New Britain herald., 1924-03-22

Jt'uropean war is dead.
 General Robert George Niyelle.
 brought to the notice of the world by
 the battle of Verdun, was regarded
 simply as good artillery officer be-
 fore the war. There were so many
 good artillery officers that Nivelle was
 still a colonel when the world conflict
 began.
 First general of brigade and then
 general of division in the fall of 1915,
 Aivelle proved his capacity for one of
 the most important commands on the
 western front by his brilliant cam 'paigning, and was the natural choice
 of the general staff to continue the
 work begun by General Pctain before
 Nerdun when the latter was moved to
 higher command.
 4 Born at Tqllc, Oct. 15, 1856. Niyelle 7 came Of a family of soldiers. His
 paternal grandfather went through
 tho campaign of the first empire, re-
 tiring as a lieutenant standard -bearer,
 while his father was a captain in the
 regular army and a colonel of the na- tional guard at Dunkirk.
 Niyelle went through the Polytech- mic school the Fontainebleau artillery school, and the superior war college. " He then followed the usual career of a French soldier, with stages in Africa and China, later serving on the gen. eral staff of the Algerian division. In July, 1914, still with the rank Of col onel. he commanded the fifth regiment of artillery at Besancon, at the head of which he. distinguished himself in the early stages of the war and won several citations.
 His regiment took a brilliant part in the battle of the Marne. whereupon in the legion of honor. Still eolone! commanding artillery on the line Of the Aisne, he was described as "the most accomplished type of command ing officer" by an eminent literary man writing for a London newspaper. Tall. robust, an intrepid horseman, with a fine head and a noble expres- sion; somewhat grave, quiet, and with an astonishing calm and self-posses- sion under fire, he is respected, ad- mired and adored by his men,"
 General Niyelle left to no one else | the duty of reconnoitering the enemy | ard judging tho effects of the fire of | his batteries on their trenches. Shells | were always the thickest where Niv- ellie was standing, and all his men | realized that none Of them were as much exposed as he. officers around him instinctively lowered their heads when the screeching of a shell was head. but Nivelle's head never was bowed. What difference, does four or five inches make under such cir- cumstances?" he once asked.
 In action General Niyele was alert, quick and gesticulating, giving the impression that he had a great re- serve of energy, both physical and mental. He also had the teputation Of being a strict disciplinarian and possibly the greatest gunner in the army. He seemed to have the closest acquaintance with every man he met in the trenches, and never was at a loss to call each of his soldiers by small accomplishment con- the number of men under his He took the greatest ir1- ,erest in camp detail, and was always solicitous concerning the welfare of his "children" as he called his sol- diers
 The mother Of General Nivelle was English, hence he learned to speak h CT language huently when he was a child. He retained throughout his life the greatest admiration for the British and never tired of memorizing old time English war verse. "The Battle of the Baltic" and "The Burial of Sir John Moore" were his favorites.
 Nivells was a sturdy, semi-blonde type of Frenchman, with plentiful hair, e closely cropped mustache, hard, calculating eyes and a vise-like mouth and chin. When made gen- eral he was 5S years of age-one of he youngest men in the French army Q reach such high office, to which he vss appointed over the heads Of many of his superiors.
 visited U. s. In 1920
 During 1920, General Nivelle visited he United States to represent France It the tercentenary celebration Of the ! American Mayflower council. He made number of speeches on behalf of unity; was enter aimed by government officials in and visited West Point ,efors returning to France in the q ate summer of 1921. \