CHARACTER SKETCH.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1514, 7 March 1901, Page 10

CHARACTER SKETCH.

LIFE STOItY OF LORI) ROBERTS FROM THE .'CRADLE TO THE COM-MANDER-IN-CHIEF . A little, bronzed-faced man —thin, : wiry, rugged; with a keenly, humourous eye, and turbulent, white, bristling hair. Immaculate in attire. Well-knit and upright, in spite of advancing years; stern, yet kindly—a human impersonation or a staunch little rough-haired terrier, game ~/ to the backbone. That is Bobs, the . most popular, and the most, deservedly .j popular man in the British Army. A , Terror for 'is size,” and fit to fight anything or anybody, at any odds you please. Few people; seem to realise the enormous physical difficulties Roberts has ! had to contend with, especially m the opening of his life. As a child, he was a constant feuffcrer from heart troublo, ' and was generally weakly, no- doubt ow- : ing to his earliest childhod being passed in India. Yet, in spite of this heavy handicap, he has become the brilliant strategist and the grand commander we know and honour to-day. It was on the last day of September, just 68 years ago, came into the world, unaccompanied by any particular flourish of trumpets, the baby who was predestined to become one of the greatest commanders of the century, and the mainstay of the British Army. At the mature age of eighteen months he made the first of his many long sea voyages, suitably accompanied by his father, Sir Abraham- Roberts, and his mother. Two years later his parents left him in charge of some friends at Clifton, where he spent eleven years of his life, and underwent the painful experience of learnig that CAT spells cat, and aoquired other important fragments of knowledge of a similar character. It 'is rumoured, though possibly the rumour is scandalous, that there was a certain difficulty in instilling these rudimentary principles into the mind of the future field-marshal. In fact, there are certain malicious people biassed enough to maintain that he evinced a strong inclination to dispute the- accuracy of the multiplication, table when questioned, or at any rate to quote from a revised and amended version, which occasionally led „to trouble with the authorities. Lot us mere humans secretly hope that this may be true, and that even a hero of England may have been puzzled when asked point-blank for the correct answer to seven times nine. However, after some thirteen years of existence, whether he solved the foregoing intricate problem or no, be became a pupil at Eton. A FIGHTING BOY. Life at a great public school was i rougher in those days than in the pre- ’ sent age of youthful sybarites and t Roberts, who was a weak and rather sickly boy, came in for bis full share of youthful trials and tribulations. In fact, had it not been for his indomitable pluck, it it doubtful whether he would have stood the year he passed there so successfully. There is a story which bears this cut. One Thursday afternoon a small group of boys were gathered together in a secluded spot, behind a corner of a building famous to old Etonians. One of them, a small, pale, weakly-looking youngster, was stripped to his shirt sleeves; while his opponent, who was a good stone and a half heavier, was waiting for his atta®k with an air of disdainful confidence. The first round was distinctly disastrous to the more youthful hero, who retired to his comer shaking and aching about the tip of the nose. The second round was cataclysmic, and Bob’s second had much ado to bring him up to time. But sore, wo'rried and considerably knocked about, the small figure squared up to his burly antagonist defiantly. His Irish fighting blood was up, and, as everybody knows, the more entirely you kill an Irishman the better he fights; your sunny, genial-tempered Paddy is never so cool or so deadly as when, you have chipped off his salient features. Now, one of Bobs’s features, if not chipped off, was at least throbbing painfully, so he began his first experiment in tactics. It occurred to him that his enemy was fat and scant of breath, and he “worked accordin’.’'’ Avoiding all the punishment he could, and taking the rest with true Hibernian philosophy, he pounded away with all the strength Providence had allowed him at his enemy’s wind, with the result that the sixth round found him a tottering victor. From that hour his reputation was established, and he lived unmolested. SUCCESS AT SCHOOL. After a short "year at Eton he was removed to Sandhurst, and two years later to the Military College at Addiscombe. His health was still bad, he suffered greatly from heart trouble, and always slept with a stimulant by his bedside. But his cheeriness and good humour carried him through all difficulties, and at the end of his time He passed his examination ninth out of a batch of over fifty competitors, the preliminary quarrel with accepted mathematcal principles having been apparently patched up. ENTERS THE ARMY. He received his commission early in,

