GENERAL SARRAIL DEAD

Evening Star, Issue 20133, 25 March 1929, Page 8

GENERAL SARRAIL DEAD

DISTINGUISHED FRENCH SOLDIER PROMINENT WAR FIGURE Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright PARIS, March 24. (Received March 24, at 11.5 U p.m.) The deatli is announced of General Sarrail. —Australian Press Association. General Maurice Paul Emmanuel Sarrail was born at Carcassonne in 1856, and received his military training at St. Cyr. He passed through the usual regimental training, and when the war broke out in 1914 he was iii command of the Sixth Army Corps. Though General Snrrail’s military capacity was recognised prior to 1914, it was chiefly by bis semipolitical activities that be was best known. As a member of General Andre’s military Cabinet, ho played ii conspicuous part during a very troubled period of French Army - history. While in command of tho Third Army during the Great Wav be formed the pivot of the wheel-back of the Allied forces during tho retreat to the Marne, and he brilliantly maintained Ins position, enabling Marshal Joffre- to counter-attack. Ho, was essentially temperamental, and he fell out with Joffre during the period of trench warfare, and was dismissed from his command. He next appeared in command at Salonika, where his attitude caused the Allies to demand his withdrawal. He was then appointed Commander of tho French Army of the East, and later became Commander-in-Chiet of the Allied forces on that front. The troubled history of this command lasted until Ids recall in December, 1917, and returning to France he saw no more active service during the war, and in 1918 was placed on the reserve. At the end of the war period he published a book dealing with the Salonika operations in an attempt to exculpate his actions. In July, 1924, General Sarrail was replaced on the active list, taking a place in the first section of the headquarters staff without age limit. His attitude generally was the cause of much political intrigue, and his appointments were largely the result of his connection with tho party led by M. Briand. General Sarrail was notoriously anti-clerical. Ho was made High Commissioner in Syria in 1924, and his action in refusing to attend a religious service at Beirut, when he first arrived there, called forth a heated discussion in the House of Deputies in Paris. His term in Syria was not successful, and he was recalled.