ForumGarden

This was written exactly a hundred years ago, from an Oxford undergraduate to a friend reconstructing South Africa after the British took it temporarily from the Boer.

"Eighteenth-century methods worked well enough while we had a talented aristocracy, but we can't afford nowadays to limit our choice of Ministers to a few stuffy families, with ugly faces, bad manners, and a belief in the Nicene Creed. The day of the clever cad is at hand. I always felt it would come to this if we once let ourselves in for an Empire. If only Englishmen had known their Aeschylus a little better they wouldn't have bustled about the world appropriating things. A gentleman may make a large fortune, but only a cad can look after it. It would have been so much pleasanter to live in a small community who knew Greek and played games and washed themselves.Current hawks might like to recognise the warning while they have time to abandon their grandiose plan of Economic Dominance. To win abroad is only possible if you abandon your quality of life at home. Nastier and still nastier people bubble their way to the top in that sort of society. We're still suffering under them here.

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/ai ... harris.htm



When World War One started in August 1914, Harris joined the 1st Rhodesia Regiment. He fought against the Germans in German South West Africa but returned to Britain in 1915 where he joined the Royal Flying Corps. In 1916, Harris qualified as a fighter pilot and joined 44 Squadron in France. It is said that what he witnessed in France - the futility of trench warfare - shaped his views on aerial bombing in future years. Before the war had ended, he had taken control of 44 Squadron. In 1919, Harris became a squadron leader in the Royal Air Force. In this capacity, he served throughout the British Empire (India, Iraq, Iran and the Middle East) during the 1920's and the early 1930's. During this time, the RAF used bombing raids against tribes people in Iraq who had rebelled against British rule. Some of these raids included the use of poison gas and delayed action bombs. Some in the RAF were appalled by this (Air Commodore Lionel Charlton resigned his commission regarding this) but Harris said:

"The only thing the Arab understands is the heavy hand."


The more things change the more they seem the same

gmc wrote: During this time, the RAF used bombing raids against tribes people in Iraq who had rebelled against British rule. Some of these raids included the use of poison gas and delayed action bombs. Some in the RAF were appalled by this [...] but Harris said: "The only thing the Arab understands is the heavy hand."The more things change the more they seem the sameAs an example of "Nastier and still nastier people bubble their way to the top in that sort of society", Bomber Harris was a prime example. O quam cito transit gloria mundi!

posted by spot

As an example of "Nastier and still nastier people bubble their way to the top in that sort of society", Bomber Harris was a prime example. O quam cito transit gloria mundi!


Moot point, man of his times I think.