A Martial Bishop

New Zealand Tablet, 13 September 1906, Page 7

A Martial Bishop

The Right Rev:. Dr. Brindle, -Bishop . of. Nottingham, who received the Queen of Spain 1 (the Princess Ena) ~ into the Catholic Church, is a" - remarkable- - man. -He was --- an- army chaplain. sDnd won the dis- ' t nguishcd- service - order ih Egypt— a fact -which is chronicled in army -lists, .and ' 'biographical leference books for all to. see. - . , . • v - No chaplain was -ever more popular \in the army ..with officers and men of all- -denominations. He" &c~. companied Wolseley's forces in Egypt— .and entered' Cairo in ,the days when England a-nd -" English plans were distrusted and disliked. The epidemic of cholera .that decimated the-: city" first proved to the Egyptians what manner" of" men were those who had come to introduce the "reign"- of law V, and order in their .country. . . ' _• r . • i ' The fallalveen— starving and""wr_etch'ed T-'bowed"T -'bowed" before the pestilence, as sent by Allah, - raising"? no"- .finger to help themselves-; The 'British troops" quietly- set. .to work r to fighjtL it,~ disinfecting, cleansing, burying ' the - dead, succoring - the sick-; and foremost in- this work- <. was always the sturdy-, young ichaplain, who- seemed to ; know neither fatigue nor fear... At - Tel-el-K<ebir, in- • stead of -remaining , with -the ambulance; he was with the Royal Irish regjiment* in their -oharge= over- the entrenchments, lie said-- he wanted 'to -be -with the boys ' where they needed him most;- Two years later he __took part in the expedition for the relief of Gor.don- at- Khartoum. Though entitled .to a horse, he would never -ride, insisting on " tramping with the men. In 18.96 "he was in the Soudan: 'again with Kitch--ener fighting the Khalifa. Dongola ; in- that year' -and--Omdurman^some yoars . later were- battlefields . where the- chaplain's mettle was proved, as the wounded and dying found to their comfort. Alt-hough these- came - always first with Father' Bri-ndle, there was -not anofficer or a' private in the brigade but " knew 4;hat he could reckon on . the chaplain for all possible support and help. 'It was at Atbara - that he won the ' distinguished .service order. There he- brought iip ammunition from the rear when Burn-Murdoch's men wire desperately defending their zereeba attacked on all sides by the mahdi's fanatic Soudanese. Again and agam he crossed the line of fire carrying the "cartridge cases 'as calmly as he might have carried "cheese./ The men, face to -face with death, paused to cheer him as he passed. ' ' After Ms appointment to the See of Nottingham in- lflOl he was present at a reception in Cardinal Vaughan's house at Westminster. The -room was" crowded with officers who had ' served -" in Egypt and .had come to' do honor to their old comrade. Pae Bishop wore on his purple soutane a long .row of orders and* medals,- the crescent of " a Turkish order hanging close "to his episcopal of- -gold. - Dr.. Bnndle \ laughed heartily as one of his old iriends whispered to him : • You diff" not wear such a fine , kiff, •my lord, when I had my- last - chat with you ■ You wore the khaki then.'