Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 162, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 July 1915 — NOT ENOUGH BRITISH OFFICERS [ARTICLE]

NOT ENOUGH BRITISH OFFICERS

Army Finds It Difficult to Obtain Men Fitted to Command In Field. LONDON.—The difficulty of obtaining officers of the right sort for the British Army is discussed at length by Edgar WaDace, in Navy and Army, a British service pubDcatlon. "A shortage of officers (and the right kind of officers)," says he, -would have been more serious than a shortage of men. Men, at a pinch, could have been obtained by the operation of the ballot act, but you cannot obtain officers at a moment’s notice. In this respect we are ever so much more favorably placed than our enemy, whose shortage In this direction is notorious. "The difficulty which the authorities have had has been to secure an adequate supply of right kind of officers. It is known that, despite the fact of their being drawn from the most democratic section of the public, the men of the British Army are very jealous for the character of their officers. 1 have some experience of army life, and I have only known about two rankers who were popular with their men. "Outside of the Highland Brigade even Gen. Hector Macdonald was not greatly beloved by Tommy. This difficulty has been overcame by the patriotism, and he does not necessarily require tremendous Intelligence from his officer, but he does demand, before he gives him his confidence and his complete allegiance, a certain social standing and certain qualities of culture. “Of the 50,000 officers who have joined the army since Die beginning of the war, probably 20,000 have never served In that capacity but the greater number have been drawn from the class which has always supplied the services with their leading."