Private Journal of Henry Francis Brooke

From Col. E.

Simla,12th October, 1880.

My dear Mr. Brooke,

… To all of us who knew your gallant Brother so well, and to myself personally as an intimate friend, his death in action, nobly striving to aid a wounded comrade, has been a painful blow. He was so true and thorough a soldier that we had hoped for high distinction for him when we heard he had been sent to Kandahar, and his letters to me from that place were full of confidence. I am sure that we shall yet learn that however depressed and dispirited others may have been during the siege, that Henry Brooke was never down-hearted, or anything else, but as brave a soldier in life as he was in death.

From Col. W.

Poona, Bombay,October, 1880.

My dear Mr. Brooke,

By this time, of course, you have full particulars of your Brother's death, so it is needless for me to enter into the sad details, but amidst all this sorrow which this has caused you and his other relations, is the proud recollection that no man ever died more nobly, or as a soldier could wish for, whilst the high estimation in which he was held by all who knew him, must be a source of satisfaction to you all. For myself, I can only say that I sympathise most truly with you all in the affliction which has fallen on you, for though our acquaintance was not of long standing, we were for the time thrown much together, and in him I mourn a true friend, whose friendship and esteem it was an honor to possess, and whose untimely fate I shall always deplore.

From Captain E.

Edinburgh,20th November, 1880.

My dear Mrs. H.,

I was very glad to receive your kind note … We were all very much grieved to hear of poor General Brooke's death under such sad circumstances, and for a time we had great anxiety regarding the safety of Kandahar, for we all knew and felt the great loss the garrison would sustain in his death, as he was one of the very few they had to trust to. I have heard several officers say, "Brooke was the life and soul of the place during the siege."

From Lt. – Colonel White, V.C., C.B., 92nd Highlanders25th November, 1880.

My dear Brooke,

Your Brother's death gave me a greater shock than any incident in the whole war. He died like the man I knew him to be, and as you and I would like to die when our time comes. It would be some consolation to you to hear the way he is spoken of by all who knew him – "about the only man who held his head up all through the Kandahar investment, and he had a cheery word and a helping hand for everyone." …

The North of Ireland lost another fine fellow in Brownlow of the 72nd Highlanders. He and your brother Henry were perhaps the two men most highly thought of in the armies occupying Afghanistan.

From Sir G. K.

St. Stephen's Club, London,27th August.

… I am so grieved to see the telegram announcing General Brooke's death, and heartily sympathize with his Widow. He was the ruling spirit of the Kandahar Force, and has died a soldier's death, and left an honored name.

From Col. M.

St. James' Square, London,2nd September, 1880.

Your Husband died nobly in the gallant attempt to save another life: all honor, therefore, to his memory for so generously giving his own, though it was given in vain. By his death the Kandahar Garrison were deprived of their ablest leader, and the Bombay Army has lost an Adjutant-General whose place will not be easily filled. Personally I shall ever remember his kindness to me while I had the pleasure to be associated with him on the Bombay Staff.

From Lt. – Colonel White, V.C., C.B., 92nd HighlandersGovernment House,20th December, 1880.

My dear Mrs. Brooke,

… I was but a very few days at Kandahar, but in those few days I heard enough to know what a name the General had left behind him. Everyone I spoke to about him said, "that he had been so looked up to and respected, that he had a cheery word and a look of confidence for all his comrades throughout the investment," and at a time, when, I am sorry to say, men of his stamp were badly wanted…

His heroic death speaks for itself; … and every officer I spoke to about him in Kandahar was as much impressed by his tender devotion to others, as by the contempt for personal danger which he had invariably shown…

I feel how inadequate anything I can write must appear to you, but it may be gratifying to you to hear that at Bombay the most universal regret was expressed to me for General Brooke, who was known to everybody there, and the deepest sympathy with you. Lord Ripon was only too glad to do all in his power to carry out your wishes.

From Colonel Sir Andrew Clarke, K.C.M.G., R.EBath, 23rd January, 1881.