-1852, and sailed from in the Ripon as second lieutenant m the Bengal Artillery. On the voyage out he suffered greatly from the heat, especially in the Red Sea; so much so, in fact, that one night at dinner he remarked: “How in the world Shall we ever be able to fight in India if it is as hot as this ?” On his arrival be joined his father s staff; but his early experiences were singularly devoid of incident. His time was chiefly taken up with acquainting himself with his duties and the study of native language. Five years of weary waiting elapsed before he had a chance of showing his latent ability on active service. Inuring this period, as during his schooldays, the demon of ill-health pursued him, and he frequently complained in private of home-sickness, and the irksomeness of barrack routine. One step he achieved during these years of probation, and that was his appointment as Deputy-Assistant Quartermaster-Gener-al of Peshawur. SERVICE IN INDIA. At long last, on May 11, 1857, while he and his brother officers were sitting at mess the spell of inaction was broken. An orderly rushed into the room with a telegraphic despatch announcing the outbreak of the Mutiny at Meerut. There was a moment’s panic, then discipline and iron self-control resumed their sway. A hasty decision was come to to keep the news a. profound secret. A meeting was held next day to decide on a plan of campaign. Neville Chamberlain was given command, and he chose young Roberts as staff officer, to the latter’s extreme delight. His first duty in his new capacity was to send a telegram to the Commander-in-Chief. A few hours later, while still flushed with excitement at his first chance of active service, he was visited by Nicholson himseif, who accused him of communicating the contents of the first despatch to some person outside the officers’ mess, at which it had been received. Young Roberts indignantly denied the charge. A visit to the telegraphic office and the confession of one of the fully exonerated him, and from that time forward he and Nicholson remained firm friends till the latter’s tragic death outside the walls of Delhi. As soon as it became known that the mutineers intended to make a stand at that place, Lieutenant Roberts was ordered to the scene of action, artillery officers being in great demand. His journey there wus characteristic. He received his orders late at night, dawn the next day found him well advanced on the .first stage, with the magnificent equipment of a saddle and bridle and a small roll of bedding. On reaching Umballa he was jeered at for attempting to push on, and sarcastically recommended to make himself comfortable for a prolonged stay. Quite unmoved by the obvious difficulties in his way, he managed to get a seat on ai special ammunition cart which was leaving that same night, carrying his kit on his lap. Eventually, after many misadventures, he reached the British lines the following evening after sundown, so dog-tired that he fell asleep on the bare ground. WINS HIS V.C. There is neither time nor space to give a full account of his splendid conduct throughout thei siege, but one instance is specially worthy of notice. On the 14th July, with the men at the guns falling all around him and many of the horses wounded, he found it necessary to give the order to retire. The animals were so scared that it was found almost impossible to limber up the guns. Whilst giving personal aid, and doing his best to pacify the frightened brutes, a bullet hit the young lieutenant in the bad, nearly unseating him. The shock, however, ~ v T as partly diverted by a. leather pouch, and he was enabled to bring away his guns in safety. It is a striking coincidence that his son, Lieujt. Roberts, V.C., should have lost his life under circumstances so similar, whilst making a gallant effort to rescue the guns at Colenso in the present war. One great loss occurred to Lieutenant Roberts during the latter days of the siege of Delhi the death of John Nicholson. To quote his own words on the subject, “To lose Nicliolson seemed to me at that moment to lose everything.” What greater or more loyal tribute) could one great man pay to the memory of another ? It is hard when war talk is familiar, toi realise the horrors and hairbreadth escapes which were everyday occurrences throughout the duration of the Mutiny. Over and over again the intrepid little Irishman came scatheless through the valley of death. Once, when sent out in advance of the main body to select a camping ground, he and a brother officer suddenly found themselves cut off. It was a case of a ride for life. They rode) at the gallop through a village strongly held by the enemy only to come suddenly upon a deep nullah beyond. Roberts's horse stumbled, and both rolled over into the water. In the fall his hand was badly hurt by a sliding cu,t with the sharp edge) of his sword, and the blood flowing on to the reins made them , slippery; but, sitting low, to avoid the heavy fire as far as possible, he forced his horse up the opposite bank, and escaped without further accident. A little later an action of conspicuous gallantry won him the much-coveted V.O. It was at Kud'aganj. A native

