LORD KITCHENER.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 725, 26 January 1910, Page 4

LORD KITCHENER.

HIS SOUTH AFRICAN CAMPAIGN. SOjIE/PERSONAL I?icOII/ECTIONS. / ■■' / / -———' ; i .; /

(By E. W. Rnro.)

, ' [The following interesting article is from '.the'.pcn of :oho of our' regular: contributors, who, during the South African "War, acted .as war correspondent for one of the big : &ndoii-'daiUes.-":- ; 'It : indicates'" tho thoroughness which . characterises .'the methods of the great soldier ■ scon to be in our midst.l . ' ;. /Mr. '.Thomas. Atkins, Who possesses a ;geniu's.;for inferring namesfthat adhere, has not discovered a nickname , for .Lord 'Kitchener. /;' The average Tommy would be afraid to employ a noii-flatteringj even a ' familiar appcilatioii"'with respect to him—he, the übiquitous, might bo Within hearing., "K. of. K," ;is frequently heard, but not ; among officers or men. That designation . seems to be -the property chiefly : of hoitspaper, writers, and ,of the non-military part of the community. Tho ia'mo, with "Bobs." -I never /heard an' officer or a private speak of 'Lord Eoberts by that name. Kipling lias mado it known, and it may/have been used in India.; Certainly;.it was.not common in South Africa. The average soldier/ irre- . spectivo of rank, - admires .and venerates LoVjl-Roberts-too .much to employ towards' liim a name which would grato on the ear. Seldom was Lord Kitchener alluded 1 .to as .."Kitchener," -, tho' invariable reference vas to "Lord Kitchener.-"

Somo Curious Nicknames. Every commanding - officer had not. tho same 'respect; paid him. .'.ln : Pretoria alone,; at one time,'we had. "Tubs;" -the "Swearing General," . ",Barnum," . arid others. There was .General-B.",;. who-'had the honour of commanding a force .ficctiously styled "B —-V circus." Evidently allied to -him in . some way. jvas: General C., whose/troops.were-/known. as,."C's hippodrome".-' 1 A"Tommy •-Mas ; waiting .for, letters" at the field post office .one, inom- : ing,: and making certain alarming' announcements to the orderly-in-chargo. concerning :"C.'s hijprodome.'' . "\Viiy do. you call it .C.'s hippodrome?" I. asked. Tommy looked mo up and down for a ■moment,, &aw that ihe was safe, and ',re'plied;;"Because /ho and.his./men'/aro,,going' round about, and round about,' and _praying, to, Heaven all .the time that they "won't see a'Boer; and hover, a Boer havo they seen. They haven't had a scrap for three: months." ."' ; ,./; , has jjecri; referred to as 'ihe (übiquitous., '/ He assuredly, : was able to make suddeu - and : startling ': appearances, in the most . unexpected / places. After . Lord. Roberts left/: South Africai, leaving .Lord Kitchener in, supreme command; ' there - was ..probably not a /com-' manding;; officer, on duty within; the subcontinent; who 'w ; as"not,in /daily, .hourly' might .say,/:dread--of',sbo7 jng 'tlio tall, : broad-shouldered figure 'ride into. camp. Nothing seemed to/escapeTiis eye :.;ho_ appeared tt>, know: everythnig that ..was /going on, •from engaging /Boers :to pilfering stores.' / At. one' camp ..well :out- : side' Pretoria. there camo an 'amusing story about; beer-stealing, /apparently: by/ thb guard. One night a,, whole', bottled beer / disappeared,/' arid, / the" loss being' reported /to.;the; commanding--offi-, cer, -he: contented himself with issuing/ an ,'orde'r: "Doublethe. guard." ; The' guard ,'-w(is" doubled,.' and ; on; thb 'following: mo'rnihg' tho report, read,' 'Two cases; bf ,beer" Stolen dutirig' the, night.".' -That ; very. day, : Lord Kitchener jodo into; camp, ho saw. .'the';reports, '.smiled /grimly, -and- ordered the guard toi bo ireduced: to iits; former, strength;"./'But. lato that-night;/or:in. tho ; «arly;--h'ours" of: the'followinft':'- morning,- to ■ the; consternation of .the -sbldiers on duty, Lord /Kitchener :'and-;std|ifj V spick ,'ancl; ■span','..entered-, inspected tho men,' and: afterwards ;werit /round, the stores.// .Tho;^mysterious/exploitation 'of the military , beer,, supplies' .came ..to an' abrupt end.. ;)H; '■'o':

