DEATH OF FOCH

Wairarapa Age, 22 March 1929, Page 5

DEATH OF FOCH

LEADER OF ALLIED ARMIES GOES TO HIS REST. END or AN ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER. THE MARSHAL'S LAST DAYS. United Press Association.—By Electric | Telegraph—Copyright. PARIS, March 20. The death has occurred, at the age of 78, after a long illness, of Marshal Ferdinand Foch, Generalissimo of the Allied Forces in j France in 1918.—(Australian Press Association.—United Service.) FINAL SCENES. ANNOUNCEMENT IN CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES. PARIS, March 20. Marshal Fosh died in the evening of a lovely spring day in the presence of his wife and daughters. He had surmounted so many crises recently that x the final collapse left a sense of stupefaction. He had a violent attack of breathlessness at 5 o'clock, and the doctors and priest were summoned. The latter administered Extreme Unction, while Foch was unconscious. He died apparently painlessly. The closing of the shutters was the first intimation that the long struggle had ended. The .news of his death ■epread rapidly, and callers and flowers began arriving in a few minutes. M. Briand was speaking in the Chamber when the news was received. M. Poincare announced the event in a few heartfelt words, supported by the President of the Chamber. The sitting was immediately adjourned. The Marshal died in a simple bedroom not more luxuriously furnished than a barrack-room. The only relief of the plain walls was the combined flags of the allied nations workad into a banner. Occasionally in his last hours Foch raised his arm and lovingly caressed the banner. Foch's only son was lolled in the war. Of his two married daughters one lost her husband the same day as Foch lost his son. The other is the wife of Colonel Fournier, and has two sons and two daughters. The eldest son received the right to change his name to FournierFoch in order to perpetuate Foch’s name. At the end of the war Foch was financially a poorer man than at the beginning. He did not own the house in whica he spent his last years. It was owned by the French Government and will be the home of succeeding Army Chiefs. While the other allied nations awardf ed titles, lands and money to their leading Generals, Foch’s only compensation was the knowledge that France was saved. His country home was bought out of Us wife's dowry.—(Aus-| tranan Press Association.) LYING-IN-STATE. x . ALLIES TO BE REPRESENTED AT FUNERAL. PARIS, March 20. M. Poincare and other members of the Cabinet, General Lyautey, and M. Doumergue called and condoled with Madame Foch. Representatives of all the Allies will be invited to the funeral, which takes place on Saturday. The interment will be at the Pantheon or the Palais des Invalides unless his will requests otherwise. Until then there will be a lying-in-state at the Invalides, where the tomb of Napoleon is placed. In the meantime Foch's two aides and two nuns are watching the bier. The body is dressed in a dark blue uniform with a Marshal's baton at the side. There is a sash across the breast, and his A hands are resting on a Crucifix.—(Australian Press Association. — United Service.) ALLENBY’S TRIBUTE. GREATEST GENERAL OF OUR TIME. LONDON, March 20. Field-Marshal Lord Allenby, in a tribute, said that Marshal Foch was the greatest general of our time, and would probably go down in history as the equal of the greatest soldiers the world has ever known.—(Australian Press Association.—United Service.) “NOW I AM READY.” MARSHAL FOCH'S LAST WORDS. (Received Thursday, 5.5 p.m.) PARIS, March 20. Marshal Foch's last words were: “Now I am ready.” According to#a moving description of the last scene given by Dr. Daveniere, Marshal Foch's medical attendant, the Marshal was rein an armchair which had been up to a window so that he might see passers-by. Presently he raised his wasted hand and moved the curtain aside in order to see better. The young ddetor, watching, said: “Wouldn't you like to go to bed now?'' To which came the pathetic reply, “All right, but give me a little longer.” The doctor agreed L and turned to see whether the bed was ready. Meanwhile, Marshal Foch raised himself in his chair, saying: “Now I am ready,” and then fell back in the eharr, with a white face and staring eyes. The doctor rushed to his bag and took out a hypodermic needle and gave several injections unavailingly. Marshal Foch passed away in the doctor's arms. Mesdames Foch and Becount came from an adjoining room and saw him breathe his last. Dr. Daveniere added that when he and his colleagues were summoned by telnnhone they could only confirm,his death.—(Australian Press Association. —United Service.) AN IMMORTAL FIGURE. ONE WHO ENRICHED HISTORY. |k (Received Thursdav. 5 5 p.m.) PARIS March 21. The * ‘Matin’’ asks: speak of death in connection with one who has become an immortal figure? Marshal Foch is as much alive as yesterday. He shines am out those great ®Bn who have enriched history of France.” The “Echo de ’’arts” says: “France and the nation.' whose sons

Marshal Foch led to victory mourn a great commander.”—(Australian Press Association.) | “THE GREAT LIBERATOR.” (Received Thursday, 7.10 p.m.) PARIS, March 21. M. Painleve describes Marshal Foch I as the Great Liberator, whose prodig- 1 ions success in breaking down the Ger- 1 man lines of defence entitles him to’ rank with the greatest soldiers of his- < tory, Alexander, Caesar ami NapoleoaS His outstanding quality was a will, power which he was able to communi-, eate to others.—(Australian Press As- “ sociation.—United Service.) BRITISH SYMPATHY. ] GREAT SOLDIER’S SERVICES , TO THE WORLD. j LONDON, March 20. ] The Prince of Wales has telegraphed s his sympathy to Madame Foch. f Mr. Lloyd George declared that vic-1 tory in the Great War was attributable to Marshal Foch’s genius more < than to that of any others. “It is' my greatest pride that I discerned his i supreme gifts and took a leading part i in making him Commander-in-Chief. I He was a man of vision, imagination, < and courage, but, above all, he had that quality which appertains to true greatness—simplicity. ’ ’ “I cannot help feeling,” said Sir Austen Chamberlain, “that in future years the memory of this great soldier by all sides will link all in a common admiration. If any bitterness remains if will not be among those who were the stoutest fighters.” j Earl Beatty, in paying a tribute to > Marshal Foch, said his loss was irrepar- ? able. He was the greatest man in the, greatest war the world had ever seen, t His services were services not only to < France but to the world. , Mr. Stanley Baldwin said that in the t years that had intervened since thet war there was nobody in the world; who did not recognise Foch as one of ■ the greatest soldiers of all time, and, i what was even more important, he was I one of the world’s great souls. So long as Foch is remembered as a soldier he will be remembered as a great Christian, a great gentleman, and a great man.—(Australian Press Association.—United Service.) ■ f FINE HUMAN QUALITIES. < < PRESIDENT HOOVER’S EULOGY. 1 (Received Thursday, 9.35 p.m.) WASHINGTON, March 21. 3 President Hoover, in a statement expressing regret at the death of Mar-' shal Foch, said: “I share the respect * and admiration in which ho was uni-■ versally held, but beyond this it was ■ my privilege to be closely associated ■ with him in various activities after the 1 Great War and in this way was able to gain, perhaps, a special insight, not ■ only into his ability, but. also into his ■ fine human qualities of kindness, j modesty and straightforwardness.”—. (Australian Press Association.) ' PRIME MINISTER'S MESSAGE. INVERCARGILL, March 21. '• The text -of a message forwarded by Sir Joseph Ward to the Premier of France is as follows: “The Prime Minister of New Zealand presents his compliments to the Premier of France and desires for himself, his colleagues and people of New Zealand to express condolences to the French nation and to the wife and family of Marshal Foch in the great loss they have sustained by the death of one who earned grateful and lasting appreciation of this country for unparalleled military services and wonderful achievements accomplished during the Great War. For his noble services, hiftnanity will ever remain indebted to him.”—(p.A.)