Part 19 (1/2)
The Prince of Wales was exceedingly active during this period in paying every possible compliment to departing troops, in welcoming home the veterans of the war, in conferring medals and in helping the many charities, hospital interests and military organizations which the situation evoked. As soon as the war broke out the Princess of Wales had commenced to organize a hospital s.h.i.+p for the care of the wounded at Cape Town and, on November 22d, 1899, Her Royal Highness visited the vessel prior to its departure. She was accompanied by the Prince with Princess Victoria, the d.u.c.h.ess of York and the Duke and d.u.c.h.ess of Fife.
Badges and gifts were presented to the nursing sisters and the men of the Royal Army Medical Corps and St. John Ambulance Brigade and a brief speech delivered by the Prince. To this object, it may be added, the Princess had given 1000, and a Committee formed by her and composed of Lady Lansdowne, Lady Wolseley, Lady Wantage, Sir Donald Currie and others, had raised the large additional sum required. At Windsor, on December 15th, the Prince of Wales, accompanied by his wife, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Christian, presented to the Grenadier Guards the medals they had won in the Soudan. On January 26th, 1900, he reviewed six hundred officers and men of the Imperial Yeomanry under command of Colonel, Lord Chesham. He thanked them for making him their Hon.
Colonel, and then added: ”You have all, like true men, volunteered for active service to do your duty to your Sovereign and your country. I feel sure that when you leave your homes and country you will feel that a great duty devolves on you--to maintain the honour of the British flag--and that you will ably a.s.sist the Regular forces of Her Majesty abroad and do credit to your country and your corps.”
A little later, on February 9th, another contingent of Yeomanry, under Colonel Mitford, were inspected by the Prince ere they departed for South Africa. ”Most heartily” he said to them, ”do I hope that the services you intend to render your Sovereign and your country will bring credit upon yourselves. I feel sure that, under your commanders, you will know that one of the first principles is good discipline. Then, I hope you are good shots and good riders.” In the afternoon, at Devons.h.i.+re House, His Royal Highness received the one hundred and fifty nurses and men connected with the Imperial Yeomanry Hospital. When the Princess of Wales' Hospital s.h.i.+p returned with its sorrowful burdens of wounded men the Prince and Princess were the first to visit it and do what was possible by kind thought and word and action to soothe the suffering of the soldiers. Netley Hospital they visited again and again, and more than one Canadian or Australian, or other Colonial soldier of the Queen, will always speak of the gracious personal kindness of the Royal couple.
When the Naval Brigade returned in triumph from its achievements at Ladysmith there was added to the seething, cheering, enthusiastic popular welcome the formal reception and inspection by the Heir Apparent, accompanied by the Princess and other members of the Royal family and the Lords of the Admiralty. After brief speeches from Mr.
Goschen and His Royal Highness the former, as First Lord of the Admiralty, entertained the officers of the Brigade and the Prince of Wales at luncheon. On November 2nd, following, the Prince presided at a great banquet given in London to the officers and men of the Honourable Artillery Company and the City Imperial Volunteers. Colonel Mackinnon of the latter force sat on the right of the Royal chairman and the Lord Mayor on the left. In his speeches the Prince gave a brief history of the origin and the war achievements of the Artillery and the City Imperial Volunteers, congratulated many of the officers by name, spoke of the opportunity they had been given of taking part in ”a great and important war and of maintaining the honour of the British flag,” and referred in pathetic terms to the death of Prince Christian Victor--who had been through five campaigns and was under thirty-four years of age.
When the Composite Regiment of the Household Cavalry went to war in November 1899 they had been inspected by the Heir Apparent. Upon their return, December 3rd 1900, he paid them the same compliment, accompanied by various members of the Royal family and leading officers of the Army.
He expressed pride at being Colonel-in-Chief of a corps which had so greatly distinguished itself--in the distant past as well as the near present. Following them came the Royal Canadian Regiment, commanded by Colonel W. D. Otter. To them the Prince made a neat and patriotic speech. ”I am well aware of what you have gone through and the splendid way in which you have served in South Africa and I deeply regret and mourn with you the loss of so many brave men.” Ever anxious, like the Queen and her own husband, to promote the well-being of the soldiers and sailors the Princess of Wales had acted since the beginning of the war as President of the Soldiers and Sailors' Families a.s.sociation and, on December 31st, 1900, reported through the press that 500,000 had been directly subscribed to their purposes, 190,000 given through the Mansion House subscription, and 50,000 through a special Lord Mayor's Fund. The whole of this sum had now been expended in caring for the wives and families of those at the front and distributed through the voluntary services of eleven hundred ladies and gentlemen throughout the United Kingdom. At least 50,000 was still being expended monthly and Her Royal Highness made and personally signed an earnest appeal for the further funds required.
When Lord Roberts left to take command in South Africa, the Prince of Wales personally saw him off at the station--accompanied by the Duke of Connaught, who had been again praying the Military authorities to allow him to go to the front in the new crisis which had arisen and who had even obtained Lord Roberts' approval to his taking a place upon his Staff. But the War Office would only say that with so many general officers out of the country His Royal Highness could do better service by remaining with the Army at home.
