AUSTRALIA'S GOVERNOR-GENERAL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 55, 26 August 1911, Page 9

AUSTRALIA'S GOVERNOR-GENERAL

SKETCH OF HIS CAREER. Referring to Australia's new GovernorGeneral, Lord Denman, who reached Melbourne a weok or two ago, the Sydney Morning Herald says:— The new Governor-General is quite a young man—only 36—with an almost boyish face. But he is a man of attainments, and has been Deputy-Speaker of the House of Lords under the present Government. Moreover, he is a friend of the King, and it was said that he owed his appointment as Governor-General of the Commonwealth largely to the King's personal interest. Lord Denman has never previously visited Australian; he sets foot on our shores now for the first time.

Lord Denman succeeded to his barony in 1894, at the age of 19, but his public work <totes from the time of the South African War. He has served his apprenticeship as a politician, courtier and sportsman—three of the professions open to tho young British aristocrat. But it is a soldier that Lord Denman should be introduced to Australia. When the Boer war broke out Lord Denman joined the 34th Middlesex Yeomanry, and went to South Africa as lieutenant under a very remarkable leaxler —an old steeplechaser and a foot-runner, and a bosom friend of Lord William Beresford—Major Dalbias. In the war, in an action at Senekal, Major Dalbiac was killed, and Lord Denman was promoted to captain, and given command of the squadron. In an account which appeared in an English paper were given some of Lord Denman's experiences at the war. "Almost every day we had a fight of some kind," he said, "My squadron was alternately advance and rearguard to the brigade. One day I had three scouts wounded, so that after that I decided to do without any. . . . . We were frequently mistaken for Boers by our own side, and three days running I was shot at by our own infantry. Once, getting into a tight corner from the Boers, we were received with a regular fusillade just as we were congratulating ourselves on our escape. The horse of a man riding behind me was killed. One day the leading squadron had got into a tight place. Firman (tho commanding officer) sent me up to reinforce, and as we came under fire I was hit through the thigh, the bullet just grazing the main artery. A friend of mine, Captain Maxted, of the East Yorkshire, skilfully tied up the wound, and I was carried back to camp. I was put in a train. . . and at Mooi river our train was several hours late, and we were left tied up in our stretchers on tho platform, so helpless as Wo evoke the derision of some Kaffir boys, who mocked and jeered at us. I then appreciated what true helplessness was." Two strong convictions were forced upon Lord Denman by his South African experiences. One was the value of mounted infantry; the other was the allimportance of the problem of army remounts. While at the front he contributed an article to the Nineteenth Century, which aroused considerable discussion. He dwelt upon the value of mounted infantry as scouts and skirmishers, and suggested that they might some day prove to be more useful than cavalry, owing to their better shooting capacity. "One mounted infantryman is l worth three foot soldiers," and Lord Denman concluded with the opinion that in the next great European war mounted infantry might be used as part of the great cavalry screen by which movements of large bodies of men were covered. In November, 1902, Lord Denman wrote a further article for the Nineteenth Century, based upon his experience at the remount deport in Pretoria. The article was entitled "The War Office and Remounts," and he had occasion to characterise the principle types of remounts which had come under his charge. Of them all the Cape pony was probably the best. When it was good it was very good indeed. The Canadian and Texan remounts he considered badly broken in; the Hungarians were "good-looking, but a sort with a weakness for collapsing quickly." Lord Denman has fonned a high opinion of the Australian horse for army purposes, and is looking forward' to studying this aspect of the remount problem at first hand during his stay in Australia. After his return from South Africa Lord Denman often took part in military debates in the House of Lords. The subject of his maiden speech in July, 1902, was the reform of Sandhurst. Speaking with the knowledge of personal experience, he said that Sandhurst was quite unsuited for its main purpose—that of training young officers who had just left school. The entire curriculum was too ambitious.

Much of Lord Denman's knowledge In army and remount matters came from his experiences as an amateur steeplechase rider. Lord Denman is fond of polo, and may play in Australia. He has also been the owner of a number of smart hurdlers which have been first past the winning post, with "owner up." In November, 1898, he scored his first public win with Black Maria, by Retreat—Stop Thief, at the Aldershot autumn meeting. Before going to the front in January, 1900, he sold his horses without reserve, Black Maria bringing 290gns. and Sheriff's Officer 480gns.