1915-12-24 — Page 7

NATIONAL DUTY,

LORD HALDANE ON SCIENCE OF WAR

VALUE OF A GENERAL STAFE.

Importing observations on the scientific espect of modern war are were made by Viscount Haldane in the course of a lecturo delivered at the London School of Econo- mics on November 3rd,

Lord Huldano said that if we acted up to the standard of national dusty of throw ing every ounce of energy and talent into the struggle we should not fail.

What was necessary to-day above every- thing else was not only energy, but direct ed energy. A hundred years ago bravery and energy and resource were essential. Bomething more was necessary to-day, Mathew Arnold's prophecy that the next great war would be a battle of mind against mind had been borne out. The changes in army organisation which were mado after the beginning of 1908 were based on the distinction and goparation of command and training from administra- tion. It had been shown that the reform which had been introduced into the armies of the Continent was a vital ond. Our awakening from our dogmatic slumber only came with the South African War.

GENERAL STAFF ORGANISATION,

Dealing with the organisation of the general staff, Lord Ha.dane alluded briefly to his recent visit to Sir John French, and remarked that he found twenty-five people working on the

Commander-in-Chief's STATE.

THE HONGKONG DAILY PRESS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24TH, 19MIA.

BRITISH ADMIRAL'S QUEST | THE

ON A RUSSIAN VESSEL IN THE BLACK SEA.

LORD FISHER'S MONITORS,

It in a further sign of the close and oor dial co-operation between the naval forces of the Allies, says the naval correspondent of the Evening Standard, to find a British. admiral on one of the vessels of the Rus sien Black Sea Fleet. Occasions of mutual assistance and help between the Allied navica increase in number as the war pre gresses, and from the early days of the struggle, when Jepan lent the valuable sid of her fleet to clear the Pacific of German raiders, to the present time, when British submarines are doing such good work in the Baltic under the Russian admiral, the common cause has greatly benefitted by the degree of unity and comradeship which has been reached.

Now it is found that Rear-Admiral Richard F. Philliere is with the Russiaus in the Black Sea, and is said to have been an board one of the vessels which carried out the bombardment of Varna. He is in every way a worthy representative of the British, Navy, for not only has he a high professional reputation as a thorough and capable officer, but, as the eldest son of the late Admiral Sir Augustus Phillimore, he inherits the sea tradition, and his great uncle served in the Edgar at the batte of

St. Vincent in 1797./

NEW BRITISH COM MANDER IN FRANCE

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General Bir Douglas Haig, K.0.B KCIE K.C.V.O,, Aide-do Camp Gen- eral to His Majesty the King, who has been appointed to succeed Field-Marshal Tageblatt, Bernhard Kelleymann, repro- The war correspondent of the Berliner

British Army in France and Flenders, as artillery officer of the fighting near the Viscount French in the command of the duces a vivid description by a German placed in command of the Fire Army farm La Folie on September 86th and Corps in the field sa coou As war was death. The oficer said. Hell bad already dared with Germany In his first des been let loose there for eight or ten days. • TJILIWONG, patch, Field Marshal French wrote that he It was no fun. I was in the foremost

could not speaks too highly of the skill trench as observer. For a week there was⚫ TJJBODAS evinced by the two General Officers com a raging fire. We had ten to sixteen manding Army Corps" and he paid a spe hours of fire every day without interval. cial tribute to " the manner in which Bir Looking out from one of the trenches you Douglas Haig extricated his corps from an could see the French digging

