DUKE OF YORK’S TOUR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19946, 13 November 1926, Page 15

DUKE OF YORK’S TOUR.

APPOINTMENT OF CHIEF OF STAFF.

THE EARL OF CAVAN. (From Oue Own JohbespondentJ LONDON, October 8. The appointment of Chief of Staff to the Duke of York on his coming tour to New Zealand and Australia has been offered to the Earl of Cavan. It is anticipated that the' Countess of Cavan will accompany him on the tour as lady-in-waiting to the Duchess of York. Directly the King has approved the appointment an official announcement will be made. General the Earl of Cavan, K.P., G.C.M.G., K.C.8., M.V.0., A.D.C. General, is the 16th holder of the earldom, which was created in 1647. He was born in 1860, and entered an infantry regiment in 1885. He was aide-de-camp to the Governor of Canada (Lord Stanley of Preston) from 1891-1893. This gave him valuable insight into the dominions and the people of the dominions. He served in the South African War. In 1913 he went on retired pay, and was on the Reserve of Officers -when the Great War broke out. On August 11, 1914, he was recalled from retirement and made brigade commander of the 2nd London Infantry Battalion. On September 8, 1914, he went to France in command of the 4th Brigade. In June, 1915, he was promoted major-general in command of the 50th Division, and two months later he was transferred to the famous Guards’ Division. In January, 1916, he was made commander of the 14th Army Corps in France, and from March, 1918, to January, 1919, he was G.O.C. in -C. of the British armies in Italy. From March to November, 1920, he was Lieutenant of the Tower of London, and during 1921 and 1922 he was G.O.C. Aidershot Command. In November, 1921, he was promoted to be full general. The same year he left for Washington as head of the military members of the British Delegation to the Washington Conference. Finally, in February, 1922, he was appointed Chief of the Imperial General Staff, a position which he vacated last February. SOLDIER THROUGH AND THROUGH. Lord Cavan served in the South African war with distinction, and in the Great War ho commanded the Guards with great skill at the Battle of Loos, in September, 1915. In Italy, as Commander-in-Chief of the British Armies, he restored the fortunes of the Allies that front after the reverse which Italy had suffered at Caporetto. He is the man who is popularly said to have no axe to grind. All the army officers and other rtnks invariably had the utmost confidence in his sympathy, his straightness, and in his commn sense. His heart was always with his men, and his plans were always made with every possible regard for them. His title “Fatty. ’ was based on affection rather than on tact; for ho is not in the 1 ast a fat man, but if short is hard and solid. It is said of Lord Cava; that he is a soldier through and through—though he is fond-of hunting—a convined and thorough Guardsman. For Kim discipline is the primary consideration for which there is no substitute, but it is discipline tempered with a strong understanding of and sympathy tor his men. He not a talking soldier in the sense that he never talks for mere effect ; but what he does say is always to the point and concise and very firm. Always cautious, ho believes in no “stunts.” He had a rare power. . “getting on” with our Allies in the war. His relations with French and Italian commanders who came his way were always easy, cordial, and effective. He ’as been well summed up as a “jolly good soldier, a human being, and a gentleman.” Lord and Lady Cavan are at present in Scotland fulfilling a round of social engagements. Lord Cavan's first wife_ died in 1920. Four years ago ho married Ladv Joan Mulholland, who is a great friend of Princess Marv Viscountess Lascelles, and of the Duchess of_ York. Their wedding was one of the social events of the season.