NOTABLE SOLDIER

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18268, 30 December 1924, Page 13

NOTABLE SOLDIER

31UCH-TRAVELLED BRITON. JARBIVAL OF LIEUT-COLONEL POTTINGER. Li£utena|nt-Colonel Eldred Pottinger, D.5.0., F.R.G.S., is at present in Wellington, and incidentally is visiting New Zealand for the first time. The Pottingers are a well-known North of Ireland family, one of the most thickly populated parts of Belfast bearing that name. This property was mortgaged by Lieut-Colonel Pottingcr's great-grandfather to raise money to help William of Orange when he landVed in Ireland, and Colonel Pottinger is the proud possessor of a pair of silver candelabra, which William 111 presented as a thanks offering. Travel and exploration run in the Pottinger blood, for as far back as 1811 was published "Travels in Scind and Baluchistan," by Henry Pottinger, who, after joining the diplomatic service in Persia, was England's first Ambassador to China, and annexed Hong-Kong to the British Empire. His son, Sir Frederick Pottinger, was head of the New South Wales police in the 'sixties, and was buried in Kandwick churchyard, Sydney. Sir Henry's nephew, of Herat fame, was the man who forced the Persians in 1841 to raise the siege of Herat. In the following year, owing to an unwise policy on the part of the British leaders angering the Afghans, it was decided, in opposition to Pottinger's advice, to withdraw the British army to India. Impeded as they were with women and children, insufficient supplies, and in the depths of winter, the army fell an easy prey to the treacherous Afghans as soon as they entered the Khyber Pass. Of the fighting forces, which included Pottinger 's brother, only one survivor reached the British force at Jellalabad, a Dr. Bryden. His arrival there has been immortalised by Lady Butler's famous picture, "The Remnants of an Army." Meanwhile Pottinger negotiated a treaty by which the Afghans should receive several lac of rupees if the British women and children were saved. To ensure the payment of this money, the Afghans insisted that he himself—though badly wounded —should accompany the women and children as a hostage. When the avenging army from India entered Afghanistan orders were given for all the women and children to be.massacred, but Pottinger, by promises of, bribes, persuaded the local tribes to oppose the Amir's forces and escort these helpless people back to India, where they eventually arrived aafely. He recoived the C.B. for his services, and, weakened by wounds and 1 hardships, died shortly after at the early age of 35. Lust for Travel. All this, and much more concerning the history of this fighting family a "Dominion" reporter gleaned in an interview with Lieutenant-Colonel Pottinger. Colonel Eldred Pottinger's own life history reads like a romance. At the age of 12, he won a mathematical scholarship at Cheltenham College, and from there went to the Military Academy at Woolwich. On being commissioned he went to India, and spent all of his military service in Asia, with the exception of two periods in Africa. '' My desirs for travel,'' said Lieut-

enant-Colonel Pottinger, "soon brought , me in touch with fhe Intelligence Do>S Apartment, and'in less than two years of Army Service, I started on ray first .■;? exploration in Persia, covering most of the country between the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea. Pretending to be a photographer saved me from serious trouble when caught in that country using a theodolite." , Other journeys were undertaken in Baluchistan, Assam, Burma, Thibet, the Shan States and 'China. During these years Colonel Pottinger passed in five different Oriental languages. Exciting Experience*. "Amongst my exciting experiences," Colonel Pottinger, "was a journey 1100 miles up the Yangtze River from Shanghai, and then overland to Burma. When the tribesmen started to attack my party, I procured an escort of 50 Chinamen, who, after a fortnight's training, proved excellent and most faithful soldiers. I was surveying to " sec if it was possible to connect Burma ' and vChina by a railway. By fighting my way through, I completed the survey, and at the same time, by appearing before the Chinese Governor in all my gold-lace dress uniform, bluffed him into believing I was a most important person, and extracted from him £750 hard cash, as an indemnity for the way I had been insulted and molested. ■ Kidnapping an Empress. "I was then offered," proceeded Lieut.-Colonel Pottinger, "£IO,OOO by the Chinese Reform Party to undertake a plot to kidnap the late Dowager Empress of China. The negotiations eventually broke down, because we could not come to terms as to whether she was to be handed over at Shanghai or on board the steamer at Takii." After travelling for two years in Canada and a similar period of time in Africa, Colonel Pottinger tried his hand at lecturing about his travels, and did this for three winders in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, spending the summers in travel through the new republics in Finland, Esthonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. Colonel Pottinger has just completed a tour through Australia and Tasmania.

During the Great War Lieut.-Colonel Pottinger was in command of an army field artillery brigade in Prance, and for a time was attached to the corps commanded by General Sir Charles Pergusson, now of New Zealand.