Lord+Kitchener



Earl Herbert Kitchener or Field Marshal Horacio Herbert Kitchener the Rt Hon, was one of the highest ranking British military commanders during much of the Great War. From the very beginning Lord Kitchener was an inspirational figure that was greatly respected within military circles for the cunning and skill that he displayed during the Battle of Omdurman and during the Boer conflict (1899 - 1902).

Lord Kitchener was born on the 24th of June, 1850 and lived to an age of 65 years. During his prosperous lifespan, Lord Kitchener accomplished many extraordinary feats including leading the British to victory at the Battle of Omdurman and during the Sudan conquest and was key in bringing the 2nd Boer War to an end.

The next few years (1874-) would see Kitchener rising slowly in significance and fame as he was sent to survey the lands of Western Palestine, creating maps of the area with his partner [|Conrad Schick]. For many years Kitchener was engaged in his work here, drawing maps that are still in use even today, but he was never destined for such work and soon after he was called once again to arms, this time by the British army, in the conquest of Egypt, Khartoum and Sudan (1883-1899). During these years Kitchener went from strength to strength; leading the British and Egyptian forces up the Nile and constructing a railway system for the transportation of supplies and ammunition as well as leading the British to victory over the Sudanese at the famed battle of Omdurman (2nd September, 1898). His great accomplishments allowed him to skim quickly through the army ranks finally allowing him to become Baron Kitchener of Khartoum (31st October 1898). As Baron, Kitchener proved himself to be a wise and compassionate leader to his subjects and championed many reforms which allowed for the continued existence of the Muslim religion in the area, because of this and his successes in the field of war Kitchener earned much respect and adoration from his men and people.

Soon after came the Second Boer War (1899-1902) in which Kitchener was given the title of Chief of Staff under Lord Roberts, the Supreme British Commander of this campaign. During his three years in Boer provinces, Kitchener led many a successful battle and soon brought victory back to the British. During the final year of the war, Kitchener effectively became the champion of the Afrikaans and fought hard for the rights of the people he had conquered earning him the respect, and also the enmity, of many. After this short but brutal war, Baron Kitchener was given the new title of Viscount Kitchener of Khartoum and also the military rank of general.

But peace was not to be had for Lord Kitchener who was soon called upon to become the Commander-in-Chief of India (1902-1909); this was where Lord Kitchener eventually came into contact with his rival [|Viceroy Curzon] who was later forced into resignation by Kitchener. During his time in India, Kitchener once again brought many reformations to the Indian army, however, despite his long and fruitful career, Kitchener was unable to secure the post of Viceroy and was instructed to return to Egypt where he was given the title of Earl Kitchener of Khartoum (29th June, 1914). Nearly a month after his "promotion" to Earl of Khartoum, Kitchener was once again called into service by [|Prime Minister Asquith] who quickly appointed him Secretary of State for War in response to the declaration of war that marked Britain's entry into the Great War. Kitchener believed that the war would last for well over three months and would force Britain to invest all its fighting men "to the last million," and although he received little or no support from his fellow ministers Kitchener decided to act upon this belief which lead to the massive recruitment campaign that supplied the British military with millions upon millions of new soldiers.

A year after the beginning of this extraordinarily successful recruitment campaign Kitchener saw that the position on the Western Front was fast deteriorating, and in an effort to relieve the beleaguered soldiers entrenched therein Kitchener proposed an assault of Alexandretta, an area located at the strategic center of the [|Ottoman (Turkish) empire], he believed that a successful invasion there would cut the Ottoman empire in half. However, his optimism was not shared by the rest of his colleagues and he too was soon persuaded to abandon his idea and support [|Churchill's] proposal to launch an attack on the Gallipoli peninsula. An attack doomed to failure from the very beginning. This failure combined with the great Shell Crisis of 1915 dealt a serious blow to Kitchener's career, a blow that nearly caused him to be removed from office if not for the favor that he held in the public eye.

In the later days of 1915, Kitchener was offered the position of Commander in Chief of Gallipoli but he turned this offer down after a visit to the region and described the entire campaign as a complete waste of manpower. Soon after [|Sir William Robertson] came to power and was granted the right to speak for the military to the British ruling cabinet, resulting in Kitchener being forced into the background and becoming responsible for the supplies and recruitment in the British military. Because of this, the large reserve force that had been amassed by Kitchener was thrown into action by Sir Robertson in an attempt to break through the German defenses and finally bring an end to the Great War. This, as you know, failed miserably and led to the eventual onset of trench warfare.

Throughout the war Kitchener was forced to deal with extraordinarily challenging difficulties such as supplying the army with guns and ammunition and was commended for his efforts. Despite his military actions however, Kitchener had remained a devoted "peace seeker" and had confided to Lord Derby a week prior to his death, that he intended to attempt the signing of an armistice with the Germans. This, of course, he never managed to do on account of his untimely death aboard the HMS Hampshire which was struck by a German mine laid by the newly commissioned German submarine U-75. Kitchener died on the 5th of June, 1916. Till this day the peculiar timing of his death as well as his great personal fame, still sparks debate as to whether Kitchener's death was really caused of a mischance or whether it was a conspiracy against him.

[] [] [] The War to End Wars 1914 -- 1919 GCSE Modern World History for Edexcel by Steve Waugh and John Wright (Textbook)
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