Vol. 5, No. 3 Published Quarterly July, 1930
NO British soldier who climbed the slopes of that picturesque hill in the Flemish
plain which leads to the quaint little town of Cassel, will ever forget the
glorious panorama which meets the eye on all sides from its summit. The
whole scene, one of those perfect visions which the fair land of Flanders was wont
to grant to war-worn souls, has been vividly recalled by Edmund Blunden in his
delightful book, Undertones of War." At the top, the cool streets of Cassel
led between ancient shop fronts and archways, maintaining in their dignity that
war was nothing to do with Cassel. There was one memorable inn in whose
shadowy dining room officers from highest to lowest congregated. Far below its
balcony the plain stretched in all the semblance of untroubled harvest, golden,
tranquil and lucent as ever painter's eye rested upon."
It was here, in the beautiful building of the Mairie, that Foch established his
headquarters in the late Autumn of 1914 after he had been entrusted with the task
of co-ordinating the work of the allied armies in the northern theatre of war. And
it is here that he is immortalized in the noble equestrian statue which stands on the
terrace above the hill, dominating the plain below and looking out over the distant
country across which the invader forged his way.
During his time at Cassel, Foch was continually associated with Sir John
French and Sir Henry Wilson, and the former has paid a remarkable tribute to him
in his book, 1914." I regard General Foch," says Sir John, as one of the
finest soldiers and most capable leaders I have ever known. In appearance he is
slight and small of stature, albeit with a most wiry and active frame. It is in his
eyes and the expression of his face that one sees his extraordinary power. He
appreciates a military situation like lightning, with marvellous accuracy, and evinces
wonderful skill in dealing with it." Personally I owe a great deal to his invaluable
help and cordial co-operation. In the darkest hours of our work togetherand
there were many suchI never knew him anything but what I have describedbold,
hopeful, and cheery; but ever vigilant, wary, and full of resource."
There was another friendship which was of incalculable value to the allied cause
in the early days of the war, and, indeed, throughout its whole course. All the
world knows of the depth of the intimacy which existed between Foch and Sir
Henry Wilson. It had its origin many years before the war. But it would scarcely
be an exaggeration to say that during the first months of the fighting around Ypres
it was indispensable to the co-operation of the French and British armies. I
personally shall never forget," said Foch, how during the progress of the Battle
of Flanders from the second fortnight of October, 1914, to the violent attack on
