 11,000 men and 80 guns were lost whereas tho real figures show a loss of 80CO men and 38 guns. There is ignorance as well as malic© in this portion of the narrative. Lord French long before the battle of Lo Cateau dooided to hurry back to Noyon, leaving his army to look after itself for a day or two. Happily von Kluck marohed south-west across the rear of the Second ,Oorps so that the British continued to retreat unmolested."