New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-24
BY William L. Mcpherson

EXPERIENCES OF A DUG-OUT, 1914
1918 By Major General Sir c. f. Col
we'll. x. c. B. e. P. Dutton, New yosls.
BY "dug-out" the author means an
ex-officer called back to service from
civil life. A former colonel, he was
asked early in August, 1914, TO take
the post of director of military opera
tons. He remained there until the
end of 1915, went afterward on two
special missions to Russia, and was
otherwise employed on staff and War
Office duty. He was in position to
see the war as Great Britain fought
it from the inside.
This book is largely a record
OF the authors personal reactions
to the personages with whom he
was thrown and to the details of
the great spectacles as he witnessed
them. His point of view is largely that
of the 'hardboiled," professional SOL
der, using the word "hardboiled" in
its least offensive sense He stands
up stoutly for the War Office and its
methods, undoubtedly over maligned
during the war. He has hearty con-
tempt for the average MAN of Bust
ness who was brought into the war
establishment to speed it up. He takes
pleasure in recording his uncompli-
nentary opinion of the statesmen who
talked and muddled and were gem
orally more concerned about their
personal fortunes than about anything
else.
There isn't as much sardonic gossip
in this book as there is in Repington's
Diaries. But General Colwell has
sometimes a delightfully."- malicious
touch, and he is more of an artist in
satire than Repingtcn is Here is one
of his characterizations:
"There was no more edifying and
compelling personality amongst the
party who were in the habit of taking
the floor at 10 Downing Street in 1915
than Lord Curzon. He, Mr.. Churchill
and Mr.. Lloyd George might almost
have been called rivals for the role
Of prima ballerina absolute The re-
marks that fell from his lips, signal
lied as they ever were by faultless
phraseology and delivered with a
prunes, prisms, and potatoes diction
seldom failed to lift the discussion
on to a higher plane, to watt his
hearers on to the serene hilltops Of
thought, to awaken sublime sensation
in all present such as the spectacle of
some noble mountain panorama will
summon up in the meditations of the
most phlegmatic. Mr.. Churchill, ever
lGoid, ever cogent, ever earnest, ever
forceful, was wont to be so con-
vincing that ne would almost cause
listeners to forget for the moment
that, were the particular project
which just then happened to be up
permost in his mind to be carried
into execution, any small hopes which,
remained of our ever winning the
war would inevitably be blotted out
for good and all. AS for Mr.. Lloyd
George, in drab days before he be
came First Minister of the Crown, in
spite of his superhuman efforts to
avoid that undesired summation,
he aiwaTs loved to make his voice
heard. and he always succeeded just
IS canary viii in roomful of chat
tering women"
f! General Colwell speaks bluntly of
Asquiths and Lloyd Georges defects
q character. He passes lightly over
Nitchener's disqualifcations, although
he recognizes them, and rates Kitchener
much hiSher than it is customary to do
There is little of broad military crit
4 icism in the book The author is a
Westerner," with limitations. He was
against the Dardanelles and Salonica
expeditions, but approved the Palestine
"sideshow.' 1t appears that he made
a report before the war that the Strait
couldn't be forced. He is worried by
MI Morgenthau's showing that tie
Turks were on the point of abandoning
the Straits forts on March %, 1915, be
cause their heavy ammunition was ex-
hausted. But he argues this revelation
away by saying that the Turks ought
,s
I Everybody's reading