A WET BLANKET

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 150, 26 June 1915, Page 18

A WET BLANKET

HOW EGYPTIAN ARDOUR WAS DAMPED. The French like Lord Kitchener because, as a youth, he fought for them in the Franco-German war, and the Italians like him for ths manner in which he preserved Egyptian neutrality during tho Tripolitan (Italo-Turkish) war. Just as the latter conflict began Lord Kitchener took charge of Egypt, which country, as more or less a vassal of Turkey, was keenly interested. Early in the war he is said to have been approached by a number of Egyptian officers who asked permission to volunteer for active service in Tripoli. Lord Kitchener replied that he would gladly give them permission to do so, but that their vacant posts would have to be filled by junior officers, and they themselves would probably find on their return that they had been placed on the retired list, not by his wishes, but by reason of the upward pressure due to tho congestion in the junior ranks. He advised them, therefore, to curb their heroic ambitions, so natural to Egyptians, and to stay at home : which they did. At another time certain notables pioposed that Egypt should send several regiments to the aid of the Turks, in accordance with the Turcc-Egyptian Treaty, which Englaaid was known to uphold. Lord Kitchener said that he would have no objection, should the Sultan make the request, but that, in order to preserve internal quiet, he would be obliged to replace the absent troops by an equal number of British regiments ; at which the proposal was hastily withdrawn.