The King and the South African War
No event in many years has created such keen interest amongst, and been
so closely followed by, the Royal family of Great Britain as the war in
South Africa. Apart from Queen Victoria's natural and life-long dislike
of the horrors of war, there was the earnest sympathy which she felt in
the last two years of her reign with thousands of her subjects who had
suffered in the loss of husband, or brother, or father, or friend; and
the womanly sorrow which she herself felt for the many promising young
officers whom she had personally known or liked, or whose relations and
friends had been upon terms of intimacy with members of the Royal
circle. The matter was still more brought home to her, in a personal
sense, by the death of her grandson, Prince Christian Victor, who, after
months of hard campaigning and with the reputation of an able, modest
and hard-working officer, succumbed in the autumn of 1900 to enteric
fever, and was buried, at his own request, upon the South African veldt.
But these personal considerations had never been so potent with the
Queen as had her broader sympathies for her people, and there can be no
doubt the gloomy days of Colenso and Spion Kop told severely upon the
sensibilities of a Sovereign who was as proud of the nation's position
and as keen to feel national humiliation, or sorrow, as was the humblest
and most loyal of her subjects. And the fact that her duty to the people
and the Empire lay in supporting her Ministers and pressing, if
necessary, for a still more vigorous prosecution of the struggle, could
not but have its effect upon the constitution of a Queen who felt her
responsibilities very keenly and who was an aged woman as well as a
great ruler.
Where she could help in keeping behind her Ministers a united people
Queen Victoria did her utmost. Early in March, 1900, the Royal
recognition of Irish valour in South Africa, shown in the order to the
soldiers of the Empire to wear the Shamrock on St. Patrick's day, was as
tactful and wise a step as statesmanship ever initiated. The ensuing
postponement of Her Majesty's spring visit to sunny Italy and her
prolonged stay in Dublin during the month of April were pronounced
appeals to Irish loyalty. Her Christmas present of chocolate to the
troops in the field, her ever-thoughtful telegrams, and occasional
letters and speeches upon public occasions, were also of great value to
the cause of national unity and action in differing degrees. Meantime,
the Duke of Connaught had volunteered early in the period of trouble
which eventually developed into war, but the Queen did not wish him to
go to the front and, though he had offered to waive his rank and
seniority in order to do so, his mother's wishes, of course, prevailed.
DUTIES OF THE HEIR APPARENT
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 ship 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 Duchess of York and the Duke and Duchess 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 L1000, 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 assist 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
Devonshire 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 Ship 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 Association and, on
December 31st, 1900, reported through the press that L500,000 had been
directly subscribed to their purposes, L190,000 given through the
Mansion House subscription, and L50,000 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 L50,000 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 associations 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 associated 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 Duchess 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 L100,000. 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 Duchess of Connaught, the
Duke of Cambridge, Princess Louise, the Duchess 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
shores 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 assured 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 assistance 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 circumstances based primarily upon the
admitted fact that all honours and titles, constitutionally 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 assumed that King Edward took
more interest in this subject than did the late Queen. His many years of
active association with public life and men of all classes 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 multitudinous 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 Commandership 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
Investiture 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 constitutional 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.
[Illustration: 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]
[Illustration: 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.]
[Illustration: THE RIGHT HON. SIR WILFRID LAURIER, P.C., G.C.M.G., M.P.
Prime Minister of Canada during King Edward's Reign]
[Illustration: THE RIGHT HON. THE EARL GREY, P.C., G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O.
The King's Representative in Canada, 1904-10]
The war now dragged on its weary way. Victories and occasional defeats
marked the stages of attrition by which the bravery and obstinacy of a
determined foe was gradually worn down. On August 16th, 1901, Lord
Kitchener issued his proclamation banishing all Boer leaders taken in
arms after September 15th: three days later the Duke of Cornwall landed
at Cape Town; on August 27th Lord Milner returned to take up his arduous
duties. Mr. Cecil Rhodes died on March 26th, 1902, and on April 9th Boer
delegates met at Klerksdorp under safe conducts from Lord Kitchener, and
there Mr. Steyn, General Delary and General De Wet, and others,
conferred upon the possibilities of peace. Three days later they
proceeded to Pretoria and were given every facility for discussion and
consultation by the British authorities. On April 18th they temporarily
dispersed to consult their Commandos after being given the terms and
concessions which it was decided to grant. There were supposed to be, at
the most liberal computation--London _Times_ of April 25th--some 10,000
Boers in the field at this time, while the women, children and Boer
residents of the refugee camps, who were being fed and cared for by the
authorities, numbered 110,000.
