LORD KITCHENER DROWNED.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1561, 8 June 1916, Page 3

LORD KITCHENER DROWNED.

H.M.S HAMPSHIRE SINKS OFF ORKNEY ISLANDS. LITTLE HOPE OF SURVIVORS. London, June H. Admiral Jellieoe reports : “H.M.S. Hampshire, with Lord Kitchener and Staff, was sunk on Monday night, at 8 o’clock, west of the Orkney Islands, cither by a, mine or torpedo. “Four observers on shore saw four boats leave the ship in heavy seas. A patrol vessel and destroyers immediately proceeded to the spot. The searchers up to the present have only found some bodies in a capsized boat. “I *>reatly fear there is little hope of survivors. “The Hampshire was going to Russia.” Lord Kitchener, invited hy the Tsar, had left England on a, visit to Russia. At the request of the Government he was to have discussed important military and financial questions. The War Office, states ;—Lord Kitchener’s party consisted of Lieutenant-Colonel James Fitzald, Military Secretary ; BrigadierGeneral Eilershaw, Lieutenant MacPherson, Mr S. ('? Hugh James) O’Brien, of the Foreign Office ; Sir H. Donaldson, and Mr L. Robertson, of the Ministry of Munitions ; Detective MacLaughlan, of Scotland Yard, and five personal servants and clerks.

AN IRREPARABL ELOSS. To-day the British Empire mourns the death of its greatest soldier. Our allies mourn with us, and even our enemies cannot fail to pay its tribute to his military genius. The following outline of his record of varied service to the British Empire is a summary of achievements in which tlie Mother Country and the Dominions have a just pride. Horatio Herbert Kitchener, eldest son of the late Lieut.'-Colonel H. H. Kitchener of the 13th Dragoons, was born at Grot ter House, County Kerry, on 24th June, 1850, and educated at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He entered the Army as a lieutenant of Royal Engineers in January, 1871, and was promoted captain in January, 1883, major in October, 1884, and colonel in April, 1888. During the FrancoPrussian War of 1870 he saw some service on the French side as a volunteer. The eight years between 1874 and 1882 were spent in civil employment.

HIS WORK IN PALESTINE. In 1874 he joined the survey of Western Palestine under Major Cornier, but after the attack on the party at Safed, in 1875, he returned to England, and for two years was engaged in laying down the Palestine Exploration Fund's map. Returning to the Holy Land in 1877, he executed the whole of the survey of Gallilee. In 1878 he was sent to Cyprus to organise the Courts. He was next appointed Vice-Consul at Erzerum. ,Subsequently he returned to Cyprus and made a survey of the entire island. In 1882, hearing that an Egyptian army was being organised by Sir Evelyn Wood, he volunteered for the service, and was appointed one of the two majors of the cavalry.

WINNING FAME IN EGYPT. Miijor Kitchener soon acquired a knowledge of the Egyptian character, so Unit he was often entrusted with missions of some delicacy, which were always carried out in a most satisfactory manner. In June, 1884, he was appointed Deputy-As-sistant Adjutant-General of the Intelligence Department under Sir Charles Wilson, and took part, in the Nile Expedition. He also drew up a scheme for the relief of Khartoum, and the rescue of Gordon. It was to have been effected hy a small brigade of infantry, led with confidence and moved with celerity, but, the plan was overruled. Eor his services he was several times mentioned in despatches,*and was promoted Brevet, Lieut.-Colonel. In August, 188(1, he succeeded General Watson as Governor of the Bed Sea territories, and the judicious advice he then gave the Arabs enabled them to overthrow Osman Digna, at lamai with great slaughter. Subsequently he succeeded Colonel Chermside as Governor-General ol the Bed Sea Littoral, and Commandant at Suakin. At the action of Handoub he commanded the Egyptian troops, and was severely wounded. In May, 1888, he left for England, being succeeded at Suakin by Lieut.-Colonel Holled Smith. Upon his arrival he was nominated Aide-de-Camp to the Queen, which appointment carries with it the rank of Colonel ; he was also awarded the Medjidie of the .second class.