trooper was unhorsed, and a Sepoy was just about to give him the coup de grace when Roberts, parrying a bayonet thrust, ran the man tliroug'i and reiscu,ed the fallen private. A second or so later, seeing two mutineers ing to get away with the standard, he gave chase and cut down the flag-bearer. The latter’s comrade placed his musket close np against Roberts’s body, but luckily it missed fire, and the standard was carried off by the young lieutenant in triumph. FAILING HEALTH. After the tremendous strain involved by his duties throughout the Mutiny, his health again gave way, and he was compelled to gO' on the sick list, much against his will. Personally, he considered that a short holiday in the hills woUjld meet the case, but the doctors were peremptory, and ordered him back to England on long leave. He handed over his duties to Wolseley, and left for Home with the promise of early promotion. Whilst on furlough in County Waterford, he met Miss Nora Bews, with whom; he fell in love, and was married to her on the 17th of May in the following y ear —lßs9. Apropos of his. early married life there is a good story tolcL A short time after the married coupie s return to India war brokei out in China, and Roberts hoped that he might have a further chance of active service. Whilst the news was still fresh, and everyone was in a state of expectation, he and his wife chanced to be dining out. Sir Colin Campbell or Baron Clycfr, as lie was then, took Mrs Roberts in to dinner, and claimed her gratitude on the grounds that he had not sent her husband to the Far East. Much to his astonishment, Mrs Roberts replied, I m afraid I’m not in the least grateful to you for making my hupband feel that I am standing in the way of his career. Sir Colin, always blunt of speech, blurted out, “Well, I’m hanged if I understand you lvomen. I’ll never try and oblige one again.” However, they ended by becoming the best of friends. Apart from other worries, Lord Roberts has had his full share of domestic griefs. His eldest child 1 , a little girl, died at the age of two years. The next, also a girl, caught cold on the voyage out to India after the Abyssinian campaign, and was buried at sea soon after passing Aden. Tired out and dispirited, the bereaved parents made them way to Simla, and here a son and daughter were born to them. But once again misfortune was predominant, and the little boy died shortly after his birth. THE AFGHAN WAR. Meanwhile plenty of hard work, hard fighting and hard living had fallen to his share, until in the close of the year 1878 we find him a major-general, a C. 8., and appointed to the command of one of the three' columns prepared to deal with the troubles in Afghanistan. On the 20th of November Roberts marched out at the head of the Kuram V alley force, of 5300 men and thirteen guns. Kuram was reached without difficulty, but further advance was checked by the absolutely conflicting rumours as to the enemy’s whereabouts. So impossible was it toi trust to native informar tion that Roberts determined to find out for himself. A march of some fifteen miles brought to light the fact that the enemy, 18,000 strong, with eleven guns, had occupied a position on the Feiwar Kotal. A frontal attack was out of the question. The only approach to the mountain was by means of a rugged path, narrow, and flanked by enormous . precipices held by the enemy. Bobs therefore decided on a flanking movement, similar to those which have proved so invaluable in the recent campaign. He searched hither and thither in the hope of finding some means of carrying out this idea, being most careful all the while to keep his plans strictly secret, as some of the, native regiments were not to be relied on. A STIRRING TIME. At last, having discovered a way round the position, he made his dispositions for the attack. Punctually at the appointed hour the little force set off, so quietly, and; under such perfect organisation, that they did not even disturb their comrades who were left in camp. With scarcely a hitch the turning movement was accomplished over the most difficult ground imaginable. The upshot of this expedition was the establishment of poor Cavagnari as British envoy at KabuJ. Roberts himself and several of his staff accompanied the ill-fated mission as far as the border, and the parting between the two men formed a touching incident. Each seemed to have a premonition of what was to come. They shook hands and parted, but before they had separated by many yards, both, no doubt actuated by the same impulse, wheeled round and again silently clasped hands. It was Hie last time they ever met, for two months later Cavagnari and his entire escort was foully murdered by the Afghans. Meanwhile Roberts had returned to Simla, where he was made a K.C.8., and received the thanks of both Houses of Parliament for his highly successful work. In this campaign, as in others, his extraordinary personal ascendancy over his men was strongly brought out. This was particularly noticeable in the case of his gigantic orderlies, who were devoted to him body and soul, and one of whom on one accasion while the fire was hottest, protected his gallant little master by standing by him with arms outstretch-

