BRITISH ARMY TO-DAY.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 263, 27 July 1915, Page 2

BRITISH ARMY TO-DAY.

Mr Alexander Powell, an American journalist, who has written continuously oti the war —his account of what he saw in Belgium is a terrible indictment of German methods —recently sent to the New York "World" a picturesque description of a visit he paid to the British headquarters in France. The following summary of it was cabled to the London "Daily Tele-

graph"— I Mr Alexander Powell, the American correspondent, sends an interesting despatch to the "New York World" from the British headquarters in France.in which he reviews the position en the (western front, and concludes: "The war will unquestionably last two years, not improbably three, and even four." He pays a handsome tribute to the British soldiers and their organisations, and repeats the general belief that the Allies will eventually win, undoubtedly, but, in view of his knowledge of Germany, and the vast preparations made by Germany, he says the sooner people in America stop deceiving themselves regarding a short war and look facts in the face, the better it will be for the cause of civilisation. This independent observer reports that what the British have done in i" building a war machine in 9 months is one of the marvels of military history. "The machine they knocked together though still a trifle wobbly and somewhat creaky in its points, is, I am convinced, eventually going to do the business. It struck me as having all, or nearly all, the merits of the German organisation, with the human element added. You can't really appreciate what this British war machine is like, or what it is accomplishing by reading about it. You have to see it for yourself, as I did ,and it is by no means easy to see either,, for along the thirty odd miles of battle-front held by the British war correspondents are about as welcome as small-pox." There was a certain young man, fairhaired, slender, wearing a .Terse}' and running shorts, whom Mr Powell noticed on trie outskirts of a French town, who exemplified the spirit of the British army. Shoulders back, chest | out, he jogged along at the steady dog- i trot adopted by athletes and "prizefighters in training. No one challenged ! rhc young man in the running shorts, •>r demanded to see his papers. After you observed the curious effect which the appearance of this young man produced on the military of all ranks, it suddenly struck you' his face was strangely familiar. Then you remem- < bered you had seen it hundreds of I times in magazines and illustrated ( nar>o.rs —hi* Royal Highness the ! Prince of Wales. '