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Horatio Herbert Kitchener, better known as Lord Kitchener, is most famously remembered for being the face in the recruiting poster of the British people, in the First World War. But as we shall see, his accomplishments were many more than that single, yet enormously important, campaign.
Lord Kitchener was born in 1850, on a farm in southern Ireland (Eire). His father had enjoyed a successful career in the armed forces, and with his retirement funds had bought the farm as both a home and business venture. When his two sons were in their early teens, Kitchener senior decided to send them abroad, no doubt telling them that it would be an educational experience. More likely, the wily old father saw it as an ideal chance to concentrate solely on his business opportunities.
The boys were packed off to Geneva in Switzerland, where they enjoyed a thorough schooling. They returned to London to be ‘finished off’, by an army instructor. At the age of eighteen, Herbert entered the Royal Military Academy, but became bored by the mundane life there. Two years later, he visited his father who had since remarried and relocated to France. All about him, he saw images of French soldiers singing heroic songs before going into battle, and was smitten by it all. In a fit of enthusiasm he offered his services to the French army, was subsequently enlisted, and fought several battles under the Tricolour flag.
At heart though, Kitchener knew he was an Englishman, and in 1871 he returned to his home country. Life in the Royal Engineers became intolerably boring, so he applied for a position in Palestine, surveying the uncharted land. Subsequently he moved to Egypt, and helped to train the native people. Also, he established an excellent network of railways, and became renowned for his sound economics.
Lord Kitchener remained in Egypt for almost a quarter of a century. Indeed, by 1892, he had become Commander in Chief of the Egyptian army. Because of his excellence in organisation and training of the local forces, he was finally able to wrest the city of Khartoum from the dervishes of Sudan in 1898, after a two year battle, a feat which was talked about for many years to follow (others had failed where he was victorious). Because of his accomplishment, the British commander acquired the nickname of ‘Kitchener of Khartoum’, or ‘K of K’ for short.
In the Boer War, Lord Kitchener was sent to help Lord Roberts mop up the last of the Boer rebels. His mathematically adept mind, and renowned powers of organisation, meant that the job was completed in quick time, further enhancing his already fearsome reputation. From South Africa, Kitchener travelled to India. It was enough for the troops there just to know he was in the country – their work rate increased, as they knew K of K would deem failure in any project unacceptable.
At the outbreak of World War One in 1914, the British government had no hesitation in appointing Kitchener the Secretary of State for War. His duties involved the administration of all the British forces, thus troops were efficiently mobilised and generally the people of the country became confident, knowing that such a great commander was overseeing their war effort. At the same time, Kitchener was used on the recruiting poster for British soldiers. His handlebar moustaches, steely gaze and pointing finger, were all instrumental in the recruitment of the ‘New Army’. Unfortunately, many of this second wave of young recruits were killed in gruesome battles, such as that of the Somme.
Lord Kitchener was then charged with improving the work rate of Britain’s industries. He didn’t like the job; to him it had little to do with the actual war. Inevitably, he fell out t with many of his colleagues – partly also because he was used to being solely in charge of operations. Horatio Herbert Kitchener died in 1916, when the cruiser he was sailing on, bound for Russia, was sunk by a German mine.
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