The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-06-07


 to Egypt where. on the resignation of Sir Francis Grenfell, he was appointed Sir dar Commander of the Egyptian army. His really great career dates from that time.
 FLOUTED WAR OFFICE
 As an instance of the self-confidence with which Kitchener undertook his tasks in Egypt is recalled how he dealt with the war office as few generals before him ever dared. On one occasion he sent home for a special kind of gun. The war office suggested another kind. The Sirdar repeated his orders. Next he was informed that the war office guns had been forwarded, whereupon he dispatched a politely insolent message home saying that he was very grateful, but the war office could keep it's guns. His message read: T can throw stones at the der wishes myself" As a consequence, the guns he asked for were forwarded with out delay.
 The Kitchener campaign that ended with the recapture of Khartum was considered by military experts as per fectly organized and faultlessly con ducted. The Egyptian army that Kitch- ener had worked up to such remarkabl efficiency was, when he first took charge of it, a band of unpaid, unfed and undermined fe1laheen It was said
 
 of backbone" but Kitchener worked over these helpless reeds of broken ma tives and made of them some of the finest of black battalions.
 The fight at Omdurman, September 2, 1898, just across the Nile from Khar- tum, was the greatest battle of Kitche- Iner's time in Egypt. Osman Digna faced him with 50,O0O Mahdists, while he had but 10000 men. When the bat tie was over, II, ,000 of the Mahdists had been killed outright, 16,000 wounded, and 4000 taken prisoners. while the English and Egyptian loss altogether was under 500 men.
 CAMPAIGN WAS RUTHLESS | With the capture of Khartum, capi- | tai of the Sudan, which meant the re- ! establishment of British possession of | these upper reaches of the Nile, Kitche : ner became the object of hero worship in England. His campaign had been, and is to this day, much criticized, ! however, because of it's ruthlessness. It was charged Kitchener trampled on | his foes in an almost barbarous man. ner. On his return to England how ever, he was generous enough to ask | his countrymen to found a collete at khartum wherein the sons of the dervish chiefs he had fought and over lwhelmed might be educated in the
 
 met with such response among the Brit ish people that the fund required was far over subscribed.
 | For his triumps in the Sudan he was raised to the peerage as Baron Kitche . ner of Khartum and received the thanks of Parliament and grant of $150,000. Shortly afterward he was promoted lieutenant general and then chief of staff to Lord Roberts in the South African war, and on Lord Rob erts' return to England in November, 1900, succeeded him as commander in chief in that field. By constructing a 3500mile chain of block houses he stopped the Boer raids and virtually ended the war in South Africa This added to his popularity and prestige at home, and he was rewarded by the | title of viscount, promotion to the rank of general for distinguished services, the thanks of the Parliament and a grant of $250.000. Immediately after the peace General Kitchener went to India as commander in chief of the British forces there, and lin this position which he held for seven years he carried out not only many far-reaching administrative re- forms but a complete reorganization and strategical redistribution of the British and native forces. On leaving India in 1909 he was promoted field marshal, and appointed commander in chief and high commissioner in the Mediterranean, and later on took a tour of inspection of the forces of the entire empire, drawing up scheme of defense of the overseas dominions. RETURNED TO EGYPT He then returned to Egypt, the scene of his first triumph in the capacity of British agent and consul general in Cario-virtually governor general ship of Egypt-and led in the eco nomical development of the country, building new roads and irrigation projects on a large scale.
 | During all the years the British people had looked on Kitchener's silent. but effective work, they had never been able to fathom his personality. A cockney noncommissioned officer, who had seen much service under him, sum med up the general opinion when he said of Kitchener:
 "'E's no talker Not i'm. Els all steel and hice."
 His face was that of man who neither asked for sympathy nor wanted it.
 He had steady, blue-gray, passionless | eyes, and a heavy moustach covered 3 mouth that shut close and firm like $ trap. He believed with all his might in the gospel of work. He had illimita5,e Q 1self-confidence. For bungling and faint lheartedness he was incapable of feel | ing sympathy or showing mercy; an ot- | ficer who failed him once got no sec ond chance. He had grim, laconic humor. What is your taste in hair pins?" for instance. is said to have been the query with which he annihi-