The Red Door (75 page)

I

General Hume, may I ask you first of all how old you are?

H

Eighty.

I

May I say, sir – and I am sure viewers will agree – that you are a very young eighty.

H

Thank you.

I

We should also like to thank you at this point for agreeing to take part in this . . . reassessment. By the way, viewers, there seem to be a lot of jets flying about here
and I hope they wont distract you too much.

Now, General . . . by the way would you prefer to sit . . . We have a . . .

H

No, thank you.

I

Yes, well . . . Might I ask you first, sir – Where were you born?

H

The Borders. Coldstream.

I Of a . . . I have it written down here that you attended Eton.

H

That is correct. We were reasonably well off.

I

And then . . . Sandhurst. That is right isn’t it?

H

That is right.

I

Quite a . . . Yes. Now, was there a military tradition in your family?

H

My father was a brigadier.

I

And wanted you to follow in his footsteps?

H

Yes, he was in the Boer War.

I

I see. A cavalryman?

H

Yes.

I

And after Sandhurst? You were then gazetted to . . . ?

H

The Guards, as a lieutenant.

I

And later were selected to attend staff college.

H

I was a major then.

I

So that gradually . . . ?

H

Well, to tell you the truth, the mortality rate was high in the war and there were other reasons. I became eventually a staff officer.

I

With what rank, sir?

H

Brigadier.

I

I see. Now then, the war broke out in 1914. Where were you then?

H

Exercising at Aldershot. I remember it quite clearly. We were told about it in the mess.

I

Can you remember the exact words, sir?

H

Well, the brigadier said – I was just a major then – ‘This is it’.

I

‘This is it’. What were your thoughts when he said that?

H

Thoughts? I can’t remember really. I went and had a bath. I was dirty, you see.

I

Yes. And did you think the war would last long?

H

No. I can’t say I did. I don’t think I did. I was a bit excited of course.

I

Naturally. And after that you were sent to France. You being a major then? A young major?

H

That is correct.

I

Did you think perhaps . . . Well, what was your attitude to the Germans at that time?

H

I didn’t really know. Hadn’t had any experience of them. I thought they would be good soldiers.

I

May I ask why you thought that, sir?

H

Well, I’d been to Germany you see in a purely civilian capacity. I went on holiday there. Eastern Germany. Two years before that. Good farming country.

I

And you formed the impression they would be good soldiers?

H

Yes, that was the impression I had. Industrious hard working people.

I

I see. Bankers in fact.

H

Bankers?

I

You fought at first as a major in the opening engagements. Did you have any reason to change your mind about the Germans?

H

No, can’t say I did.

I

Have you any . . . well, stories of this early period to tell the viewers?

H

Stories. Now. Well, I was wounded of course.

I

How did that happen?

H

Oh, I was shot. In the leg. Nothing serious. I was actually writing a letter at the time. The bullet ricochetted. It was a letter to my sister.

I

Telling her you would be home by Christmas?

H

No, not really. If I remember rightly I was writing to her about our woods. I had an estate in the Borders. It was always in the family.

I

Have you still got it?

H

No, as a matter of fact we haven’t. We’ve had to sell it. Or rather
I’ve
had to sell it.

I

I see. So you were wounded. What were your feelings at the time?

H

Feelings? I felt irritated. You see I was writing in the open air. The pad was on my knee. It was a day in summer – very beautiful – just like home. I remember
trying to stand up but I couldn’t. I felt rather ridiculous. Of course, my leg’s all right now.

I

Yes. And you were in hospital for how long?

H

Oh a matter of weeks. Then I was sent back to HQ – given paper work.

I

Did you like that?

H

It wasn’t bad. Running an estate you know you have to do a bit of paper work.

I

I see.

H

I must have been efficient for they gave me a lieutenant-colonelcy.

I

Tell me, sir – one of the criticisms made of the brass – excuse me – in the world war was that they didn’t know what was going on at the front.
Would you agree with this?

H

That obviously happens. Obviously. But not seriously. One has a job to do. One doesn’t see everything that’s going on.

I

Tell me, General Hume, are you, were you, an ambitiousman?

H

Yes, I suppose I was within limits.

I

Is there any truth in the story that there was an internecine rivalry between you and . . . Colonel Graham. Have you read his book by any chance.

H

Graham’s book? No.

I

Does he not say that you went over his head with General H? Does he not accuse you of sycophancy? Does he not note your rapid promotion? That you were apparently favoured
because you were a Scotsman?

H

Poor Graham. Did he say that?

I

He came through the ranks, didn’t he? A very unusual thing in those days. He was originally a non-commissioned officer. A very brilliant man.

H

That is so. As a non-commissioned officer.

I

You are now eighty years old, General Hume. Do you still regard Graham as ‘poor Graham’.

H

Of course. What has being eighty got to do with it? Graham lacked imagination.

I

All his allegations are therefore false.

H

The ones you enumerated are false.

I

That you were basically not interested in the men – that you were only concerned with your own ambition – that you went over his head to the General? All that
is false?

H

Entirely so.

I

You did of course marry General H’s daughter.

H

That is so.

I

And it is rumoured that he has connections with the bank you are in.

H

I was invited to take that job. I was a satisfactory choice I think you will find.

I

No doubt. General Hume. No doubt. At any rate your plan for the staging of this battle at this spot was the one finally adopted, practically without change. By the way
where is Colonel Graham now?

H

I couldn’t say. He may be writing a book. Or possibly watching this programme.

I

If he is, there is nothing you would like to say to him?

H

No.

I

Anyway your plan was adopted?

H

If you like to put it like that, yes.

I

So this therefore is the battlefield. We are standing on it now. It is a fine dry day with a little breeze and you can see the grasses waving on it. There are some poppies
as you can see and very beautiful and nostalgic they are too. But this of course is a graveyard. Is that not so, General?

H

Every battlefield is a graveyard.

I

Naturally. Would you please tell us your plan of campaign for that day.

H

Plan? Yes, of course. It was basically simple. You will notice over to your right a hill. My objective was to capture that hill.

I

Would it be true to say that you hadn’t seen the terrain before the battle was fought?

H

No, of course not. I rode out to see it. I spent a day here.

I

Please continue.

H

Well, obviously one has to disguise one’s intentions. So on the western flank a dummy attack was set up.

I

Is there another hill there, General?

H

No, of course not. But there was an area of marshy land dividing the two armies. Now there had been a spell of dry weather, and the Germans might have thought it quite
feasible for us to attack at that point. By the way, may I smoke my pipe or will this spoil your machinery?

I

Please do.

H

Thank you. Well, the dummy attack was started but un–fortunately . . .

I

There was very heavy rainfall during the three previous days. What amounted to a prolonged cloudburst in fact?

H

That is so. You seem to know this very well, by the way. It was extremely unfortunate.

I

What happened?

H

What was bound to happen. Our men got bogged down.

I

By an act of God in fact?

H

One might call it that. It was totally unforeseen.

I

Did you insist on going through with the attack on schedule?

H

The attack did go through on schedule.

I

Didn’t you know of the condition of the ground?

H

Well, of course one has to take chances, hasn’t one? And after all it was only a dummy attack.

I

But the Germans didn’t have to withdraw troops from that salient did they?

H

No, in the event they didn’t.

I

So your men were mown down?

H

Many were killed, it is true.