ed to protect him from the whistling bullets. - This great gift of Roberts was shown even more strongly when he was sent up with the punitive ex.-MJition to avenge Cavagnari, of which he was given supreme command. The force at his disposal was meagre in the extreme —7500 men and 22 guns. Yet the troops gave him a stirring welcome and felt sure of victory, so implicit was their faith in their leader. ~ In spite of the intrigues of the Ameer, who lodged himself as an unwelcome guest on Roberts's hospitality, in spite of deficient transport and every conceivable difficulty, Kabul was occupied and summary justice dealt out to the murderers. Hector Macdonald, then. a colour-sergeant, was with the Highlanders, as also was Major “White, now Sir George White, who kept the flag flying over Ladysmith The Ameer resigned, and intricate negotiations were entered upon with a view to appointing his successor. Sir Donal i Stewart then arrived to tab© over the command. But before the British forces could be withdrawn, there came the news of the disaster at Mahvand, and the siege of Kandahar, Roberts proclaimed his opinion that the immediate despatch of a force to relieve the garrison of the latter place was of paramount importance, and a few days later he received orders to raise and command . a body of troops for this purpose. Luckily there were some 14,000 men in Kabul at the “moment for him to choose from. He, selected from these a force of 10,000 of tested endurance; and, as speed was of vital necessity, baggage was cnt down to an irreducible minimum. Then began the most sensational march of military history. Three hundred and twenty miles ipf rough ground had to be covered, in record time, and through_a hostile country. No opportunity was given to the tribesmen to concentrate but the wise little commander, resolutely cutting himself off from all bases or lines of communication, launched bis force- into the mountainous wilds and accomplished the distance in twenty days, with only one day's rest. “An achievement,” says Archibald Forbes, “which could never have been accomplished but by thorough organisation and steady, vigorous energy-. The excitement was intense throughout those days of anxiety. Not a single message, not a rumour even, of the whereabouts of the relief force could be obtained, and many people predicted that Roberts was rushing headlong to ruin. But in spite of these predictions, he entered Kandahar on the last day o£ the month amidst scenes of the wildest enthusiasm. , Allowing no thoughts of himself or his own health to interfere with the performance of his arduous duties, on the very afternoon of his arrival, he despatched a force to reconnoitre and bring him news of Ayub Khan. He then decided on his plans of attack for the following morning, and snatched a few hours of broken rest- In the saddle again at dawn, he pushed forward his troops with such skill that the enemy were completely routed, and fled in confusion. For these brilliant services he was awarded a G-O-B. and the Chief command of the Madras army. He parted from his troops on the homeward journey, and as he bade goodr bye to each regiment the band struck up the grand old tune, “Auld Lang Syne.” . HOME AGAIN. On his return to England the nation could not do enough to show its gratitude and admiration. But even here private, sorrow tinged his natural pleasure in these honours heaped upon him, for during his absence be had lost a sister and a father. War now broke ou,t in the Transvaal, and he was bustled off to take over the command of the troops; but meanwhile the Liberal Government had made “peace,” and after a twenty-four hours’ stay in Capetown he came straight home again-' Then followed twelve years of hard work at organisation in India, work which may not perhaps stand out so brilliantly as the rest of his active career, but which at the same time no one knows the value of or appreciates more than Mr Atkins. The effects of long residence and continual hard work in a tropical climate, however, were beginning to make themselves felt, and in 189? he asked for permission to resign his command. The bidding farewell ' to a country where he had passed forty-one years op his life was a hard task, and many times his emotion was so deep and heartfelt that he dared hardly trust himself to speak. But all things come to an end soon or late, and he left India, decorated with the Grand Cross of the Indian Empire, Lord Roberts of Kandahar and Waterford. After so many troublous, restless years, it might reasonably be expected that he should settle down to peace and a well-deserved rest. The course of the Boer war, however, brushed aside any such possibilities with a rough hand, and once more the veteran was called upon to put on the harness. A tragic incident marked his entrance on this new campaign. On the very day that he was gazetted to the chief command, and was eagerly looking forward to active service once more, he happened! to he in one of the service clubs, where a crowd of members were collected around the tape machine reading off the war news. Qliek-cliek-click —whirr-click

