which fell to Sir Henry Wilson, or to continue in office unless the military adviser at Versailles were merely his deputy.
In fact, Mr. Lloyd George and his Cabinet had by no means reached their aim of satisfactory coordination when the great German advance began on March 21. The British Appoint- a nd French armies were both driven back in a series General-" of bloody battles, and they were seriously menaced issimo. with a rupture of their contact with each other by a fierce attack which the Germans directed against Amiens. Then it was realized that what the Allied forces in France needed for success was not an Allied council but a single military head. Sir Douglas Haig agreed in this with Lord Milner, who was then representing the War Cabinet in France, and with M. Clemenceau; and Gen. Foch, the most scientific of French soldiers, who had already distinguished himself highly in the war, was appointed Generalissimo, to the general satisfaction.
The next few months in Britain were perhaps the most anxious time of the whole war. A fresh Military Service bill was at once introduced, raising the military age to 50 and in certain New cases to 55, and Ireland was for the first time to be in-
Se'rvtoT eluded in a compulsory measure, ministers announcing BUI. at the same time that they were about to introduce a
fresh Home Rule bill based on a consideration of the reports of the Irish Convention. The bill was hotly opposed, not only by the Nationalists, but by many experienced members who doubted whether it would really give ministers the men they needed. But Mr. Law insisted on carrying it as it stood, and told the Nationalists that they did not realize the growing bitterness in England at the exemption hitherto of Ireland from the sacrifices demanded of Great Britain. The bill was carried by majorities of 200; but it was never in fact put in force in Ireland. The Roman Church joined the Nationalists and Sinn Feiners in denouncing conscription, and the Government, having to abandon this project, abandoned also the attempt to pass this year a Home Rule bill.
Besides this new Military Service Act, the Government strength- ened the forces in France by sending at once to Sir Douglas Haig a large proportion of the men hitherto retained
?/,^, er i n the island as a home defence army, and they insti-
Milltary . , J . .
Measures, tuted a vigorous comb-out once more of munition
workers, miners, and the Civil Service. They strength- ened the War Office, by making Lord Milner, the most vigorous member of the War Cabinet after the Prime Minister, Secretary of State for War; Lord Derby going as British ambassador to Paris, where he admirably reinforced the good understanding of the two Powers. The vacancy in the War Cabinet was filled by Mr. Austen Chamberlain. About the same time Sir William (since Lord) Weir succeeded Lord Rothermere as Air Minister.
The strain engendered by the serious situation of the British forces in France produced some regrettable recriminations in
Parliament & propos of the substitution of Gen. Sykes Ocnera/ j f or Gen. Trenchard as chief of the air staff, and of Charges. a letter which a distinguished general, Sir Frederick
Maurice, late director of military operations, thought fit to write to The Times, accusing ministers of making state- ments to Parliament, giving " a totally misleading impression" of the military situation. Ministers in this latter case offered to refer the charges to two judges, but the leading Liberals refused this tribunal, and Mr. Asquith, for the first time definitely acting as leader of opposition, moved to refer the allegations to a select committee of the House of Commons. Mr. Lloyd George, in debate, categorically and in detail main- tained the truth of the Ministerial statements, and the motion was rejected by 293 votes to 106 votes. Gen. Maurice, for his breach of discipline, was placed by the Army Council on retired pay, and became a military correspondent for the press. The anxieties of the times also revived the strong feeling about the alien danger; and, in deference to public opinion, certificates of internment and naturalization were revised, no aliens were allowed to be employed in Government offices during the war, new measures were taken to establish the identity of aliens, and drastic restrictions were imposed on changes of name. Enemy
banks, too, were finally wound up, and it was provided that no such banks should be established for a period after the war.
The food condition was better this summer, owing to Lord Rhondda's admirable arrangements for securing supplies from all quarters of the world, and to the diminution of the menace from submarines owing to the provision of sub- Book" marine chasers and other methods. Compulsory rations of meat, however, continued, though a larger quantity was allowed. Tea, too, was rationed, and though milk was not rationed its price was fixed according to the season. Arrange- ments were made to get in the harvest, in the absence of men at the front, by a great volunteer contingent of public-school boys in their holidays, and of women. The Food Controller estab- lished with great success national kitchens, and afterwards, in a few great towns, national restaurants. On July 3 Lord Rhondda died, just when he had arranged to introduce, in place of the loose cards hitherto used, a system of ration books. These were brought into use by his successor, Mr. Clynes, on July 14, and contained coupons for sugar, butter or margarine, lard, butcher's meat and bacon. Thus a satisfactory national system was at last evolved, which worked well and favoured no one.
While it was generally admitted that the War Cabinet was a much better organ for the conduct of the war than any of the previous arrangements, there was frequent com- plaint that the result of concentrating all real directing Committee power in the hands of four to six men, all deeply en- Affairs. grossed in the war, was that domestic affairs were in- sufficiently attended to. Accordingly in June 1918 a Com- mittee on Home Affairs was appointed, which was to meet, at least once a week, under the chairmanship of the Home Secre- tary. All domestic questions requiring the cooperation of two or more Departments and calling for Cabinet decision were to be referred to it. The Committee were to have the power of deci- sion, on behalf of the Cabinet, but larger questions of policy were to be referred to the War Cabinet.
The fourth anniversary of the war, being a Sunday, was observed as a day of national intercession, to invoke the Divine Blessing on the country's cause. Marshal Foch's offensive had been in progress for more than a fortnight; but it was still far from clear whether it could proceed without a check. Mr. Lloyd George sent a stirring message on the day to the Empire, bidding Britons to " hold fast." The battle, he told them, was not yet won. " We cannot seek to escape the horrors of war for our- selves by laying them up for our children. Having set our hands to the task we must see it through till a just and lasting settle- ment is achieved." The appeal was timely, but many of the workers paid little heed to it.
Throughout August and September, while the Allied troops in France, and especially the British armies, were winning victory after victory and steadily driving the Germans out, and while Bulgaria and Turkey were being forced I9 r l8 es to surrender, a series of strikes broke out all over the country, in many cases promoted not by the unions but by the shop stewards. Women workers in London on om- nibuses and tubes struck to obtain the same war bonus as that accorded to the men. The strike spread to Bath, Bristol, Brighton, Folkestone, Hastings, and Weston-super-Mare, but the women returned to work in a couple of days on a promise of full consideration of their demand, which was eventually con- ceded. A much more serious matter was the London police strike which, without notice, deprived London for two days, Friday and Saturday, Aug. 30 and 31, of police protection. Undoubtedly the Metropolitan Police had grievances in regard to wages and allowances, which had been under consideration of the authorities for an unconscionable time without result, but it was a shock to public confidence that the defenders of law and order should have thought themselves at liberty to leave the public defenceless in order to call attention to their claims. Sir Edward Henry, the Commissioner of Police, resigned, and was succeeded by Gen. Macready; but it was believed that it was the Home Office that was mainly to blame. Mr. Lloyd George settled the strike by granting the men liberal terms; but he
