The Washington times., 1926-04-02


had been planned to start move
ment of the ships toward the At
lantic Coast and to conduct major
tactical exercises and maneuvers in
the area of Narragansett Bay.
with the army participating
The announcement several days
ago that Maj. Brehon b. Somervel,
Engineers Corps, on duty at the
Army War College. would succeed
Mai. James A. O'Connor. as dis
trict engineer. came as complete
surprise to the service people OF
the city. Only a few knew Of the
probable appointment. q
Hero of World War
The new district engineer served
during the war with the A. e. +,
as a lieutenant colonel in the
national army. He was awarded
the Distinguished Service Cross for
extraordinary heroism In action
near Pouilly, France. November 81
and g.. 1918" While on the
staff of the Eighty-ninth Division,
Colonel SomerVel conducted the
the damaged bridges at Pouilly
and with two scouts advanced
more than 500 meters beyond the
American outposts, crossed three
branches of the Meuse river and
successfully encountered the en-
envy"
Colonel Somervel is a native Of
Arkansas, where he was born May
3, 1892. He graduated from West
Point with the class Of 1914 and
reached the permanent grade of
major in the regular service in
July, 1920. He has been on duty
with the Army War College as
student. He will not take over the
duties here until August IA. when
Major O'Connor will go TO the
Army War College for course Of
instruction there.
Major Maxwell Murray, u. s. A.,
now q student with the Command
and General staff School Of the
army at Fort Leavenworth, will go
to Fort Myer, Va. for duty with
the battalion Of the sixteenth field
artillery there. Capt. s. F. Miller,
now with the tenth field artillery
has been ordered to duty with the
sixteenth field artillery at Fort
Myer.
Lieut.. Col. H. N. Cootes, u. s. A.,
formerly on duty with the squad
ron OF cavalry at Fort Myer, and
lately military attache at Vienna,
has been ordered home for duty
with the tenth cavalry at Fort
Huachuca, Ariz. Prior to assuming
his new command, Colonel Cootes
will be on temporary duty with
the general staff with G-2 thereof
in Washington.
Officers for College
Two additional officers of the
army have been assigned to duty
with the faculty Of the Army In
dustriaI College here. They are
Col. Irving J.. Carr OF the signal
corps, and Major HI. K. Rutherford
Of the ordance department. Colonel
Carr is now one OF the assistant
directors of the college, and Major
Rutherford has been appointed an
instructor. The class now under
going instruction at the Army In
dustrial College win hear Col.
Frank A. Scott, OF the ordnance
reserve, lecture on improvisation
April 8. On April 81, r. III.
Ashton will lecture on Aspects
of Rail transportation
Lieut.. Col. Lewis Brown, jr.,
cavalry, and Maj Martin c.. Wise,
general staff, left Washington
March 10 to begin inspection Of
twenty-six military colleges for the
"ROTC" units.
The Washington branch of the
Infantry Association last week held
it's regular monthly luncheon at
the Hotel Raleigh, with more than
ITS officers present. The speaker
was Brig. Gen. B. H. Wells. former
commandment of the Infantry School.
now in Washington as assistant
chief of staff, for CA of the War
Department The luncheon was at
tended by many national guard and
reserve infantry officers. and it Is
the intention Of Col. e. J. Williams,
to increase the attendance of the
national guard and reserve officers
in the future.