BENNET BURLEIGH.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1281, 6 August 1914, Page 4

BENNET BURLEIGH.

LAST OF THE OLD SCHOOL. AN AMERICAN APPRECIATION. LONDON, June 17. Bennet Burleigh, the war correspondent of the Daily Telegraph, died here yesterday. He was 70 years old. Bonnet Burleigh was the oldest anil the most widely-known of English war correspondents. He was born in. Glasgow, and came to this country early in tho civil war and fought on the Confederate aide. was captured twice and .sentenced to death, lie represented the Central New* throughout the first Egyptian war, and was present at Tel-el-Kebir.' He joined the staff of the Daily Telegraph in 1882, and represented that paper in the Second Phase, including the battles of El Teb and Tainai; the French campaign in Madagascar, accompanied the desert column from Korti MeLaimnah in 1884, and was present at Abu Klea and Abu Kru. He was correspondent for the Daily lelegraph with the Ashanti expedition, tho Spanish Riff campaign, ip the Greek war, with Atbara expedition, in the Egyptian war. in the South African war, the. Somaliland war, the Ruwto-Japanoie war, the Tripoli campaign and the recent- Balkan war. Mr Burleigh was the author or a number of books dealing with the various campaigns in which lie took part, including “Two Campaigns” and “Empire of the East.”

Percy S. Bullon, tho American reprssentativ* of tho London Daily Tolograph, who is in Quebec attending jEe Empress of Ireland enquiry, telegraphed to the Sun last, night- the following appreciation of Mr Burleigh, whom Mr Bullon knew intimately :

“Burleigh was probably the greatest war correspondent of the old school, and although for some months past he had been iu failing health h« died practically in harness, working to the last. I say old school advisedly, because Burleigh, _ although he recognised the necessity of the limitations imposed upon his craft in modern warfare, wa* no friend of the press censor and license system.

“Burleigh owed his success largely to his early training in. America, where he fought during, the Civil War on the side of the South. Twice I have heard him tell how ho was sentenced to death as a spy, but Burleigh was born lucky and twice ho escaped. “Burleigh was not only the ho«t known of European war correspondents, but be bad the knack of making himself personally acceptable even to men whom in his professional capacity he had criticised for shortcomings. In Egypt and South Africa I have seen him stroll a I random intp a field camp of officers and find himself by reason of bi* magnetic personality and immense resource of bonhomie the most popular man in camp. He owed bis success as a war correspondent iu twenty-four campaigns not only to his natural capacity for acquiring news under difficulty and to an iron physique, but because of the immense precautions betook to ensure success. “Burleigh realised that an army, as the saying is, ‘marches on it* .stomach,’ and that the commissariat is of first importance to the war correspondent ns to the army in the field. His; waggon and team of sixhorses iu tin' South African war was by comparison with the Capo earls and ponies of less fortunate, colleagues as a New York skyscraper to a mud hovel. “I last saw Burleigh in London in November. He told me then that lie feared the Balkan war. which he had been reporting for the Daily Telegraph, would be hi* last, but lie should still attend army manoeuvres in England, am! he dtfT. His Inst words to me as I embarked for New York were: ‘Give my love to America.’ ‘England or America, my old country or my new,’ as he used to say, ‘I do not know winch I love most.’ ” on Friday.