The Army exercise was brought to an end on Friday
week when the King addressed the officers at the Conference. The King pointed out that the form of exercise which had been substituted for the usual manoeuvres had entailed the employ- ment of a larger force under one command than bad ever before been practised in England. Sir John French explained how the exercise had been designed to test the working of General Headquarters and Army Headquarters at war establishments ; to carry out an approach march of one cavalry division and two armies with their supply services moving along the same roads as the troops ; and after engagements with the enemy to organize a pursuit and then to break off the pursuit and effect a sudden change of direction. There have probably been no manceuvres which have caused such a conflict of opinion as to their utility. The fact that neither side had a free hand, and that one side was a skeleton army, practically disposed of all opportunity for strategy, and even the moderate reality of manoeuvre fighting was wanting. But, of course, all this had been foreseen. We cannot ourselves help believing that the solving of transport problems along narrow roads must have been an exercise of very great value.
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