THE GENERAL'S SPEECH
This chapter will be a very short one; but, despite its brevity, it
seems to me that the event narrated in it should form the subject of a
single chapter. General Stockwell's speech at Westbecourt, on Waterloo
day, 1917, was a very remarkable speech; it was the most striking speech
I have ever heard--and I have listened to a good many famous public
speakers in my time--and it produced a very profound impression upon all
who heard it. I only wish there had been a reporter present to take it
down verbatim. But that could not be. Those were the days of that most
objectionable of all tyrants, the Censor! I can but quote from the
letter which I wrote home from Westbecourt on June 18:
"The Battalion paraded in a field just by my billet this morning.
General Stockwell arrived at 10.45. The General Salute, Present Arms,
was ordered by Best-Dunkley. The General rode up, and, facing the
Battalion, said to Best-Dunkley: 'All right; slope arms, order arms,
stand at ease, and close up your companies.' The Colonel gave the
required orders. General Stockwell then addressed the Battalion.
'Colonel Best-Dunkley, gentlemen, non-commissioned officers, and men of
the 2/5th Lancashire Fusiliers, I am very sorry indeed to have to say
what I am going to say to you now'--he began. He then spoke about the
march of Saturday, drew a vivid picture of the scene as it appeared to
him, said that he had had very great faith in the discipline of this
Battalion and was very sorry that under stress our discipline should
prove so weak; said that the Brigade had been selected for the most
difficult and trying part in the forthcoming operations (he then told us
what part: I cannot, of course, reveal what!) because Sir Douglas Haig
considers us the best brigade in the Division, and that if we could not
stick Saturday what would we do then? He remarked that the Lancashire
Fusiliers had won more V.C.'s than any other regiment in the British
Army, and he closed by saying that he would still trust us, and hoped
that we would act up to our traditions in the future.
"Having said his say he disappeared as quickly as he had appeared!
"We then carried on with training. We finished at 12. The weather is
still hot.
"I had a stroll about the village this afternoon, having some milk
again at the farm I spoke of yesterday.
"At 6.15 this evening we were all summoned to a conference at Battalion
Headquarters. Colonel Best-Dunkley told us all about a new scheme of
training which commences to-morrow and also explained to us the plan of
campaign and what part we are to play, with reference to the exact
points on the map, in the next great battle, which he said would be the
greatest battle of the war. It is a thing which I have always thought
ought to be done. And I may say that I am of a very decided opinion that
_if_ it is a _complete success_ there is not a shade of doubt but that
peace will be signed in September; but unless it is a complete success
we shall have to wait for Maude and Murray in Asia Minor.... This battle
is not going to be fought just yet; we have to practise it all first!
"There is no harm in telling you that the Colonel told us that we should
remain billeted in this village for the remainder of this month at
least. And it is a delightful little village to be in. But we are an
hour and a half's march from the divisional training area where we are
now going to proceed for training every day....
"Every time June 18 comes round I cannot help thinking of the great
drama brought to a close on that day in 1815. Before many weeks have
passed I myself will probably partake in the operations of another
Waterloo fought upon the blood-stained soil of unhappy Belgium! I always
said that I would be in at the finish whether that finish happens to be
in Belgium, on the Rhine, or in Palestine, didn't I?"
Yes, It was my destiny to be "in at the finish;" but the finish was not,
as so many of our optimists then thought it would be, at Ypres in 1917!
The decisive victory was not to be ours until Foch and Sir Henry Wilson
were at the head of military affairs and D'Esperey at Cerna and Allenby
at Armageddon had won their Waterloo in the September of 1918; and when
Stockwell's Force fired the last shots at Ath in Belgium I was there!