Nottingham Evening Post, Friday, 19th March, 1909

BISHOP BRINDLE'S DOUBTS OF CONTINUING PEACE

BRITAIN AND COMPULSORY SERVICE

Bishop Brindle has not the reputation of being an alarmist, and his remarks last night at the annual dinner of G Company of the Robin Hood Rifles, in the Albert Hotel, Nottingham, on the probable effect upon this country of an out-break of war in the Near East will, therefore, command attention. He predicted that a conflict was very near, and argued that a system of compulsory military service should be established in Great Britain.

His Lordship thought that we were on the eve of very great events. He should not be astonished when he got home to hear that war had broken out in Europe. It was very, very close, and he had doubted for some time whether all the efforts of Europe would prevent it. If it did break out, God only knew where it would end, for however much England might try, she could not be able to keep out of it. Under the territorial army scheme, Nottingham had been called upon to raise a thousand infantry men; there ought to be 10,000 men under arms in a city of its size.

He saw in that day's paper that Austria would put into line 1,800,000 men. It was practically certain that Germany would join Austria, and that would mean at all events another million men in arms. If we were bound by alliances to take our part in it, how many men could we send out? He doubted if we could provide 150,000 men worthy of our heritage. He was afraid that in the past we had been putting all the eggs in one basket. We had been going on the fact that we were omnipotent on the sea. The last two debates in the House of Commons, however, had shattered this illusion like bits of broken glass. We were not omnipotent. The Germans had been trying to minimise their efforts, but thy were not far from equalling us at sea.

He had always argued – and he knew he was not wrong – that we ought to have had, two years ago, compulsory military service for every man over 18 years of age. He thought if it had been put as a whole, no young man worthy of the name of Englishman could have refused to give three years for the defence of his country. If an enemy got a foothold in this country it would be the death knell of England's glory and prosperity. He blamed the Government 12 months ago for their cheeseparing policy in not providing the men necessary to ensure the safety of the land they loved so well.

Nottingham Evening Post, Friday, 19th March, 1909

GENERAL FRENCH'S VISIT TO NOTTINGHAM

INSPECTION OF LOCAL TERRITORIAL HEADQUARTERS

EVERYTHING SATISFACTORY

General Sir John French, the Inspector-General of the Forces, is not allowing the grass to grow under his feet – or rather under his motor wheels – during his territorial tour of the Northern Command. But if the inspections have been hurried, they have been complete, and before he has finished his round the general will have become conversant with the difficulties under which some of the units labour.

In many places drill accommodation is quite inadequate, and Nottingham suffers greatly in this respect. It is, therefore, to be hoped that General French's visit to the city to-day will help to push forward the new headquarters scheme for Nottingham, which is at present deposited at the War Office.

Never before has the holder of the office, which is the equivalent of the old Commander-in-Chief, personally inspected the arrangements for drilling and instructing the volunteers, and the present tour is one more indication of the desire of the Army Council to bring up the territorial army to the highest possible state of efficiency.

General French's itinerary to-day included Nottingham, Loughborough, Leicester, Burton-on-Trent, and Derby, and at each place the headquarters and stores of the various units were visited.

A BIG STAFF

Accompanying the distinguished officer were his aide-de-camp (Lieut. the Hon. M.V. Brett), and his staff included Brigadier-General d. Henderson, D.S.O., Brigadier-General F.C. Heath, and Colonel H.W. Barrett, whilst the officers of the North Midland Division present were Brigadier-General Archdale, Major I. Edwards, and Colonel G. Rolleston (commanding the Nots. and Derby Mounted Brigade).

Overnight the Victoria Station Hotel, Nottingham, had been the headquarters, and shortly after nine o'clock this morning the party set out in motor cars for the Drill Hall in Castle-road. Next, the headquarters of the Robin Hood Rifles on Derby-road were visited, and in the absence abroad of Colonel C.W. Birkin, General French was received by Lieut.-Colonel A.W. Brewill. Major Wigley, Captain C.C. Parkinson (adjutant), and Major Mann (brigade-major) were also present.

The stay did not occupy many minutes, and the riding school and headquarters of the Royal Horse Artillery Battery, in Raleigh-street, were the next objective. Here Colonel Laycock, Major Hobson, Captain Middleton, Liet. Harrison, and Lord Geo. Cholmondeley (who is about to take up a commission in the battery) were in waiting.

ARTILLERY DRILL WITNESSED

The general was particularly pleased with what he saw, for no territorial battery has made great progress. In the riding school eight men who had been detailed went through riding drill with entire satisfaction. The club and offices were also inspected.

Proceeding by way of Waverley-street, Goldsmith-street, and Parliament-street, the general and his staff made a call at the office of the Mounted Brigade Field Ambulance on Park-row, where they were received by the commanding officer (Lieut.-Colonel Lewis Pockett), and the stores in Regent-street were also visited.

The last function to be performed in Nottingham was the inspection of the South Notts. Hussars Yeomanry headquarters, Lieut.-Colonel Trotter and Captain and Adjutant Lord Blackwood being in attendance. General French went through the stores and inspected the books, at the end of which he expressed himself as highly satisfied with what he had seen.

The party then set out for Loughborough. The appearance of so many military men aroused no little curiosity in the streets of Nottingham.