AN UNASSUMING GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 December 1915, Page 2

AN UNASSUMING GENERAL.

COMRADELY SIR JOHN FRENCH. An English war correspondent, speaking of Sir John French, and his interest in the soldiers in the field, says: "At the time of the first battle of Y/pres, he watched, close up at the front, the critical moment of the day. Any morning at headquarters, if you walk out before breakfast past his door, you may sec the sentries present arms and the motor with the Union Jack on it drive up. The commander-in-chief, long before you were up, has been out somewhere at his lines, Or you are driving along some straight, poplar-fenced road, and you come on some improvised parade-ground. The troops are drawn up—come out. perhaps, from some hot corner of the trenches; there is a little group of staff ollicers; in front, his cap a" little on one side, very short and straight and stockist), with a fine trueulcnceof manner and a sterling directness of speech, Sir John French will l>e talking to his men. There, is nothing perfunctory nhout the ceremony, no feeling that it is a necessary duty on the one side, no assumed decorum on the other. He is there because he wants to meet them and speak to them, and they want to hear what he says. When you listen you feel that if lie wanted to curse instead of commend, he would not have the slightest hesitation in doing it soundly, and the men would know that he meant what he said. A word from him is somehow of more value than a column from a more rhetorical general. The last-joined private will foci that there is an essential communion and sympathy in endeavour between his general and hl*^.'*