LORD WILLIAM BERESFORD

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4294, 1 March 1901, Page 6

LORD WILLIAM BERESFORD

A GALLANT SOLDIER. WINNER OF THE VICTORIA CROSS. Colonel Lord William do la Poor Beresford. Y.C.. K.G.1.E., whoso death has already been reported in our columns as haring taken place at Dorking. England, was the third son of the Rev John de la Poer. fourth Marquis of Waterford, by Christiana, daughter of Mr Charles Powell Leslie, M.P., of GlasIc.ugh, co. Monaghan, brother of Lord • Charles and Lord Marcus Bercsford. and. uncle of the present Marouis of Waterford. He was horn on July 20, 1817, "•ns educated at Eton, and entered *' r Army ns a cornet in June 1867. Front December, 1875, to October, 1881, he was A.D.C. to Lord Lytton, Viceroy of India , and during that period served with the Jowaki Afridi Expedition in 1877-S, winning Ins first modal with clasn. He also served in the Zulu War of 1870, and took part in the engagement at Idnndi, for which he obtained mention in dispatches, and was awarded the medal with clasp and the Victoria Cross. HOW HE GAINED HIS V.C.

The act of gallantry which obtained for him this coveted distinction is thus officially described:— !f For gallant conduct in having at great personal risk during the retirement of the reconnoitring party across the 'White TJmvolnti, River,’ on July 3. 1879, turned to assist Sergeant Fitzmaurice. Ist Battalion 24th Foot (whose horse had fallen with him), mounted hhn behind him on his own horse, and brought him away in safety under the close fire of the Zulus, who were in great force, and coming on nnickly. Lord William Beresford’s position was rendered most dangerous from the fact: that Sergeant Fitzmaurice twice nearly milled him from his Such is the brief account to bo found in_ official records of what the late. Archibald Forbes described as “the bra,vest deed I ever saw.” The wounded man _mb first refused to mouwt. ‘‘The ounint. resourceful humour of his race,” says Archibald' Forbes, “did not fail Beresford in this crisis; he turned .on the wounded man, and with clenched fists announced that he would punch his head if he did not assist in the saving of his own life. This argument prevailed. <=!fcill facing his foes with his revolver. Tleresford partly lifted, partly hustled Fitzmaurice into the saddle, then scrambled up himself, and set the chestnut a-going after the other horsemen. Another moment’s delay, and hotlr must have been assegaied. A comrade, tna bravo Sergeant o’To.ole. fortunately came back, shot down Zulu after Zulu witli cool courage. Lord TT ilham was commanded to Windsor to receive the reward ‘for valour’ from the hands ot the •mvcremi.” Bercsford told the Queen that ho could not in. honour receive recognition of the service it had been his good fortune to perform unless that ifpoguition were shared m by Sergeant O Toole, who, he persisted in maintaining, deserved infinitely greater credit than say which might attach to him. OTHER SERVICE. Lord William Beresford also served in the Afghan War with/the 9th Lancers, and was present at the capture of-. Musjid, for which he was again mentirr.ed in despatches, aud rceoiv-ed 1.0 medal with clasp, and with the Burmese Expedition, was mentioned toi a third time in despatches. He vas M&tary Secretary to, no' less than thieo Viceroys, and retired in 1894. After his return' homo he married, im T&95, Lilian Warren (Duchess or Manborough). second daughter of Commodore Price, of tho United States Navy, and widow of Mr Louis Hammorsley, of Now York, and of the Bth Duke of Marlborough. HIS RACING CAREER. During the last few years bo has been connected with horses that, if not quiteof the first-class. were able to win valuable races. After Caiman had defeated. Flying Fox for the Middle Parle Plate of 1898 belief was common .that bha American colt must he a racehorse* or very high degree. A few sound judges thought otherwise, maintained that “the Fox” would beat Caiman when they met as three-year-olds, and had tho satisfaction of finding their judgment borne out to the full. Neither Derby, Oaks, nor St. Loger was won by a horse carrying the light blue and black cap of Lord William Beresford. Sibola gamed the One Thousand Guineas of 1899 easily, ridden by Sloan, and with the same jockey in the saddle suffered defeat for tho Oaks by a head. One ot the triumphs achieved by Huggins, who trained for Lord William Beresford, was a hit made with the six-year-old Knight of the Thistle after ho bad finished second to General Peace for tho Lincolnshire Handicap. The prize that feu to the old horse-was tho Great 4 Wlv 3 Stakes at Kompton Park. Amongst the lot that succumbed to him were Greenan. Lord Edward 11., Nun Nicer, Tom Cringle, Sirenia,, Newhaven IL, Ercadquiie, Bridegroom, and his Carholme conqueror, General Peace.

On the previous afternoon had begun at Sunbury the running career of Democrat, a gelding by Sensation —Equality, own brother to Exedo. regarded by shrewd people as likely to run well for the Two' Thousand Guineas and Deroy in the coming season. Democrat made his first public effort in the Royal Two-Year-Oid Plate, a stake worth upwards of £2ooo. He finished second, but was beaten three lengths by Emotion. Aa many readers must remember, several of his performances during the same season were very good. Amongst the rivals, for instance, that succumbed to him for the Coventry Stakes at Ascot were Diamond Jubilee and Chevening. When ue and ■Forfarshire came together fer the valuable National Breeders’ Produce Stakes at Sandown Park in the July of 1899, Democrat gave the other 91b, and beat him by a neck. The long-established '“Champagne” at Doncaster he won by a head from Simon Dale, who last year stretched Diamond Jubilee for the Derby. Towards the close of the campaign be ran home in front of Diamond Jubilpe, Simon Dale, and others, for the Middle Park Plate, and ended bis two-year-old career by defeating Diamond Jubilee and Goblet for the Devrhurst Plate. That his chance of attaining high honours as a three-year-old was by many deemed a high one iS not surprising. Nevertheless, Democrat was a failure at that age. Lord William Beresford was one of the Turf’s staunchest supporters in our Eastern Empire. On four occasions he secured the coveted \ iceroy a Cup, first with Camballo, an Australian horse, in 1881, and subsequently in 1888. 1890. with the Australian-broa Myall King. '