Delivered in the House of Lords, Sept. 17.
Your lordships will expect that some statement should be made by me on
the general military situation before the session ends, and I will,
therefore, endeavor as briefly as possible to supplement the remarks
which I had the honor to address to your lordships' House three weeks
ago.
I need not retell the story of the British expeditionary force in
France, which has been read and appreciated by us all in Sir John
French's dispatch. The quiet restraint of his account of their
achievements only brings into relief the qualities which enabled our
troops successfully to carry out the most difficult of all military
operations. There is, however, one aspect of this feat of arms upon
which the dispatch is naturally silent. I refer to the consummate skill
and calm courage of the Commander in Chief himself, [cheers,] in the
conduct of this strategic withdrawal in the face of vastly superior
forces. His Majesty's Government appreciate to the full the value of the
service which Sir John French has rendered to this country and to the
cause of the Allies, and I may perhaps be permitted here and now, on
their behalf, to pay a tribute to his leadership, as well as to the
marked ability of the Generals under his command, and the bravery and
endurance of the officers and men of the expeditionary force.
The German Retirement.
As your lordships are aware the tide has now turned, and for some days
past we have received the gratifying intelligence of the forced
retirement of the German armies. The latest news from Sir John French
does not materially change the published statement describing the
military situation. In his telegram Sir John reports that the troops are
all in good heart and are ready to move forward when the moment arrives.
The gallant French armies, with whom we are so proud to be co-operating,
will receive every support from our troops in their desire effectually
to clear their country of the invading foe, and the undaunted and
vigilant activity of the Belgian Army in the north materially conduces
to this end. I would also like to take this opportunity of offering our
respectful congratulations to Russia upon the conspicuous successes
which have added fresh lustre to her arms. Although, therefore, we have
good grounds for quiet confidence, it is only right that we should
remind ourselves that the struggle is bound to be a long one, and that
it behooves us strenuously to prosecute our labors in developing our
armed forces to carry on and bring to a successful issue the mighty
conflict in which we are engaged.
Troops in the Field.
There are now in the field rather more than six divisions of British
troops and two cavalry divisions. These are being, and will be,
maintained at full strength by a steady flow of reinforcements. To meet
the wastage of war in this field force our reserve units are available.
To augment the expeditionary force further regular divisions and
additional cavalry are now being organized from units withdrawn from
oversea garrisons, whose places, where necessary, will be taken by
territorial troops, who, with fine patriotism, have volunteered to
exchange a home for an imperial service obligation. On their way from
India are certain divisions from the Indian Army, composed of highly
trained and very efficient troops, and a body of cavalry, including
regiments of historic fame. The dominions beyond the seas are sending us
freely of their best. Several divisions will be available, formed of men
who have been locally trained in the light of the experience of the
South African war, and, in the case of Australia and New Zealand, under
the system of general national training introduced a few years ago.
The Call to Arms.
In the response to the call for recruits for the new armies which it is
considered necessary to raise we have had a most remarkable
demonstration of the energy and patriotism of the young men of this
country. We propose to organize this splendid material into four new
armies, and, although it takes time to train an army, the zeal and
good-will displayed will greatly simplify our task. If some of those who
have so readily come forward have suffered inconvenience, they will not,
I am sure, allow their ardor to be damped. They will reflect that the
War Office has had in a day to deal with as many recruits as were
usually forthcoming in twelve months. No effort is being spared to meet
the influx of soldiers, and the War Office will do its utmost to look
after them and give them the efficient training necessary to enable them
to join their comrades in the field. The divisions of the first two
armies are now collected at our training centres; the third army is
being formed on new camping grounds; the fourth army is being created by
adding to the establishment of the reserve battalions, from which the
units will be detached and organized similarly to the other three
armies. The whole of the special reserve and extra special reserve units
will be maintained at their full establishments as feeders to the
expeditionary force. In addition to the four new armies a considerable
number of what may be designated local battalions have been specially
raised by the public-spirited initiative of cities, towns, or
individuals. Several more are in course of formation, and I have
received many offers of this character. The territorial force is making
great strides in efficiency and will before many months be ready to take
a share in the campaign. This force is proving its military value to the
empire by the willing subordination of personal feelings to the public
good in the acceptance of whatever duty may be assigned to it in any
portion of the empire. A division has already left for Egypt, a brigade
for Malta, and a garrison for Gibraltar. The soldierlike qualities
evinced by the force are an assurance to the Government that they may
count to the full upon its readiness to play its part wherever the
exigencies of the military situation may demand. Nor must I omit to
refer to the assistance which we shall receive from the division of the
gallant royal marines and bluejackets now being organized by my right
honorable friend the First Lord of the Admiralty; their presence in the
field will be very welcome, for their fighting qualities are well known.
