SIR,—My attention has been drawn to a letter from Brigadier
Young published in the Spectator of December 27 in which he suggests that I may be able to answer the question he poses in the first paragraph of his letter, namely, 'Did any senior officer from the Operations Branch of GHQ ever set foot (or eyes) on the Passchendaele battlefield during the four months that the battle was in progress?'
I cannot answer that question, and Brigadier Young is wrong in stating I was at GHQ during Passchendaele. I was in the battle as Brigade Major of the 42nd Infantry Brigade of the 14th (Light) Division until October 20, 1917, when I went as GSO II to the 62nd Division for the battle of Cambrai. I did not go to GHQ till December 27, 1917. Passchendaele was certainly an appalling experience and we suffered heavy casualties in the 14th (Light) Division, including men and mules drowned in the mud. But all ranks had complete faith in our Commander-in-Chief, Sir Douglas Haig, and at Brigade level, as far as I know, we did not question the necessity to fight the battle.—Yours faithfully,
Previous page
