New-York tribune., 1900-10-01
ARMY REFORMS ASSURED.
MEANING OF LORD RoBERTS's PROMO
TION TO SUCCEED LORD
WOLSELEY

(By The Associated Press)
London, Sept. 30-It is officially announced
that Lord Roberts has been appointed Com
mander-in-Chief OF the British army.
To-day is Lord Roberts's birthday.
Although the fact that the appointment had
been made was already known, the formal an
nouncement is hailed by the Unionist party as
a welcome pledge that army reorganization
will be carried out in the most effective manner
It beginning to be recognized that some
thing was needed to give strength to the Union
list campaign. Accordingly sem-ofhcial an
nouncements are out that George Wyndham,
Parliamentary Under Secretary OF State for
War, in his speech at Derby tomorrow even
ing will outline the Governments scheme of
army reforms. and that the War Office is ar
ranging with Lord Roberts for the return Of a
large portion of the army in South Africa.
Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh. Lord Roberts
has been so constantly in the public since last
December, when he was appointed to take su-
preme command of the British forces IN South
Africa that the incidents Of his life generally
familiar the public His conduct of the cam
pagn against the Beers has added greatly to his
fame soldier.
His birthplace was Cawnpore India. his father
being the late General Sir Abraham Roberts, and
his mother Nora Henrietta daughter Of Major A
Bunbury, of County Tipperary, Ireland Lord
Roberts was born in 1882. He received his educa-
ton at Eton Sandhurst and Addiscombe. He was
appointed a second lieutenant in the Bengal Artil-
lery in 1851. and steadily through the grades
until he made Leutenant-General in 1888 He
served with distinction in the Indian Mutiny cam
paign. and received the Victoria Cross for bravery
in the field in 1858 Throughout the Abyssinian
campaign he held the office of Assistant quarter
master-Genersl. holding the same position in the
Looshai Expeditionary Force pS71-'7D He had
the chief command of the British army in Afghan
istan where he achieved the most brilliant ul-
umphs After the massacre of the British En-
bassv in Cabul General Roberts reoccuped that
city in 1879. In July 1885, after remarkable
march with picked column of 5000 men. in mich
ton with the rest of his army, he emerged from
the trackless desert grapped with ana anninllate9 ]
the 6sn85BSr sPmg of Ay00O Nnan' WHi'n was
On the return of Lord Roberts England he
was loaded with honors He received the thanks
OF Parliament, and was made baT9net % fsI e Was S
defeat and death of that soldier at Man4a sIn been @
made m his work in south Africa was it turned
out delayed for nearly score Of years l., 1ra,o
in The The eigbtes and conducted the Burmese ex-
pedition. He was created peer in lSsz undeF I3e
| He returned to England in 1893 and succeeded ed
freIand which position he held when sent out to
| South Africa after British disasters in the Boer
eo had ID hsferv when he left England
for the Cape with Lord Kitchener as his Is cnleT Iae 3e
grief for his only son n had na been * killed Naa two weeks
] before the battle or ColenSo- III @NS'd'-
| SKETCH OF LORD WOLSELEY
| Field Marshal Sir Garnet Joseph Viscount Wolse-
| lev whom Lord Roberts succeeds, has been Com
| mander-in-Chief of the British Army since $780,
| when he succeeded the Duke Of Cambridge. first
| cousin to the Queen in that position Lord Wolse-
| ley was born near Dublin in 1888 His father was
! Major g. j. Wolseley. of the 25th Regiment of
i Foo& The sons career has been distinguished
one and he has been honcred with many military
| and civic titles and made member of many or
| ders. He served in the Burmese War of 1928;
| where he severely wounded he wounded
again at the siege of Sebastopoi, i'll the Crimean
War; took part in the siege and capture of Luck
now: served in the Chinese campaign in 1860, and
appointed TO command the troops on the Gold
Coast the Ashantee War of 1873. His capture of
Coomassie was a notable exploit and his return
to England Parliament voted him grant of f25,000.
Subsequently he served in Natal, South Africa and
Cyprus in an administrative capacity. In 1882 he
became Adjutant-General of the British Army and
received command of the expeditionary force sent
20 Egypt to suppress Arabi Pacha's rebellion. For
his services in the Nile country he gaZetted