In front of their trenches they burrow- exceptionally difficult position in the dark. ness of the night." And later, in his desed, while to the left and right earth flow, patch describing the battle of the Atene, They were pushing forward sips and they. Sir John French commended the brilliant dug one sop beside the other, and one manner in which the First Army Corps morning the sapheads were connected and and its Commander repelled the enemy's a new trench was there. They had ap violent counter-attacks day after day and proached within storming distance. night after night. Sir Douglas was fur- ther praised for his handling of the cavalry. In the despatch with regard to Neuve Chapelle, ho again received, special praise, the Commander-in-Chief saying: consider that the able and skilful dis positions which were made by the General cer Commanding the First Army con- tributed largely to the defeat of the enemy and to the capture of his position. General Haig was again mentioned in des- patches for his part in the big thrust of the West at the end of September

during the campaign of 1898. He was pre- Sir Douglas Haig served in the Badan sent at the Athaza and at the taking of Khartoum, was mentioned in despatches,

received the brevet rank of Major, the British medal, and the Khedive medal with two clasps.

Africa, where he held various responsible The year 1899 saw himon service in South

tant-General for Cavalry in Natal, and poste. He was Deputy-Assistant Adjo- Chief Staff Officer to Sir John French during the operations around Colesberg, The next year found him Assistant Adju during 1001-1902, he commanded a group of columns.

You will see," he went on,what a drawback it has been to us not to have had

Rear-Admiral Phillimore only attained a general staff for fifty years instead of flag rank about three months ago, and if ton years, if we had had just three times, the statement that he is going to the Baltic or five times, more trained general staff proves to be well founded, he will have had officers, it would have been easy to get rid the distinction probably unique in this of difficulties in seeing that the time tables war of having served in naval operations were always right, and that reserves wore in six different theatres, At the outbreak always there when wanted. All sorts of of hostilities he was Commodore and Chief confusions will happen in the field unless of the Staff to Admiral Sir Berkeley you have the tremendous effect of the Mine, Commander-in-Chief in the Medi-tant-General to the Cavalry Division, and orderly mind of the general staff officer.terranean, in the Inflexible, and helped to That is where the Germans have the ad-shadow the Goeben into the Levant vantage of us. They have trained so many When the Admiral returned home, his old officers; the field is full of comparatively Chief of Staff remained as captain of the young men who have gone through general Inflexible, b staff training."

A RARE DISTINCTION.

|

We had known for a long time what was to happen. On September 21st the Bring increased in violence. It was in- describable. We were stupefied. Bo great was the mental torture that one said to oneself better dead than suffer this torture any longer. Still the men lived. On September 24th I was relieved, and the next day my successor disappear ed. Dead or captured, who knows Our trenches were all holes; one had to crawl over them. In one trench there was hardly a soul to be seen Have you Ob, yes. But where are the men? They then no access to neighbouring trenchce

are sitting in shell-holes and dug-outs.

The communication trench is shot into a shapeless VES BHATTERED

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Already the French machine guns begin to tap and bullets fy about one's cars.

back, saying at every step-Now all is up With burning head one craws, stumbles

astonished-tap, tap, tap, the machine with mo But one goes forward and is guns clatter but one lives and escapes KARIMOEN without knowing how.

vation post. As soon as the incessant A few hours of rest. Then again, obser-

fire recommences nothing can be dis- for five minutes. Smoke and tinguished dirt fy through the air. It thunders. The heavy shells 80 shrieking overhead

terribly that the noise alone is quite sufficient to shatter one's nerves. But one consoles oneself our shells are doing the same to our enemies. The telephone rings the French! Nothing else can be heard. A man dashes into the dug-out. The French are over there. One calls out to him.

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From 1901 till 1003 bo was Lieut. Colonel commanding the 17th Lancers, and during the three following years he acted Lord Haldane agreed that we had splen

as Inspector-General of Cavalry in India. did staff officers, but we needed mors and

