Evening star., 1923-08-12

| apprehension by Robert Donald and
| the staff of the Daily Chronicle, who
| had sent over two messengers (who
had never reached me) to warn me
of my peril.
| Next time / went to France I was
| provided with wonderful credentials
as a special commissioner of the
| British Red Cross. with instructions
! to report on the hospital and medi-
cal needs of the army in the field.
These documents were signed by il
/ lustrious names, and covered with
red seals. / was satisfied they would
pass me at any part of the front.
l was arrested before I left the
boat at Havre and taken by two
detectives to Gen. Williams, the camp
commander. He ragged at me with an
extreme violence of language, took
possession of my passport and ere
dentials and put me under open ar
rest at the Hotel Tortoni, in the
charge of six detectives. Here I re-
manned for ten days or so, unable to
communicate my ignominious situa-
tion to the authorities of the Red
Cross, upon whose authority 1 had
come.
Fortunately. 1 became good friends
with the detectives. who were excel
lent fellows, and with whom I used
to have my meals. 1t was by the
kindness of one of them that 1 was
able to send through a message to
the editor of the Daily Chronicle, and
shortly afterward Gen. Williams gra-
ciously permitted me to return to
England.
1t looked as though my career as
a war correspondent had definitely
closed l had violated every regula-
tion. I had personally angered Lord
Kitchener. l was on the black books
of the detectives at every port, and
Gen. Williams solemnly warned me
that if / returned to France l would
be put up against a white wall, with
unpleasant consequences.
Strange as it appears, the military
authorities blotted out my sins when
at last they appointed five official
war correspondents with a recog
nized status In the British armies on
the western front. No longer did I
have to dodge staff officers and dis
guise myself as refugee. In khaki,
with a green armlet denoting my
service, | could face generals and
even the commander in chief himself
without a quiver, and with my four
comrades was recognized as an Off
Ger and gentleman, with some
re eservations.
TINE appointment and work of five
| l. official war correspondents (of
, whom 1 was one from first to last)
, perturbation at British general head
| quarters. Staff officers of the old
regular army were at first exceed
| ingly hostile to the idea and to us.
! They were deeply suspicious that we
might be dirty dogs who would re-
veal military secrets which would
| imperil the British front. They had
| a conviction that we were "prying
around" for no good purpose, and
| would probably give away the whole
| show" -.s ...f 80. -. ~.
! AS far as the five war correspond
| entS were concerned, we had no other
| desire than to record the truth as
| fully as possible without handing in
| formation to the enemy. and to de-
scribe the life and actions Of our
! fighting men so~t that the nation and
the world should understand their
valor, their suffering and their
| achievement. We, identified our
selves absolutely *with the armies in
| the field, and we wiped out of. our
| minds all thought of personal
| scoops" and. all temptation to write
F., one word which would make the
j task of officers and men more diff
| cult or dangerous. There was NO
! need of censorship of our dispatches.
| We were our own censors. "f
That couldn't be taken for granted,
however by general headquarters.