Sir John French: An Authentic Biography

of W

he Persistent Student-Service in India-Retires on Ha

few days after General Buller's tribute he was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel of his

shown him the fascination of scientific generalship. While making the reputation of the 19th, Barrow had unhappily lost his own life. He died as the result of re-opening an intern

ruck by the brilliant work which French was doing. His strict discipline and his terrific ideas of what training meant, may have struck some of his young subalt

French, he asked his Colonel, "Of what value is that man?" The reply was, "H

the one commanding officer who carried it out. In spite of the very large amount of extra work it entailed, he was willing to take any number of recruits and train them in the new method. That method was finally allowed to laps

ORITIES

dered to India. There he met one of his future colleagues in South Africa, Sir George White. He was als

e cavalry extensive man?uvres were organised. French acted as Chief of the Staff to General Luck, and astonished the authorities by the way in which "he cond

le system which allows the middle-aged officer to make way for youth in the British army; but the spectacle of a French despatched into civil obscurity at th

the first time he had the opportunity for unrestrained study; and much of that time was spent, no doub

as a brigadier. His chief Staff Officer, by the way, was Major R.S.S. (now Lieut.-General Sir Robert) Baden-Powell, while the aide-de-camp to the Director-General of man?uvres was Captain

CTION O

uties and functions of the mounted arm is not to cut and to hack and to thrust at your enemy wherever and however he may be found. The real business of cavalry is so to man?u

It differs widely from the rather grim utterance of the late Sir Baker Russell, who state

r of flagrant shortcomings in our cavalry. Several military men, ably seconded by The Morning Post, in

spector-General of Cavalry insisted upon was a revised Cavalry Drill Book. Who was to write it? The answer was not eas

ething much more than a mere manual of drill. For it is also a treatise on cavalry tactics, a gu

ourse was had to the half-pay Colonel in Kent! Who so fit to materialise reforms as the man who had conceived them? So in 189

e, three regiments were grouped into a brigade and placed under the command of a staff colonel, who was ent

action. Unlike Kitchener, he prefers execution to organisation, and he probably chafed horribly over the interminable disentangling of knots

TOOL T

he hates to do "round business on an office stool." His temperament is entirely dynamic. Everything static and stay-at-home is ut

happened during the 1898 man?uvres. As commander of a brigade, French was chosen to lead Buller's force in the mimic campaign. His opponent was General Talbot, an older officer who worked on the stereo-typed methods. The antiquity of his antagonist's ideas gave French his

ITICS

last, by a rapid movement, his cavalry surprised several batteries of the enemy's horse artillery. He commanded them to dismount and

ssness might lead to disaster. Consequently, French's opponents were justified to some extent in their insi

h the rank of Major-General. This is the highest post open to a cavalry officer in his own sphere during the time of peace. Thus Fren

TNO

writer is indebted for much kind a

n M.A.P., Ma