Towards the end of the year Colonel Kitchener again left for Egypt, and was appointed to command a brigade of the Egyptian army in the Soudan. lie was pve-

sent at the action of Gazaiza, and ’.vas mentioned in despatches. At the battle of Toski, in August, 1889, he was in command of the mounted troops. Ho was again mentioned in despatches, and received a C.B. In 1892 lie succeeded Sir Francis Grenfell as Sirdar fo the Egyptian army, with (he local rank of Ferik, or Lieut.-General. Colonel Kitchener had been since 1888 Adjutant-Gen-eral and second in command of the army, and also Inspector-General of Police at Cairo. Ills next achievement. was the recapture of Dongola. In the summer of 1890 an expeditionary force, composed! of English and Egyptian troops, advanced into the Soudan with the object of retaking from the Dervishes the lost province of Do igola, and after several successful engagements the whole province was subdued. Sir Herbert Kitchener was promoted Major-General, and created a K.C.B. for distinguished service in the Held. Tin; Khedive also conferred upon him the Medjidio of the first class, and the Osnmmeh of the second class. The victory enabled him to extend a railway to Berber, and was the Hast decisive blow struck at the power of the Mal'uli

THE TRIUMPH OF KHARTOUM.

The brilliancy of the action, however. was eclipsed by the crushing defeat inflicted at the buttle of Atbara on Good Friday of 1898. A force of Dervishes, numbering about 20.000 men, under the command of the Emir Mahmoud and Osman Digna, were strongly entrenched in a zareba a( Albara, but in spile of the strength of their position the Anglo-Egyptian array utterly routed thj,‘ Dervishes, who lied, leaving over 3.000 dead and nearly 4,000 prisoners. Sir Herbert Kitchener, who had been under lire throughout the light, received congratulatory telegrams from the ( L lueen and (he House of Commons, and most of the crowned heads of Europe, The climax of the Soudan campaign of 1898 was reached at the battle of Omdurman and 1 lie capture of Khartoum on 2nd September, when the army of the Khalifa was annihilated. Among Ihe results of the brilliant victory were the extinction of Mahdism, and the submission of the whole of the country formerly under Egyptian authority. The Sirdar, upon arriving at Fashoda, found a French force entrenched, hut he claimed the territory for England and Egypt, and left the settlement of the a Hair to diplomacy.

On 21st October he was raised to the peerage as Lord Kitchener of Khartoum and of Aspall in Sullolk. and was promoted to a 0.C.8. He arrived in Ragland in November and met with a most enthusiastic reception. The Lord Mayor entertained him at the Mansion House, and presented him with the freedom of the city and a sword of honour. At the same lime he asked the public to raise a fund of £IOO,OOO for founding and endowment of a college to be built at Khartoum as a memorial to Gordon, for the education and training of Egyptians and Soudanese. The scheme met with universal approval, and when he returned to Egypt he took with him the whole of the sum required for the purpose. The foundationstone of the Gordon College was laid by Lord Cromer in the presence of a large number of Sheiks and other notables. In December, Lord Kitchener was appointed Governorof the Soudan. SOUTH AFRICA AND INDIA. Lord Kitchener remained in the Soudan till he was appointed Chief of Staff, under Lord Roberts, in the South African War, 188!)-1!H)0. He was Commander-in-Chief from 1!)()() to lt(02, and for his services he was promoted to.the rank of general. He also received a Viscounty, u grant of £50,000 and the thanks of Parlament. He was Commander-in-Chief in India from 1002 to 1000, and in .1000 he rose to the rank of Field Marshal. He was a member of the Committee of Imperial Defence, 1010. From 1011 to 1014 he was Consul-General of Egypt. The earldom was created in 1014, when he was appointed Secretary of State for War.