DARING FEATS OF WAR CORRESPONDENTS.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 7 August 1914, Page 7

DARING FEATS OF WAR CORRESPONDENTS.

NEWSPAPER HEROES OF THE

BATTLEFIELD.

FIRST OF HIS CLASS

The first of the artist-correspon-dents of the Victorian era was William Simpson, who, in 1866, placed his services at the disposal of the " Illustrated London News," and went through numerous campaigns for that paper. He did yeoman Press service in the Franco-Prus-sian War, sketched the French sortie at Peltre, and entered Metz at the surrender along with the German troops. Again, when the Afghan War broke out, he was to be found in the thick of the fight, and was undoubtedly one of the most venturesome war artists of modern times. Neither,must one forget the work in later years of another of the brilliant band of "Illustrated London News" war artists—Mr. Villiers, who gained his first experience as a war artist in Servia as far back as 1876, and since that time he bas travelled nearly all over the world. In 1882 he was on board the Condor with Lord Charles Beresford at the bombardment of Alexandria ; he accompanied the Nile Expedition for the relief of Khartoum ;he went through the South African campaign, and had some thrilling adventures during the Russo-Japanese War. Mr. Villiers was the first to introduce the cinematograph camera to use a bicycle during a campaign.

RUSSELL OF THE "TIMES." It is an interesting fact that the first correspondent sent out by a newspaper in England to describe a war was Henry Crabb Robinson, the famous English writer, who died forty-five years ago, and who, during 1807-9, witnessed and described for the "Times" the battles in Spain against Napoleon. Ultimately Robinson returned to England and was called to the Bar, afterwards rising to be leader of the Norfolk Circuit, retiring in 1828 with a pension of £500 a year. Perhaps the greatest war correspondent who ever lived was Sir William Howard Russell, who went through the Crimea, and whose letters describing the bad management of the war officials, led to the downfall of the Ministry. Later he was attached to the headquarters of Lord Clive in India, and was present at the siege and capture of Lucknow in 1858, while in 1861 he went to the United States, his account of the Federal retreat at the first battle of Bull Run exciting much adverse feeling. " BILLY."

Not only, however, was Russell a wonderful war correspondent, his accounts, for instance, of the Battle of Sedan, the Zulu War, and the Egyptian War af 1882 being marvels of descriptive writing, but he was also a splendid peace correspondent, and during- his career was responsible for much of .the international news and revelations which appeared in the columns of the "Times." Russell was an. intimate friend of the late King Edward, who called him "Billy." When he was invested with his knighthood in 1902, the King said to him, "You must not trouble to kneel, Billy—stoop !" and gave him his right hand to shake. At that time Russell was over eighty years of age. "ARCHIE FORBES." The most famous "Daily News " correspondent was undoubtedly Archibald Forbes, who, after an education at Aberdeen University, had an adventurous career as a private in the Royal Dragoons. Ultimately he settled in London and formed a journalistic connection. When the Franco-Prussian War broke out he accomplished some marvellous feats in the way of transmission of news. He was also employed as a special war correspondent during the Russo-Turkish War, and at great personal risk sent to the "Daily News" the famous accounts of the crossing of the Danube, of the battles round Plevna, and in the Shipka Pass. Mr. Forbes also went through the Zulu War of 1879, and was present at the victory of Ulundi. It was then he made his famous ride of 110 miles in fifteen hours, by which he sent the earliest account of the battle to England.

MB. LE SAGE OF THE "TELEGRAPH." It is a fact not generally known that Mr. Le Sage, the managing editor of the "Daily Telegraph," proved himself, during the FrancoPrussian War, a very interesting warcorrespondent. He went through all the stirring incidents of the Siege of Paris, and tells the story of how one day news of the signing of an armistice by the belliger-

ent forces was handed to him by an eminent authority, whose name is known to almost every person in Europe. Realising its value, the

correspondent hurried with all speed to the Gave dv Nord, and set himself to work to charter a special train from Paris to Calais. Here he found that he had been forestalled by the special correspondent of the "Times," who had utilised the only: train available. Determined, however, that his paper should be the first to impart the startling news to the world, he commandeered a train which was about to start from Lille. Arrived here he was successful in getting his news through to England, and a special edition of his paper containing it was being sold in the streets some two or three hours before the despatches had been received at the 'offices of any other paper.. A GREAT "SCOOP." But the "Daily Telegraph" has never had a more wonderful correspondent than Mr. Bennet Bur-leig-h, the veteran campaigner who is now at the front?. One of Mr. Burleigh's best "scoops" was his interview with Joubert on the eve of the last South African War. The slow troop train by which he was travelling was overtaken by a special, on which Joubert and his stall' wore going to the front, Burloigh waited until it was just' moving out of the station, and then bluffed the stationmaster into stopping it by signal, telling him that he had been left behind. The special stopped, and Burleigh got on board—to be congratulated heartily by Joubert on his entei^jrise, and to get from the Boer generalissimo a capital interview.—"Tit Bits."