A LETTER FROM GENERAL HARINGTON.
The Ypres Times.
153
General Headquarters,
To the Editor, Allied Forces of Occupation,
Ypres Times. Constantinople.
December 7th, 1922.
Dear Sir,
Many thanks for yours and for your kind thoughts for us in Constantinople throughout
this somewhat difficult period.
You ask me for some thought of the old Second Army. I could give you many, as,
during the past weeks and months, the lessons I learned under my old ChiefField Marshal
Lord Plumerin the old Second Army have ever been present with me.
The greatest lesson we all learned was to keep cheerful and keep a stout heart
whatever happened, and never to forget for a moment to help the regimental officers and
men. If you do this they will never forget you. How this has been brought home to me
lately, and how it reminds me of the Second Army days In all those daysin days of
success such as Messines and othersin days of trial in the advance to Passchendaele
in days of distress in April, 1918, when the Second Army line was often brokenthose
magnificent troops knew and felt that their Chief was ever thinking of them and doing
all in his power for them, and they appreciated it.
In our small way here we have experienced the same. It was a wonderful coincidence
that, on the very first day of crisis, when I had only one battalion at Chanak and one
battery and one squadron, Lord Plumer should arrive at Chanak en route to pay me a
long promised visit. At that moment the Kemalist forces were massing opposite Chanak.
I shall never forget his characteristic message to me from ChanakAll well here and
cheerful, nothing to worry about." His presence here and his advice were worth many
a Division to me at that moment.
A lot of things have happened since. After the Greek defeat, the Kemalists built
up strong forces opposite the British forces on the Ismid Peninsula and at Chanak, and
are still there. It has been very trying for the troops. They have been sorely tried,
but, as always, they have been wonderful. They wanted to help me up to and through
the Moudania Conference. They wanted to give me every chance, and it was for their
sakes that I wanted to succeed. It was a very near thing, but only made possible by
their discipline, forbearance and self-restraint.
Since that time we have had many more anxious moments, including the advent
of the Kemalist Government in Constantinople and its demands, its attempts to under
mine our authority, the flight of the Sultan, the evacuation of Eastern Thrace and many
other incidents. It was no easy matter to keep the peace up to the commencement of
the Lausanne Conference.
That Conference is now sitting. We all hope its efforts may be successful. We,
who have lived here, want to see peace and prosperity in the Near East. We want to
see trade re-established and the vast amount of stagnant shipping, always before our
eyes, in movement again. We want to see an end to the poverty and want with which
we have been surrounded. If, alas, things go the other way and we are plunged into another
war, we shall do our best conscious of the fact that we have done our utmost to prevent
such a calamity happening.
.^Whatever the future holds in store for us, no Commander faced with a difficult task
has ever had more true and loyal support than I have received from everyone under my
command, and I am justly proud of their confidence.
Yours very sincerely,
C. H. Harington.