;;vi.v:/.'-■ No VAbsence on Leave.!'■ • .-.Lord Rbbefts' bs : ,oomnianding' officer,, in ■ South' „at;i all /events, appeared;, to be particrilarly .kind .to both'.(officers arid ' 'men.;;.' He;'was'/iiideed;: rathftindulgent, . to/officers-..wearied- of ; the: veldt' •:and the; kopjes;' v tho' /'sniping/'/.arid " the shelling. 'Officers,^"■";-it"..wash said,/.had; little/'trouble ;iri /obtairiing: leave of /absence while Lord. Eoberts ijras ;in.;6ommwd. ;;vA' -drastio : change was experienced /when'' full power: /came.intb.-the hands/.of/Lord ./Kitchener., The/writer, had his headquarters in Pre-toria-ivhen- tlio change /in 'command took place.;' I?b'r/!weeks before,; the; large hotel : at /\v;h'ich':he. lived''was'.crowded' with' offi-' eers.'''/It-'was at times" difficult to' obtain' an early/ seat in; the - diningroom. And - the -'-other' hotels .were .in the' same positiorii ; Officers were everywhere, hundreds of them,-all "absent on,leave" from their 11--regiments.'-'.,'-//Lord;I 1 --regiments.'-'.,' -//Lord; Eoberts left 'Pretoria-' abouti midday.; Two' hours afterwards i.'the .following . intimation,: on/'the usual,;! "ha'lfrsheet of' notepaper," :■ was 1 , pinned j on' the. VraU in tho hall of the | !, hotel":—"All /officers./iiiserit,on; leave-,are/ I'ordered;'to' rejoin./their regiments immediately.: Officers, unable to return' to duty ,vall.:report''thomselves.; this ; afternoon at 5 o'clock. at' headquarters."Report /themselves. , at.; : :'headquarters, and possibly/ .have to ;go before Lord'. Kitohener;himself!.-. Not - likoly. /./There was an' immediate", and a complete; exodus.'.When , the bell'' raiig. for dinner,, that.'evening not one solitary officer remained. : All had hurried back/to their regiments, and to/' cluty. . They stood; not oil ~fhe.'order of their going, but went, 'for. Lord Kitchener now, ruled, not the,: kindly,. amiable Lord Roberts. .. ';

-A Dramatic Appearance. . Lord: Kitohencr 'abbri.:'after' : this incident made a/ dramatioV appearance .at '-.. the . fashionable .Cape Towji ■ liotel> ,the. Mount Nelson.-- /;Some ?co"res, bf officers, were on leave,, very/ likely; 'to meet, fathers, mothers, /and other "near- relatives at. the. port of ■landing.' :: In/.truth 'they, were haying gay. times.- One evening the. large' . and luxurious' hall of the hotel was,filled with officers and .ladies, dinner was just over, a string band, behind the palms, was. ' discoursing/'..beautiful, - ''sprightly music./", In' the midst-of, the-pleasure there- camo a bolt., from the blue. ■Loi'd'/ .-- Kitchener,' /./.accbmpanicd : / .by itwo" A;D.C.'s,:; entered - the > hall, .and. walked/' /direct' - to./:; the,:;.:offic'e'.;./. The pleasure-seeking ■./ officersi/' V one can imagine, • sat /tascinated, .terrified,: as ono of tne: aides ■'procured tho hotel register.: While . ( .Lord /■ lOtchener • scanned /the. ' names,:, officer after, officer; slunk ' quietly . Upstairs,' packcd. and. escaped by' a ■ backdoor. Liitb jthe Arabs, they ' folded,: if not" their tents, their clothes, "and silently; stole - away.". - A belief' prevailed that trie army doctors were: often able to do tired friends a>good, turn by ordering them into hospital; for' a week or: more.; : There- they, had a . prolonged,' ; and, ■. in : reality, / much-needed rest.: ; But • however praiseworthy tho objeet ih reaching: hos'pital '.may .havb been it was riot war, and •the metnods adopted did r .not meet with the/approval of /Lord /Kitchener.;; Accordingly one/ morning Z the■ Pretoria hospitals wore visited' iii ./turn' by" him, and many; of the. patients .closely", interrogated as to their condition. A really sick man is easily recognised,- and . those , who- were -suffering Svere passed with ..brief..words, or none at all. .The outcome of tho visits was that a- great many, patients decided. then and there to return to duty. They were unable to avoid the first interview with tho.commander; but .they deemed it unwise.'to. risk the second., .-■•/•. ,/

