The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-04-06
PROMOTED FOR
UNIQUE RECORD
Motor Truck Supply Service His
Idea - Reforms Commissary
Dept. is an Organizer
by Instinct
BY J. W. T. MASON.
written for the United Press J

tWritten for the United Press.)
New York, April 6.-Field strategy
has been succeeded by supply strategy
as the most important question con-
fronting the entrenched armies in
western Europe. The British have
have been the first to recognize the
1ull meaning of this farreaching
change in modern warfare. They have
met it by appointing Lieut.. Gen. Sir
William Robert Robertson, their quar-
termaster general, to be chief of the
imperial general staff.
Hitherto, the head Of the general
staff has been strategic expert, but
hereafter, he becomes a supply spe-
cialist. Gen. Robertson's promotion is
due to the unique record he has made
for himself by keeping the British
soldiers well fed and their ammunition
belts well filled. When the war broke
out, the British war office supposedly
had in its pigeon holes minute plans
|, for rushing an army for Belgium's pro-
lection. But the machinery didn't
work smoothly, and In particular there
were immense difficulties with the
supplies
This was the circumstance that
caused Gen. Robertson to distinguish
himself The British quarter master
general belongs to the class of En-
glishmen who do not believe England
somehow will always muddle through
whether the workers do well or i'll. He
has American persistence and Yankee
ingenuity in his personality, and as a
result the supply department of the
British expeditionary force made
things move with amazing celerity be-
tween the manufacturing centres in
England and the fighting front in
France.
Gen. Robertson, for instance, organ
lied motor truck supply service be-
tween the French rail heads, where
eA%S tAhNho uu lO IullHtI anu Iuo
battle lines, that was the wonder or
the French general staff. He demon
strated that in these days of patrol
engines and highways, an army does
not have to rely on railroads to main
tain its most efficient lines Of COM
munication.
Gen. Robertson also taught the peo-
/ pie in England there is such a word as
hustle, which spells victory in warfare.
TO be sure, he had the authority Of
Lord Kitchener, himself a great trans
port officer, to help him at home, but
Kitchener's chief work has been to
raise and drill volunteer armies. To
Gen. Robertson belongs the chief credit
Of keeping the supplies coming forth
from England at high pressure.
The new chief of staff has Deen at
this kind of work since his young man.
hood. In 1891 when Gen. Robertson
J was 81 years old, he was transport Of
ficer to a British punitive expedition
in India and he won such high praise
that he was attached to the quarter
master generals department at Simla
headquarters. After three years spent
feeding the British army in India, ne
went as intelligence officer with the
Chitral expedition and won the distin-
guished service order which ranks
just below the v. G. for great gallantry
under fire. Then the general staff in
London got him, and when the South
African war broke out, Gen. Robert.
son was sent to the front to maintain
military discipline among the Tom
mics When the war ended Cen Rob
ertson was among the school of Off
GERS who returned home to revolution
ize the antiquated methods Of the Brit
ish emperlal defense.
Part of this time, he devoted to re-
forming the quartermaster's depart
ment. Later he was commandant at
the British staff college. which trains
ambitious young officers for the gen