" JOURNEY DOWN A BLIND ALLEY "
SIR,—Lady Spears (Miss Mary Borden) has with the greatest courtesy challenged my own accuracy in assailing hers. She cites the Chief of Staff of the 1st Free French Division (in 1945) as her authority for saying that there was only one, as opposed to two, Free French brigades in the Syrian campaign of 1941. I cite myself, as liaison officer to General Legentilhomme until after the fall of Damascus. I repeat, there were two brigades, described as " light brigades," each of one European and two coloured battalions : one under Casou (Lady Spears' book), Casoux (Lady Spears' letter), Casaud (my review) ; the other under Genin, who was killed at Sheikh Miskine.
On the responsibility for launching the Free French against Vichy and on the possibility or otherwise of undertaking the campaign without them, Lady Spears and I might wrangle for weeks. Lord Wavell's despatch, published on July 3rd last, sets out some of the considerations (and incidentally confirms the Free French Forces at six battalions). I entirely agree with her that " no one who was concerned in that horrid campaign will deny that the bitterness of the Vichy Forces was concentrated against their own compatriots." I found myself fighting against the very battalion to which I had been attached in Damascus in 1937-8, and met former friends of that time among our prisoners ; two others were on our side. Our joint meeting was one of the unhappiest moments of my life.—Yours
truly, BERNARD FERGUSSON.
Combined Operations Headquarters,
1-3 Princes Gate, Kensington, S.W. 7.
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