went the l tnachine. '‘Bless my soul!' 1 -said a voice, “Bobs’s boy is killed” ; and then for the first time the little knot of idlers became aware that Lord Roberts was among them. Without a word he came forward and took up the tape, the man silently making way for him on all sides. The rugged, kindly face turned colour, the gnarled, veined hands quivered slightly as they held the fatal strip of paper, and; then, ■ without a sign, he turned slowly on his heel and deft the group, none daring to express their sympathy. The sorrow on the old general’s face was too deep for spoken words. Such things must be, of course, in ©very war, but the thought that it was a gallant action and a gallant death is but cold consolation to an aching heart. Let us honour our- general as a strategist with Moltke, as an organiser with whomsoever you find fit to place in the same class, but, above all, let us honour the man, who with a heart acmng for the less of his only son. harassed by the illness of a dearly-loved daughter, could yet put himself in the forefront of the battle, and serve Ins country so ably and to such cord "urpbse. To the world ill general, he is FieldMarshal Lord Hob arts of Kandahar and Waterford, with half the alphabet behind his name, but to us, to the thirty odd millions of people who live behind the white cliffs cf England, and to the millions of India and Australia and the islands of the sea he is just “Bobs” — ,a war-worn, upright littla man for whom his country cannot do enough. “Bobs” —our “Bobs.” God bless him! LORDROBERTS’S RECORD. The following is a dated summary of Lord Roberts’s .military career. 1832.—80rn at Cawnpore, September 30. 1846. —Left Eton and entered Sandhurst. 1851.—Appointed 2nd lieutenant Bengal Artillery, December 12. 1857. —Lieutenant, June 3. D.A.Q.M.G. throughout Indian Mutiny. Served throughout siege and captui'e of Delhi, wounded July 14, horse shot September 14. 3 57 and ’sß.—Actions' cf Buland Shahr (horse shot), Aligarh, Agra., Kananj (horse wounded), and Bantharra. Throughout operations connected with relief of Lucknow. Battle of Cawnpore, resulting in defeat of Gwalior contingent. Action of Khudaganj and re-occupa-tion of Fategarh. , Storming of Mianganj. Operations connected with siege of Lucknow. Storming of Laloo. Capture of TXinbeyla and destruction of Malka. 1858. —Victoria Ci'oss. 1859. —Married Henrietta, daughter of Colonel Bews, 73rd foot. • 1860—Captain and Brevet-major. 1863-B.—A.Q.M.G., Bengal. 1867-8. —Abyssinian Expedition. 1868. —Brevet-Lieutenant-Colonel. August 15. 1869-72.—1st A.Q.M.G. 1871- —Lushai Exoedition - 1872.—C.8. 1872- D.Q.M.C. 1875.—Brevet-Colonel, January 30. 1875-B.—Q.M.G. in India. 1878. —Major-General, December 31. K.C.B. Capture of Kholel villages and attack on Murtlang range. 1878- —Commanded Curram Field Force; capture of Peiwarkotal. Reconnaisance to summit of the Shutargarda-n Pass. Attack by Mongols in Sapari Pass. Occupation of Khost and reconnaisance up Kurram River. 1879- —Commanded Kabul Field Force. 1879. —Thanked by Parliament, August 4. Battle of Oharasia. Capture of city of Kabul and throughout operations in and arolznd Sherpur between December 8 and 24, 1879. 1880. —Commanded Kabul - Kandahar Field Force, and Southern Afghanistan Field Force. Battle of Khandahar, September 1. 1881. Thanked by both houses of Parliament, May 5. 1881-s.—Oommander-in-Chief, Madras. 1883.—Lieut.-General, July 26. 1885-93.—Commander-in-Chief, India, 1886.—Commanded Army in Burmah. Thanked on several occasions by Government of India, _ and mentioned twenty-three times in despatches before the campaign in Afghanistan. 1890.—General, November 28. 1892. —Created a, Peer. 1895.—Field Marshal, May 25. Published “Rise of Wellington.” 1895-9.—Commander of the Forces in Ireland. 1897- —Published “Forty-one Years in India.” 1899-00. —Commanded in South Africa. 1900. —Commander - in - Chief, British Army. 1901. Earldom and Order of the GarFreedom of the cities of London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bristol, Newcastle-on-Tyne,. Dundee, Waterford, Cardiff, and Chesterfield, and royal boroughs of Inverness, Wick and Dunbar to be presented this year. , . Mutiny medal with clasps for Delhi,

Relief of Lucknow, and Siege of Lucknow ; Indian Frontier medal, with clasps for Umibeyla, Lushai and Burmah; Abyssinian medal; Afghan war medal with clasps for Peiwarkotal, Charasia, Sherpur and Kandahar; Kabul-Kanda-har bronze star. —“Illustrated Mail.”