OBITUARY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9106, 4 June 1908, Page 5

OBITUARY.

SIR REDVERS DULLER. Received June 3, 9.10 a.m. LONDON, Juno 2. The death is announced of Sir Redvers Buller. "A HARD FIGHTER." CRITICISMS NOT JUSTIFIED. Received June 3, 11.26 p.m. PRETORIA, June 3. General Botha has sent a message of condolence with Sir Redvers Buller's family. Mr J. H. Smuts, in an interview, said he regarded Sir Redvers Buller as one of the hardest fighters, and the criticisms of his campaigns against the Boers were not justified.

General Sir Redvers Henry Buller, V.C., G.C.8., G.C.M.G., was born in 1839. He served in the campaigns in Cnina (1860), Ashanti (1873-4), South Africa (1878-9), when he commanded the Fiontier Light Horse in the Zulu war and won his V.C., Egypt (1882-4), and Soudan (1884-5). All his regimental service has been in the 60lh King's Royal Rifles. In 1882 he married Audrey, daughter of the 4th Marquis Townshend, and widow of the Hon. G. T. Howard. He was Under-Secretary for Ireland for a short time in 1887. He was Quartermaster-General in 1887-90, Adjutant-General 1890-9, and succeeded the Duke of Connaught in the Aldershot command 1898. In 1899 he was appointed to the chief command of the British furces in South Africa, and took personal charge of the force directed to relieve Ladysmith, but when his attack on the Boer position at Colenso was repulsed (December, 1899), Lord Roberts was sent out as Commander-in-Chief. General Buller finally succeeded in relieving Ladysmith, drove the Boers out of Natal, and took part in the fighting in the Eastern Transvaal. He returned homo in October 1900, on January 10th, 1901, resumed his command at Aldershot, and on October Ist was given the command of the First Army Corps at Aldershot; but on October 22nd was retired on half-pay, in consequence of a speech which he made in London on the 10th, in reply to charges made against him in respect of a Irliogram sent by him to Sir George White after Colenso, and in respect of his general fitness to command an Army Corps. During 1902 much controversy was aroused on this subject, the Government refusing to comply with the General's request that the telegrams relating to the fighting for the relief of Ladysmith should be published.