Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, TUESDAY. MAY 26, 1925.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LI, Issue 16739, 26 May 1925, Page 4

Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, TUESDAY. MAY 26, 1925.

FIELD MARSHAL HAIM, OF Y I’)’HR. Sir John French, ns was the title under which this great soldier will be most affectionately remembered, was intended for the Navy. In fact he served as a midsliipiilan for foui years, heaving the Navy he passed through the Militia to the Hussars. It was probably from bis naval experience that he founded his often-express-ed opinion that all officers of the lighting forces should be caught young. He himself was a notable illustration of the success of the system he advocate

od. That entire suppression of self to discipline, while every avenue is left, open for development of individual initiative, for which the Navy,is distinguished, came splendidly to the aid of the subordinate general, when serving under Lord Wolseley in Egypt, and Lords Roberts and Kitchener in Africa. According 10 himself, luck. stood very much his friend in Africa. He was able to leave Ladysmith by the last train which got away from that town before it was completely' beleagured by the Boers'. He might, indeed, have shared in the renown of the defence of Ladysmith, under Sir George White, but he would not have been available at, Colesberg with a skeleton army, to defend Cape Colony, while Lords Roberts: and Kitchener were preparing for the great offensive movement to relieve Kimberley and Cecil Rhodes, and, indirectly, to relieve Ladysmith and Sir George While. His own tribute to this kindly turn of fortune has been given in the Times' War History, in his own words. “Had it not been for this, I should never have had the luck subsequently to command the Cavalry Brigade, and some one else would have been filling my shoes to-day,” and he. added with characteristic modesty, “probably filling them a good deal better.” As lieutenant-general, in command of the Cavalry, he raised the siege of Kimberley. From Kimberley lu was called by Lord Kitchener to J'aardeberg, where he threw his exhausted cavalry across the path of Oronje’s army, thus enabling its capture by 'Lord Roberts. Dying in his seventy-third year he must have been turning sixty-two when at the outbreak of the great war he was appointed Oommander-in-Chief of the 'British Expeditionary Army. In Sir Art bur 0. Doyle’s history of the Brilish Campaign in Flanders, his age is put, at at that time, at fifty-two, but this must be an error, ns be joined the Britannia, as midshipman, in lStltl, and must, then, have been at least fourteen years old. Sir Arthur C. Doyle writes that “lie still preserved all his natural energies, whilst, lie had behind him. long years of varied military experience, including both the Soudanese and the South African campaigns, in both of which he had gained high distinction. lie had the advantage of thoroughly understanding the mind of hits commander (Lord Kitchener) as lie had worked under him as Chief of Staff in his remarkable operations round Colesberg in lliose gloomy days which opened the Boer war.” It will not have been wholly forgotten with what a welcome the Expedb tionary Army was received by the people of France. It was to them a reve’ation of the character of the British people, as to which they had had no previous experience, and which was directly in the teeth of all their traditionary ideas of the gloom of the. English people. There .was universal brightness, cheerfulness, and song. The French once to these boisterous dean-living men, and the quiet village of Picardy “re-echoed their thunderous and superfluous assurances n.s to the slate of their hearts.” tfir Arthur says “All France broke into a smile at t,ho sight of them, and it urns at a moment when a smile meant, so much to France.” He also gives us the best description of Sir John French,, at that time, which wo have come, across. “Whilst the various brigades were with some deliberation preparing for an advance upcountry, there arrived at the Garc du Xord in Paris a single traveller, who may be said to have been the most, weieomc British visitor who over set foot in the city. Ho was a short, thick man, tanned by an outdoor life, a solid, impassive personality with a strong, good-humored face, the . forehead of a thinker above it. and the jaw of an obstinate tighter below. Overhung brow's shaded a pair of grey eyes, while the strong, set mouth was partly concealed by a grizzled moustache. Such was John French, loader of cavalry in Africa and now Field'Marshal commanding the Expeditionary Forces of Britain.” Yprcs, as a city, was a city of traditions. Its fleeting glories were in the past. Its permanent joy—the great Cloth Hall, remained —this, too, a little later, to be wilfully destroyed by enemy shells. In the thirteenth century Ypros had a population of 200,000 people. „ At the commencement of the war, in 1014, the number had dropped to 20,000. In itself Yyros hardly justified the great battles fought there and called by its name. In early October a German army of not, less than 600,000 men, in- ' spired, if not actually led, by the Emperor, made a determined onset to reach the Channel ports. It was. op- j posed by an army of less than half its size which barred the Wav. October 01, 1014. was a notable day. That day the Germans nearly broke through.' Here, again w;e quote Sir Arthur O. Doyle. “To Sir John French at Ypros converged all the cries for succour, and from him radiated the words of hope and encouragement which stiffened the breaking lines. To him and to his untiring lieutenant, Douglas Haig,; the Empire owed more that day than has ever been generally realised.” It really looked as if the German General, Von Dcimling was that day to obey the War Lord’s command aud break! through to the sea. But. it was not ! to be. The barrier stood. The cost had been tremcnodous; it had been worth while. The Germans had not advanced five miles in a month, and had lost 150,000 men without retaining any advantage whatever, unless it wore, as if to mark their disappointment when they were able at a distance to destroy a great building by choll lire, which was irreplaceable. The English in this month's battle had lost .">O,OO0 —about five times the number lost at Waterloo. The conditions were altogether different. At Waterloo the men were in good form. Contact was close, weapons less destructive, and poison unknown. At Yprcs at the end of that month the men were, attenuated by the sufferings they had e.nine through. “The few who remained in the front line were a terrible erew,“ said an American. Another observer said' “They were like fierce’wild beasts.” Sir Arthur says “They had given their all. almost to llieir humanity, to save Britain. May the. day never come when Britain will rofiiye to save them.” On relinquishing the command in December, 191-i, owing to ill-health, Sir John was ■'rented Viscount French of Ypros. In 1021 he was raised to an earldom, taking ihe title of Earl of Ypros. Few men . raised to great honor by their King had a hotter right to the title he selected as his own. It is not too much to say that at Yprcs ho had averted from his country the greatest danger it experienced in the whole 'ongill of the war before or after. It is as a great soldier that the Lari of Yprcs will bo remembered. And among great soldiers as one whose luck stood bv him to the last, in that he had the opportunity, which has been vouchsafed to very few in Eng; lish history, of bcifig one, who by his personality and experience, was able to turn aside from his country the greatest danger which could fever hap-

pen to it, viz., to be over-run by a foreign nation as its possible • conqueror. Under the severe handicap'of being overwhelmed by numbers gad opposed by an army, carefully“prepared through the immediately preceding, years, as no army, ih .'this, world-, had ever before bceu so prepared and put into the field, for a month he held it in. check, and got the .victory. “If this is not a victory,” cries Sir Arthur C Doyle, “I do not-know what military achievement would deserve the name. Ypres was a l’levna, but ,a Plevna which remained for ever. uiitakon.’ The way, was-barred. Lord Kitchener had time to get' his new army recruited, trained, and placed upon the ground. Although the war did not rlion end, and great; as Were ,iho subsequent trials and sufferings of. the Allies, never again was the loss of the war so possible, if not probable, as when Sir John French and his army barred 1 lie way at Yprcs. How incomparably great is the greatness of the soldier who saves his country from all the desolation and inhumanities 6f hostile invasion by a foreign foe! 3t is well that Earl Roberts of Khahdalinr and Earl French of Yprcs united in closest fellowship in their lives/ should have memorials,- side ■by .side, ia St. Paul’s Cathedral'in-London.!'