Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-02
Continued from Third Page, J

Continued from Third Psge,l
! for the Sudsn War with the force bound
! to av-n.n the murder OF Chimes" Cor
don ut Khartum: and 80 when he re-
| turned from the South African War, .
colonel.
There end the stories OF most British
| patricians who adopt the Army as ca
, rcer They retire with 81 colonelcy, q
pension of $4,000 end a patcrnai OF
; avuncuiar inheritance or allowance toi
rich wife, and live happily ever after
| in good hunting country.
Bur Byng was set upon career. He
had done tlne work. He had youth, en-
er2y, ambition, purpose, and little be-
yond his pay.
He came home. broke away from the
regiment dead end by way OF the COM
mand Of cavalry school, and at % goi
his brigade and his first step IN the
world OF general officers. Also, h. &C
CURED brilliant wife.
Lady Byng Influential,
Lady Byng cannot be left out OF the
Byng picture She has had marked
influence upon his outlook at several
points of his career. Byng's Egyptian
and Canadian phases would not have
been so successful IL ne had not had BY
his side that tall. dark, good looking
woman tshe comes through her mother
of Greek stock, with her wit, inteili-
gencc, culture and social flair.
Julian Byng met her just after the
South African War She was one o.
tbs most popular girls in society ana
had a flooding in Army circles through
Tbs intimate friendship between hei
uncle and Kitchener
Thanks largely to that link with
Kitchener. Byng In 1912 got the com
mand in Egypt where Kitchener was
Encland's viceroy; and 1t was in the
commander lin chiefs big, cool house In
Cairo, two years later. that he heard the
FIRST rumbling echoes OF the war.
h was too good man to be LETT In
the Egyptian theater. Kitchener sum
moned him home; and. in command oil
a cavalry division. he was tower oil
strength TO that first little British Army
that retreated from Mons stood on the
Ypres linz, and after tremendous fight
Ing held the old cloth town.
Ryng was FLOODED" as an infantry
general in the Gellipoli campaign of rs
IL was wild and desperate work. clinging
10 the toes OF that damned peninsula
as the Westarncrs, who hated Winston
Churehill's Dardanelles strategy. called
IT, But Byn2 did we'll and presently re-
turned to the Flanders front with new
order Knight Commander of the
Bath and jump in rank to lieutenant
general.
In the late Spring of 16 came his big
chance, The Canadians needed com.
mander OF special type, formal
man was no good. A spit polish
general would break their hearts. They
required leader who was at once
physically impressive, able. strong. q
firm disciplinarian and yet man who
could capture their hearts and imagina
tons A general. besides, vino would not
get the goat" Of the citizen officers
The war chiefs took council and chose
Byng,
Admired by Canadians.
Byng was a success, The Canadians
admired his robust physique and the
no damn nonsense" air about him
They liked his blue glance. like sword
thrust. his calm deliberation In crisis
and the broad smile into which his
blunt, stern Nordic face so easily
crumpled. Also they liked his knack
OF leading them to victory after victory
For his part Byng, cavairyman. un'
derstood these Canadians, Wild
crowd than the British troops he hac
| always been accustomed TO. less amen.
able to discipline, men with more dasl
! but less dour obstinacy~-magnificen'
storm troops, at their best In tins
/ assault.
| n. never made a mistake with them
| And he earned them the admiration O
! the entire allied forces by the operation
which resulted In the storming Of VIM
Ridge. the tremendous bastion iron
which RynQ takes his title name. th'
most glorious OF all the Canadians
exploits In France.
The feat won Byng. hitherto a corps
commander. command OF the Sc
British Army, Incorporating the Cana
dian Corps
In his iirst big operation with his
new mass OF 100000 men Byng swllnt
into action the FIRST concentration o.
mechanical cavalry to be used II
modern war~-the tanks, But there
/ we're not enough of them. The secre'
had bern prematurey revealed
Faces Terrific Onslaught
The attack petered out, the German
ranks closed up and In March, 10
Eyng found himself repulsing terri1f
onslaught upon his center at Arfas
while south OF his amy line the atf
| British Army under Cough was heinl
shattered and rolled back by serie!
| OF terrific blows which Ludendorf
planned to be decisive, but which tIr'
ned out not to be quite OF ina
character.
| IT was a dark hour. But the enc
was coming Foch was made gen
eraiissimo, and in the Foch battle
series finished the war By successive
co-ordinated attacks by the French
British and the fresh American forces
| Byng swung his army at the northeri
| end Of the Hindenb,irg line In thu
general offensive which began II
! AUGUST.
His men moved forward In waves
clearing ths Germans out OF thu
scanned and torn ground Of the ole
somme battlenelds~ ''the bioodhath, -
the Germans had grin,ly called those
battles
On September and they broke
| through the outer section of the Hin