NEW STORIES OF E. OF K.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 290, 20 September 1915, Page 3

NEW STORIES OF E. OF K.

FRESH SIDELIGHTS ON OUR GREAT WAR MINISTER.

(By Arthur JE. P. Brcme WeigalL) New and authenic stories of Lord Kitchener are as rare as they arc welcome. There arc, of course, plenty of anecdotes told of the man who is “ running ” the British Army from ins office in Whitehall but most of them demand the proverbial grain of salt for consumption.

Mr. Weigall’s stories of “K. ” as the soldiers call our Minister for War, have the ring of truth about them, however. They are good without being forced. Mr.Weigall was at one period Inspector-General of Antiquities to te Egyptian Government, and consequently his opportunities of hearing things first-hand were exceptional.

Lord Kitchener wont to Egypt as Pro-Consul ust before Italy made wai on Tripoli!, and his first, business was to keep Egypt strictly neutral. Germany had both eyes in Tripoli, and it was a question whether she or Italy was to "grab” it first. The Italians as Our Neighbours.

It suited our purpose to have the Italianas as neighbours; and to give them a chance to “settle in” the Turks had to be kept away from Tripoli via Egypt, However, early in the war Lord Kitchener was approached by a number of Egyptian officers, who asked permission to volunteer for active service against the Italians. Lord Kitchener replied that he would gladly give them permissicno to do so, but that their vacant posts would have to be filled by junior officers, and they themselves wouM probably find on their return that they had been placed on the retired list not by his wishes but by reason of the upward pressure due to the congestion in the unior ranks. He advised them, therefore, to curb their heroic ambitions, so natural to Egyptians, and to stay at home, which they did. Another story which Mr. Weigall tolls is also an amusing instance of ”K. V’ admirable managing way. ‘‘Certain notables proposed that Egypt should send several regiments to aid the Turks (in Tripoli) in accordance wit the Turco-Egyptian Treaty, which England was known to uphold. “Lord Kitchener said ho would have no objection should the Sultan make the request, but that, in order to preserve internal qpiet, he would bo obliged to replace the absent troops by an equal number of British regiments; at which the proposal was hastily withdrawn.”

The way in which the great solderadministrator dealt with a band of administrator dealt with a band of warlike natitves was even more amusing.

Pleased with their Warlike Qualities

"A deputation of Bedouin chieftain.* waited on Lord Kitchener to ask him to permit them to gather their tribes and travel into Tripoli to fight the Italians,” Mr. WeigaJl relates.

“His Lordship congratulated them

most heartily on their warlike qualities, which, ho admitted, he had overlooked. He reminded them that up til now they, as nomads, had been exempted from service in the Egyptian army; but that since they wore thirsting for military glory, ho felt that Egypt could ill afford to lose them, and he would see that they were eonseribed for the army like the Jcllabin (the Egyptian peasantry).

“To those remarks he is said to have added slight suggestions of a wink, which is so well understood by the natitve to mean that it is best to keep quiet. Needless to say, they did not go to (ho war.”