The keenest interest had been taken by the King in the course of the war
during this period and in the negotiations which ensued. He had been
hoping for its termination before his Coronation and, some months prior
to this, on January 15th, had addressed a re-inforcement of the
Grenadier Guards in rather sanguine terms: "I trust that the duties you
will be called upon to perform will be less arduous than those of some
of the men who have gone before you and that the war will shortly be
brought to a close. But, whatever duties you may be called upon to
perform, I am sure you will fulfil them efficiently and will keep up the
old spirit and traditions for which the Guards are famous." His wishes,
like so many entertained throughout the Empire, were not speedily
realized, but it is safe to say that His Majesty would no more have
unduly hurried the course of negotiations or changed their effective and
final character in order to attain his natural desire for a peaceful
celebration of the Coronation--as was asserted in some sensational
quarters--than he would have cut his own hand off.
It is sometimes forgotten that the King not only embodies the authority
of his vast realm in his position, but must concentrate in his own
person a natural strength of pride in his Empire so great as to be far
beyond the possibility of a reflection upon its patriotism. He would
hardly be human in his qualities if the most intense patriotic pride in
the unity and power of his realms was not the first and strongest
instinct of his nature. But this in passing. Lord Salisbury illustrated
the attitude of both the Sovereign and his Ministers when speaking at
the Albert Hall, London, on May 7th, during the pending negotiations: "I
only wish to guard against misapprehension which I think I have seen, to
the effect that the willingness we have shown to listen to all that may
be said to us is a proof that we have retreated or receded from our
former position and are willing to recognize that the rights we claimed
are no longer valid. There is no ground for such an assertion. We cannot
afford after such terrible sacrifice, not only of treasure but of men,
after the exertions, unexampled in our history, that we have made--we
cannot afford to submit to the idea that we are to allow things to slide
back into a position where it will be in the power of our enemy again,
when the opportunity suits him and the chance is favourable to him, to
renew again the issue that we have fought this last three years."
TERMINATION OF THE WAR
Meanwhile the negotiations were proceeding. At first the Boer delegates
proposed that the two Republics should merely concede what had been
demanded before the outbreak of the war. When this was refused, even as
a matter for consideration, and they were referred to previous
statements as to terms, the request was made that some of the leaders be
allowed to consult their friends in Europe, or at least to have one of
the European refugee leaders come over and assist them in their
decision. To this Lord Kitchener gave an instant veto, and intimated
that unless their proposals were to be serious the negotiations had
better drop. Then they asked for an armistice in order to consult the
burghers in the field, but Lord Kitchener would not stop military
operations a moment further than to allow the delegates to hold meetings
of their Commandos. But in that event they were to return to Pretoria
armed with full powers to conclude peace--if they returned at all. As a
result of this decision the leading officers of the Boer forces met
their respective Commandos, and delegates were duly appointed to a total
number of one hundred and fifty. These met on May 16th at Vereeniging
and spent a couple of weeks in discussion, in obtaining absolutely final
terms for acceptance or rejection from the British authorities, and in
presenting these again to the Commandos. The opponents of peace during
these preliminaries were generally believed to include Mr. Steyn and
Commandants Wessels, Muller, Celliers and Herzog, while Generals Delarey
and De Wet were in favour of accepting the British terms. Finally, on
May 31st, the conditions of surrender were signed. Mr. Steyn was the
only important absentee from the final conferences at Pretoria.
Thus ended a war in which Great Britain had spent L200,000,000, raised
and equipped some three hundred thousand men, of whom one-sixth were
Colonial troops, and performed the unparalleled feat of supplying quick
and satisfactory transport and subsistence for this great body of troops
to a distance of seven thousand miles from the seat of Government. The
people had never wavered, the Government had, apparently, never
hesitated, the credit of the country had not been affected, even the
prosperity of Great Britain had not been touched. Speaking of the
conduct of the people in this connection the _Times_ of July 2d paid the
following personal tribute: "A splendid example of patriotism and
devotion was set them by our late Sovereign Lady, and they nobly
followed it. It is worth recalling now that, while she deplored the
necessity of war, she never wavered to the end in her conviction that it
must be fought through. It is to her, perhaps, above all others, that we
owe the calm dignity of temper with which the peoples of her Empire have
passed through the greatest ordeal they have been called upon to undergo
since the days of Napoleon. Her son, King Edward, has inherited her
spirit and kept before his subjects the ideals she held up to them."
The terms of peace included the promise by Great Britain of
self-government in gradual stages and "as soon as circumstances will
permit"; the exemption of burghers from civil or criminal proceedings in
connection with the war (with certain specified exceptions); the
recognition of English as the official language, and the promise that
Dutch should be taught in the schools when desired; the granting of
arms, under license, to the burghers and the postponement of native
franchise questions until the period of free government had arrived; the
grant of L3,000,000 to be expended by Commissioners in the work of
repatriation and the supply of shelter, seed, stock, etc., to the
returning burghers; and the reference of rebels to their own Colonial
Courts for trial, with the proviso that the death penalty should not in
any case be inflicted.