My dear Mrs. Brooke,

I received back this morning the Journal which, with a letter from Lord Hartington's Private Secretary, I now enclose, and trust you will get them in safety. I have not proposed to retain the Journal to be copied, as it has struck me you would like this rather to be done under your own care than by anyone else. You have, no doubt, heard from Lord Napier, as he will have told you most probably of how much the recent successes achieved by the Bengal Army are, in a great measure, due to the aid and co-operation he received from your dear Husband, when on his Staff whilst commanding and re-organizing that Army, and I know that already had the discipline and morale of the Bombay Army been raised and improved during the comparatively short time my lost Friend had been its Adjutant-General. If I can be of any service, do not hesitate to make use of me…

Yours very sincerely,

AN CLARKE.

India Office,21st January, 1881.

Dear Sir Andrew Clarke,

Lord Hartington desires me to return to you the Journal of the late General Brooke, and to beg you to convey to Mrs. Brooke how much he appreciates her kindness in having allowed him the opportunity of reading an account, so full of interest, in the scenes of which so important a part was taken by her gallant and much-lamented Husband. I am to add, that it gave Lord Hartington much satisfaction to receive the messages you were good enough to send him from Mrs. Brooke.

I remain,

Faithfully yours,

R. H. HOBART.

Private.

War Office,23rd December, 1880.

My dear Clarke,

I sat up till 1 a.m., reading poor General Brooke's most interesting Journal. I am very glad indeed to have been allowed to peruse it. It proves (if proof beyond what we have had been wanted) how good a soldier and administrator he was; and his criticisms on others never go beyond the line, which habits of discipline and good sense lay down. Forgive me for having kept it so long, but until yesterday I have not had any spare time.

Yours very sincerely,

HUGH R. CHILDERS.

From the Honorable E. Stanhope3, West Eaton Place, S.W.,January 28th, 1881.

Mr. Edward Stanhope presents his compliments to Mrs. Henry Brooke, and begs to return herewith the later parts of General Brooke's Journal. No one could read it without the greatest interest. It conveys a vivid picture of the events recorded in it, and makes one feel again the great loss which the Country has sustained by the death of one whose cool head and discretion are conspicuous throughout its pages. Mr. Stanhope cannot presume to say more to Mrs. Brooke, but in thanking her for the favor which she has shown to him in allowing the perusal of the Journal, he can only say that he shall be glad, if the opportunity should ever arise, of publicly bearing his testimony to the value of the services recorded in it.

3, West Eaton Place,April 4th.

My dear Mrs. Brooke,

I return, with many thanks, the last parts of General Brooke's Notes, and the Letters. They have had very great interest for me, and make one bitterly regret – more than ever – the blunders which led to so much national disaster, and to the irreparable loss of valuable lives. With renewed thanks.

Believe me, yours very faithfully,

EDWARD STANHOPE.

From H. E. Sir James Fergusson, Governor of BombayBombay,18th January, 1881.

Sir James Fergusson presents his compliments to Lady Arabella Brooke, and begs to apologise for not having sooner replied to her Ladyship's letter of the 27th October.

Before he received it, all necessary orders had been given for the suitable transport of the remains of the late and lamented Brigadier-General Brooke, and Sir James Fergusson trusts that her Ladyship has been sensible that nothing has been omitted which could mark the respect entertained by the Government, the Services, and the public, for an officer whose loss was universally deplored, and whose death was so honorable.

Sir J. Fergusson ventures to offer his sincere sympathy and condolence with the family so grievously bereaved.

From Lord Napier of MagdalaGibraltar,March 19th, 1881.

My dear Mrs. Brooke,

… It must have been a melancholy satisfaction to you to have been able to consign the precious remains of your noble Husband to the resting-place of his Family – a sad duty, but one of infinite value to you. It is grievous to think that if his advice had been listened to, the lives of many valuable men, as well as his own, might have been saved… Lady Napier desires her love. With kindest remembrances and regards.

Believe me,

Yours very sincerely,

NAPIER OF MAGDALA.

From Lieut. C.

Kandahar,11th January, 1881.

My dear Annie,

… Very few enjoy such general respect and admiration when living, or when gone cause such universal expressions of praise and regret. I am now living with the 7th Fusiliers, and I assure you when I came up, and now when alluded to, no officer seemed then, or now, to be able to say enough in praise of his late Brigadier, and many have some kind act or word to record, as either received at his hands or spoken to them during the siege.

