A Soldier and a Statesman
In the New Year message broadcast from Cairo by General Sir Archibald Wavell, Commander-in-Chief in the Middle East, one heard the inspiring voice of a soldier who combines statesmanship with capacity for leadership in war. He looked back on the past and forward to the future, noting the great change that came over this country after the disasters in France, the careless optimism and dilatoriness of the earlier period of the war giving place to the energy and unity which have brought us out of a desperate situation and promise us victory in the end. In commenting on the transition from the nation of countrymen who beat Napoleon to the nation consisting mainly of townspeople who will beat Hitler, he observed that the spirit of the people has survived the change. He spoke reassuring words, which have value as coming from a man who has led a composite British Army in large measure trained under his own eyes to an historic victory. The victory, as he shows, was based on laborious preliminary spade-work--" long, tireless training and careful preparation." But it could only have been won by men of fine fighting qualities. Also it was one which required close co-operation between three services— the Army, Navy and Air Force. The team-work was magnifi- cent. The troops, it must also be added, had reason to be con- fident in their leadership. A man has been discovered on our side with masterly ability to command armies on a large scale in intricate combined operations, and, in another sphere, to foresee the problems that will have to be solved after victory.
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