The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-07-24
Soldier of Fortune
Faces Wild Beasts
(By w. Forbes Fairbairn. }

might" said Osborne. THE next morn.
ing I decided to go home and joir
lup. In company with Paddy Neale
secretary of the company by which ]
was employed. L booked passage or
the Berlin out Of Buenos Aires fol
Montevideo.
Britons Rally to Flag.
There were sixty other Britishers
on board who had heard the call OF
their country and were on their way
back home. The captain OF the ship
was Paraguayan. was of German
sympathies, and while going out OF
| the harbor he ran the steamer
aground twice. Eventually we clear
ed the harbor by threatening the skip
per and headed for Montevideo."
! On the voyage they passed the Cape
Trafalgar. ostensibly trading vessel
In reality a German armed merchant
man She had been informed of the
outbreak Of hostilities and was al
ready transformed into a commerce
lraide3 She didn't bother the Ber-
lin because it was a German boat
At Montivideo the Britishers trans
ferred to the Tarakina. homeward
bound around the Horn. from New
Zealand The Cap Trafalgar. which
had accompanied the Berlin into the
barber, slipped her anchor at the
same time, and for while the Tara
kina thought the raider was after
her
Excitement in Plenty.
! We had lots OF excitement in the
next few days" said Captain Os-
borne. Three days out we saw a
cruiser on the horizon. We were sig
nailed to stand to, but the captain
fearing IL was German cruiser, re-
fused and changed his course. The
cruiser caught up with us and we saw
! she was British. IT was the Mon
mouth. on her way to the Falklands.
Later we saw the Essex and other
; British boats. They were part of Ad-
miral Craddocks fleet, which fought
Monm outh boarded us and obtained
a fresh supply Of meat for her crew.
This was August 90.
"A few days later we saw the Cap
Ortegal, which. we were told. carried
thirty millions gold sterling. We
heard later she was sunk"
The days passed slowly for these
! men, tensely anxious to reach Eng
Hand and join the overseas forces.
Daily Osborne, chosen because OF his
South African campaign experiences
1
in cavalry tactics. Captain A. c. Tet-
ley, another army officer, drilled the
others in infantry ritual
+, Osborne found England in a turmoil
Of preparation. His boat locked al
| Plymouth and all the way to London
he saw the beginning Of Britain's war
effort Men, men. men. drilling in
fields and streets. Cars and cars
loaded with military supplies getting
! Id -
disc and passenger trains. Factories
had overnight transformed their
plants into munition producers The
whole country seemed to have but
+; one purpose--getting men and mate
rails to the front
! Receives His Commission.
Osborn son was commissioned 8
: second lieutenant In King Edward
Horse, under orders to proceed II
France Immediately. Three weeks
later these orders were cancelled anc
the troop ordered to Hounslow. a de
pot near London. They remained
there until December, being whipped
into shape. In December reports WEI
received exposing the plans of Ger
many to raid England. The cavolry
were imm ediately sent to patrol tht
East coast, where any attack woule
begin. In the meantime Osborne re
. Ce1ved MS nrSt pFOfnolion, penn
gazetted a full lieutenant.
!, "All this time I was restless, anxi
Gus to get to France, hadn't come
, home to remain in England ant
wanted to get out there on the firms
line. Finally orders came through
that we were brigaded with Lore
Strathconas Horse and attached t.
, the Royal Canadian Dragons w
. were commanded by General Jack
, Seeley, now head Of the Royal Al
, force. We. thought we would be II
France in few weeks. But l
, seemed that cavalry were not in mucl
demand. so we were disappointed
. again.
Then came request from the wa
, department asking us II we would q
. out as an infantry unit We volun
teered imm ediately to give up on
, horses and 60 out to reinforce tn
First Canadian division, then sorel,
pressed We received the news o
the approval Of this with cheers. ant
a week later we were in France.
ITO Be Continued.)