In the Bombay Gazette of the 1st inst., there is an article in which the way in which Brigade Commands are given, often to people who have never, since boy service, done anything but staff work in an office, is spoken of, and asking how such officers, save in certain exceptions, can be expected to be efficient in the field, and it goes on to say, "we have on more than one occasion testified to our admiration of General Brooke's splendid qualities as a soldier, while, as time goes on, the heroic manner of his death will more and more command admiration."

I don't think in March, when the appointment was made, there was a dissenting voice or a doubt expressed that it was otherwise than the best that could be made. On the last night of the old year there was a large fire in the Citadel Square, round which all the soldiers had been singing; on our going out after mess to join them, they sang a song all about the siege and sortie, recounting where and how they had lost their Brigadier, officers, and men, the chorus of which was —

"All honor now to General Brooke,Who in his grave does lie,And fighting for Queen and country,Did like a soldier die."

Of course it is soldier's language, but it nevertheless is expressive of their feelings.

From Captain C.

… General Brooke was respected and beloved by every man and officer in the Force, and esteemed by everyone. He gave me my orders on that fatal day, when he fell, and I was never near him afterwards, for he met his death, with one of our Colour-Sergeants, while nobly assisting Captain Cruikshank, R.E., who was badly wounded; but the name of General Brooke will long be remembered, and in his death we have lost one of our best Officers…

The English Army met with a great loss in General Brooke, beloved and respected as he was by all the Brigade…

General Brooke was beloved by all who knew him, and the Soldiers worshipped him…

109th Regiment,Aldershot, September 6th.

Dear Captain Brooke,

Will you kindly forward the enclosed Regimental Card, "with sincere condolence" to Mrs. Brooke. I do not know her address, and we are desirous (though we do not know her personally) to express our sympathy for her in her late bereavement, as General Brooke was such a favourite with all of the Regiment who knew him.

Believe me,

Very truly yours,

R. PRIOLEAU SIMPSON.

Lieut. – Col. Lucas, and the Officers 109TH Regiment,With sincere CondolenceFrom Captain Cartwright, 48th RegimentTipperary, 30th June, 1881.

My dear Brooke,

Many thanks for your letter and for the two Photos. enclosed, both of which have taken their place in our Regimental Walhalla, and I hope will be handed down to posterity, carrying with them the recollection of old Officers, and one certainly a very distinguished Officer, of whom any regiment may be proud as having been numbered in its ranks. I return you the old Photograph of your Brother (General Brooke), for I fancy you may value it. Both in front and on the back there is his handwriting…

Yours sincerely,

R. A. CARTWRIGHT.

From Colonel Forbes, Commanding 109th RegimentAldershot, July 2nd, 1881.

Dear Sir,

Will you kindly convey to Mrs. Henry Brooke the best thanks of the Officers 109th Regiment, for sending us the Photograph of our late comrade, General Brooke, which, I need hardly say, we highly appreciate, and have placed in the Regimental Album.

Yours very truly,

CHAS. FORBES,

Lieut. – Col. Commanding 109th Regt.

Extract from the "Irish Times," August 25th, 1880AFGHANISTANTHE SORTIE FROM KANDAHARHEAVY BRITISH LOSSESLIST OF KILLED AND WOUNDED OFFICERS"From Viceroy, August 24.

"Following from St. John, Kandahar, 21st: – Sortie took place on 16th against village on east face of City. Has secured us from further molestation on that side, but loss very heavy.

"KILLED

"Brigadier-General Brooke, Captain Cruikshank, R.E.; Col. Newport, 28th; Major Trench, Lieutenant Stayner, 19th; Lieutenants Marsh and Wood, Fusiliers, and Rev. Mr. Gordon.

"WOUNDED

"Colonel Nimmo, 28th; Major Vandeleur, 7th; and Lieutenant Wood, Transport (all severely); Colonels Malcolmson and Shewell.

"Casualties among men, about 180.

"A messenger has also come in from Kandahar. The position there is regarded as perfectly safe. A sortie was made on the 16th, and Colonel St. John reports that its result has been to secure the east face of the City from further molestation.

