John Denton Pinkstone French Quotes
I do not see why I should be called upon to run the risk of absolute disaster in order a second time around to save them [the French army].
The French had made a series of major military misjudgments and blunders allowing the German troops to reach the interior of France and threaten to rout the French. General French’s forces were called upon to prevent such a rout and did so costing British casualties and diverting British Armies from their desired offensive operations. Then the British Expeditionary Force was again called upon to come to the aid of the French for the second time. General French pushed back but the British really had no other alternative lest their ally could be enfeebled for the rest of the war. The French military leadership and General Staff was terrible at that point.
John Denton Pinkstone French, 1852-1925, British Field Marshall, Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force in WWI, Telegram to London GHQ, August 1914
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
The French and English, with larger numbers and more experienced troops and officers, wanted the American units to come under the command or their officers and be integrated into the allied army. However Wilson established the tradition that American troops fighting abroad most always fight as an American Army under American Command. Although resented then and into the 21st century by America’s allies who are expected to fight under American command, it is a tradition that no American major politician has seriously challenged since then.
The English were at War with Napoleon and Denmark was neutral. British leaders feared that Denmark might either ally themselves with Napoleon or provide him with ships from their well equipped fleet. The English decided on a preemptive attack on Denmark and military forces were ordered to Denmark. When they arrived, they were ordered to bombard Copenhagen and force the Danes to surrender. When this happened, the British seized the Danish ships and simply took them as war prizes. The issues of the morality and wisdom of preemptive attacks, as with the Americans in the Iraq war, was thoroughly debated but the government view prevailed to the shame of most Englishmen.
Although Great Britain had abolished slavery, British economic interests during the Civil War suffered because of the northern blockade of the South. Much political opinion in England was hostile to the blockade policies of the Union. Bright, a great admirer and supporter of the United Sates and the Union cause was concerned that the United States might drift into War with Great Britain. His letter to Senator Sumner was written with the understanding that it would be in shared with President Lincoln, and it was actually read at a cabinet meeting.
Everyone could see the First World War coming, but the government leaders and diplomats were not able to prevent it.
Field Marshal John Denton Pinkstone French, 1st Earl of Ypres, KP, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCMG, ADC, PC, known as Sir John French from 1901 to 1916, and as The Viscount French between 1916 and 1922, was a senior British Army officer. Born in Kent to an Anglo-Irish family, he saw brief service as a midshipman in the Royal Navy, before becoming a cavalry officer. He achieved rapid promotion and distinguished himself on the Gordon Relief Expedition. French had a considerable reputation as a womaniser throughout his life, and his career nearly ended when he was cited in the divorce of a brother officer while in India in the early 1890s.
