15S
The Ypres Times.
Thus, until the Armistice, were we engaged on these avenues of blood and death in
the vicinity of Ypres and the Menin Road. The close of hostilities found us a few miles
from Courtrai, from wliich point we started upon o long march through Belgium into
Germanv. As part of the first army of occupation, we felt a certain(pride on entering
Cologne. In pre-war days we had visited the city of the big cathedral, and if anyone had
told us then that our next visit would be with a conquering British Army we should have
written it down as wild romancing. Verily, truth is stranger than anv romance.
F,. M.
LIEUTENANT-GENERAL SIR CHARLES
H. HARINGTON, C.B.E., K.C.B., D.S.O.,
D.C.L., TO BE GENERAL."
Behind, this prosaic War Office announcemen
which lias just been made lies one of the most
interesting stories of military romancethe story
of a man who has not only enjoyed a meteoric
advancement in the Army lists, but, still more
important, the story of a man who undoubtedly
saved England from a war by deliberately break
ing the military rule always to obey a command.
It was Tim Harington, as he came to be
known, who was the modest hero of Chanak in
1922, when he was Commander-in-Chief of the
Allied forces in Constantinople. When a difficult
position had arisen with the Turks, Harington
actually received orders from the Government to
present an ultimatum to the Turks. This he
abstained from doing and, by his tact and skilful
handling of the situation, settled the trouble so
successfully that even the Turks paid him high
tribute.
But it was not only in Turkey that the dis
tinguished soldier made a name for himself. In
France he was known as Plumer's Man," and
many a story is told of his remarkable courage.
One day, when the Menin road was being heavily
bombarded, two staff officers were seen "walking
through the danger zone as though they were
strolling through Piccadilly. One of them was
Tim Harington, Chief of Staff to the British
Second Army."
At the outbreak of war he was a humble junior
major of the Liverpool Regiment, with an equally
humble position at the War Office.
It was his remarkable quality of tact, combined
with all the best qualities of a soldier, which,
within a period of six and a half years, carried
him from the rank of Captain to that of a Com
mander-in-Chief. This is a summary of his
promotion -
1914.Went to France and was made a Major
on the staff of the 3rd Army Corps.
1915.Became a Brigadier-General.
1916.-Temporary Major-General.
1918.Major-General.
1920.Lieu tenant-General, when he was oulv
48.
1927.General, at the age of 55.
A pen-picture of General Harington seems to
give a complete impression of the distinguished
man who has so successfully combined the duties
GENERAL HARINGTON.
By kind permission of J. Russell Son.
of a soldier with those of a diplomat. Of medium
height, he is of slight build, and has the merest
perceptible stoop. He has the keen light eyes
of a soldier, but his slow, measured speech in
variably creates an atmosphere of confidence to
his listeners, and a conviction that all he is saying
has been well-considered before being uttered.
He has always been a tremendous workér, vet
he always finds time for plenty -of games. He is
an all-round athlete, and among his feats in the
world of sport was to swim the Bosphorus from
the European to the Asiatic shore, which he did
in 221 minutes. Not satisfied with that, he swam
back again.
The future of The Most Tactful Man in the
World will be watched with interest.-Published
by kind permission of "The Star."
