§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (EARL KITCHENER)My Lords, since I last addressed your Lordships on the general military situation there have been certain important changes in the scene and scope of the operations on the Continent, and at the risk of repeating what is already common knowledge I think it may not be undesirable if I briefly allude to some of the salient features of the campaign since early in October. In France the German Army was then attempting an outflanking movement to the north of the French lines, and our troops were being transferred to the left flank of the French forces in order to prevent the enemy from pushing West, and thus threatening Dunkirk and Calais. The Germans were also besieging Antwerp and, owing to the overwhelming superiority of their heavy artillery which had been brought into action a against that place, it soon become manifest that the comparatively out-of-date fortifications of Antwerp would not be able to resist much longer and though the fall of the town was delayed, and the gallant Belgian garrison was safely removed by British efforts, Antwerp was occupied by the Germans on October 9. With their flank and rear thus secured the German forces were pushed rapidly forward in considerable strength, their objective being to capture the northern coasts of France. But the delay which had been caused in the release of the besieging forces in front of Antwerp just gave time for Sir John French, by a bold forward march and by taking up an extended position from La 180 Bassée to Dixmude, to meet this German movement and prevent the Germans from obtaining their objective.
At this period Sir John French's force was increased by an Infantry and a Cavalry Division from England. Very severe fighting took place for several days, as the Germans, in considerably superior forces, vigorously attacked our left line of defence. As an instance I may state that our Cavalry Divisions, extended for seven miles of front in trenches, threw back the fierce attacks of a whole German Army Corps for more than two days. The arrival of the Indian Divisions on the scene was of great assistance to Sir John French, and with French reinforcements which were being pushed up to the front the Germans gradually realised that their public boast to advance to Calais resembled closely their statement with regard to Paris. During all this time the long line from Lille to Verdun was maintained intact by our French Allies against constant attacks from the German forces. The French Army have shown the greatest tenacity and endurance, and have displayed the highest fighting qualities in thus defending their positions against any advance of the Germans. For although they have made notable advances at various points, they have never yielded up a yard of their country since I last addressed your Lordships.
On our left, the gallant Belgian Army held the line from Dixmude to the sea and fought with their well-known pluck, throwing back vigorous and incessant attacks on their positions. Their fine resistance was supported with energy by the co-operation of our Fleet, which effectively shelled the German positions within range of our guns. Through the whole of the period I am now reviewing, the Belgian Army has been constantly led in the field by their King, who, though hard pressed, has never yet left Belgian territory, and does not intend to do so. Sir John French's successful resistance to the German advance was maintained notwithstanding German supports being pushed up in large numbers. At this time no less than eleven corps were attacking his position. At this critical period the 8th Division was despatched to join our forces in the field, and the valuable co-operation of General Foch's armies on our left materially strengthened the British position. On November 11 a supreme 181 effort was made by the Germans, the Prussian Guard being ordered to force its way through our lines at all costs and to carry them by sheer weight of numbers. But this desperate attempt failed, as had failed its predecessors.
General Joffre having sent up strong reinforcements, a considerable portion of the British trenches in front of Ypres was taken over by them, and the British front being thus appreciably shortened our troops—which for over fourteen days and nights had never left the trenches, and never allowed the enemy to sustain a footing in them—have been enabled to enjoy a partial but most certainly well-earned rest. Several battalions of Territorial troops have joined -Sir John French's forces, and have made their presence felt. Our losses, naturally, have been very heavy during such strenuous fighting, but they are slight in comparison with those inflicted on the enemy. Reinforcements have replaced our casualties, and the troops under Sir John French are now refitted, in the best of spirits, and confident of success under their leader.
There have been two other prominent changes in the military situation which I should like to bring to your Lordships' notice—-the advance of Russia and the entrance of Turkey into the field against the Allies. Early in October the Russian Army was massing on the line of the Vistula and San. The Germans were invading Poland from Silesia, and about October 11 had reached the neighbourhood of Warsaw. The Russian Army then took the offensive with overwhelming force, and drove the Germans back to their frontier, a distance of about 133 miles. Recently, by making use of their strategic railways and massing troops in the neighbourhood of the fortress of Thorn, the Germans were able to bring a preponderating force to bear upon the Russian right flank on the Vistula, causing them to retire. After a hotly-contested battle the reinforced Russian troops in this neighbourhood have been able to check and defeat the Germans with, I believe, heavier losses than they have ever sustained before. In the meantime the Russian advance on Cracow and in the Carpathian Mountains has been uninterrupted, and has driven the Austrian forces before it.
