FRENCH AND KITCHENER.

Taihape Daily Times, 22 May 1919, Page 5

FRENCH AND KITCHENER.

0 THE ANTWERP EXPEDITION. NOT A WISE STEP. LONDON, May 20. Continuing his account of the operations of the British Force during the early days of the war. Lord French states that when he was in Paris he discussed with Lord Kitchener the Antwerp expedition. The Minister for War cxplicitcly told him that the British there were not under his command, and "will not for the present be considered part of your force.'' "I certainly would have made different dispositions of these troops." says Lord French, "and regret that I must aciord my deliberate opinion that the bo:- which could be done throughout, a critical situation was not done owing entirely to Lord Kitchener's endeavour to unite in himself the distinct roles of Cabinet and Commander-in-Chief." "

Lord French quotes a telegram in which he even demanded whether General Rawlinson regarded himself as under his orders, and proceeded: "When Antwerp was threatened Lord Kitchener, unknown to me, arranged with General Joffre to send one or two French territorial divisions to act with the British marines."

It was perfectly clear that the operations for the relief of Antwerp should never have been directed from London. They actually had no influence on the fate of Antwerp, and could equally well have protected the Belgian retreat from a safer and more effective direction. The expedition might have saved Lille by landing on September 5 at Calais or Boulogne, and deployiug six or soven days later in the valley of the Lys. It might also have saved Ostend and even Zeebrugge.