There were many reasons for the Prince of Wales taking a keen interest in the war apart altogether from the natural and patriotic reason. A peculiarly large number of the sons of personal friends were at the front and many of them were fated to fall from time to time. The reputation of the officers engaged in the struggle was necessarily very dear to him. He knew them all and had many a.s.sociations with their regiments and themselves. A blow to Sir George White, a disaster to Sir Redvers Buller, a danger to Col. Baden Powell, a threatened illness in the case of Lord Roberts, were all matters of personal concern to him as well as of national or patriotic interest. The central figure in the beginning of the war--the great personality of Mr. Cecil Rhodes--had long been a friend and had been received by the Prince upon a kindly social footing. Through the Duke of Fife's connection with the South African Chartered Company, the Prince must have been closely interested in all the earlier developments of the struggle and it could only have been by special permission that his son-in-law held a Director's place up to the actual outbreak of the war. Mr. Chamberlain and Lord Milner were both men who had been closely a.s.sociated with his own Imperialistic projects and ideals and there can be little doubt--though it was never publicly expressed--that the Prince of Wales sympathised with the policy which has since made South African expansion and empire possible.
The Prince of Wales had seen Lord Roberts off upon his career of successful action; on January 3rd, 1901, accompanied by the Princess, the Duke and d.u.c.h.ess of York and the Duke of Connaught, he welcomed him home and on behalf of the Queen received him as a Royal guest at Buckingham Palace. A magnificent banquet followed, given by the Prince, in honour of the Field Marshal--who had just been created an Earl and a Knight of the Garter--and six months later as King of Great Britain, he was able to send a special message to Parliament recommending a grant to Earl Roberts of 100,000. Shortly after this reception came the much-mourned death of the Queen and the accession of His Royal Highness to the Throne. It was not long before the King was showing his appreciation of South African soldiers by inspecting or addressing them before their departure, or upon their return. On February 15th, accompanied by Queen Alexandra, the Duke and d.u.c.h.ess of Connaught, the Duke of Cambridge, Princess Louise, the d.u.c.h.ess of Argyll, the Duke of Argyll, Lord Roberts, Sir Redvers Buller, Lord Strathcona and Mr.
Chamberlain, he inspected Lord Strathcona's Regiment of Horse and presented a King's colour to Colonel Steele. His Majesty's speech to the officers and men was tactful and gracious: ”I welcome you here on our sh.o.r.es on your return from active service in South Africa. I know it would have been the urgent wish of my beloved mother, our revered Queen, to have welcomed you also. That was not to be; but be a.s.sured she deeply appreciated the services you rendered as I do. It has given me great satisfaction to inspect you to-day, to have presented you with your war-medals and also with the King's colour. I feel sure that in entrusting this colour to you, Colonel Steele, and to those under you, you will always defend it and will do your duty as you have done in the past year in South Africa and will do it on all future occasions. I am glad that Lord Strathcona is here to-day, as it is owing to him that this magnificent force has been equipped and sent out.” The King then presented Colonel Steele, personally with the M.V.O. decoration.
PERSONAL INTEREST IN THE WAR
Following this and other similar events came the re-organization of the Army, in which the King no doubt took a great deal of interest though it would only be shown the form of advice or expressions of opinion. By Mr.
St. John Brodrick's scheme, as outlined on March 9th, and ultimately accepted in the main, it was decided to have the military forces so organized that three Army corps could be sent abroad at any time; that the artillery and mounted troops should be increased and the medical and transport service reformed; that officers should be better trained, with less barrack-square drill and more musketry, scouting and individuality. It was proposed also to ”decentralize administration, centralize responsibility;” to increase the Militia from 100,000 to 115,000, to increase the pay of the soldiers, to utilize the Yeomanry and to affiliate, if possible, the Colonial forces. The new arrangements would provide, it was hoped, a home force of 155,000 Regulars, 90,000 Reserves, 150,000 Militia, 35,000 Yeomanry and 250,000 Volunteers--a total of 680,000 men.
Meanwhile, peace negotiations had been progressing. On February 28th a long interview took place between Lord Kitchener and General Louis Botha who, according to the British general's despatch, ”showed very good feeling and seemed anxious to bring about peace.” The question of government, grading from a Crown Colony system up to full self-government, was discussed; the licensing of rifles for protection and hunting; the use of English and Dutch languages; the enfranchising of Kaffirs; the protection of Church and trust funds and the guarantee of legal debts and notes of the late Republics; the question of a war-tax on the farms and the time of return of prisoners of war; pecuniary a.s.sistance to the burghers, so as to enable them to start afresh; the question of amnesty and the proposal to disfranchise Cape rebels; were all freely discussed. After considerable interchange between Lord Kitchener and Mr. Brodrick and Lord Milner and Mr.