At the end of October, without any warning, Turkey violated her neutrality by 182 suddenly bombarding Odessa and other Black Sea ports. Previous to this she had already massed troops in order to invade Egypt, and armed Bedouins had crossed our frontier. We are now in touch with the advanced parties of the Turkish forces about thirty miles east of the Suez Canal. On the declaration of war by Turkey the Russian Armies in the Caucasus immediately took the offensive, and they are now successfully advancing on Erzeroum. Fighting is also now going on in the mountainous district in the neighbourhood of Van. The hostile action of Turkey has further induced us to send an Indian expedition against the Turkish provinces at the northern end of the Persian Gulf. This force has twice met and twice defeated the Turkish troops, and has occupied the important town of Basra. Active operations are also going on in South and East. Africa.
This short summary of recent military events gives me the opportunity to say that the Government desire to keep back nothing from the public that cannot be utilised to advantage by our enemies. It is not always easy to decide what. information may or may not be dangerous, and whenever there is any doubt we do not hesitate to prevent publication. It must be remembered that in this war our troops form part of a much larger force engaged in the same campaign, and the dissemination of news in regard to one part of the forces must affect the whole. It is, therefore, the Commander-in-Chief of the whole Allied Army, General Joffre, who is the man responsible in this and every other matter connected with the operations of the Army in the field. And I feel in the strongest possible way that it is my duty loyally to co-operate with him and to see that his wishes are carried out. Subject, however, to these considerations, I recognise that it is in the highest degree desirable that news from the front which can be circulated without detriment to the military position should be communicated to the country, and it has always been my aim, while regarding military considerations as paramount, to facilitate the circulation of all news which can be given with safety. I feel confident that the public will respond to the call which we have to make upon their patience and moderation with that grit which has always been the pride of the British nation, and will realise that such reticence as is preserved by the other combatants is impera- 183 tively demanded of them in the interests of their Armies.
Your Lordships may very reasonably expect a word from me as to the preparations that are being made for prosecuting the war in addition to keeping up the forces we now have in the field. The difficulties with which the War Office have had to contend are many and various, but I may confidently say that they are being met and dealt with in a more satisfactory manner than I at first thought possible. We feel strongly that our soldiers have a right to be placed in the field provided with all the material of war which modern conditions demand—fully equipped as well as efficiently trained. The wastage of the fighting force naturally demands a large stock of men on which to draw, but although the number of casualties reported is heavy, our actual losses are relatively low, and it must not be forgotten that wounded officers and men returning to the front are the more valuable from having learnt the caution horn of experience which adds to the qualifications of the bravest soldier who is taking part in such a campaign as this. As regards numbers, there is real need and ample room for all the men who are ready to come forward and serve their country, and when further special calls are made on the manhood of England I am confident they will be responded to—as before—in a manner and in a spirit which will ensure the prosecution of the war to its successful conclusion.
§ EARL CURZON OF KEDLESTONMy Lords, your Lordships will, I am sure, feel that a statement of the great importance of that to which we have just listened should not pass without some appreciative continent from the Benches on this side of the House. We are grateful to the noble and gallant Earl for the manner in which on more than one occasion he has come down to this House and from his place on that Bench has given us in a singularly clear and concise fashion an account of the military situation as it is at the moment at which he speaks, and of his expectations with regard to the future. I am tempted to say, attaching as we all do the highest value to these periodical statements, that it would be an excellent thing—if I may venture to commend the suggestion to the noble Marquess opposite and to the noble and gallant Earl himself—if from time to time during the Parliamentary recess 184 which is about to begin similar statements could be issued from the War Office with a view of informing the public. We shall not be here to ask questions; the noble and gallant Field-Marshal himself will be otherwise employed; and it would not only be very encouraging to the spirit of the nation but I think it would greatly stimulate the recruiting which we all desire if from time to time statements of that nature could be heard.
The noble and gallant Earl, in the remarks to which we have just listened, has covered a wide field. He has described to us what he himself called the salient features of the campaign, and in his brief summary he has done admirable justice to the various combatants who are concerned. We gather from his remarks that in his opinion the German troops have, at any rate up to date, failed in the objective of their campaign in the West, and that, just as they failed to reach Paris, so they have up to the present time failed to reach Calais and Dunkirk. He spoke of the singularly gallant conduct of our own troops in the trenches. The House will well understand how such praise coming from him will infuse fresh spirit into those gallant men, and for my own part I must thank him for the reference that he made to the Indian soldiers. To those who, like myself, advocated the employment of those forces in the field and who have followed their operations with daily increasing interest, it is indeed a source of delight to know that they have comported themselves on the field of battle with a gallantry not less than that of our European Allies or of the British comrades by whose sides they are placed.