Then after the loss of Admiral Cradock, In 1904 he was promoted Major General, fuore of them trained. He was glad to the Inflexible was one of the two battle and from 1986 to 1907 was Director of so that Lord Kitchener had appointed cruisers sent out under Sir Doveton Stur Military Training. From 1007 to 1009 he Sir Archibald Murray, one of the most dee to destroy You Spec's squadron off the held the Directorate of Staff Duties at finished men in the British army, and it Falklands, and Captain Phillimore, in his Army Headquarters, and frous 1809 till was to be hoped that he would collect such third phase of war service, had the x Thereafter, until the outbreak of war, he 1012 he acted as Chief of Staff in India, a body of men as would enable him to do periance, still very rare, of a modern ses the work in that scientific, and skilled engagement, and the still more are dis was General Officer Commanding at Alder appear in our periscope: What is going THE fashion which mast be the work of tinction of being in the first action in shot, from which post he passed to the comon? Is nobody there? Where is the in end of the First Army Corps on the Cenfantry No shot is fired. Beads of

general staff,

During the past week a great deal of nonsense had been talked about the Cabinet being too big for the conduct of "Statesmen," Lond Haldane added,

the war,

which ships of the Dreadnought type took the Dardanelles, where he not only com port He returned from the Falklande to manded the Inflexible in the attacks on the cutor forts and up to the time she was mined during the battle of the Narrows on

rinenta

The Haigs of Bemersyde and Cameron bridge are one of the oldest families in Scotland. A Heig fought for Wallace, a successor at Halidon Hal!, another at Ot-

Hongkong, 20th November, 1915. Did you see them No! Then hold your tongue!

The smoke cloud rises. The French

shot

can only give military decisions upon March 18th, but afterwards served as terburn, AL Sauchieburn another fought a down. Nothing can be done. Lay

prepared alternatives, worked out with oly

the skill, knowledge, and science of a skill Principal Beach Master during the land-Yet another was slain along with the 10 they do not know what to do. They look

ed general stuff."

Just as in the organisation of armies if was essential to separate command and training from administration, so they must separate general staff work from the work of the statesmen, although the uiti mate decision must always be with the Cabinet. The enemy, whose procedure it was always prudent to study, had thrown bis strength into his general staff work.

The more perfectly developed the pro- liminary investigations made in seclusion by trained experts, the more likely were the decisions of ministers to be satis fastcry,

ing of the army

perspiration stand on our foreben da. They succeeded in penetrating through a piece of trench, which was completely Hattened out under the protection of the smoke. The wire to the battery has been in dense masses, rifle under the Brin. They look, they stumble forward, and the flower of Scottish nobility at That he should be on board one of the Fleiden, while Robert Hsig, having risks if drunk. Hardly a shot! Silence. the neck in many a reiving fray, of a thumb. Bo close they are, hardly 300. In the periscope they grow to the size of Russian ships in the Black Sea is more or le a confirmation of the statements which fought gallantly at Anerom Moor The metres. The adjutant comes. have appeared to the effect that our subags also engaged in two of the Crusades, still here. But now hurry up! One can marines are not only operating in the Sea for which service they were permitted to of Marmora, but have also successfully adopt the Saltire or St. Andrew's Cross on negotiated the obstacles in the Bosporus, their coat of arms. Three members of the family are at present serving in the war, and have entered the Euxing.

Damely, General Sir Douglas, Lieut. Col. Oliver and Major John.

NOVEL CRAFT.

The interesting acknowledgment by Mr. Asquith that Lord Fisher was responsible for the design and construction of the monitors, of which Mr. Ashmeed Barlett Only a good general staff could hope to has stated there are several at the Darda- play chess successfully against a generalnelles duing excellent work, rather deepens staff such as the enemy possessed. In the mystery surrounding the argin of these Germany, he believed has almost the entire naval craft. Knowing that they turned up direction of the campaign, and, indeed of the war, had been guided by the general staff. The German general staff had made blunders, but it had so obviously given the advantage to our onomy of having the beet and most precise advice, worked out in every detail, and of having the military aituation surveyed as a whole. On such advice the German higher command had worked, and apparently with the backing of the German Ministry. But if we were to have an efficient war staff in this coun- try, the navy and the army must always work closely together,

- EDUCATION AND THE FUTURE:

off Gallipoli in July, and that they must have taken several months to build, it is evident that Lord Fisher decided on their construction as soon as he came into office at a time, that is to say, when the Dar danelles expedition was not thought of since we have is on record from Mr. Chare hill that it was not until after the Falk- lands victory that sufficient naval forces were released for that undertaking.

