"أوراق متعلقة بلجنة بلاد الرافدين من غرفة السير إ. بارو" [و‎‎٢‎٩‎٣] (١٣٨٦/٥٩١)

Tontured to place them in fron of an European enemy,
and it cannot he said that Imperial Serrioe troops in
Egypt and East Africa hare been altogether satisfactory.
Our experience of war under present conditions has prored
^ 80ldier WithOTlt BritlSh lea4 "
ing wail-met stand up to an European enemy. Erery officer
who has serred with Indian troops in Flanders from Sir
J.micocks downwards will tell you the same thing, while
eren the most sanguine or the most partial British regi
mental officers will acknowledge that his beloved Gur-
thas or Sikhs must hare British leading and supervision.
Without his British Officers the Indian sdldier even of
the best regiments loses confidence in himself. Ever
since I joined the Indian Army,nearly 40 years ago, the
whole tendency of Army administration^ inspired by expe
rienced military opinion has been to increase^ the re
gimental establishment of British Officers. TThen I first
joined the establishment consisted of seven officers per
regiment, in the eighties itwasincreased to*t^ioers
and then gradually it rose to 4 ^ officers.
D< 52S5 t z!L d Eitchener ’ 8 regime as C-in-C it was raised
to 1 * officers, and though both as a Divisional General
and as Army Commander I represented that that large num
ber interfered with the proper training and responsibili
ty of the Hative Officers, I always recognised that the
cadre of officers was none too large to meet the require
ments of war. My remedy was to reduce the 'present* es-
* ent 131 P® aoe ^t to supplement it in war by a
drawing on a large^establishment of trained Indian Army
Beserve Officers (vide Repmrt of Nicholson Committee).
However much we may admire the exploits of Skinner's Horse
or Hodson's Horse we must remember the conditions under -
which they fought and the opponents they had to meet. ' ‘
Times lave changed and we have now to consider the re-