Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-11-16
FIELD MARSHAL WIZ 5 Ao lD0C
OF ENGLAND "a, s .,cr,.a
OF pNeuw "a.
AGED COMMAND, = AvEs
LIFE TO SER, : or COUNTRY
Goes to Front In France 20 Act % Al.
wiser 70 Field Officers and sueeur,bs
TO D'ssase-Lons and Brilliant
Career as Head Of Army Of orsat
Britain.

London. Nov. 16.-F'ield Marshal Earl
Roberts died Saturday night In France
from pneumonia. A telegram from
Field Marshal Sir John French, com.
mander OF the British expeditonary
forces on the continent. apprised Earl
Kitchener, secretary of state for war:
of the death of England's great soldier.
The telegram read:
L deeply regret to tell you that Lori
Roberts died at o'clock this Satur.
Iday evening"
Field Marshal Roberts, who was
colonel-in- chief Of the Indian troops.
had gone to France to give them his
greeting. Soon after his arrival he be-
came seriously Ill. He suffered from
a severe chill Thursday and pneu-
nonia rapidly developed His xecak
age. 50 years, initiated against his re-
Iccvery. the crisis in the disease com.
.rg quickly.
The news of the death Of Lord Rob-
erts came as an entire surprise To
| England. The veterans devotion to
| the interests OF the army, his hard
work In this connection and his SEEM
| Ing good health had been the subject
of comment since the beginning Of the
war. He was the most popular milf
tary figure In Great Britain and q ma
tional hero without rival in tho affec-
tions Of the people.
Despite his years he had never.
ceased hard work since his nominal
retirement and. as he had often re-
marked. no lived q rigidly abstemious
ltfe that he might preserve hls
strength for the service of his coun-
try.
During the last hvs or six years.
when the German war cloud has hsoas
growing. he prosecuted an activo can !.
paign to persuade the nation q ad0pe
q compulsory military service. His bb.
lief was that Great Britain required
the training OF the whole male popus
| latfon In arms rather on the plan of
Switzerland than the longer terms of
| conscription enforced in the case OF
| continental military nations.
Wanted Trained Soldiers.
| BY speeches in parliament and ad.
| dresses before meetings thruout the
| kingdom. by magazine writings and
| letters he preached increasingly and
untir!ngly the necessity for the nation
| ~ udNS lis lHcH trained III lu0 Tu0ls.
ments. at least. of the soldiers work.
SO that they could be called quickly to
| arms to defend the country against IN
| yasion.
| In private conversation he expressed
the conviction that Germany was plan.
ming to make war on Great Britain
when she found an advantageous mo-
ment and he believed that the sup.
| posed menace OF civil war in Ireland
| was factor in setting alight the pres
ent European confiagration. Lord
Roberts commanded none OF the arts
of the orator and usually read his
| speeches. His popular nickname
"Bobs' implied no lack OF personal
dignity. Although only five feet three
| "a shade shorter than Field Marshal
French-his figure and bearing were
the embodiment OF soldierly character.
| His home at Ascot was n modest,
| unpretentious villa. For society he
had neither time nor inclination. but
he was president of the Pilgrims club
and presided over many OF Its gather
| ings.
Field Marshal Roberts worked day
and night for the welfare Of the sol.
diers from the outbreak Of the war. He
| took the greatest interest In tho In
dams and issued an appeal for funds
| for their wounded and sick. He also
| made requests for sportsmen to con-
tribute saddles for the army. which
brought ready response. He made
other requests for the loan of field
glasses to officers during the war. And
| he wrote personal letters OF thanks to
all contributors.
One of his last speeches was made
at a review Of a battalion OF volun-
~ {NA n
young men who played footpali and
cricket at this crisis.
The government. It il expected. will
offer a tomb in Westminster Abbey or
ST. Paul's for the empires foremost
soldier.
Empire in Mourning.
"Roberts of Kandahar, Pretoria and
Waterford" as Field Marshal Lord
Frederick Sleigh Roberts was known.
sums up briefly the career Of the noted
soldier whose death has plunged the
empire into mourning. Scion OF q
noble Irish family. Lord Roberts was
born in 1882 In Cawnpore, India, where
~. father, Ger. SIR Abraham, Rche.4.
was serving. It was In the Indian
service that the gallant an6 efficient
Irish soldier achieved his first and
lasting fame. 1t was In South Africa
In his later years that this was supple-
mented and magnified by his achieves
ments In Great Britain's victorious
campaign against the Beers.
| But n 1t was as Field Marshal and
Earl that Lord Roberts was formally
known, 1t was as "Bobs" that the men
Of the ranks knew him, loved him and
greeted him. In their estimation and
/ in that of the admiring public, which
appreciated and applauded Ills gallant
i services for his country, no name could
ft him better than this dlminutive OF
his family name and word meaning
hero In Hindu.