HOW WAR CAME

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 234, 27 June 1919, Page 8

HOW WAR CAME

GERMAN PREPARATIONS KNOWN

IN BRITAIN

A LECTURE IN 1912

"When I left New Zealand seven yeais ago, to attend a two years' course at the Staff College in England, there ras no war cloud in the sky," said BrigadierGeneral G. S. Richardson (Officer in Charge of Administration) at a luncheon given in his honour by the New Zealand Club yesterday.. "You people here probably did not realise until the middle of 1914 what was being hatched in Europe. Strangely enough, I realised the position soon after my arrival in England in 1912. The officers who attend the Staff College spend their tinie studying the science of war and working out the problems that nre likely to arise in future wars.. One of the matters brought befor.p us at that tiineV.is the coming war in Europe.

"We were given in 1912 a confidential lecture by the Intelligence people, who told ns what information they had from Germany. They said that war would break out between Germany and France in the autumn of 1911 or in the early spring of 1915; that tTie deciding factor would be the completion of the Kiel Canal, which the German Emneror was pushing on with all haste. They said that as soon as the canal was deepened, so as to admit of battleships beini:'transferred from the Baltic to the North Sea, some pretext for war would be found by Germany, that we should be drawn into it. that the German Fleet would not come out, and that the British Fleet swould blockade the German ports. The Germans would not come out because of their inferiority, but they hoped by means of mines and submarines to destroy at least one large British ship per week, so that at the end of a venr the margin of Giwerioritv on our side would be small, and the German ships would be. able then to come out with confidence in achieving something almost, decisive. We were told that when the' Germans came out' they probably would proceed 6outh, and try to cut our communications with France.

"What part of this scheme came true tou have how the opportunity to appreciate. We were told that Germany's preparations for mobilisation were far advanced. The lay-out of the German railways indicated that the Germaas wonld invade' France in such force that the French would have to fall back. Tho British Army would he required to mobilise very quickly indeed. The actual time taken in the 'mobilisation of the British Army in 1914, up to tho date of the concentration on the left of the French Army, was twelve days. We were told it was very probable that both the French and the British would have to fall back, and retire even below-Paris, that Paris might be taken, but that the taking of Paris would i ot end the war, because the forces of the British Empire, including men from the dominions and from India, would enable us later to advance and successfully defeat the Germans. Tt was anticipated that conscription would have to be introduced, and that the British Army would have to he maintained by conscription, with a million men in France. As you know, this ostimnto was exceeded, and the number of men obtained frcoi overseas was beyond all expectations. "That was the story told to us in 1912. We knew that the war was coming, but I thought, that I might reach Now Zealand before it 6tarted,' and assist, in preparing this country to take its part. New Zealand did its part well. No dominion did better, and the record will be handed down as ono of the greatest efforts made by' an oversea dominion in the war. And while we are saying (his, let us remember that the country that took the greatest share of Ml was the Old Country. '(iVpplause.) (.xreat Britain has done the most and suffered the most of all."

General Richardson added that ,tho amies were being demobilised now, and he presumed that the British Army would return to something like the prewar strength. Whatever was 'done in this respect, the people of the Empire would require to provide the machinery for the rapid creations of great armies in tho event of a future war. . He hoped there would be no more war. buf the nation could not afford at nresent to count upon tho maintenance of peace for all time. The first' shield of the Empire must be a very powerful Navv.