GERMANY AND THE NEAR EAST.

A FRENCH VIEW

The latin denies that it is possible for Germany to realise either of the two pung put forward to explain her attempts to reach Constantinople: 1-To stir up falam against the Allies. 2-Obtain Tur kish reinforcements for use against the Allies.

You are

not mount a bayonet on a periscope. Dismantled, and back to the battery.

Night comes. The night of the 25th to the 20th. In the valley down below before La Folie everything is quiet. The French can not bring it under fire. They do not know how far their own men are nor where they are. We, too, do not know it. We have no communication. Silence down below, and darkness. No fireballs go up, nothing, darkness and silence simply horrible.

NO AMMUNITION.:

It is rumoured that the battery with the gunners has already been taken. All wires are destroyed. One lieutenant comes up. Are you still there? Yes, but we have no ammunition Then go and fetch sozie!

the Kaler's representatives can succeed shells. where the Sultan has failed.

Down to the depot. And back with four cars of ammunition. The road is closed by a curtain of fire. Shell after shell. One would believe it was hardly possible to come through. But it must be, and there. fore it succeeds. The will has done it.

almoet suffocates under the gases of the But it is a miracle that one comes safely over the holes made by the shells. One

road, our horses tremble and refuse to Dead horses are lying on the move forward. And shell after shetl whistles overhead. The French are shoot- ing with incendiary shells on Vimy inhabitants forming the heterogeneous fame rises half a house high after the From the 20,000,000 Glaring, red, a magnificent sight, the collection of races nominally under the shell has exploded. You can see through Sultan's rule, 3,000,000 Kurds must be it and behind you can observe a yellowish deducted immediately, because all the men wall of gases, then smoke and fire, which available are employed on the Caucasian in the darkness climbs and trickles. One front; the 7,000,000 Arabs and Syrians observes that in spite of all.

With regard to the question of Turkish effectives, the idea of Asia Minor being a reservoir of soldiers for the Kaiser is exploded, thus:

It says that the Sultan's attempts to preach a Holy War have proved a fiasco, despite the several thousands of Germans therefore, they could not have been intendelewbere; and that it is unlikely that When the monitors were laid down, who have been aiding him in Turkey and ed for the Dardanelles, and it has been pointed out by Mr. Ashmead-Bartlett that their speed is very slow, hardly sufficient for steaming against the strong and swift Of the idustrial struggle which must fel carronts around the Straits. The vessels low the present crisis, Lord Haldane ob- seem to be suited, in fact, for service in. served that it would require from men and northern waters, and it is a matter of in- women alike higher intellectual-alex-terest as to what use Lord Fisher could dard if we were to bolj our own. We had have had in his mind for such ships when not realised what was in front of us. We he designed them, were still going on with some diminished luxury, with some diminished easy-going-

Ship so equipped, with light draught nesa, but with remarkable absense of care and carrying heavy guns, able to proceed for the future. The greatest good fortune over the shoals and shallow where sub in the war would not save 18. We have marines cannot follow them, and where got to waken up," he declared," and the they can approach land positions with burden of our awakening, will come whan weapons out ranging those on shore, have the war is over. We shall have to combat of troops, or for the destruction of vessels a distinct value for covering the landing with nations that have not been in the war we shall have to deal with Continental taking shelter in harbour from attack by nations which will use the opportunity of torpedo craft, this struggle by their better ration to get ahead of neem of adu

NEW BELGIAN STAMPS.

in perpetual revolt against the Tasks.The French artery on that day fired are now fighting against the British what it could. One incendiary shell after in the region of Baghdad.

