GENERAL BIRDWOOD.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLIV, Issue 14705, 4 June 1920, Page 3

GENERAL BIRDWOOD.

A BIOGR APjtlCAff%feETCi IMS "A" man who fa a "fov&rito men." ,It was «thus tlmt wood was described t>y,-u 'wfiter In and Women of '^SSSSm ly beforo ho was anpomtjd ~to niancl of. tho Army Corps, whieK; gelded us a distinct fightinjr'iuirit guidance on tho ■aesftrfr'&nhda of TtMrnSS and later, was to*«pib»rl«. 6n '"tho :|H| adventure" in tittawiijfcing to forcaSSfflii passage of tlic Dardanelles. stated the truth, <»for ever a man by his fine; personality,-. hm mMraw ed, ability for leaderahipi' woh quicker to the heafts-olr "ftiettthan' tßjjrSj distinguished-; soldier ■ who arrived'. ill® New Zealand this week. General wood not only'won tlmf rcgnrd; whafc<fij'|i a great deal moroisA©-retained it. VvfMH Fifty-five years Old," he -is one of very small class of officers known "Kitchener's ,meh."„ - After , passrhfc}'* through (Sandhurst, hb served oil- tE&y Novth-West Frontioo 1 : India ftgairiMfH tho Ilazaras, and latersitgainbti tho Ak $ ridis and Orakzais, Tirtlh paign, being presenfe&tf the. famous • lion of Dargai/ He waspromoted oap-jj'J tain in 1806, and, Jioor AVjupJis broke out. threoj years became;/, a man of mark,- being appointed Chieliu Cavalry Staff Officer on the Iftto Lord, Kitchener's staff. In that capacity hta% camo into frequent. wit.il th©> ii Australian and New Zealaira Mounted," Contingents, and was pronounced thqn' \ by- all who had the privilege of knowing him as "an exceedingly good' mtyl" j with great experience and'tact." , Ho ' participated in most'of (.ho big engage* merits in tho South Afi-ican War, -aridi at Lyndenberg ho was severely w<nip3ft>. Ed, and liad his, horfeo killed \mder lunul a Ho emerged from tho campaign witty-1 tho brevets of major and lieutenant- /; colonel, and was placed on the list or v officers considered qualified for staff -> employment. Henceforth he was on' [the road to miliary distinction, After employment at the War (jtjfico . he was made, a.ssistant military ricoHs* tary and Persian interpreter to tllo | East Indian commander-in-chief, a posl- ! tion which he. held until Hist August, "f----1004, when he was appointed assistant, adjutant-general at headquarters in liflr , dia. Vacating the'post of A.A.Q. ill , December, 1905, Colonel Birdwood (his promotion having come on 26th June) took up'the duties of military secretary i to tlici commander-in-chief, in the East. l Indies, and ho e.ontmuecl to act in that capacity until .Tune.' "19(19j with a. brief 1 interval—loth. May to 3rd June, 1908— when he was employed! as .chief staff officer to the Mohmand field force, and «•: took part in the operations again urn thb scene of his early triumphs—the North• " West frontier of India, .j He fought at • Kaigha. and, besides billing mentioned in tho despatches, added] another medal and clasp, in addition jo'gaining tho Distinguished Service Order. In tho middle of 1909 he became brigade com- • mander (colonel on the :!taff) in, India, , and took charge of tho lfCohat Brigade j of the Northern Army, iwith tho temporary rank of brigadier-general. Ho became a major-general j in 1012, nnd . was made it full general |j!n 1913. , Genera I Birdwood was madje an '• aide-do-eamp to the King in l|)06, C.E.I, in 1908, and C.S.T. in 1910 i With the outbreak of the Great War and tho arrival of the Australian Forces . in Egypt, the question arose of placing them under a suitable commander, who would not only lead them to victory but would win their confidence' as a man. This commander was fouind in General » Birdwood, who thus became tho leader of tho Anzacs, and so soon was to rise into fame as tho "Soul of' Anzac" itself. All Australians and New Zenlanderß are familiar with the story of the Anzacs, of their inspiring deeds ,of bravery and silently endured hardships, and of the part which General Birdwood himself took in bringing about the unbelievably successful evacuation. After the Gallipoli campaign General Birdwood commanded tin Australian Corps in France, and finally rose to thp position of an Army Commander.* iThe • New Zealand Division never actually camo tinder his personal command on the Western front, but the spirit in-, spired by "the Soul of Anzsac" remained - with them nevertheless, and like the .Mounted Rifles Brigade ill Sinai and Palestine they won a. name which was not, even second to that of Anzoc itself. ' General Birdwood married in 1894 Jeannette Hope Gorville, eldest daughter of Colonel Sir B. P. Bromhead, fourth baronet, late commandant of tho Punjab Pioneers, who himself had seen considerable active service.'