ck. Should a contingency
of this sort be contemplated, I look to you to inform me fully and
give me time to communicate to you any decision to which His
Majesty's Government may come in the matter. In this connection I wish
you distinctly to understand that your command is an entirely
independent one, and that you will in no case come in any sense under
the orders of any Allied General.

"In minor operations you should be careful that your subordinates
understand that risk of serious losses should only be taken where such
risk is authoritatively considered to be commensurate with the object
in view.

"The high courage and discipline of your troops should, and certainly
will, have fair and full opportunity of display during the campaign,
but officers may well be reminded that in this, their first experience
of European warfare, a greater measure of caution must be employed
than under former conditions of hostilities against an untrained
adversary.

"You will kindly keep up constant communication with the War Office,
and you will be good enough to inform me as to all movements of the
enemy reported to you as well as to those of the French Army.

"I am sure you fully realise that you can rely with the utmost
confidence on the wholehearted and unswerving support of the
Government, of myself, and of your compatriots, in carrying out the
high duty which the King has entrusted to you and in maintaining the
great tradition of His Majesty's Army.

"(Signed) KITCHENER,
"Secretary of State"

CHAPTER II.

THE BRITISH EXPEDITIONARY FORCE.

I have thought fit to interrupt my narrative here to devote some pages
to the composition of the original Expeditionary Force. The First
Expeditionary Force consisted of the First Army Corps (1st and 2nd
Divisions) under Lieut.-Gen. Sir Douglas Haig; the Second Army Corps
(3rd and 5th Divisions) under Lieut.-Gen. Sir James Grierson (who died
shortly after landing in France and was succeeded by Gen. Sir Horace
Smith-Dorrien), and the Cavalry Division under Major-Gen. E. H. H.
Allenby. To these must be added the 19th Infantry Brigade, which, at
the opening of our operations in France, was employed on our Lines of
Communication. The original Expeditionary Force was subsequently
augmented by the 4th Division, which detrained at Le Cateau on August
25th. The 4th Division and the 19th Infantry Brigade were