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."

HISTORISCHE KRANTEN

The Ypres Times (1921-1936) | 1926 | | pagina 26