SIR STANLEY MAUDE’S DEATH.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1840, 15 June 1918, Page 4

SIR STANLEY MAUDE’S DEATH.

A VICTIM OF HIS OWN COURTESY. Lithe House of Commons lust month, the Prime Minister proposed a 'grant of £25,000 should be made to Lady Maude, the widow of Lieutenant-General Sir Stanley Maude, in recognition of the eminent services rendered by him while commanding the forces in Mesopotamia.

Mr Lloyd George paid an eloquent tribute to the services—“distinguished, far-reaching, and permanent in their effect” —which Sir Stanley Maude had rendered to the Empire. He reminded the House that Sir Stanley Maude -had not only restored British prestige in the East by feats which were among the finest in military history, but that he had shown great gifts of statesmanship in his administration of the 'difficult country he had conquered. While ruling with a firm hand, he won the esteem and affection of a gifted but suspicious race, not merely by the equity of his rule, but by the intelligent sympathy which he had displayed. He told for the first time the story of the death of the captor of Bagdad, which he had heard from a member of his staff. He showed how Sir Stanley Maude died a victim of the. inbred courtesy of his fine character. He visited a plague-stricken area at the invitation of its inhabitants. They gave him a great welcome for the many kindnesses which he had displayed. They offered him a small act of hispitality, and though he knew the peril so well that he had forbidden any soldier in his escort to eat or drink while on that visit, he ran the risk himself rather than hurt the susceptibilities of the people. There was cholera in that cup, and he died in a few days. Although he did not know what destiny might have in store for the famed land which Sir Stanley Maude had conquered, he was certain that the whole course of its history had been changed for the better, and that his name would always be cherished as that of the gentlest conqueror who had ever entered the gates of Bagdad. The House was greatly moved by the Prime Minister’s words, and Mr M’Kenna’s hope, in seconding the motion, that this last tribute to Sir Stanley Maude would be paid by a unanimous vote was fully endorsed.