"The enemy must, however, have fought with great determination, as our loss is heavy, especially in Officers.

"We have lost in killed and wounded, about 180 men. Of Officers, General Brooke, Colonel Newport, of the 28th Regiment; Major Trench, and Lieut. Stayner, of the 19th Regiment; Captain Cruikshank, R.E.; Lieutenants Marsh and Wood, of the 7th Fusiliers; and the Rev. Mr. Gordon, are killed. Colonel Nimmo, of the 28th; Major Vandeleur, of the 7th, and Lieutenant Wood, of the Transport Corps, severely wounded; and Colonels Malcolmson and Shewell, slightly wounded.

"General Brooke was killed while carrying Cruikshank, wounded, out of action."

28th August.]

GENERAL ORDERBYHIS EXCELLENCY THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEFAdjutant-General's Office, Head Quarters, Poona,28th August, 1880.

It is with much regret that the Commander-in-Chief has to announce the death of Brigadier-General H. F. Brooke, Adjutant-General, Bombay Army.

Brigadier-General Brooke having been selected for the command of a Brigade in Southern Afghanistan was, at the time of his death, engaged in command of a sortie made by the Garrison of Kandahar, and is reported to have been killed whilst endeavouring to succour a wounded brother Officer.

His Excellency desires to place on record his appreciation of the valuable services and willing assistance rendered at all times by the late Brigadier-General Brooke, and the high estimation in which his abilities and soldierly qualities were held by all who knew him.

The Commander-in-Chief feels sure that all ranks will sympathise with him in the loss the service has sustained in the noble death of so able an Officer, whilst gallantly engaged in the performance of his duties on active service in the field.

By order of His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief,

ALEX. WARDROP, Lieutenant-Colonel,

Officiating Adjutant-General.

DEATH OF BRIGADIER-GENERAL BROOKE

We regret to announce the death of this gallant gentleman, which took place under circumstances rendering the event very sad indeed. Brigadier-General Henry Francis Brooke, who was only forty-four years of age, was in command of the 2nd Infantry Brigade Kandahar Field Force, and took part in the sortie from the garrison on the 16th of August, which resulted in securing the east face of the city from further molestation by the besieging force. He had come out of action unhurt; but with a humanity which adds lustre to his gallantry, he endeavoured to carry away a wounded brother officer, Captain Cruikshank, R.E., and while engaged in this act of friendship and of mercy he was killed by a shot from the enemy. Brigadier-General Brooke was eldest son of the late Mr. G. Brooke and Lady Arabella Brooke, of Ashbrooke, in the County Fermanagh, and was of the same family as Sir Victor Brooke, Bart., of Colebrooke, in that County. He entered the army in June, 1854, and his promotion was as follows: – Lieutenant, May, '55; Captain, September, '58; Major, February, '61; Lieut. – Col, December, '71; Colonel, February, '77. In April, 1855, he landed in the Crimea with the 48th Regiment, and served at the siege and fall of Sebastopol, for which he obtained a medal with clasp and a Turkish medal. He served also throughout the campaign of 1860 in China, as aide-de-camp to Sir Robert Napier, and was present at the actions of Sinho and Tangku, the assault of the Taku Forts, at which he was severely wounded, and the final advance on and surrender of Pekin, for which he received a medal with two clasps and the brevet-rank of Major. Subsequently he held the post of Adjutant-General in Bombay, with the local rank of Brigadier-General. He was a gallant officer, sprung from a gallant race, and one more of those brave men who have sustained and increased the military fame of Fermanagh.

BRIGADIER-GENERAL BROOKE

Brigadier-General Henry Francis Brooke, killed in the sortie at Kandahar on the 16th August, is the first general officer of Her Majesty's army who has fallen in action since 1858. The last two instances were those of Brigadier-Generals the Hon. Adrian Hope and Penny, C.B., who were killed within three weeks of each other, the former officer in Oude and the latter in Rohilcund. The sad circumstances of the gallant Adrian Hope's death will long be remembered, as well as the causes which led to the sacrifice of so many precious lives through the rashness of General Walpole.

