F.S.A. Scot. William Baird

“ General Wauchope's tragic end was no unfitting conclusion to a life of devoted, arduous service. He died as he had lived, ever in the midst of strife, an earnest, brave, and self-denying man, thinking more of others than himself; graced with the dignity that comes from inborn gentleness of spirit, and ever in his conduct exemplifying the faith he professed. No wonder that when such a man fell, there was a wail of lamentation, not merely around his own home in Edinburgh where he was best known and loved, but throughout the whole British Empire. ”

“ The Camerons no sooner got the word to advance than, with a wild rush, the pipers meanwhile playing 'The March of the Cameron Men,' they made for the zareba some three hundred yards ahead. Forward and forward, midst a rain of bullets, they reached the hedge of camel-thorn. In a few moments it was torn to pieces and scattered like brushwood, Gatacre being among the first to lay hands on the obstruction, and the Highlanders were inside the stockade and in the trenches, where now sprang out of the earth dusty, black, half-naked shapes, running and turning to shoot, but running away. ”

“ Essentially a modest man, he never made an affectation of superiority, and indeed he was much inclined to underrate his own ability in almost every work in which he was engaged. As a politician he knew his own mind, and he had become one of the clearest and most humorous exponents of the policy which he advocated. Great in arms, he was equally great in the arts of peace; and while professionally attached to his duties as a soldier, he had a horror of war, and an unbounded appreciation of the blessings of peace. ”

“ The people of this parish will always remember the battle of Magersfontein as that which deprived them of one of whom they were more than proud. General Wauchope was a man whom every one loved, and it was little wonder. Anything else was impossible. A man so real, with no vestige of the actor about him; so free from narrowness both in church and political creed; so generous as a patron, so philanthropic as a gentleman among his people ”

“ Thomas Skirving of Niddrie Mains, on behalf of himself and the tenantry, presented an address of welcome. This was feelingly replied to by the General in a few well-chosen words, concluding as follows:—'No Roman emperor coming from a victorious campaign could have been half so well received as I to-day have been, and as long as I live I can never forget it. If there is one thing that makes a man nerve himself to accomplish a difficult task, it is the thought that he is thought well of by the people in the midst of whom he lives. ”

“ The strike will also have done good to the community, inasmuch as it has shown that when difficulties are around us, and trials and tribulations come, we can stand shoulder to shoulder.' After a graceful allusion to Mrs. Wauchope as one desirous of doing her duty, and who in the address had been called his 'Gentle Consort,' the Colonel concluded amid great applause by thanking them all for the great kindness which had prompted such a meeting.
It does one good in these times, when capital and labour are too often in antagonism, to find such cordiality of affection and identity of interest. ”

“ Marked by Wreath on left of the Cross.
Fearless of death, and accustomed to meet it on many occasions, he dreaded it the less that he fully realised the after-issues. It has been well said that the man who has no place for death in his philosophy has not learned to live. The lesson of life is death. For Wauchope, death had no terrors, because it had been overcome through faith in Him who has conquered death and the grave. The pathos of life was with him no forced sentiment, for he had often felt the pity for suffering and bereavement which underlies all true life. ”

“ Kruger and his Hollanders ran the country for their own benefit. They taxed and plundered the Uitlanders, while neglecting such matters as roads, bridges, railways, sanitary and educational schemes, but took care to arm the Boers while they fattened on monopolies, and kept the Uitlanders from any share in the government. In short, the Transvaal was a Republic in nothing but the name. It was really a corrupt oligarchy, in which a privileged minority made laws to suit themselves, and put the whole burden of taxation on the shoulders of a majority who were deprived of the franchise. ”

“ To the people on his estate he was more than anything else a father, in his interest and care; the active patron of everything that was worthy, the participator in all that was helpful to their life; the benefactor whose liberal hand supplied many a need, and brightened and blessed many a home. When the news of his death came from South Africa, all ranks and classes united in lamenting the fall of a brave and a good man, of one who would be much missed, of one who could ill be spared. ”

“ To them crawled Scots with shattered limbs, sharing the last drop of water in their bottles, and taking farewell messages to many a cottage home in far-off Scotland.' But still the battle raged. Wounded and dead must wait alike the ultimate fate of the day. Lying on the veldt the British still held their ground, firing when they could, but drawing a hotter fire upon themselves from the trenches. ”

