Empire itself was
in jeopardy, forced me to act in May 1915 as I did. I was conscious
before taking this step, which meant the overthrow of the Government,
that it also meant the end of my career in France, with all the hopes
and ambitions that only a soldier can understand. But the
consciousness of the great results achieved in this upheaval has been
my reward, and I trust that a recital of my difficulties
may, if occasion arise in the future, protect the British Army in the
field from the recurrence of any similar situation.

During my term of office as Chief of the Imperial General Staff, from
March 1912 to April 1914, I had urged these vital necessities upon the
Government, but my demands were steadily opposed by the Finance
Department and the Treasury. All our experiences in the South African
War, and the warnings which the Manchurian campaign plainly gave,
passed altogether unheeded in the years preceding the present war. I
was always a strong advocate for the supply of high-explosive shell to
our horse and field artillery, but I got very little support, and even
such as was given to me was lukewarm in the extreme. I believe the
Ordnance Board was not in favour of it.

As early as the middle of September 1914 the British Army in France
was subjected to heavy bombardment from German 8-in. howitzers, to
which they were quite unable to reply. At the same time the daily
expenditure of artillery ammunition became far in excess of the
receipts from home, and we were unable to maintain the stocks on the
lines of communication up to anything like the proper war
establishment. For example, the 18-pdrs. fired an average of 14 rounds
a day, whilst the receipts were barely seven. The 60-pdr. guns and the
4.5-in. howitzers fired over 40 rounds a day, against a supply of
eight or nine rounds at most. In private letters and telegrams I had
repeatedly brought this to the notice of the Secretary of State, and a
strong official memorandum on the subject was sent to the War Office
on September 28th. A further communication to the same effect was made
on October 10th; and on the 29th of the same month the War
Office were officially told that the state of the ammunition supply
had necessitated the issue of an order restricting expenditure to 20
rounds per gun daily, and that a further restriction to 10 rounds
would be necessary if the supply did not improve. This was during the
most desperate period of the First Battle of Ypres, wh