CASUALTY LISTS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 8, 12 April 1916, Page 4

CASUALTY LISTS.

We were told in a recent cablegram that, “owing to military necessity,” British casualty lists in future will not disclose the theatre of war or the battalion to which the casualty refers. The Sydney Morning Herald gives sound reason for this, and in doing so says: Even if Britain went further and ceased to publish casualty lists, the action could be defended on sound military principles. The French publish no lists, and the Germans would pay any price to learn our ally’s losses. They would give much to know the exact strength the Anglo-French will be able; to put against them in the west. It is of cardinal importance- that each side should do its utmost to discover the strength of the other in the,field, its reserve of men, and its rate of was'age. The,ordinary civilian has not the faintest idea of the tremendous amount of time and trouble, money, and even human life, that is sacrificed in war to this one end alone. “Why, all my life,” said the Duke of Wellington, “I have been trying to guess what lay on tile other side'of the hill!” There you have it is a nutshell. It must be obvious that, could you hut know ihe ( exact strength of your opponent, ho>v, much more simple would your strategicj and tactical problems become. Tn j time of war the people cf a nation are naturally keenly anxious to know what losses their side is suffering, but, from what we have said, it should be understood why the desire for such \ knowledge should lie subordinated to 'the national interests. And even if Britain Were to adopt the system under which France is working, then the relations of the men at the front need not he apprehensive lest anything should happen to the latter without their being apprised of it. Tn France the relations are notified as promptly as possible when their soldier is killed, wounded, or missing, though it is never stated when or where the casualty occurred. Such a system has worked very well from a domestic point of -view, and, at the same time, much to Germany s chagrin, the French losses, both in individual battles and in tbe aggregate, are an absolutely closed book to her. Incidentally it may be remarked that, seeing the infinite pains to which the German intelligence department goes to find out the wastage of their opponents—a factor which they naturally! realise to he of the highest importance —it is rather futile for ns to expect that the German casualty lists, as pub-j lislicd, would give ns anything like a| complete and up-to-date record of their own wastage. This is pre-eminently aj war of numbers—and tbe Germans' know warfare too well to give us gra-, tuitously information the possession of j which would vitally affect our plans, j