Chamberlain, a definite statement of terms was offered General Botha and by letter, dated March 16th, declined. The details of this cabled correspondence and the proposed terms were, of course, submitted to the King and approved by His Majesty, and it is certain that had the war then ended the Coronation would have taken place at an earlier date than was afterwards fixed.
The question of honours conferred by the Crown in peace or war has always been one of considerable discussion in Colonial, if not in home circles. How far the Sovereign acts in this connection with, or without the advice of responsible Ministers, cannot be exactly known. The action is unquestionably guided by circ.u.mstances based primarily upon the admitted fact that all honours and t.i.tles, const.i.tutionally as well as theoretically, lie in the hands of the Sovereign. It is probable that the recommendations made are generally accepted; that the name of any one known to be disapproved of by the King would never be submitted; that the slightest hint of disapproval would suffice for any name to be at once dropped; that any suggestion made by the Sovereign is at once included in the official list as a matter of course; that the interest taken by the Sovereign in the honours bestowed depends somewhat upon whether they are conferred in the ordinary way for routine services or granted for special reasons of action or state; that Colonial honours are seldom changed as they come from the hands of the Governor-General or Viceroy.
On the other hand it may be reasonably a.s.sumed that King Edward took more interest in this subject than did the late Queen. His many years of active a.s.sociation with public life and men of all cla.s.ses and political opinion had made him keenly and impartially aware of personal claims and merits and more than usually able to judge amongst the great numbers who desire or deserve Royal recognition from time to time. His Majesty's first Honour List dealt with services in the South African War under terms of a mult.i.tudinous catalogue submitted by F. M. Lord Roberts up to November 29th, 1900. Amongst those who were made Knights Commander of the Bath, or K.C.B. were Lieut.-General Charles Tucker, Lieutenant-General Lord Methuen, Major-General Reginald Pole-Carew, Major-Generals W. G. Knox and H. J. T. Hildyard, Lieut.-General Ian S.
M. Hamilton, Major-General Hector A. Macdonald, Lieut.-General J. D. P.
French, Brigadier-Generals Henry S. Settle, Edward Y. Brabant and J. G.
Dartnell--all well-known officers in the South African conflict. The Grand Cross of St. Michael and St. George, or G.C.M.G. was conferred upon General Sir Redvers Buller, Lieut.-General Lord Kitchener, Lieut.-General Sir Frederick Forestier-Walker and General Sir George White. The K.C.M.G., or Knight Commanders.h.i.+p in the same Order, was given to Major-General Sir C. F. Clery, Major-General Sir Leslie Rundle, Major-General E. T. H. Hutton, Lieut.-Colonel E. P. C. Girouard and others. A number of minor honours were bestowed upon British, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and South African officers and men and an Invest.i.ture of various Orders was held at St. James's Palace on June 3rd, 1901. In such a list much discrimination was necessary and it is probable that the tact and knowledge of the King would have a very controlling influence apart altogether from his const.i.tutional rights and powers.
VARIOUS CEREMONIES AND INCIDENTS
On May 24th, His Majesty helped to make the welcome home to Sir Alfred Milner splendid and impressive and worthy of the statesman who had toiled amidst personal danger and depressive surroundings, public disasters and continuous misrepresentation, to maintain British rights and justice in South Africa. The High Commissioner was received at the station by Lord Salisbury, Mr. Chamberlain, Lord Roberts, Lord Lansdowne, Mr. Balfour and many others. Thence he was driven to Buckingham Palace and received by the King in a prolonged and private audience. The honour of a peerage was conferred upon him and on the following day Lord Milner was entertained at a large luncheon given by the Colonial Secretary and Mrs. Chamberlain and attended by the most eminent public men of the Metropolis--outside of the Liberal party ranks. On the same day the King presented colours to the Third Scots Guards.
On June 13th a most imposing ceremony was held by His Majesty on the Horse Guards Parade when thirty-two hundred officers and men from South Africa were presented with war medals by the King amid scenes which had not been duplicated since the memorable function when the late Queen Victoria and the Crimean soldiers had been the central figures. The Royal platform was covered with crimson cloth and in its centre was spread a beautiful Persian silk carpet above which a canopy of crimson and gold, supported on silver poles, had been erected. Around the platform was a bewildering display of splendid uniforms and, after the arrival of the King and Queen Alexandra, accompanied by Princess Victoria, the distribution of the medals lasted over two hours--Major-General Sir Henry Trotter handing them to His Majesty who, in turn, presented them to the officer or soldier as he filed past. The first recipients were Lord Roberts, Lord Milner and Sir Ian Hamilton. A most brilliant and successful function concluded with cheers and the National Anthem.
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE RIGHT HON. HERBERT HENRY ASQUITH. K.C., D.C.L., M.P.
Prime Minister of Great Britain and Ireland at the time of King Edward's Death]
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE MOST REVD. DR. RANDALL T. DAVIDSON, P.C., G.C.V.O.
Ninety-fourth Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of England under King Edward, 1903-10.]