AN INTERESTING BIRTHDAY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2391, 22 February 1915, Page 6

AN INTERESTING BIRTHDAY

PROPHETIC LETTER FROM LORD ROBERTS. To-day .is the anniversary of tho birthday of the Hon. Captain Baillie, M.L.C., who has attained the age of 88 years. He is the sole survivor, of his day, of the officers of the 24th Regiment of Foot (now the South Wales Borderers). Two of his brother officers, Major Lutman and General D© Berry, passed away last year. They were botli four years senior to the Hon. Captain Baillie. All three of them were present at the Battles of Cluthanwalla (January 13, 1819) and Gozerat (fought on February 21, 1849). In connection with the above it is interesting to quote the following extract from a letter from the late Earl Roberts to Mrs. Baillie, dated June 26. 1914:-

' I am, thank God, still able to do my .work. What I may be called upon to do in the near future I do not know, but we are living in serious times, and I am in constant anxiety' lest the Army should be called upon fo act. The tosujt might be very serious." Another letter to the Hon. Captain Baillie from the late Lord Roberts; dat-ed-October 31, 1911, read:— "We are living in very interesting times, and the future of the British Empire will depend a great deal on the manner in which two or three' great questions are settled. Out Navy must be much stronger and so must, the Army. •. If what is called the Expeditionary Force has to go abroad on ac-. count of trouble in India or in Egypt, or in any of our oversea dominions, we should be helpless in this country; we have practically lio Home defence army, and, however strong our Navy may be, it is within the bounds of possibility that it might meet with a temporary defeat. The country seems to be gradually waking up to the danger we are in, and I hope the debate we are to have in the House of Lords on the 21st instant on a motion I have put down will help matters."