“ When Wauchope had decided to become a candidate for Midlothian, he went to Sir Robert Biddulph, afterwards Governor of Gibraltar, and told him he would have to canvass regularly until the next general election. Sir Robert's advice was wise:—'I told him,' said he, 'that he should never make any personal attack on Gladstone, nor ever mention his name in his public speeches. I said, "Gladstone is so strong a man, and so powerful a speaker, that he can tear you to pieces. You should not, therefore, give him the least opening for attacking you, but just act as if no such man existed." ”

“ Regiment after regiment were here embarked to fight the cataracts, the rapids, and the shallows of the mysterious river whose source had for ages been hidden in the dark recesses of the African Continent. Surely no stranger or more gigantic armed force ever floated on its waters either before or since the days of Egypt's ancient greatness! ”

“ General Wauchope's boyhood was spent mostly at Niddrie, with occasional short visits in summer to the other property of the family at Yetholm, among the pastoral Cheviot hills.
A high-spirited, frolicsome boy, delighting in the open air and every kind of outdoor sport, 'Andy,' as he was familiarly called, found scope for his energies in the beautifully wooded park surrounding the house. Bird-nesting, rabbit-catching, and fishing in the burn which meanders through the estate, found him an ardent enthusiast, but often brought him into trouble with his father and mother. ”

“ But then came the Jameson Raid at the very end of that year, which, though universally condemned both by the British Government and people as an infraction of international law, was yet the outcome of deep-rooted discontent in the Transvaal by the English and other settlers there. The 'Raid' was the turning-point in recent Transvaal history. In the first place, it attracted the attention of the whole civilised world, and placed the Transvaal, the Uitlanders, and the relationship of Great Britain both to the one and to the other in the full glare of day. ”

“ It has always been the pride and the pleasure of the people of this country to do honour to those who have fought and bled for their country's cause, especially so when that cause is associated, as it was in this instance, with the spread of civilisation and the prevention and prohibition of slavery and cruelty. The newspaper reports showed us that the Lothians had gallant representatives at the Ashanti war, and the people of Portobello felt proud to see the old and honoured name of Wauchope prominently noticed. ”

“ Drill and discipline, combined with growing confidence in their officers, had in those years built up an army able and willing to dare anything. The Sirdar was ready to fight the Khalifa, but he realised that in an invasion of the Soudan the real enemy to be faced was the Soudan itself—'its barrenness which refuses food, and its vastness which paralyses transport.'
These were the problems to be overcome by the general who would conquer the Soudan and plant his flag on the walls of Khartoum. ”

“ At Yetholm I said, and I am going to say it again, that fact alone would be a great gain to civilisation and to the world. {159} If the Dervish power had been continued for any length of time, hundreds and, perhaps, hundreds of thousands of people who in the future will have a chance of living in comfort and peace, would never have been able to live at all. It was a power based on murder, rapine, and cruelty, and it was our bounden duty to put an end to that power, because Great Britain was responsible for the condition of things that existed in that part of the world. ”

“ But while in one part of Africa a temporary peace had been patched up, in another part of that great continent, and that the most ancient, events were in the beginning of 1882 hastening to a rupture which was destined to open up a fresh field for the active military genius of young Wauchope. Egypt, the land of the Pharaohs, and in some respects the cradle of European culture, which had long been oppressed by Turkish tyranny, was showing signs of vitality, and was recognised as still a country capable of great resources, and having considerable commercial importance. ”

“ Boys will be boys, but his boyhood early showed the spirit of the man, for to have a number of country boys together, and put them through military drill, was the height of his delight. He was a born leader, and he doubtless imbibed his love of soldiering from the frequent opportunities he had of seeing military manoeuvres in the Queen's Park, or more likely on Portobello sands, where at that time there was a great deal of drilling, both of the regulars and of the yeomanry cavalry. ”

“ In biography there is perhaps nothing more alluring than to trace out traits in remote kindred, and to watch them coming forth with new accompaniments in later generations, to work out, as it were, the full story of the race, and probably to mark a climax in some chosen individual. Though we have not space to follow this out in the present case, the distinguishing characteristics of General Wauchope's ancestors may easily be discerned throughout his career; to them he doubtless owed that simple manliness which looked upon every man—whatever his station—as a brother ”

“ No one feels more than I do how unfit I am in many ways for the position of candidate. For instance, during next month we are to be at field manoeuvres, and I am tied by the leg during that time. But Midlothian deals very tenderly with all my wants—very much, I take it, that I am one of themselves.'
It was his strong opinion that the Liberal policy of the time was to prove disastrous to the best interests of his country which made him so keen an opponent of Mr. Gladstone. Against that great statesman he had not the slightest personal feeling. ”

