These few notes on some of our best
known characters are only added to recall pleasant--or other--memories,
and the subjects are asked to forgive the liberty taken.
To criticise one's superiors is both impolitic and impertinent, but
there are three who cannot be omitted--two of them live in England and
may never see this book, and the third--well, he has expressed his
opinion of me quite bluntly more than once already.
At Grammont I received a letter from a very well-known member of the
football team thanking me for the medals, in which he said:--"We
always liked General Girdwood for his kindly consideration for the
men, and I know I am only expressing the opinion of all the boys when
I say we would not have changed him for Haig himself." There is no
doubt that was the opinion of the whole Division about our
G.O.C.--and, fortunately, we only had the one. Whether he was talking
to the men after a good bit of work in the line, or at a formal
inspection in the "back area," one always felt how keenly interested
he was in the men. They loved his "Beatty" cap--but not his roasts of
beef. He always expressed his appreciation of good work, but
apparently disliked the growing of oats on the spare pole of one of
the limbers--but the transport know more about that than I do!
The G.O.C. had certainly a brain-wave when he adopted the "Broken
Spur" as our Divisional badge. We were all very proud of our "Broken
Spur.
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