The East Riding Telegraph. — 1903-03-28 (Beverley, Humberside, England)

MACDONALD. soldier?" " Ah," said Hector, " but Ido not mean to be a common soldier all my life." He : told his mother, too "I shall get on some day," ! and his confidence was justified in the event. Nor had he the bitterness of a promotion too 1 late to give pleasure to his parents, whom, despite his determination to adopt a military , career, he sincerely loved. His mother lived to see him Captain, and his eldest brother was forced to admit that the Army was not so bad a profession " after all." It was not from any objection to the military profession as such that either his father or mother—who came on each side of good old fighting stocks—were opposed to it for their youngest son. But they knew the difficulties of rising from the ranks, and did not know that Hector was the man to overcome them. Macdonald was not yet 18 when, as a comradein-arms has described it, 'he walked into Glasgow and asked the way to the barracks " barefoot, we are told, but not, Shoeless' "for he carried his stout brogues upon his shoulder." The recruiting sergeant who let him pass with a wink and a smile, and entered him as 18 without a scruple, little thought, perhaps, that he was enlisting one who was to rise to command the Brigade, of which the regiment was a unit. From the first the capacity of the young recruit was evident, and it was not long before he became corporal. His chance came in Lord Roberts' second Afghan campaign. He was then colour-sergeant, and Roberts entrusted him with the clearing-out of an ambush of some 2,000 Mangals and Ghilzais who had been discovered lying in wait for the column near Jogi Thanni. Macdonald had 45 Sikhs and 18 of the Gordon Highlanders. He had to cross a river and ascend a steep bill in the face of the enemy; but the soldierly and effective manner in which Ile carried the position and cleared the pass marked him out as a man certain to rise. Lord Roberts spoke in terms of the highest praise of his services on this occasion, without which "it might probably have been impossible to carry out the programme of our march." Of his part in the battle of Charasiah, Lord Roberts, in a despatch from CAA, said: " Colour-Sergeant Hector Macdonald, a noncommissioned officer—whose excellent and skilful management of a small detachment when opposed to immensely superior numbers in the Hazardarakht defile was mentioned in my despatches of the 15th inst. here again distinguished himself." He went through the campaign to its brilliant finish at Candahar, and came out of it with an inscribed sword presented by Lord Roberts, a commission in his own regiment—which he owed largely to his then major, Sir George White—and the medal with' three clasps and the bronze decoration—all this at the age of 28! Mactlanald served in the first Boer War of 18.1, and was mentioned in despatches. He was present at Majuba Hill, where he fought as a lieutenant, and the story goes that his life was saved by Joubert himself, who, struck with admiration for his bravery, prevented a Boer from shooting the young lieutenant, preferring to take him prisoner. From 1885 to 1888 he I served in the Egyptian Constabulary, and from 1888 to 1898 in the Egyptian Army. Here it 11 was that he did some of his best work. In 1889 'he was present at the engagement at Toski. He I was mentioned in despatches, and received the D.S.O. and a clasp. He took part in the capture of Tokar in 1891, and received the third ' clasp of the Osmanieh and the clasp with IKhedive's Star. He was in command of the 2nd ' Infantry Brigade in Lord Kitchener's Dongola Expeditionary Force in 1896, and took part in the engagements at Firket and Hafri. He was again mentioned in despatches and was breveted Lieutenant-Colonel. He commanded an Egyptian Brigade at Abu Flamed in 1897 and at Atbara end Khartoum in 1898. For his services in the latter year he received the thanks of both Houses of Parliament •, was appointed Aide-de-Camp to the Queen. and Colonel. On the death of General Wauchop after the battle of Magersfontein in the second Boer War, Macdonald, who was serving as Brigadier General Commanding at Umballa, was sent out to South Africa to command his old brigade. -He pulled the men together as, perhaps, only he could. In a few weeks they had thoroughly recovered from their recent disasters. He did not, perhaps, take so large a share in the operations in Snuth Africa as might have been expected. But he did good work in the sweeping expedition throughout the Orange River Colony, attaining a speed little short of marvellous. At Paardeberg he scored a victory and received a wound. His services were rewarded with it K.C.B. and the commandership in Ceylon at the end of the war. After so brilliant a career in which success has followed upon success, the final scene—with its tragic suicide—stands out with still more startling distinctness. Whatever the charges were which the dead General stood arraigned of, there is no doubt hut that he was a born leader of men, and that his death will come as a severe shock to the Army and country in general.