Salt Lake Telegram | 1916-06-11 | Page 16 | French, Who Saved British Army, May Take Lord Kitchener's Place

I French Who Sav Saved d Br ish A my V VV I V May Take Lord Pl Place c THE MAN WHO SAVED THE BRITISH ARMY FROM TION Such is the soldier who probably will succeed Lord Kitchener as the the- chief of Great Britain's fighting forc forces es following the loss of Kitchener and members of his staff when the Hampshire sank In casting about for possible wearers w of the mantle of Kitchener no no figure looms so large as that of Sir John French the man whose masterly retreat at the opening of the war saved the British forces in Belgium and Fran France e from utter annihilation b before a German force that bere them thel th three e to ol one 1 French is 54 and ana or of man birth the British army As a young off offic ic went ment known wn as as' the he c Ing much time studying military bookIn book In those days army service was r sort of gentl gentleman's mans man's sport A high officer once asked Frenc Oh Oil he's hes hes he's a queer sort replied books But when the time came came in in the Boer war for Great Britain to brush the the dust dust of dry ry rot off her army and send tend it into action Frenchs French's stu studies lies showed their value val val- ue He He came out of the South African can campaigns one of the tho few men who made ade a reputation in in a a war that hat ruined mined so many In In- Inthe the bloody Sudan campaign French distinguished himself as a gallant cavalry leader as major general general general gen gen- eral of cavalry In the Boer war he fought in he he be two opening battles in Natal where he won a brilliant vic vic- tory A daring cavalry charge by Frenchs French's force pierced the Boer line and made possible the relief of Kimberley Frenchs French's men were outnumbered an and d the tho Boers had bad a a strong position Byall By Byall By Byall all the rules of war to pierce pierce- that line Une was impossible French pierced it The crowning achievement of Frenchs French's career came when he was I II sent to France with the little British I expeditionary army of regulars and rushed Into Belgium in an effort to save savo the country from the German hordes The first clash came camo at Mons August 23 At Frenchs French's right were Joffres Joffre's troops The Germans Germans' were pouring across tile the country in in over overwhelmIng overwhelming overwhelming over over- whelming masses The odds were too great for the tide to be turned b back ck General French saw he must retreat As soon as he learned the French troops had begun to retire he followed followed fol fol- lowed suit Then began the most masterly retreat retreat retreat re re- re- re treat in For four days the British troops He lie has blazed many new trails trails' iner iner in iner er In an unfashionable hussar regi regi- o the heresy of actually spends spend- spend s s. s by youthful officers as as a ah's a ah's hs h's major wl what at sort of chap chap he was the major always reading military doggedly fought off the pursuing Ger Ger- mans Frenchs French's men meI gave bullet for bullet as they fell back mile after mile Throughout those four days the I British forces were Vere on the perilous verge of confusion Had French forone forone for forone one moment lost his head the orderly retreat w would uld have been turned into a a disorderly and fatal rout French saved the British expeditionary expeditionary army from destruction a I M r 1 f iS r. r i if 0 v r r y 11 Iri 95 5 k i irr 5 k r Hr Sr us f f 4 a b r ti bY i r I i L Y I ft ji 1 FIELD MARSHAL JOHN FRENCH 1 I