THE LATE GENERAL MORLAND.
1?4
The pres Times.
PANNEL ASH COLLEGE (HARROGATE). Group of seventy-five Students who joined the
Junior Division of The Ypres League on November 6th, 1925.
Ax Appreciation.
Lieut.-Colonel Lewis Butler writes -
Death has of late taken heavy toll of the Army.
Within the space of four months three men of
distinction have been taken Field-Marshal I.ord
Grenfell, loved and respected by all, died full of
'years. Lord Rawlinson, and Sir Thomas Morland
had hardly passed their prime. It happened
that they had joined the same regiment within
six months of one another, and a few years later
were fellow students at the Staff College. Both
made their mark but, whereas the brilliance
of Rawlinson was obvious to all, it took longer to
realise that Morland's quiet and unobtrusive
manner concealed high qualities of determination
and courage, moral not less than physical. Both
reached a high point in their respective careers,
but, whereas the former had an occasional set
back, the latter made stead}- progress un-
chequered from start to finish.
It was in October, 1914, during the first des
perate battle of Ypres, that General Morland took
command of the 5th Division. The moment was
more than critical. Our thin, long line was being
assailed by overwhelming masses of the enemy.
Despite an almost entire absence of supports or
reserves, it was essential that the position occupied
should be held at all costs. A break in the line
at any point would have been fatal to the whole
Army. Much the same state of affairs arose at
the outset of the second battle, in April, 1915, and
then the rumour came that on the left the line
had been broken. The strain was intense, but
Morland showed no sign of it, and his astonishing
coolness steeled the hearts of his men and officers.
So it was during the whole War. In due course
the General was given command of a Corps in
Lord Plumer's Army. He was calm, unselfish,
quick to praise, slow to censure but up in arms
if he considered that a subordinate had been
unjustly blamed. Resolute in action, he had the
powerseldom lacking in a real commander of
mento grasp a situation intuitively and form a
rapid decision. Morland had the entire confidence
of his Army Commander, and by good judges was
reckoned among the very best of Corps leaders.
But he was certainly not one of the new school
if the characteristic of that school was the slap
dash attack executed without forethought and
resulting in appalling loss of life to no purpose.
It was not until the War had ended that the
General's health, which for ten years had with
stood the climate of West Africa, began to fail.
It then gave way rapidly.
Sir Thomas won general respect as the ideal of
an officer and a gentleman.Reprinted by kind
permission of The Times."