Changing of the guard on Western Front

London, 16 December 1915 - General Sir Douglas Haig has replaced Sir John French in the command of the British army on the Western Front.

In announcing the decision, the War Office said Sir John French had performed most ably over 16 months of incessant strain and had now relinquished his command at his own request due to what the the Cork Examiner describes the ‘fatigue of responsibility’.

The change in leadership is not considered to be a surprise.

[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]