“ I have always regarded his friendship for me with sentiments of pride. He was very proud of being a Scotsman, and being an Irishman myself, we had many arguments—as boys will have—as to which nation possessed the most interesting personalities. We agreed cordially on every other point, but never once on this. The nation has lost one of its best in poor Andy Wauchope.' There are doubtless others of his Britannia shipmates surviving who could give similar testimony. ”

“ His military services could not refuse him the former; and it says much for the discrimination of the great Scottish University that it should have discerned in one whose scholastic education was of the smallest, and who certainly had not the benefit of a university training, a fitting subject for so great an honour as it conferred. But the Senatus recognised this fact, that his life all through had been an educational training, equal at least to all the learning of the schools. A life of hard experience well utilised has often achieved great results, as in Wauchope's case it did. ”

“ Wauchope replied to this man, 'You are a soldier who is often drunk, often late for parade, often absent, and we can't depend upon you. We prefer to take men we can trust.' The man, very much crestfallen, and evidently disappointed, said, 'Sir, if you will take me to the front, I promise you I'll never be brought before an officer again.' Wauchope said, 'Very well, I'll take you at your word, but if you don't keep it, I'll never do {104} anything more for you.' The man behaved perfectly well during the campaign, and loyally kept his word. ”

“ The story of his life is one of incident and hairbreadth escapes, and it deserves to rank high in the military annals of our country; for among those who have helped to raise Great Britain to the honourable position she holds among the nations of the world, as the vindicator of freedom, as the protector of the weak against the strong, as the pioneer of commerce, and the disseminator of Christianity, there are few who have laboured more zealously or fought more bravely than he whose career we shall in the following pages attempt to sketch. ”

“ The Egyptians were taken by surprise, but the alarm once given, they sprang to their feet to face the attack; and immediately, along the whole front of their line of defence, was poured upon our troops a fierce artillery and rifle fire, which, however, was so ill directed that it did no great harm. With the utmost coolness, the British were formed for the assault. The Highland Brigade in the centre, with bayonets fixed, was supported by cavalry on both flanks With a loud cheer the Highlanders stormed the entrenchments, driving everything before them. ”

“ Lieutenant Wauchope, on his arrival at the Gold Coast, was appointed one of the officers of the Haussas—a body of natives who proved themselves superior in courage and endurance to any of our African allies. Commanded and led by British officers—the chief being the gallant Lord Gifford—these troops did much valuable service. They formed the van of our advancing army, and were frequently engaged in the most severe and wild fighting. Our guest, in his ardour to see active service, had voluntarily separated himself from his own regiment. ”

“ Captain Wauchope, after a few weeks' encampment at Ghezireh, on the west bank of the Nile, was moved with his regiment into Kass-el-Nil barracks, where they were to be quartered for the winter. A time of peace succeeded a time of sharp fighting. But whether fighting or at peace, Wauchope gave himself no rest. His military duties might be heavy enough, but his self-imposed exertions in looking after the wounded and the sick were varied by efforts to find amusement and recreation for those who were well. ”

“ If any man had a grievance he was sure of getting a fair hearing from him. But Wauchope was not easily taken in. I remember seeing him once standing in the street when I was speaking to a man of his regiment, who had seen better days. After the man had left me, he came up and said, "I was just waiting to warn you, lest you should be taken in by that man. He will tell you plausible stories to get money out of you, but don't listen to him. He is a humbug, and is not to be trusted." ”

“ Science and engineering skill came to the rescue, and with these under the guidance of a marvellous military genius that took in every situation, and turned it to his advantage, the enterprise was ultimately crowned with success. Hitherto military movements in the Soudan had been either by camels and weary foot trudging, or by boats on the Nile. Kitchener determined upon Wolseley's idea of crossing the desert between Wady Halfa and Abu-Hammed, but not by camels. He resolved to do it by rail, and to build the railway as they marched. ”

“ It was the outcome of a noble and generous disposition. 'No man is truly great who is not gentle,' it has been wisely remarked, for a gentleman must be kind and considerate for others; and though the work of a soldier is to fight, and if need be to kill, he is all the stronger in his hour of struggle against the enemy that he carries within him a gentle heart.
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Colonel Wauchope's heart was in the right place, and his influence was consequently far-reaching. ”