EARL KITCHENER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15884, 3 April 1915, Page 1 (Supplement)

EARL KITCHENER.

BT LIEUT. -COLOXEL A- A. GRACE, N.ZFA. It was a wet day. so wet that the rain < ran down your neck, in spite of mackin- . tosh and cap, and emptied itself into your ) boots. The whole country-side was a mass t of mountains and hills, down which water , ran everywhere in rivulets—dismal conn- . try to move troops in—sliding, slippery, sloppy country, which gave no toot- s nold to man or beast, except on the lew ' narrow and muddy roads- -an impossible ' country in which to manoeuvre guns. , But the business had to be done, not , only because orders had been issued for the troops to take up a certain line of l defence, but also because Lord Kitchener t was to inspect the force during the , nianceuvres. Now, it lucre is one tiling 1 ( I dislike, more than another, it is being in- , ispected, because, you can believe me, little ' jor no honour or encouragement accrues ' from the process : but usually only criticism, nasty remarks, ill-feeling, and bad I temper. lint, of course, the subordinate I must bottle up his feelings, whatever they I may be, and it is always the subordinate j who is inspected. .My command was a I battery of artillery, and knowing by ex- : [ perience what inspections are like, and ! providentially being given a pretty free l hand by my superior olhc er, 1 determined I to tuck my battery away in a quiet sequestered spot where, coincident with the tactical situation, it would attract as little as possible the attention of Lord Kitchener and his satellites. I thought that was the best thing to do in tho very damp and distressing circumstances. Leaving the battery on one of the I muddy and rain-sodden roads, 1 went to I reconnoitre for a position suc'i as I had in my mind's eye; and before very long 1 found just the very thing, a nice little plateau, easy of access, covered in front , by a gentle rise and screened from the j main arteries of that sloppy country by ja considerable hill, It was a good artilI lery position, for both direct and indirect I fire, and I hoped it might escape the j notice of the extraordinary numoer of j diligent staff officers, who had fastened 'themselves about Lord Kitchener as bees j fasten on honey, each anxious to distinguish himself by criticising the work of others. But my little scheme was sadly 1 frustrated in the twinkling of an eye by my superior officer, who ordered me out of'my chosen spot to a position bang ' on the broad highway where my battery • could not escape the " enemy"—by which ; I mean the inspecting staff. The general opinion of Lord Kitchener is that he is an austere man, reaping where he has not sown, and gathering 1 where he has not strawed; and woe be- : tide the unfortunate officer who falls under ' his displeasure. But on a dreadfully wet day like that, when yon arc soaked to the skin, and the ration in your haversack is as sodden as yourself, an additional discomfort doesn't seem to matter much. , ' So that when f saw Lord Kitchener's ' cavalcade coming down the road straight ' for my gun-position, it only seemed to ' bo in keeping with the fitness of things that the worst should happen. The guns were down in a hollow, and I had perched myself on a little conical hill near by where I could see miles and miles to the front and to either flank, so that with the aid of my binocular I could see the great Field .Marshal long before, very probably, he became aware of the existence of my battery. He rode a black 1 horse and came on at a walk. At the ' foot of my little hill he dismounted, and • choosing quite the easiest way Up the hill, ' like the true tactician he is, he was soon ' on tho top. . 1 I rose up from the sodden earth where • I was sitting beside my instruments and i the officer commanding my escort, and went to meet tho great man, as military i etiquette demands, and saluted. But in- • Stead of the scowling martinet I saw the « round, red, smiling face of a courteous > gentleman. " What have vou got your guns laid on 1 to?" 1 1 pointed out the place. 5 " Why have you laid them on to that? i I gave the reason. f That seoras ail right, if it comes off. ) But perhaps the enemy won't appear there. "We shall see.'' He bad as his per--3 sonal staff officer, a tall, handsome man, . a colonel, who asked questions as to the l disposition of the troops on our side, and a made copious notes in his notebook. There f was no brusque manner about these gen- - tlemen, no naughty air, no dictatorial i tone; they spoke as gentlemen speak to f gentlemen, quietly, kindly, with great t consideration, and if there was any difference between them Lord Kitchener was 1 the kindler of the -two. 3 This let me out, I thought. So salutine again. I retired to my instruments and 9 my friend the captain of my escort, Then '- the small fry came and tormented me, I staff captains" and people like Gift. But I didn't lose my equanimity; I felt quite ' happv in the knowledge that there was ' "somebody" there who would put these ' gentlemen' in their places if necessary. ™ With mv glasses I had all this time f been scanning the horizon, and my battery P sergeant-major was doing the same ; through the battery telescope, a very , powerful instrument. Suddenly, at tho very point on which I had laid my guns, r I saw a bodv of the enemy appear, horse- ' men, riding with a good interval between r them line behind line, a good distance ? separating them. I had scarcely lowered 1 my binocular from my eyes, when I noticed a f tho Great -Man approaching. I was on mv feet in a moment, but he said, "Don't 8 get up. What do vou take those people D to be?" "The enemy, sir." " Are you '.' quite sure?" "Yes, sir." "Why?" I •'Because we have no mounted men out " on that flank." "Right. Go on. then." I ! I opened fire, my signallers signalling v my orders down to the battery; and I a noticed that the courteous colonel made 8 notes in his notebook. _ r Presently the target disappeared behind d a fold in the ground, and I stopped firing. " I had hardly done so when away on the '* other flank appeared more mounted troops '• of the enemy. Lord Kitchener seemed • quite interested. 1 had to change my line of fire from one flank to the other. n This is done by measuring angles, taking v the new range, and signalling to the '" batterv the necessary orders. Of course '<' the gunners could see nothing, except the >' aiming-point. They were screened com- '' pletcly from the enemy. As the muzzles II of the guns swung round in little jerks, ' halting when they were laid at the core reel angle, it was good to see from the 15 hill that they had got the "line" to the • s new target all right, and it was even c ' better to see the smile on Lord Kitchener's ''' I benignant, face. 0 That series "went off" all right, and >' then '• their" guns appeared in the centre s of their front. More angles had to be measured, a new range bad to be taken, '' and fresh orders semaphored down to the ' 8 battery. The rain, which had held up G for a time, now came down in torrents; 0 but it made no difference to the gunners. 11 who were already as wet as sponges. 1: Thev carried on their work without making mistakes, and the enemy's guns had '" been "got on to" without their making '> any reply. 6 Lord Kitchener had all this while been 1 standing close by, where he could see the n working of the instruments and the oat(1 tery. "I think that will do." he said. '• Don't worry about doing anything ' l more," and lie said it almost as if he '» were speaking to a friend instead of to '" an insignificant buttery command whom ; " ho had never seen in hi? life before. '' I got off that bill as quick as I could, >' limbered up the guns, and was starting '■' for camp before Lord Kitchener was on 18 his horse. As I retreated I occasionally >' fired a gun to prevent the " enemy" from r knowing I was shifting. But His Lordi- ship sent one of his young men on a d horse to tell me the manoeuvres were n over and to get my men comfortably n under canvas as soon 36 possible. 0 Ho may be the "terrible person" he 16 has been pictured, but I don't believe it. a I believe him to be the kindly, genial 10 gentleman I found him. Ie But there was one man he broke that h day. a friend of mine and a good fellow * too in many way?: but he lost his nerve. Ie And that was the end of him. But then, * what is the good of soldiers who lose their nerve?