KITCHENER'S SUCCESSOR.

New Zealand Mail, 3 September 1902, Page 65 (Supplement)

KITCHENER'S SUCCESSOR.

The transfer of General Lyttelton to Pretoria is no more than the- accomplishment of what was generally expected when the war came to an end. He bad been named for some time past as the undoubted successor to Lord Kitchener, and, indeed, he returned to South Africa a year ago- for that particular purpose. General Lyttleton’s is undoubtedly one of the- best and brightest reputations made during the war. His high qualities as leader were fully proved; ho showed both skill and self-reliance i ntlie handling of troops, and was especially noticeable for his sound,, solid souse, which ever gained him the trustful support of all' under him. The fact that he was a. rifleman commended him to Buffer; and his own brigade, the one he took out to-South Africa, and which was composed of rifle battalions, believed in him thoroughly, and would have. followed him to- the death. Lyttleton is a striking illustration of the truth that it is impossible to predict success in war from antecedents in peace time. Lyttelton before the Soudan campaign was nbt counted a great- soldier. He was thought to be at his best in staff work, and he did much useful service in the field of politics when private secretary to his uncle, Mr Gladstone. Lyttelton’s great value in the closet was due to his extraordinary retentive memory; he is a walking encyclopaedia of facts, and in his youth often amused his friends by repeating whole .pages of the Army List by heart. Mr Gladstone relied” upon him largely, as did his chiefs at the War Office, for Lyttelton was always safe to draw upon in matters of precedent and those affecting the personality of individuals. As he approached the age of retirement in his rank there seemed little hope that he would be “saved”; but an opportunity came to him at the eleventh hour by his appointment to command one of the British brigades with Kitchener. It was believed that lie would do the work respectably, if nothing more, but, as a matter of fact, the power of effective command which was latent came out presently, and it was clear that had lie been forced out he would have been a great loss to the service. His appointment to a brigade in "the Ist (or expeditionary) Army Corps was received with general approval, and .it was soon justified by his services at the front. He lias much of that magnetic influence that tells upon other men, and his kindly, almost homely, nature which has gained him devotion in the field will now stand by him in the work of pacification. .