WAR LEADERS' AGES

Southland Times, Issue 17653, 10 February 1916, Page 6

WAR LEADERS' AGES

BRITISH TEX YEARS BELOW GERMAN AVERAGE. ONLY ONE GENERAL OVER 60. Sir John French, in taking over the Home command, is relinquishing the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Force to a man nine years his junior. The new viscount is 63, and his successor, Sir Douglas Haig, only 54. On this ground alone the change will doubtless be welcomed by certain critics who have been complaining that the war, so. far as Britain is concerned, is being run by old men; yet if they look closely at the facts they will have some difficulty in citing them to support their case. It is probably tre to say that, if the higher commands only are taken, the British Army will be found to be in the hands of men at least as young as those who control the destinies of any of the great armies now in the field. Since the resignation of General French there would appear to be only one British commander over 60 years of age—General Codrington, who is 61 —holding a position of supreme responsibility in France. Most 6f Seneral Haig’s immediate colleagues in command are men of about his own years. General Rawlinson is 51, General Plumer 58, General Allenby 54, General Rundle 59, General Pulteney 541 Sir Horace Smith-Dorrlen, who has been given the command in German East Africa, is 57, and is therefore three years Sir Douglas Haig’s senior. BRITISH GENERALS. There is indeed a remarkable similarity in the ages of the British Generals commanding on the various fronts, as the following list shows: — France. —General Haig 54 Eastern Mediterranean. —General Monro 55 Egypt.—General Maxwell 56 Mesopotamia.—General Nixon . . . . 58 East Africa. —General Smith-Dorrien 57 S.W. Africa.—General Botha . . . . 52 Sir lan Hamilton, General Monro’s predecessor, was 62—the same age as the new Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Sir James Wolfe Murray. These figures offer a striking contrast to those of the German higher commands. Those two idols of the Ger man nation, Von Hindenburg and Von Mackensen, are men of 68 and 66 respectively. With the exception of Falkenhayn, the Chief of General Staff, who is 54, and the Crown Princes of Bavaria and Prussia, who owe their positions to birth rather than ability, there is not a German comma'nder under 60 in a position of the first importance. Their ages run;— Haeseler 79 Von der Goltz 72 Von Bissing 71 Von Falkenhausen 71 Von Kluck 69 Leopold of Bavaria 69 Von Bulow 69 Von Plausen 69 Woyrsch 67 Eichhorn 67 Emmich 67 Moltke 67 Linsingen 65 Heeringen 65 Scholtz 64 Gallwitz ,63 Budlow 62 Einem 62 It will be seen that the German average is considerably more than ten years above the British. Nor can the French army be described as an army of young men so far as the posts of highest honour are concerned. Joffre is 63—the same age as French — Foch is about the same age, and has seen 46 years’ service in the army; Pau is 67, and Gallieni one of the veterans of the ’7O. At the same time, it must not be forgotten that the French army has been drastically purged of old Generals of doubtful competence, and that the same thing is believed to have occurred in the German army. THE NAVY AND THE CABINET. •Turning to the British Navy, it is interesting to note that the age level in the highest commands is only slightly lower than that which prevails in the army. Admiral Jellicoe and Admiral Sturdee are 56. Admiral Beatty, however, is only 44. For the War Council of the Cabinet the figures are;— Balfour 67 Kitchener 65 Asquith , „ Bonar Law Lloyd George McKenna Sir Edward Grey, who is called in by the Council when occasion demands, is only 53. The average age of the six members is just over 59. The average age of the Cabinet works out at 56 for its 21 members, which is probably lower than most people would guess. Lord Lansdowne is its "father,” and Sir John Simon its "baby. ’ Giving precedence to age, the Council should sit in the following order:— Lord Lansdowne, 70; Mr Balfour, 6i; Lord Kitchener, 65; Mr Birrell, 6;>, Mr Asquith, 63; Mr Long, 61; Mr McKinnon Wood, GO; Mr Bonar Law, or, Lord Crewe, 57; Lord Selbourne, o6; Lord Curzon, 56; Lord Buckmaster, 54; Sir Edward Grey, 53; Mr McKenna. 52; Mr Austen Chamberlain, 52; Mr Lloyd George, 52; Mr Harcourt, 52; Mr Henderson, 52; Mr Runciman, 45; Mr Samuel, 45; Sir John Simon, 42. What may be called the govoining age’’ in Great Britain, both in his Majesty’s Government and in his Majesty s Forces, is plainly between 56 and 60 Historical precedents are somewhat startling. Wellington fought his last battle at 46, Ney at 45, Nelson at 47. Alexander the Great was only 33 when he died, Napoleon was 46 at Waterloo, and Hannibal the same age when he was finally defeated by Scipio.