The late Brigadier-General Brooke was one of the youngest Colonels in our army, he having obtained his Brevet-Colonelcy in less than 23 years after his entry into the Service. He joined the army in June, 1854, and as a Subaltern landed with the 48th Foot in the Crimea on the 21st April, 1855, serving at the siege and fall of Sebastopol. After the war he accompanied the 48th to India, and went as aide-de-camp to Sir Robert Napier on the China expedition, serving throughout the campaign of 1860, and taking part in the actions of Sinho and Tangku, the assault of the Taku Forts (severely wounded), and the final advance on and surrender of Pekin. For his China services he received a brevet majority, dated the 15th February, 1861. He afterwards exchanged into the 94th, and was selected for staff employ in the Bengal Presidency at the close of 1864, when he was appointed Assistant Adjutant-General of the Presidency Division. Colonel Brooke was subsequently Assistant Adjutant-General at Mean Meer, and in November, 1877, was selected to succeed Brigadier Aitchison as Adjutant-General of the Bombay army. On the formation of a Bombay corps for service in Afghanistan, Brigadier Brooke was one of the first officers selected for command, and was sent to Kandahar with General Primrose. He bore a very high reputation in the service as a first-rate officer, and his loss will be greatly felt, especially at such a crisis when reliable leaders are so much needed at the seat of war.

The deceased belonged to an old Irish family, the Brookes, of Colebrooke, County Fermanagh, and was a cousin of the Earl of Huntington, his mother, Lady Arabella Hastings, having been a sister of the late peer. An uncle of the deceased, Lieutenant Francis Brooke, 7th Dragoon Guards, was slain at Waterloo. The family has furnished our army with several officers of distinction.

It seems to us that the death of Colonel Brooke in the sortie of the 16th was a peculiarly sad one. No doubt it was the death which this gallant and distinguished officer would have preferred. It was, we take it, a soldier's death, realised at the head of his men. But there are enemies and enemies, and certainly a soldier might be excused if he shrank from having his throat cut by a fanatic, fighting in a cause which on the British side is not by any means clear. Colonel Brooke, as our notice of his service will show, had led a brilliant military career. He entered the army in time to take part in the Crimea war, and was present at the siege and fall of Sebastopol. Subsequently he shared the perils of the war in China, and was engaged in the assault on the Taku Forts, where he was severely wounded. It is true that a British officer must be prepared to face death wherever he may be sent to meet his country's enemies. But in the Crimea and in China there was a tangible object to be realised sufficient to justify the campaign, and to lift the enterprise from the miserable conflict which is now being raged, through no fault of ours, in Afghanistan. Colonel Brooke, like other gallant officers and men who have fallen with him, adds very heavily to the already too heavy losses of the war in Afghanistan. —Broad Arrow.

