The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-09-13
Sir William Robertson Rose From Ranks to Second
 In Command
IS GENERAL MANAGER
 OF ENGLISH FORCES
Sir John French's Right Hand Man Enlisted as a Private at the Age of l9-Rose by Indcfatigable
 Effort--Commands Re-
 spect of Associates

British Headquarters. France. August 3i.-(Correspondeno of the Associated Press)-Iittle is known to the outside world about Sir William Robertson. K. c. " O., K. c. B.. D S. O., whose remark. able career from the ranks 10 chief of the army itself. His work in relation to that of Sir John French the commanders In chief. has been described as that of the general manager of a great corpora- tion to that of it's President
 A powerfully built country boy, he came to London at the age of 19 and enlisted In the Ninth Lancers. Promotion from the ranks is not frequent The great ma jority Of officers come from the military school at sandhurst But the door is keut open for the private of good education and character By passing a stiff exnm- nation he may secure commission.
 Young Robertson had had only an ele- mertary education, but he set out to make up for the deficiency by study. Hs Invested his shilling a day, which is the pay of British private. In books As a British regular trooper has none too much time to himself, he used to get comrades to read to him from Bacon and the English classics while he was groom ing his horse or cleaning his equipment.
 Earns Commission
 Not until he had served 10 years did he pass his examination which gave him & commission In the Third Dragoon m rdu IT H.
 second lieutenant had about eight years the start of him on the army list. In the course of lineal promotion he could never hope to be more than a major; spe- cial promotion could come only through distinguishing himself. Mae Donald, who won fame by his charge at Omduran and other eminent British commanders who had risen from the ranks had wont their way as natural leaders of men in the field. Ro6ertson's career is the moro striking. officers say, because 1t is due to excellence in organization and in tho application of the methods of modern war which presupposes the grounding of q thorough scientific military education.
 Four years after he had received his commission he had won enough attention to be assigned to the intelligence branch of the quartermaster' department in In- dia In India he found his opportunity. Rewards are given officers for learning native dialects.
 To the average officer there is nothing very attractive In spending hours with native ''munshi" or teacher in acquiring tongue which can be of use with only some frontier tribe. Robertson offered hia munshi quarter of the reward when he was proficient enough to earn 1t by passing an examination.
 Sir William, when he Is reminiscent will recall what an excellent bargain this proved to be. The munshi saw to 1t that his pupil did not fall to improve any spare moments. He would be waiting at his pupils door at daybreak and put him through an hours lesson before breakfast. Having mastered one dialect Robertson undertook another and then another Soon he became known as a language expert. This gained for him another opportunity which was to ap- ply his knowledge by explorations on the trouble came his linguistic accomplish ments and his knowledge of the country were invaluable. He came out of the Chitral campaign with the distinguished service order for services which included in action when he was se- verely wounded. Now ne was marked man in the service. marked by stub born application which had brought him from the ranks and by his demonstrated ability.
 Has Everyone's Respect
 Everyone had to admire him." as an- other general said. He had won his way without influence against odds by sheer hard work making the most of his natural gifts"
 On the stan throughout the South Afri- can campaign he earned the praise of Roberts and Kitchener by hts capacity for getting things done when others some times failed. When in 1910 he was placed n command of the army stan college sven those who agreed that he had shown himself to be the man for the place wore amazed at the thought of man who had been for 10 years private without my ground work of regular academic should become the director of Tn institution which gathers the abiest
 tcontinued on Page rwo)