GREAT BRITAIN: B. E. F.

Year ago the British Cabinet made up its collective mind never again to send another B. E. F. (British Expeditionary Force) to the continent. Last week the Cabinet reversed itself. In the House of Commons, War Secretary Leslie HoreBelisha announced (while his colleagues were shouting peace) not only that another B. E. F. would be on its way to France within the first week of a war in which the French and British were partners-but said that it would consist of 19 mechanized divisions, or somewhere between 190,000 and 300,000 men. In August 1914, a bare 60,000 British soldiers crossed the Channel.

Always small, the volunteer British Army has long had trouble getting enough healthy, sturdy recruits. Having lowered the physical requirements, Army officials last week reported the successful results of an experiment to feed some 1,900 skinny youths up to requirements. At two camps they have been getting a cup of tea and a biscuit before getting up; a breakfast of porridge, hot milk, liver and onion sauce, bread, butter and marmalade; a morning collation of an apple and milk; a lunch of meat pie, cabbage, mashed potatoes, soup, figs and custard; a good big high tea and a dinner of fish and chips, tea, bread and milk. Result: 1,400 have passed the Army tests. Another, unwanted, result: Laborites are asking why undernourished women and children cannot also be fed back to health.