CHIEF OF THE BRITISH HEADQUARARTERS STAFF.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 July 1915, Page 3

CHIEF OF THE BRITISH HEADQUARARTERS STAFF.

| A ' sJ '- A5: WIJo -DKMAXDS KKWCIEXCY. (London Correspondent New V.uk Sun i the appointment of .Sir William Robertson as the Chief of the Headquarters one without precedent in the British Army. The position carries with it practically the complete control of all other staff appointments which are tnaditionallv regarded aa the birthright of men of {mod family. At the outbreak the Avar," there was scarcely a man on *he general staff whose name could not be found in the peerage; the chicrf of staff was invariably a man, of aristocratic birth The new chief of the stall' is » .man of Iram'ble origin. He i H!g , xu j;f e as a pantry Iboy. JH eighteen, hi! was promoted to be an indoor footman in the establishment of a wealthy Wiltshire a-qiiiro, 'but lie made an indifferent and rebellious sort of footman, and one day ended his career as such by tcllintr the well-trained butler under whom he served to go to a much letter place than the pantry. Robertson then walked to the nearest town, took the Queen's shilling, and became a private, of dragoons.

He became a lieutenant ten years later and his subsequent rise, considering the tremendous prejudice-that has existed in the army toward the advancement of rankers, was tairly rapid, lie became chief of the stall' college at Sandhurst. Mi at the outbreak of war was quarter-master-general.

10,S EFFICIENT OBGAXTSIKG. Like Kitchener, his abilities lay in his great powers of organisation. As quartermaster-general be was responsible for the organisation of the transport and commissariat arrangements, and in an incredibly short time, and in face of the most stupendous difficulties, he built up that vast and complicated machinery by -wli icli troops, .food, clothes and ammunition can be fairly -moved between England and tile front without a hitch or the least delay or confusion. As chief of the staff, Sir William Robertson has before him the still more difliciilt task of reorganising the general staff. In carrying out this work he ™ coras) ttt the most powerful social influences and deep-rooted traditions and custom of the army. There is .not another man in the army who would have hart the courage to undertake such- a task. There are, of course, able officers and good soldiers -on the general staff, Jl''VV* a lna ! tcr common- knowledge that it is overburdened with ornamental officers, who are on it for no other reason than their wealth and social posiGeneral French, like other great BrioW £T r ' ' T 1 ' 1 " ot f rom the nnt tn'Tl gi , vinft Stafl a PP° In timnts to dukes and wealthy peers or then sons he d.id no more than did Lord hntVV^ 1 Afri,ca or to* Bag' ILJ ! or the Duke of Wellington m the Peninsular War. This has always been done practically 0 f ne™«ty by the British Comonander-h - Chief in any campaign.

ROO.M FOR ORNAMENTS But the. plajn fact is, and it is on,, apparently acknowledged tacitly if uctantly byGoncra^rf'^h Xf/l" th ° re iS roo, » on the stall for tlie ornamental officer V n lilVth a T ?° ment «' c murage or the DnW , of estn iinster other +1 'Roxburgh, or a, host of til /"' T ? ICI , r wl,lHl gn«ss to underline h V 11 holvevcr hazardous, thev Wl / ? - t0 P crform » 'but the v t Sti r r m$ they are 'til little or no military experience anl have no knowledge of staff duties' tWay Staff they are 9iffi P'y in i V lC} flle for any SDocift] 'beyond that of carrvfnf Xs' I atdics, and they arc under no mm 5 1 a ? coinniander-iu-himself f f? T y to conc ßni himself about them. Thev are, therefore. more or less at the 'loose end of h ind W, 1 a llei " ° f tW •ti 1 they occupy as often as possible m entertaining their Wend" Km-'l'uid l 'r S W1 thri " : ' da y visils from stn'ir tl „ir t0 S u r "' " f thc 01 'naineiital useful ,"T or to find some S r win I "' ri ' ow - Jl ' l «'°rk '"or him, is II 1 ' dl f . Eobcrtso,l ' s dt'tt'niiinalion. X °i ,s a VUJ - V s »»-ple one. ■ li e line?" of ' ~ " U '' V bl ' 0,10 011 1,10 iso communication or a post on the field telephone or telegraph ser-t-U-e iZ 0 ' " f f <,Ve " tS ' that ui " , . . 11111 1,0111 and keen iji" bns.v-and the man to whom it "j ollered must either accept it or I£'" ■ J " «'« 1-t week sixteen olUa, have been got rid of in this Inland " I,ilV ° rutllnioJ to 'Moreover the new chief „f the staff • - absolutely loi-bidden all those visits " the ' l);lr , ul sin art society women to tl'e iront, winch had during the last tow months 'become a feature of the som lite at the Knglish headquarters. ,i f fii - is hut a small '.'lt of the work which the new chief has m hand, but how diflicult it has bee,; and IS. may be gathered from the faci, that Sir -William Robertson frankly .idiiiitted to a Ixieiul ill London lately that only for the fact that there was a man at the head of the War ('Mice wlio could say - m," to a duke or even a prince he would have been compelled to have put up with the presence of 'the ornamental staff officer at the front. "-■*;: d I would have resigned.-of course, rattier than do that," said the chief of stati.

PI-ACE,S 'FOR COMPETENT 'RANKERS. The mew chief ajing at makin« llie general staff us eiiicient as it is posH mike it. He will cut a«v Juan on it, whether lie 'be a duke or ;i newly promoted Tanker, -xvlio can most elliciently perforin the particular work required ot Jum. He lias not found f , e - vot flt to a stall' oDicer, but lie lias lon ml (iu> cousin of one, and iiad no hesitation in 'putting lii m oil tlu- .stall'. Wir William influence is making itself felt right through the aniiy. By the best soldiers he is liked because they have, confidence ill his tremendous efficiency, but, generally .-peaking, the new chief ~f stall', with his rugged harsh features ragged moustache and rough manners, j' s feared ratliei' than liked, lie is devoid of all the courtierlike <|iialities which usually distinguish ilic soldier of high rank. His manners are slill the milliners of the. barrack room, and so often is liis language. lie has.a big appetite, and '.aii eat and enjoy the coarsest foods. When visiting the trenches, Ik; never .troubles to bring a knife and fork with llim; he takes his lim.h or dinner of beef oil' his tin plate with his hands. lint his efficiency, courage, his masterful brain and dominating personality render him without doubt, the mn-t remarkable man in the liritisli Army, in which lie is probably destined to hoiil a still higher position, perhaps before, tile Avar is over.