Kitchcner and the Ladies. : A .belief prevails: that Lord'.Kitchoner is no groat admirer , of the ladies.. Probably .the: impression, has arisen because lie has ..not troubled' to conceal his aversion' to' certain kinds; oftho' fair box. Tho ■ idle, fussy,-self-important beings who inflicted their presence on the British Army in South -Africa, lie,'. no'doubt, cordially disliked. In tho earlier stages -of the .wnr, large numbers;;of woll-to-do .ladies heroically volunteered as nurses; a still greater number went out uninvitod, and :for;several;months riiado: themselves genoral : nuisances , to 'both- doctors and patients. They' usually, had influence either in London or., South Africa, .and most of. thorn managed' to 'se'euro passes to visit the hospitals from Lord Roberts. 'A good-looking officer or, a handsome pri'.Vate -those-'ladies piefeiti'cd to - nurse, fi'lioir, nursing was of :thb most.,superficial ordeT, consisting mostly ill fetching-the sick favourites magazines and'fruit, and ."cheering them -.up" by. their - converse ■tioni; 'Many a momber'of ? the R.A.M.C:; (Royal Army Medical Corps) has • expressed a fervent desire. to mo to see those lady nurses bundled baclt to Eng. lflndj but they were powerless ' against'

ardent '' and - enthusiastic ' females t -: overy 1 one armed with a pass from tho PieldJlarshol.: - When: Lord Kitchener: took over tho command, a titled lady of tho, itivsing variety had just found her.- wajr to Pretoria", At that tirao- no - oivilian, ;unlcss prbvided with a pass',' "wiis permitted out Vof/.'doors between'''the: hours bf eight in/Zthe 'evening, and . morniiig./; Lady -D. decided to' beittd the lion. in his den, and, hiring a' carriage," drove/-to; headquarters. ;■lord Kitcheue'j could ' not be seeni" "by Lady /D.;laid: bare, her grievance to an apparently sympa--thetic aide. She explained/that it was most inconvenient to : be- kept' a ' prisoner I in' hor hotel every night, and that she desired a pass which .would allow her to walk -abroad at any. hour : agreeable -to herself." The.' polite aide 1 agreed to see; his. Lordship,;and promised .to communi- ; cato his /answer /' to' Lady : -D. ""Lord Kitchener' ' refused,.' and:'La'dy -. D.''.'again drove . to:'headquarters. -,iShe.'declined' to v accept ."No" as tho. answbr, ; and 'morning' after morning, -. valiantly';-/ interviewed aides, staff-colonels,' and- generals, but never a glimpse did she have of Lord Kitchener., At. length' the • latter- capitulated. In thb orders one evening appeared the following item:—"Lady ]). has; permission to walk the, streets'of' Pretoria at : alb hours of j the night." Next day an fetrcmelv indignant. lady left' Pretoria by the midday mail for-the south and .England. . - -.-' " -