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children。〃 There his praise is a little tinged by doubt。 The
British are recklessrecklessness in battle a Frenchman can
understand； but they are also reckless about to…morrow's bread
and whether the tent is safe against a hurricane in the night。
He is struck too by the fact that they are much more vocal than
the French troops； and that they seem to have a passion for bad
lugubrious songs。 There he smiles and shrugs his shoulders； and
indeed what else can any of us do in the presence of that
mystery？ At any rate the legend of the 〃phlegmatic〃 Englishman
has been scattered to the four winds of heaven by the guns of the
western front。 The men are cool in action； it is true； but for
the rest they are； by the French standards； quicksilver。
But I will not expand further upon the general impression made by
the English in France。 Philippe Millet's /En Liaison avec les
Anglais/ gives in a series of delightful pictures portraits of
British types from the French angle。 There can be little doubt
that the British quality； genial naive； plucky and generous； has
won for itself a real affection in France wherever it has had a
chance to display itself。。。。
But when it comes to British methods then the polite Frenchman's
difficulties begin。 Translating hints into statements and
guessing at reservations； I would say that the French fall very
short of admiration of the way in which our higher officers set
about their work； they are disagreeably impressed by a general
want of sedulousness and close method in our leading。 They think
we economise brains and waste blood。 They are shocked at the way
in which obviously incompetent or inefficient men of the old army
class are retained in their positions even after serious
failures； and they were profoundly moved by the bad staff work
and needlessly heavy losses of our opening attacks in July。 They
were ready to condone the blunderings and flounderings of the
1915 offensive as the necessary penalties of an 〃amateur〃 army；
they had had to learn their own lesson in Champagne； but they
were surprised to find how much the British had still to learn in
July； 1916。 The British officers excuse themselves because； they
plead； they are still amateurs。 〃That is no reason；〃 says the
Frenchman； 〃why they should be amateurish。〃
No Frenchman said as much as this to me； but their meaning was as
plain as daylight。 I tackled one of my guides on this matter； I
said that it was the plain duty of the French military people to
criticise British military methods sharply if they thought they
were wrong。 〃It is not easy；〃 he said。 〃Many British officers
do not think they have anything to learn。 And English people do
not like being told things。 What could we do？ We could hardly
send a French officer or so to your headquarters in a tutorial
capacity。 You have to do things in your own way。〃 When I tried
to draw General Castelnau into this dangerous question by
suggesting that we might borrow a French general or so； he would
say only； 〃There is only one way to learn war； and that is to
make war。〃 When it was too late； in the lift； I thought of the
answer to that。 There is only one way to make war； and that is
by the sacrifice of incapables and the rapid promotion of able
men。 If old and tried types fail now； new types must be sought。
But to do that we want a standard of efficiency。 We want a
conception of intellectual quality in performance that is still
lacking。。。。
M。 Joseph Reinach； in whose company I visited the French part of
the Somme front； was full of a scheme； which he has since
published； for the breaking up and recomposition of the French
and British armies into a series of composite armies which would
blend the magnificent British manhood and material with French
science and military experience。 He pointed out the endless
advantages of such an arrangement； the stimulus of emulation； the
promotion of intimate fraternal feeling between the peoples of
the two countries。 〃At present；〃 he said； 〃no Frenchman ever
sees an Englishman except at Amiens or on the Somme。 Many of
them still have no idea of what the English are doing。。。。〃
〃Have I ever told you the story of compulsory Greek at Oxford and
Cambridge？〃 I asked abruptly。
〃What has that to do with it？〃
〃Or how two undistinguished civil service commissioners can hold
up the scientific education of our entire administrative class？〃
M。 Reinach protested further。
〃Because you are proposing to loosen the grip of a certain narrow
and limited class upon British affairs； and you propose it as
though it were a job as easy as rearranging railway fares or
sending a van to Calais。 That is the problem that every decent
Englishman is trying to solve to…day； every man of that Greater
Britain which has supplied these five million volunteers； these
magnificent temporary officers and all this wealth of munitions。
And the oligarchy is so invincibly fortified！ Do you think it
will let in Frenchmen to share its controls？ It will not even
let in Englishmen。 It holds the class schools； the class
universities； the examinations for our public services are its
class shibboleths； it is the church； the squirearchy； the
permanent army class； permanent officialdom； it makes every
appointment； it is the fountain of honour； what it does not know
is not knowledge； what it cannot do must not be done。 It rules
India ignorantly and obstructively； it will wreck the empire
rather than relinquish its ascendancy in Ireland。 It is densely
self…satisfied and instinctively monopolistic。 It is on our
backs； and with it on our backs we common English must bleed and
blunder to victory。。。。 And you make this proposal！〃
3
The antagonistic relations of the Anglican oligarchy with the
greater and greater…spirited Britain that thrust behind it in
this war are probably paralleled very closely in Germany；
probably they are exaggerated in Germany with a bigger military
oligarchy and a relatively lesser civil body under it。 This
antagonism is the oddest outcome of the tremendous /de…
militarisation/ of war that has been going on。 In France it
is probably not so marked because of the greater flexibility and
adaptability of the French culture。
All military peoplepeople； that is； professionally and
primarily militaryare inclined to be conservative。 For
thousands of years the military tradition has been a tradition of
discipline。 The conception of the common soldier has been a
mechanically obedient； almost dehumanised man； of the of officer
a highly trained autocrat。 In two years all this has been
absolutely reversed。 Individual quality； inventive organisation
and industrialism will win this war。 And no class is so innocent
of these things as the military caste。 Long accustomed as they
are to the importance of moral effect they put a brave face upon
the business； they save their faces astonishingly； but they are
no longer guiding and directing this war； they are being pushed
from behind by forces they never foresaw and cannot control。 The
aeroplanes and great guns have bolted with them； the tanks
begotten of naval and civilian wits； shove them to vict