The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-25
SWORDS OF HONOR.

Lord Kitchener of Khartoum TIE Forty
tbrd Man TO be Thus Distinguished.
The presentation of the sword of hon
- ana the freedom Of the city of Lon
don to Lord Kitchener Of Khartoum,
has led the london Telegraph to pub
fish completes record of the officers
of the British army and navy upon
whom the same distinction has been
conferred. The list includes AZ names
besides that Of the sirdar, and dates
back for a little ovelN a century, the
first name recorded being that of Vice
Admiral Sir John Jervis, *. c. B., at
terward Admiral Iofd St. Vincent.
This officer reeeivedhis sword on March
10, 1887, in token ofsthe nations graft
tude for his .eaptRre Of the West In
dian islands ofss Guadaloupe, Marti-
nique and St Lucia. Among the most
famous names on the list are those
of Admiral Lord Nelson and the Duke
of Wellington Nelson's sword was
voted to him on Oct. is, 1898, but there
is no record of the date of it's presen-
tation. It was given for his victory
over a superior French fleet in the
battle of the Nile, on Aug. 1 of that
year.
On July g. 1914 Wellington's sword
Of honor was presented to him for the
ability, bravery and perseverance which
he displayed While in command of the
English and Portuguese forces in the
peninsular war. The celebrated ma
val battle of Camperdown, on Oct II,
1897, when the British fleet under Lord
Viscount Duncan, admiral of the Blue
defeated the Dutch under Admiral De
Winter, won a sword for Admiral Dun
AN, which was given to him in Lon
don in May of the next year A few
months later Sir Richard Onslow, vice
admiral of the Red, also received the
honor for his share in the same en-
gagement. a
On June IS, 1914, four foreigners re-
ceived the distinction from the London
common council. These We're Field
Marshal Prince Schwartzenberg, com
mander-in-chief of the allied armies
Field Marshal Butcher commander-in
chief of the Prussian army; Field Mar
shall Count Barclay de folly command
ar-in-chief Of the Russian army. and
the Hetman Count Platoff, in honor of
their services in the wars against Ma
ooleon.
The Indian mutiny afforded an OPP
itary ability, and swords were award
ed in 1860 to the Right Hon. Colin, Bar
on Clyde and to Lieutenant General
Sir James Outram Tor their services
in that formidable conflict. The gallant
Lord Napier of Magdala who had beer
made X. c. b. for mis- bravery at
Lucknow during the mutiny, did not
receive the sword, however until 1868
after his triumphant stOrming of the
heights of Magdala, in Abyssinia. On
February IA, 1881, another Indian hero
Lord Roberts of i&andahar, received
the sword for his gallantry in Afghan
istan. In recognition Of his able COM
mand Of the expedition TO the gold
coast. Africa, Major General Sir Garnet
Wolseley, afterWard Lord Wolseley of
Cairo was honored with the sword in
October, 1874.
1t is interesting TO note the number
Of men whose names are now little
known who nevertheless received
swords of honor doubtless for deeds
as brave as those which have become
more famous. Among those are An
drew Mitchell, vice admiral of the Blue,
for the capture of Dutch fleet in 1900;
Captain Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy
for his gallant behavior on board the
Victory at the battle of Trafalgar;
Lieut.. Cen Sir Home Popham, for talk
ing the Cape of Good Hope, and Vice
Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth,
for the destruction of a French feet off
st. Domingo in 1908. A presentation of
the sword of peculiar interest to Amer
leans was. that to Captain Philip b. "
Broke, in 1914. Captain Broke was the
commander Of the British frigate Shan
non when she captured the American
frigate Chesapeake, under Captain
Lawrence, off Boston harbor, i'm 1913.