The Supply of Officers.
The creation of the new armies referred to is fraught with considerable
difficulties, one of which is the provision of regimental officers. I
hope the problem of supplying officers may be solved by the large
numbers coming forward to fill vacancies, and by promotions from the
non-commissioned officer ranks of the regular forces. In a country which
prides itself on its skill in and love of outdoor sports, we ought to be
able to find sufficient young men who will train and qualify as officers
under the guidance of the nucleus of trained officers which we are able
to provide from India and elsewhere. If any retired officer competent to
train troops has not yet applied or has not received an answer to a
previous application, I hope he will communicate with me at the War
Office in writing. But our chief difficulty is one of material rather
than personnel. It would not be in the public interest that I should
refer in greater detail to this question, beyond saying that strenuous
endeavors are being made to cope with the unprecedented situation, and
that, thanks to the public spirit of all grades in the various
industries affected to whom we have appealed to co-operate with us, and
who are devoting all their energy to the task, our requirements will, I
feel sure, be met with all possible speed.
I am confident that by the Spring we shall have ready to take the field
armies which will be well trained and will prove themselves formidable
opponents to the enemy. The Government fully recognize the fine spirit
which animates those who have come forward to fight for their country,
and will spare no effort to secure that everything is done that can be
done to enable them worthily to contribute to the ultimate success of
our arms. [Cheers.]
The Secretary of State for War concluded his speech by giving details
of the increase in the separation allowances made to wives of soldiers,
both regular and territorial, which Mr. Asquith had announced in the
House of Commons.
Tribute of the Opposition.
_The Marquess of Lansdowne_--I feel that it would be almost impertinent
on my part to say a word after the extraordinarily interesting statement
to which we have just listened. But I should be sorry if complete
silence on our part lent itself to the interpretation that we are
indifferent to the great topics which the Secretary of State for War has
dealt with in his speech. May we be permitted to say that we regard with
the profoundest admiration and gratitude what the noble Field Marshal
described as the great feat of arms which has been accomplished by the
British force since its arrival at the seat of war, and to add also that
we share the feelings which the noble and gallant lord has expressed
with regard to the immense services rendered by Sir John French to this
country, services which he, of course, could not bear witness to in the
dispatch he sent home? [Cheers.] There are only two other remarks which,
with great deference, I would venture to make. One has reference to the
noble and gallant lord's statement in regard to the response made to his
appeal to the country for recruits. That response has been memorable and
admirable and, considering the immense influx of recruits which have
come in, we can scarcely be surprised that in the early days the strain
should have been rather greater than either the War Office or the local
authorities were able to cope with. But we have every reason to believe
that that has been corrected, and I have no doubt that all will now go
smoothly and well. We have all heard with the greatest satisfaction the
announcement that the separation allowances to the wives of regulars and
territorials are to be considerably increased. ["Hear, hear!"]
Considering what our soldiers are doing for us at the seat of war, the
least we can do is to provide liberally for the relatives whom they have
left behind in this country. [Cheers.]
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