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Lines of Communication
\6th March, 1940}
THE French Army lives on its own territory.
Its regimental depots keep to their accustomed
towns. When its men go on leave they travel
by the national railways. But the whole British
army is, by geographical necessity, an expeditionary
force. It is fed, armed, and reinforced by sea, and
cannot exist without maritime bases. Hence the
organization, provided for in the English military
regulations, which cares for the lines of communica-
tion. A general commands this immense zone,
which comprises the base ports, the advance bases,
the food and ammunition depots, the automobile and
artillery repair shops, the hospitals and the reserve
camps.
To the unknowing, the bases are havens of peace
and quiet. 'At the base.... That's the place... /
sang some ill-informed comedian the other day.
The truth is, however, that the men at the bases are
doing work that is both hard and essential. It is they
that have to unload the ships, feed the troops going
through, organize temporary quarters, ensure the
transportation of fresh troops up to the front and of
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