THIS WEEKS GREAT DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 71, 24 March 1928, Page 8

THIS WEEKS GREAT DAY.

MARCH 25.—DEATH OF LORD WOLSELEY. (By CHARLES CONWAY.) (Copyrighted.)

Fifteen years ago, on March 25, 1913, FieldMarshal Viscount Wolseley, one of the most distinguished British soldiere of the Victorian era, died at the age of 80.

tQo«> en ® Dublin, Ireland, on June 4, 1833, and his father was an army officer. At the age of 19 ho became ant ebsign in the army, and less than a year later he had his first experience of active service in the Burmese War, during the progress of which he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. For the next fifty years the story of Garnet Wolseley is the history of Britain's wars in all parts of the world, and is an unbroken record of distinguished service.

. In December, 1854, he commenced two years' service in the Crimea, and for his gallantry in the trenches at Sebastopol he received his captaincy, and waß awarded medals by the British, French and Turkish (Governments. In March, 1857, he was on his way to China when he was stopped and • sent to India in the early days of the Great Mutiny. He accompanied Sir Colin Campbell to the relief of Lucknow, and was with Sir James Outram • during the subsequent gallant defence of the city. He remained in India until peace was restored, by which time he had attained the rank of colonel, and he then proceeded to China, where he took part in the storming of the Taku forts and the entry into Peking.

In March, 1801, he was sent to Canada to make arrangements for the reception of troops in the event of war breaking out with the United States in connection with the "Trent" incident, and when this calamity had been averted he remained in the country on the headquarters staff. In 1867 he was actively employed during the Fenian raids, and three years later he commanded the troops which suppressed the rebellion of Louis' Riel at Fort Garry. For his services on this occasion he was made a K.C.M.G. and a C.B.

In 1871 he returned to England, where he performed some valuable work at the War Office in connection with army reorganisation, and two years later he was given the command of the Ashanti expedition. His wonderful work in that campaign is possibly the most brilliant exploit in his career, and earned for him the thanks of Parliament and a gift of £25,000. Leaving England at the end of September, 1873, he made a rapid march through an almost impenetrable country, inflicted a series of crushing defeats on the Ashantis, burnt Coomassie, secured the submission of King Koffee, and was back in England by the end of the following March.

After a brief period of home service he became in succession military governor of Natal, a member of the Council in India, and High Commissioner of Cyprus. In 1879 he undertook the final cleaning-up of the Zulu War, and afterwards in the capacity of Governor reorganised the administration of Natal and the Transvaal. In 1882, as Adjutant-General, he was E laced in command of the British troops in Igypt to suppress the rebellion of Arabi Pasha, whom he defeated at Tel-el-Kebir, for which he was raised to the peerage. Two years later he took charge of the expedition for the relief of General Gordon, which, despite his strenuous efforts, did not reach Khartoum until two days after the death of the heroic Christian gentleman.

He retained his position as Adjutant-General until 1890, when he took over the command of the army in Ireland, , and in 1895 he succeeded the Duke of Cambridge as Commander-in-chief of the British Army, in which position he was responsible for the dispatch of troops during the war in South Africa. He went into well-earned retirement in 1901.