Field
Marshal
Viscount
Byng
The
Late
THE YPRES TIMES
213
Appreciations.
All members of the League will regret the death of that great leader of men, Lord
Byng.
As an old school fellow at Eton I had known him well and like everyone else,
followed and admired his military career.
No one who ever served with him, no matter of what rank, will forget his friendly
grip, his cheery smile and confidence that he inspired. A splendid soldier with a charming
personality.
Let us hope that the youth of the present day will follow his life as an example
of what that of a great soldier should bealways straightforward in peace and war.
One by one the principal figures of the British fighting forces of the Great War
are taken from us, each leaving a poignant grief in the hearts of the thousands who
served under them, learnt their sterling qualities and honoured them accordingly.
On 6th June, 1935, Field-Marshal Viscount Byng of Vimy passed away. No one
who came into close contact with Julian Byng could ever escape the charm of that
kindly, simple, generous nature. A man of extreme modesty and strong religious feeling,
he had an intense dislike of ostentation and of self-advertisement. Chicanery and
subterfuge were anathema to him. His very great sense of duty was never tempered
by personal inclination. Loyalty was the keynote of his conduct, perhaps above all,
loyalty to his subordinates. No word of criticism would he ever utter, or permit to be
uttered, of anyone who had genuinely tried to serve him. Recrimination and controversy
after the event he always discouraged.
A deep and discerning student of human nature, endowed with a great sympathy
for any kind of suffering, he strove quietly but unceasingly to ameliorate the conditions
obtaining for the rank and file of the army.
By nature humble-minded, he usually referred to himself in terms of disparagement.
Actually he possessed mental attainments of a very high order. He had an unusually
quick brain, logical, analytical and far-seeing stored, in addition, with knowledge,
often of an unusual and unexpected nature. His sense of humour was proverbial. He
possessed great determination and the power of quick decision. Yet there was nothing
hard about him. His iron will was sweetened by the artistic understanding and
sympathy given to the lover and connoisseur of music. He possessed, in particular,
two especial attributes of the great leader. His quiet but magnetic influence quickly
welded any group of individuals into a harmonious team, and he had the rare ability
to state clearly what he wanted done and then to leave it to those concerned to do it.
A great leader, a most lovable personality, a loyal and true friend, he was a shining
example of what the army understands by the phrase an officer and a gentleman."
He will always remain an inspiration to those who served him, and not least to
W. P. Pulteney, Lieut.-General.
One of Them."
