Front Forum: discussing The Great War 1914-18

"Plumer is reported to have suffered from acute short-sightedness early on in his military career. Another general has written (and I'm sorry but I can't find the reference) that it is a terrible handicap for a general to be short-sighted. I was wondering how this might have affected his leadership in The Great War.

I don't think it would have been a great handicap. He would have used spectacles. There is some anecdotal evidence, not at all conclusive, that Haig was colour blind although he was able to get an optometrist to certify that he was not.

I should imagine that good eyesight was more of a neccessity for a junior officer who would need to shoot straight and see things on recce patrols. The higher up the ladder an officer progressed, the more he would rely on and be judged on his tactical prowess rather than physical ability. As he entered the realms of the brigade staff and higher, he would have someone to pick out the fine detail of aerial photos and the like for him. He would increasingly become the person they fed the information to and from whom they would expect an answer from in the form of orders based on the information provided.

He might make a point of looking out over no mans land on visits to the front line trenches, but you can be sure that he would have the leadership of whatever battalion happened to be garrisoning that part of the line on hand to brief him on what he may or may not be able to see over the parapet.

I think the handicap of short-sightedness or colour-blindness would be more important in the jealousies that might have surrounded officers of similar rank and experience vying for the next promotion or posting. One upmanship can be pretty nasty at times!

Just my thoughts,

Cheers,

Nigel

Peter,

I don't know if you have read Plumer - The Soldiers' General by Geoffrey Powell, but his short-sightedness does not seemed to have caused him much trouble. By all accounts, he did not have the chiselled and ripped appearance that someone's perception may determine of stereo-typical leader. A description of Plumer is given on page 55 of the aforementioned book:

The nine special reserve officers who sailed with Plumer in the RMS Norman were surprised by the appearance and habits of their senior, reputedly a commander of swash-buckling irregulars. This small, rather delicate and retiring person, short-sighted and apt to disappear with a novel than join in the trivial pursuits of shipboard life, was hardly what they expected.

He seems a likeable man that his troops took to, and in the main they were colonials (during the South African episodes). They probably took to his style of leadership, and the informal way in which he implemented discipline. There are some good examples on page 74; but here's an amusing anecdote involving eyesight (same page):

... Another such tale is of an ex-public schoolboy, up before him on a charge. Plumer, as was his habit, screwed his monocle into his eye and glared at the offender, a corporal. To the dismay of those present, the corporal reached into his pocket and followed suit. 'Sergeant-Major', demanded Plumer, 'does this man always wear and eye-glass.' 'No, sir, not in the dark,' came the reply. 'Go away, get out of it,' ended the episode.

I don't know if you have read the book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and concerning Plumer's eyesight, I don't think it proved to be overly troublesome, bearing in mind that he would nearly always be surrounded by his men, or his retinue.

Aye

Tom McC

Thanks Tom. You have to laugh! What about the psychological effect, if any? All the lower ranks being able to see what's going on, and as time goes by having to rely more and more on them......

Plumer seems to have been very popular with the men. He had a reputation of being careful of his soldiers' lives. He was certainly a believer in meticulous preparation for any operation. Perhaps they preferred a man who was a good general to one who had eyes like a hawk.

As a qualified Optometrist with over thirty years experience, I can fairly confidently say that as long as General Plumer didn't have to drive a car, identify friend from foe at 50 metres, or follow badly printed orders at a seconds notice, he could probably function very well, despite being shortsighted. In any case, many people with myopia have excellent corrected vision with spectacles (or contact lenses these days).
As I understand it, General Plumer would have an army of younger, fitter, A1 junior officers at his beck and call, and would normally been situated well away from the front line. In such circumstances I think that good strategic thinking, an ability to communicate well, a quick mind, wisdom and a wealth of experience would have been more important for the efficacy of his leadership.

Bernadette

Perhaps we should have had more short-sighted generals?
best regards
David