Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1915-09-02
What The British Have
Done.
A Report of Some of the Many Impor-
tant Things that Great Britain Has
Accomplished Against the Ger

A Report of Some of the Many Impor-
tant Things that Great Britain Has
Accomplished Against the Ger
| mans.
Eyes, the French are wonders and
the Russians have put up game fight,
but the British have done nothing.
can't understand it. They have laid
down on their Allies" With these or
similar words most of the local de-
bates on the war are being concluded
And in this sentiment if nothing else,
seems to be general accord The Brit
ish are not doing their part; they have
left the fighting to the French. "
To lexplode this curious myth. it. is
only necessary, we think, to remind bur
readers of Great Britain's military
strength at the outbreak of the war
and to list, as briefly as pos sible, her
achievements on land and water sipce
that time. The record will speak for
itself.
A year ago Great Britain had the
largest navy and the smallest standing
army of any of the great EUROPEAN
powers. Her total military establish
ment was 254. QUO white men, of whom
76, 900 were stationed in India. Ger
many had more frst-line men on the
French frontier, when the war began,
than Great Britain had all over the
the world. The total British force
Immediately available for service on
the continent was scarcely l 2 per cent
of the army Germany kept with the
colors in time Of the most profound
peace. Her field ordance and her re-
serve of small arms were in proportion.
Yet here is what she has done:
l. She has bottled the German navy
in the Kiel canal so securely that not a
German vessel, other than submarine,
has ventured into the North Sea since
January oath, when the Butcher was
sunk.
2. She has completely driven the
German flag from the seas of the world
The only German merchantmen not
now interned or tied up in home ports
are those in the Baltic Sea.
8. She has destroyed or forced into
inrernment every German man of-war
absent from home waters on the out
hrnak of tho war
4. She has raised, equipped aud put
in the field more than 1000, 900 men in
addition to those available last August.
She has more than another million in
reserve or in training. All these troops
are amply supplied with arms, uni
forms, transports, etc.
5. She has multiplied the output of
her arms factories more than twenty
times and she has increased by 700 per
cent the air craft available for her for
ces last August.
6. She has financed the Belgian and
Serbian governments and has loaned
large sums to Russia and to Italy,
z. She has seized, in Africa, Ger
man colonial possessions more than
four times the area of the Fatherland;
in the Orient, with the assistance of
Japan, she has hauled down the Ger
man flag from the every settlement,
every island and every coaling staff IN
that owed allegiance to the Kaiser.
8. She landed in France small for
ce. approximately 10000 men, at
time when these reinforcements enabled
General Joffre to form the army that
took Van Kluk in flank on the Ourcq.
8. In the battle of the Marine the
British led the attack that drove back
the German host from the approaches
of Paris; in the battle of the Aisne
they forced the crossing of the river
and again enabled General Joffre to in
augurate fianking tactics.
10. Transported to the User, the
British took the Ypres- La Bassee line
and held it against continuous attacks
from Oct. 10th to Nov 9th and again
from Nov. 10th to the end of Decem.
Der. These attacks were intended to
open the road to Calais, were of the
most vital Importance to the Allies and
cost the Germans 200. 900 men.
II. The British were entrusted by
General Joffre with the front where
the Germans were strongest and they
have been subjected to more constant
attacks than have been
delivered by the Germans against any
of the other western defenses.
IL. After niue months fighting on
the Ypres line, despite the fact that
the Germans have repeatedly hurled |
their best troops against the front, the
British lines today are at no point far
Their to the westward than when the