THE LATE BRIGADIER-GENERAL BROOKE

On Friday evening the sad ceremony of transferring the remains of the late Brigadier-General Brooke, from the I.G.S. Dalhousie to the troopship Serapis, took place in the Bombay Harbour, in the presence of a large number of the deceased Officer's sorrowing friends and comrades. The circumstances under which General Brooke met with his death in the sortie from Kandahar, whilst endeavouring to rescue a wounded Brother Officer, are too fresh in the minds of our readers to require any recapitulation from us. He died nobly as became a soldier, and it was only fitting when his remains were passing through this City for interment in his native land, that those who had known and respected him during life, and others who knew him only by his deeds and his glorious death, should meet and offer their tribute of respect to his memory. It will be remembered that the deceased's body was not recovered until several days after the memorable sortie; but when found it was buried with the customary military honours at Kandahar. Subsequently General Brooke's friends expressed a wish that the body should be buried in Ireland, and, accordingly the remains were exhumed and brought to Kurrachee last Sunday. A party of the 98th Regiment escorted the remains from M'Leod Station to the Kurrachee Arsenal, the band of the Regiment accompanying the procession and playing the Dead March in Saul. It was at first intended that the body should be handed over to the Rev. Kilbee Stuart, with a view of its transmission to England, but a communication was received from the authorities to the effect that the Secretary of State had issued orders that it was to be sent home in a troopship. In accordance with these instructions, the body was, on Tuesday, placed on board the I.G.S. Dalhousie for conveyance to Bombay, where it was to be transhipped to the troopship Serapis. The Dalhousie arrived in harbour yesterday morning at about nine o'clock, flying its flag at half-mast, and having its yard arms "cock billed," or placed in transverse positions, the usual manner of denoting that a vessel carries the mortal remains of some distinguished personage. After the Dalhousie had entered the harbour, the Government and other ships in the fort hauled their flags down to half-mast point, in which position they remained during the whole of the day. Orders had been issued by the military authorities directing that the transfer of the body from one ship to another should be attended with every mark of respect; and accordingly, yesterday evening, shortly before five o'clock, there was a large gathering of Military Officers on board, and in the vicinity of the Dalhousie to take part in this ceremony to the honoured dead. The body on its leaving Kurrachee was encased in a shell coffin of common wood; but on its arrival in Bombay it was transferred to a handsome teak wood coffin, with brass handles and furniture. No inscription appeared upon the lid, this work being left for a future occasion. Amongst those who took part in the ceremony were: – Brigadier-General C. T. Aitchison, C.B.; Colonels A. H. Dawson, R.A., and J. F. Chapman, 28th N.I.; Lieutenant-Colonels C. S. Stuart, 21st N.I., J. Jameson, 25th N.I., and C. P. Stokes, 2/4th K.O.; Majors C. C. Gore, 83rd Foot and Latham, R.A.; the Ven. Archdeacon Sharpin; Captains R. A. Knox, 2/4th K.O., C. T., Echalaz, 21st N.I., W. G. Muloy, R.A., H. B. Lawrence, 2/4th K.O., J. de B. Lynch, 25th N.I., R. S. Simpson, 21st N.I., and M. E. Crofton, 2/4th K.O.; Lieutenant A. J. P. Nuttall, 25th N.I.; A. B. Mein, 21st N.I.; J. Rawlandson, 2/4th N.I.; J. M. Gawne, 2/4th; G. E. Evans, 21st N.I.; C. B. Adams, 21st N.I.; H. O. Powell, 25th N.I.; Matthews, 2/4th; P. R. Simmonds, 10/9th R.A.; A. B. Ridley, 2/4th; E. Dolphin, 2/4th; J. W. Tritton, 2/4th; G. V. Burrows, 25th N.I.; Paymaster J. W. Deage, 2/4th; Quartermaster H. Rowland, 2/4th; and Surgeons-Major J. Parr, A.M.D., Codrington, A.M.D., Robinson, A.M.D., and Thorpe, I.M.D.; Captain Mellis, Assistant Quartermaster-General; Captain Moore, Deputy Assistant Quartermaster-General; Captain Middlemass, Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General; Major Spring, R.A., Commissary of Ordnance; Captain Davis, R.A., Assistant Commissary of Ordnance. At the appointed time, the coffin, which was covered with the Union Jack, was placed on board a ship's boat by several sturdy Tars from the Serapis, the boats containing the mourners, in the meantime taking up their position in the rear of the corpse. The boat containing the body slowly moved off under the tow of the steam-launch Lorelie. Immediately following the boat containing the corpse was one with Brigadier-General Aitchison, who acted as chief mourner, on board; and twelve other craft, carrying the remainder of the mourners. As the procession moved away, the yard arms of the Dalhousie were placed in their proper positions, and minute guns were fired from the Apollo Bunder Saluting Battery, until the deck of the Serapis was reached. On arrival at the Serapis the mourners disembarked from their boats, and the coffin having been placed in slings, was conveyed to the deck, where it was received with due honours, the mourners and crew of the vessel all uncovering their heads in token of respect. The body having been placed in the mortuary of the troopship, the mournful ceremony terminated, and the mourners left for the shore in their respective boats. We believe that the deceased's remains, on arrival at Portsmouth, will be forwarded to Ashbrooke, Brookeboro', Fermanagh, Ireland, his native place, for final interment. We should not omit to mention that in addition to the naval and military mourners who took part in the procession, the ceremony was watched with interest by a number of private spectators seated in boats.