NEW WAR DIARY

Hokitika Guardian, 16 November 1920, Page 3

NEW WAR DIARY

LONDON, Sept. 9. A new book, or war diary, just published by Colonel C. A’Court Repington, the well-known military writer, will cause no small sensation. It is a daily record of observations upon men and things during the war. Much fresh I lierht is thrown upon several disputed : subjects. We have the story, with some 1 new details of Colonel Repington’s re,j markable telegram in “The Times” on shell shortage, which led to a political | upheaval. The writer tells us that this j message was not suggested by Sii John French, though he “afterwards approv!ed of it.” Colonel Repington writes with remarkable frankness about Lord Kitchener. He tells us how unpopular j 1 “K. of K.” was with the Cabinet. They wanted to send him to India but he , 1 refused to go. The Ministry was pining to dispose of hiim, Unit “nobody would bell the cat. K. is not on the ■ ; pinacle he once was, but the people hold to him.” Among other topics is a reference to the Carson army in Ulster. Cairson told Repington that if the Government had arrested the chief leaders, ho had arranged to have all. the Ulster Customs promptly seized. Carson also

told the King’s private secertary that such a step was contemplated, and the arrests were not persisted in. There is an amusing story of Sir F. Smith, now the Lord Chancellor, being placed under arrest when visiting headquarters m France. Smith used some very hot lan(ruave suited to the occasion, but at length he was mollified by Lord Haig asking him to lunch, putting him on his riwlit hand. How Winston Churchill confabulated with Garvin of the “Observer” before he made one of his big navy speeches makes amusing reading especially as Colonel Repington attributes to that circumstance the failure of Churchill » speech. There are also some amusing society stories, and a few respecting Mr Lloyd George. In one, the diarist records that when the Prime Minister discussed the possibility of a German army landing in England, he said he would eat a sausage for every German who arrived here over the number of 50,000. The hook abounts in good stories. Here is one:—Lady Beresford was stopped in her motor car by a policeman, and asked for her name, because she was using petrol without authority. The lady looked out at him .furiously, and said, “My good man can’t you see that I am an imbecile?” The policeman was so taken back that he dropped his pencil, and told the chauffeur to drive on. Here is another : —“When Belloc and Chestertoi were dining together during the pro gross of an air raid, they were 'sc absorbed In thoir own conversation that they never heard the bombs.”