Adrian Carton de Wiart

A Foreword (1950) by Winston Churchill

I am glad that my old and valued friend, Lieutenant-General Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart, has written this book.  I have known him for many years, and in the late war I felt the highest confidence in his judgment and services both in Norway and as my military representative with General Chiang Kai-shek.  General Carton de Wiart has been decorated on several occasions for his valour in the field and services to his country and, in 1916, he gained the Victoria Cross.  Although repeatedly wounded and suffering from grievous injuries, his whole life has been vigorous, varied and useful.  He is a model of chivalry and honour and I am sure his story will command the interest of all men and women whose hearts are uplifted by the deeds and thoughts of a high-minded and patriotic British officer.

WINSTON S. CHURCHILL    

HAPPY ODYSSEY The Memoirs of
Lieutenant-General SIR ADRIAN CARTON DE WIART
London : Jonathan Cape 1950, page 7.

From Happy Odyssey, 1950 by Adrian Carton de Wiart

[1920]   The Bolsheviks started their advance which met with little resistance, and finally Western Europe grew gravely alarmed and sent an inter-allied mission of the highest level to Poland to see what could be done to help the Poles.

The British were represented by Lord d'Abernon, General P. de B. Radcliffe and Sir Maurice Hankey. Sir Maurice was the secretary to the War Cabinet, wielded enormous power and held great sway with Mr. Lloyd George.

The French sent M. Jusserand, a former ambassador to Washington, and General Weygand, who was an outstanding military personality, and Foch's chief of staff.

The the time the mission had arrived, the Bolsheviks had reached Brest-Litovsk in their advance from the north-east, and were a mere hundred and thirty miles from Warsaw.

A meeting was held at once, and General Weygand produced a map marking the various places where, he estimated, the Poles could check the enemy's advance. Then Weygand turned to me to ask my for my opinion. It was a case of fools rushing in where angels fear to tread, for contrary to the general opinion, I insisted that nothing would stop the Polish retreat until they reached Warsaw, where in a strong national effort they might whip up their enthusiasm into defending their capital. I felt that we had got beyond the stage when maps were of any use, and that the issue had become entirely psychological.

I was seeing Pilsudski daily, and once when I asked him what he thought of the situation, he shrugged his shoulders and said that it was in the hands of the Almighty. It was the only time that I ever saw him shaken out of his almost oriental calmness, but he was not so shaken that he could not plan a masterly counter-attack, which brought him victory in three weeks.

The Bolshevik advance from the north-east continued steadily, until they were only fourteen miles from Warsaw, when the Poles counter-attacked. The Bolsheviks were exhausted, and as soon as they saw the Poles stand and prepare to fight they retreated and continued to retreat until they sued for peace.

The battle near Warsaw has been called 'The Miracle of the Vistula' and never was a miracle more timely, for the issues at stake were tremendous. Had Warsaw fallen, there can be no doubt that Poland, a great part of Germany and Czechoslovakia would have become Communist.

London : Cape 1950, pages 106 - 107.

Bibliographic

Author Carton de Wiart, Adrian, Sir, b. 1880. Title Happy odyssey; the memoirs of Lieutenant-General Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart. With a foreword by Winston S. Churchill. Imprint London, Cape [1950] Descript 287 p. port. 21 cm.
( source http://catnyp.nypl.org

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HUYSMANS, C., WIART CARTON DE - Hommage � la Pologne . Wouters. Plaquette de 24 p. (Ref: 43339).
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Author International Congress of Criminal Law (1st : 1926 : Brussels) Title Premier Congr�s international de droit p�nal : Bruxelles, 26-29 juillet 1926 : actes du congr�s / publi�s sous la direction du Comte Carton de Wiart par J.-A. Roux. Publisher Paris : Libraire des juris-classeurs, 1927. Description 690 p. ; 25 cm. Note At head of title: Association internationale de droit p�nal. Note Includes bibliographical references. Language French