The settlement was well received by the burghers, of whom fully twenty
thousand came in and gave up their arms in the course of a week or two.
Many of the Commandos fraternized with the British troops and joined
them in singing "God Save the King." As soon as the decision for peace
had been ratified Lord Kitchener paid a visit to Vereeniging and
addressed the assembled Boer leaders. He congratulated them upon the
splendid fight they had made. "If he had been one of them himself he
would have been proud to have done as they had done. He welcomed them as
citizens of a great Empire and hoped they would do their duty to the
Sovereign as loyally as they had to the old State." Messrs.
Schalk-Burger and Louis Botha had, meanwhile, written farewell letters
to the burghers which concluded by asking them to be obedient and
respectful to their new Government.
Immediately on receipt of the information that peace had been signed
King Edward issued the following message: "The King has received the
welcome news of the cessation of hostilities in South Africa with
infinite satisfaction, and trusts that peace may be speedily followed by
the restoration of prosperity in his new dominions, and that the
feelings necessarily engendered by war will give place to the earnest
co-operation of all His Majesty's South African subjects in promoting
the welfare of their common country." At the same time His Majesty
cabled Lord Milner: "I am overjoyed at the news of the surrender of the
Boer forces and I warmly congratulate you on the able manner in which
you have conducted the negotiations." A similar despatch went to Lord
Kitchener, with hearty congratulations on the termination of
hostilities: "I also most heartily congratulate my brave troops under
your command for having brought this long and difficult campaign to so
glorious and successful a conclusion." The King also announced that he
had created Lord Kitchener a Viscount and promoted him to be full
General. Following the public announcement of peace on Sunday, June 1st,
came a flood of congratulatory telegrams to the King from public bodies
and private individuals, and celebrations were held all over the United
Kingdom and the British Empire.
On June 8th, by order of the King, a special thanksgiving service was
held in St. Paul's Cathedral and His Majesty attended in person
accompanied by Queen Alexandra, Princess Victoria, the Prince and
Princess of Wales, Prince and Princess Charles of Denmark, the Duke and
Duchess of Connaught, the veteran Duke of Cambridge, and other members
of the Royal family. A great gathering of representative Britons was
present in the crowded Cathedral, including most of the members of the
Houses of Lords and Commons and the Corporation of London. Amongst many
other notabilities were the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, Mr. Balfour, the
Earl of Rosebery, the Marquess of Lansdowne, Earl and Countess Roberts,
Earl and Countess Carrington, Lady Macdonald of Earnscliffe, Sir Redvers
and Lady Audrey Buller. A short and eloquent sermon was preached by
Bishop Winnington-Ingram, of London, in which he referred to the
blessings of peace for the people and the completion of the causes for
rejoicing at the approaching Coronation. Meanwhile, on June 4th, the
King had followed up the honours already conferred on Lord Kitchener by
sending a special message to the House of Commons at the hands of Mr. A.
J. Balfour, the Government Leader, to the following effect: "His
Majesty taking into consideration the eminent services rendered by Lord
Kitchener and being desirous, in recognition of such services, to confer
on him some signal mark of his favour, recommends that he, the King,
should be enabled to grant Lord Kitchener L50,000." The vote was carried
by a majority of three hundred and eighty-two to forty-two and marked
the final stage in the war--its prolonged struggles, its negotiations,
its honours and its rewards. To the King this result was the one thing
needful and seemed to leave a fair field, a peaceful Empire, a loyal
people, waiting without a shadow on the sun to share in the splendid
celebration of his approaching Coronation. To the Lord Mayor and
Corporation of London and the London County Council His Majesty
addressed, on June 13th, some words in reply to their expressions of
loyalty and congratulation at the conclusion of peace, which may
appropriately be quoted here:
"I heartily join in your expression of thankfulness to Almighty God
at the termination of a struggle which, while it has entailed on my
people at home and beyond the seas so many sacrifices, borne with
admirable fortitude, has secured a result which will give increased
unity and strength to my Empire. The cordial and spontaneous
exertions of all parts of my dominions, as well as of your ancient
and loyal city, have done much to bring about this happy result."
"You give fitting expression to the admiration universally felt for
the valour and endurance of the officers and men who have been
engaged in fighting their country's battles. They have been opposed
by a brave and determined people, and have had to encounter
unexampled difficulties. These difficulties have been cheerfully
overcome by steady and persistent effort, and those who were our
opponents will now, I rejoice to think, become our friends. It is
my earnest hope that, by mutual co-operation and good-will, the
bitter feelings of the past may speedily be replaced by ties of
loyalty and friendship and that an era of peace and prosperity may
be in store for South Africa."