<Mr. Here Belisha's schemes for making an Army career more popular in Great Britain fare being pushed forward rapidly, and the announcement of the retirement of thirteen general officers, which has now been made {the "London Gazette" is but one phase of the general plan. Of the two retiring generals, General Sir George Jeffreys, A.D.C. 'General to HIM. the King since 1936, is sixty years of lage, and has had a brilliant career, "serving [throughout the Great War being' severely wounded and mentioned in despatches no fewer than nine times. He was with the Grenadier [Guards in the Nile Expedition, 1898, and fought the battle of Khartoum, while he also served in the South African War. General Sir Harry Knox is five years older, having been born in 1873. He first saw active service on the Indian IN.W. Frontier, 1897-8, was wounded during the Great War and was mentioned in despatches seven times. Of the three new generals, Sir Rejginald Hildyard is the oldest, having been born 1876, Sir William Pitt-Taylor in 1878 and Sir Hugh Elles in 1880. The last named, how-Jover, retires on promotion with the resuit that the changes do not involve any increase in the number of Generals on the active list. Ten other officers with rank of either Lieut.-General or Major-General are also retired, though no Indication has as yet been given as to the men who will be appointed in their places. The ages of the men involved in either retirement of promotion do not suggest that there is at Present much likelihood of the age at which fan offer may become a General has been in any way reduced, and the youngest of those promoted, Sir Hugh Elles, at the age of Aflyeight is also retired. It is questionable whether the recent wholesale promotions may not create something of a block in the ordinary promotions scheme, though possibly when the full intention of Mr. Here Belisha's plans is made manifest, some arrangement will have been made to make sure that the lower ranks of officers will not suffer unduly by the mass promotion which has already been effected.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.