The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1914-11-17
LORD ROBERTS, HERO
|OF INDIAN WARS, DEAD
Passes Away While Visiting
Hindu Soldiers in France.
SURPRISE TO ENGLAND.
Was One OF the Most Noted OF
Great Britain's Soldiers.
80 Years of Age.

London, Nov .15.-Field Marsha,
Earl Roberts died last night in
Franc, from pneumonia. A telc-
gram from Field Marshal Sir JOHN
French, commander o the Brit sn
expeditionary forces On the conti-
nent, apprised Earl Kitchener, sec
retary of state for war. of the death
of Englands great soldier. The
elegram read:
Il deeply regret to tell you that
Lord Roberts died at O'Clock this
Saturday evening"
Field Marshal Roberts, who was
colonel-in-chief of the Indian troops,
had gone TO France TO greet them.
Soon after his arrival he became
seriously ill. He suffered from
severe chill Thursday and pneu-
monia rapidly developed. His great
age. 80 years, mitigated against his
recovery, the crisis in the disease
coming quickly.
The news of Lord Roberts death
came as an entire surprise to Eng
land. The veterans devotion to the
interests Of the army, his hard
work in this connection and his
seeming good health had been the
subject Of comment since the be-
ginning of the war. He was the most
popular military figure in Great
Britain and a national hero without
rival in the affections of the people.
Despite his years he mover had
ceased hard work since his nominal
retirement aud as he often had re-
marked. he lived Il rigidly abstem-
ious life that he might preserve his
strength for the services of his
country.
During the past five or six years,
when the German war cloud had
been growing, he prosecuted an ac-
tive campaign to persuade the nation
to adopt a compulsory military ser
vice. His belief was that Great
Britain shall require the training of
the whole male population in arms
rather upon the plan of Switzerland
than the longer terms of conscrip-
llOu III lue case Oh COuIl-
mental military nations.
He preached INCREASINGLY and un-
tiringly the necessity for the nation
to have its men trained in the rudi-
ments at least of the soldiers work
so that they could be called quickly
to arms to defend the country
against invasion.
In private conversation he eX-
pressed the conviction that Germany
was planning to make war on Great
Britain when she found an advant.
ageOus moment, and he believed that
the supposed menace OF civil war in
Ireland was just factor
hor erts of Kandahar, Pretoria
and Natrtord," as Field Marshal
Lord frederick Sleigh Roberts was
known. sums up briefly the career Of
the noted British soldier. whose
death has plunged the empire into
mourning.
Scion of a noble Irish family,
Lord Roberts was born in 1892 IN
tawnpore, India, where his father,
General Sir Abraham Roberts, Nas
serving. 1t was in the Indian service
that the gallant and efficient Irish
soldier achieved his first and lasting
fame. 1t was in South Africa in his
later years that this was supple
I'ented and magnified by his
achievements in Great BritGins .ic-
tori"ns campaign against the BoerS
~ cred as he was with nonors
and titles by his own country ii was
not by that nation alone that his
r'"itary abilities were appre lated.
The greatest soldier OF his time"
we're the words used by Empero-
William of Germany in paying trib-
ut9 TO him
Roberts of Kandahar," the En-
peror is recorded as saying, has
much of the subtlety and ability u
perceive his opportunities that have
distinguished the greatest military
gen'uses of the past. hold him the
abiest of today's soldiers"
For more than half a century
England had occasion to take pride
in the career of Roberts, the soldier.
A. that career ripened she came 70