that Lord
Kitchener was appointed Secretary of State for War, and on Monday, the
10th, the Mission sent by the French Government arrived. It was headed
by Colonel Huguet, a well-known French Artillery Officer who had
recently been for several years French Military Attache in London.

As before mentioned, one of the most important matters remaining for
discussion and decision was finally to determine whether the original
plan as regards the area of concentration for the British Forces in
France was to be adhered to, or whether the actual situation demanded
some change or modification. There was an exhaustive exchange of views
between soldiers and Ministers, and many conflicting opinions were
expressed. The soldiers themselves were not agreed. Lord Kitchener
thought that our position on the left of the French line at Maubeuge
would be too exposed, and rather favoured a concentration farther back
in the neighbourhood of Amiens. Sir Douglas Haig suggested postponing
any landing till the campaign had actively opened and we should be
able to judge in which direction our co-operation would be most
effective.

Personally, I was opposed to these ideas, and most anxious to adhere
to our original plans. Any alteration in carrying out our
concentration, particularly if this meant delay, would have upset the
French plan of campaign and created much distrust in the
minds of our Allies. Delay or hanging back would not only have looked
like hesitation, but might easily have entailed disastrous
consequences by permanently separating our already inferior forces.
Having regard to what we subsequently knew of the German plans and
preparations, there can be no doubt that any such delayed landing
might well have been actively opposed. As will be seen hereafter, we
were at first hopeful of carrying out a successful offensive, and, had
those hopes been justified, any change or delay in our original plans
would have either prevented or entirely paralysed it. The vital
element of the problem was speed in mobilisation and concentration,
change of plans meant inevitable and possibly fatal delay.

Murray, Wilson, Grierson and Huguet concurred in my views, and it was
so settled.

The date of the embarkment of the Headquarters Staff was fixed for
Friday, August 14th.

During the fateful days which intervened, daily and almost hourly
reports reached us as to the progress of mobilisation both of our
Allies and our Enemies. From the first it beca