Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-10
The Great Strike.
BY DEWITT MACKENZIE.

Probably the only strike of war CORE
spondents ever recorded in history was
engineered by the big Seven" attached
to British general headquarters in
France during the World War
should qualify that statement by
saying that 1t was q. H. @. which de-
scribed the affair as strike" We Of
the big Seven" very politely but per-
sistentiy insisted that we wouldn't be
so undignified as to strike. We merely
were ceasing to write because we were
tired out and needed rest.
Our show was staged in Flanders, and
1t was in the Spring OF 1918, II re-
member rightly. AS have indicated,
Americans. Among us we served Vir-
tually the entire world with the all-in-
portant news of the fighting along the
British and Belgian fronts.
We were the favored few, strictly lin
tied In number, to whom G. II. @. laid
bare all secrets. ] mean that literally.
We knew more intimate details Of what
was going on and what was projected
than did anybody outside the COM
mander In chief and his chosen council
at G. H. Q.
Our task obviously was no light one
Upon us devolved the responsibility not
only OF recording with precision the mo-
mentouS history which was unfolding
with Kaleidoscope rapidity, but OF In
terpreting it accurately to readers
throughout the universe.
It was a rve-wracking game under
best of conditions, and anything which
added to our difficulties became mat
ter of vital importance to us.
It happened that there was in control
of our department a certain @. H. Q.
colonel whose activities we didn't APP
prove. We felt he didn't understand his
Job as he should, and we had no doubt
that some of his regulations were ham
pering our work Numerous complaints
from our headquarters failed to better
conditions, and SO We decided to take
matters into our own hands.
We requested the officer who was In
immediate command Of our headquar-
tiers to present an ultimatum to G. II.
@. The message was this:
Our healths were very bad. We
needed a rest from writing and we
were going to take it.
Not nice job for our chief to under
| take.
Our immediate superior was Lieut..
Col. John Faunthorpe, and in order to
throw light on later developments
must explain that he was much beloved
by all the correspondents.
America will remember this most af-
| fable gentleman with the monocle very
well. for he was attached to the war
mission to the United States in 1918,
and later was at the British embassy
in Washington.
Well, Faunthorpe showed his monocle
into his eye and there was funny lit
tie smile Juggling at the corners Of his
mouth. He has a great sense Of hupor.
However, he treated the affair very
seriously, as indeed the occasion, war
ranted. We were serious enough in our
ultimatum, which meant that the world
was to be cut of from the real news OF
the British and Belgian sectors.
How seriously G. H. @. regarded the
matter developed very shortly. Faun-
thorpe telephoned our message through
to G. H. @. from CaSsel, where we were
quartered temporarily.
| Soon Brig Gen. John Charters, head
of the intelligence department, arrived
at our headquarters with the engine OF
] his fast car hot. He rushed into our
headquarters with stern face. He de-
manded to know what We meant by
striking. We informed him that moth
| ing was farther from our minds than
to strike. We merely were taking a
holiday.
Philip Gibbs (now Sir Philip, whose
name is known as writer throughout
the world. took the floor. He told the
B. g. I. In crisp terms that we objected