Glad I was to hear the noble and gallant Earl include in his tribute words regarding the tremendously heavy part that is being played by the French. I think we in this country are apt—it is a pardonable fault, concentrating our attention, as we naturally do, on the fifteen or twenty miles where cur own troops are fighting—to think that this is the centre and focus of the war. Do not let us forget that it is not, perhaps, more than one-tenth—I do not know the exact proportion—of the line that is being held by our Allies, and that to their patience, to the strategy of the French Commander-in-Chief, to their endurance, is due the fact that France, who is fighting our battle as much as her own, has so gallantly held her 185 own all the way from Switzerland to the sea. It was not without a thrill of satisfaction that we heard the noble and gallant Earl include in his tribute a word of praise for the valiant; little Belgian Army, reduced in numbers but indomitable in character, and the patriot King who, at its head, has made a name which will live in history.
The Secretary of State passed on to consider the Russian position, and we were gratified to learn from him an official confirmation of that which we had gathered from the newspapers of this morning—namely, that a substantial victory has been won in that theatre of war. It is indeed an encouragement to us to witness the progress of our Allies, so patient in their movements, so silent except in the hour of victory, and to gather from them an inspiration for our own conduct. The noble and gallant Earl then referred to the war with Turkey. With this he dealt so fully that words from me would be superfluous. But I would like to join in the congratulations which I understood him to offer to the Indian troops for their singularly successful operations in capturing the very considerable port of Busra. Anybody who knows the East will believe that this exploit will ring throughout Asia, and that it will be regarded there not merely as the capture of a substantial position but as a damaging blow to Turkish prestige in those parts of the world.
The noble and gallant Earl passed on to a matter in which we all take supreme interest, and which we have more than once presumed to raise in this House. I speak of the question of greater publicity as regards the movements and deeds of our soldiers in the war. I hope the noble and gallant Earl will believe that we thoroughly realise the weighty character of the considerations that he placed before us. We fully understand the obligations of loyalty to the French Commander-in-Chief. We realise that it would be impossible for one plan of action to be adopted over nine-tenths of the field of war and to insist upon an exception for ourselves. But I hope I was not wrong in drawing from one sentence of his remarks the conclusion that he is disposed to make a greater concession to popular sentiment in the matter, and that whatever news he can give to the public consistent with loyalty to our colleagues and the highest military considerations be will give. If I am right in 186 that interpretation I believe I may thank him on behalf of those who sit in every quarter of the House.
It is not that we are curious about things; it is that we look to the effect that good news produces upon our people. We must remember that the Press is almost the only literature of the greater number of our population. It is practically the sole educator of the people. Many of them know very little about this war, and it is only by reading in the newspapers the details of what happens, the deeds and achievements of their fellow-countrymen, that they understand what is passing, and that their spirits are raised to a high and becoming level.
The noble and gallant Earl added a word or two about the administration of the War Office. I am sure he will believe me when I say that no criticism that has been heard on this side of the House has been of a carping or censorious nature. We have never made any remarks about War Office administration except in the desire to strengthen the hands of the noble and gallant Field-Marshal. And may I, as Parliament is about to adjourn for the present, take the opportunity not merely of confessing our realisation of the great strain under which he and his colleagues have worked, but also our recognition of the manner in which they have risen to the difficulties of the case and removed many of the obstacles of which complaint has been made. The question of the conditions under which recruits are kept in camp, the question, of allowances and pensions, the question of surrounding the movement of our troops with greater colour and pageantry, have all engaged the attention of the War Office, and I take this opportunity of acknowledging the substantial advance in all these respects that has been made.
Upon one point I think we should have been glad if the noble and gallant Earl had been a little more explicit—namely, as to the question of numbers. We know that large numbers have been called for and that large numbers are still required; the measure of the demands of the noble and gallant Earl we do not know. We see accounts in the newspapers that recruiting is in some parts of the country going slowly; anon comes the more reassuring statement that men are coming in with all the readiness that is required. I hope that 187 some opportunity will be taken before Parliament separates of giving us rather more precise information on the matter. The noble and gallant Earl concluded by appealing to the steadfast and continued spirit of the nation. Upon that I believe he may confidently rely. That spirit, I think, could not be better expressed than in a letter which I received this morning from a friend of mine who had sent to the war three sons, one of whom had already given up his life. He answered my mingled condolences and congratulations by the phrase, "If I had twenty sons and £20,000 a year I would give them all to the same cause." That spirit, I believe, is one which animates not only the members of your Lordships' House but the entire nation, and it is a spirit which is incompatible with anything but ultimate victory.