Five-star generals
From Mr George Cazenove Sir: Peter Oborne's article on General Sir Charles Guthrie ('An officer and a politi- cian', 27 May) made two errors. He wrote that there is an 'iron rule' concerning the creation of field marshals in peacetime, and that a peerage for a retiring Chief of the Defence Staff was not always guaranteed. This is not the case, as the last CDS, Field Marshal the Lord Inge, held five-star rank throughout his tenure and was raised to the peerage on retirement. The only recent CDS not to have been ennobled is Marshal of the RAF Sir Peter Harding, who resigned in disgrace after his affair with Lady Buck. The elastic rule concerning five-star rank is a new one, introduced by the Major government, and General Guthrie is, in fact, the first CDS not to hold five-star rank. It will indeed be interesting to see if Tony's favourite soldier is promot- ed, but the Prime Minister would not be breaking any 'iron rules' if General Guthrie managed the final step on the ladder.
George Cazenove
Selwyn College, Cambridge
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