the other, then stinking bombs, one on There remain 10,000,000, of which every twenty metres of ground likes chain neither the Armenians, half exterminated, of pearls A hundred metres behind the only certain fighting element is that metres. A curtain of fire on the roads, nor the Grecks own forat contingente. second chain, up to a depth of some kilo-

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with only one gun.

of the night It is night again. The a 28th. It rains cats and dogs. The next morning reserves are coming up and throw the French down the hill. We are Suddenly we are relieved. We did not look back. Now we are at rest and are. quiet again. But sometimes we suddenly remember those days and nights.. And the sweat again stands on our forehende.

of the farke, numbering about 7,000,000 shell after shell against the communica~ inhabitants. It is from this source that tion trenches, 14 was a fire-worth the 800,000 men of the active army vore Now, the battery again has munition! drawn at the beginning of the war. More off! We fired till the barrels became red We could win in that great struggle by

than 200,000 have been put out of action hot This is not exaggeration. Without is unimportant, only a few splinters die- reason of the same kind of capacity as en

in Gallipoli; 200,000 remain there. All thick gloves we could not touch them. arranged the mechanism. We are firing abled us to get whero we were. Just as

tint is left is a force of about 400,000 men, The gunners hands were blistered all 100 year ago we could win with energy,

and they are needed to kept order in over Now it is day and the French Bend so in this great struggle we could win by The new issue of Belgian stamps Appears the interior.

one atorming column after the other highly-directed energy We must bring at an extraordinary moment, for there re The Marin believes that the real Quick fire against the first storming mind to bear and have general staff work main only a few towns, such as "Baarle reason for the Germans anxiety to pocolumn, then on the second and the third in our industrial and commercial system. Due where they can be need. The sets Constantinople is to be found in the Again the telephone wire has been shot Easy-goingness and the letting of every consists of fourteen values, and the people's desire to rpeace. Relying upon down.

entry into Con body follow the bont of his will had on interesting designs ghow 1c. to 25c the the moral effect of their abled us to develop remarkably in trade portrait of King Albert I, 5c, the famous stantinople, and also upon the effect of

their threate (vain, it is true) to stir up But the enemy goos for the battery and commerce, but very one-sidedly, Cloth Hall at Ypres, 40c, view of the the Musselman world against the Allies, Suddenly We Toceive flanking-fire. The only thing that will give us a bridge and church (now destroyed) at the Germans will propose pesce while the Flanking-fre? Where from? It comes large outlook," he concluded, is edung Dinant, 500 University of Louvain, 1

Mr. Frederick Palmer, the American tion, and in a much wider sense than we frane the Freeing of the Scheidt, depict German people is yet exulting entau from the direction of Loos. Some gun- have understood it up to the presenting the river and Antwerp Cathedral in siastically over this apparent triumph of hers fall, others are unconscious from the General education mast be adapted to the the distance, & frames an allegory of Bel their arms. After the refusal of the Allier fumes. Suddenly a beary shell whistles war correspondent, declares that the war the German Government would turn to overhead and throws me down. I was not will end next summer, with the Kaiser needs of our time, and the needs of our gian Congo, an officer liberating slaves the deceived people and say You see, hurt, but my wrist watch was hrcken beaten. He writes, "The British will it time are going to be different. One part under the Belgian flag, francs King Al- it is not we who want of the duty of this school is to apply its bert presenting the Royal Standard to his but our adversaries 17 prolong the war The shell has hit a gun and has thrown wash thear dirty linen in public but

And the German it down the embankment, Two severely the German steel curtain could be lifted, faculties to the solution of these new prob troops at Furnes, 10 francs portrait of people, already suffering real privations, and some slightly wounded. It is hardly there would be a revelation that would A short time afterwards two famaze the world Kitchener army is lems, so as to carry the training of this the three Kings of Belgian, Leopold L.,lock with terror at the prospect of ano credible. -gabool to yet higher levels,"

Leopold II., and Albert I.

more guns go to the devil. The damage one of the world's marvela.”

ther winter campaign.

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