Herbert Horatio Kitchener (1850–1916)

[TheBreaker02]

Hello everyone,

I came across this website about Lord Kitchener being branded as a war criminal and thought that other member might be interested.

The link [LINK REMOVED BY ADMINISTRATOR]

Regards,

TheBreaker02

[TheBreaker02]

Hello everyone,

I hope that members have had the chance of looking at this website. I wonder what peoples opinions are on the subject.
I would be very interested to see.

Look forward to seeing your replies.

Many thanks,

TheBreaker02

[Mark A. Reid]

Dear TheBreaker02;

First, my apologies as I don't know your name. Secondly, I see that no one else has commented on what might be regarded as a potentially inflammatory website, particularly by a group of people who probably have a greater knowledge of, affection for, and appreciation of, the historical period and personalities, than most.

All I can add is that history always was a matter of interpretation. Every person perceives events through the prism of their own education, environment, upbringing, experience, etc. I spent a quarter of a century writing and producing exhibitions at our national military museum and after all that time, all I can say is that there are very few, if any, absolutes in history. Any event can be presented in a particular way, often employing selective " facts " in order to produce a desired effect. Historical events or personalities, can still spark an emotional response in the modern viewer, and this effect can be used to encourage political support, spur nation-building, and so on, the list is endless. The website which you brought to our attention claims to have no " political or organisational " affiliation and this may be so, it's of no concern to me. In a perfect world I should probably applaud someone for devoting time and effort to an efficient and successful Victorian soldier who has long deserved my interest and respect. I believe that Kitchener himself said; Don't talk to me about atrocities in war, all war is an atrocity. In our study of the minutiae of the Victorian military world we would probably do well to remember that, but I doubt if this website, for all its stated impartiality and selective use of images and data, can tell me something I don't already know.

Perhaps visitors to the website will be encouraged to explore the " facts " themselves and reach their own conclusions? That's what personal freedom and research are all about.

Best Regards,

Mark

[Mark]

I wonder what peoples opinions are on the subject.

While we encourage serious academic discussion from all points of view I feel the web site linked to above is too biased and one-sided to be of any real value. The motives of the creator of the site are also in question and clerarly, to my mind, he/she has an 'agenda'. I feel this issue will only cause upset or otherwise heated debate on the forum which could turn sour and have no real value to our membership. In view of this I have decided to lock this thread (a decision I never not take lightly) and I would direct members to a previous thread, which can be found using the search facility, which also explored this issue.

Finally I think Mark has summed things up nicely above and I would echo his words.

Thank you for understanding.

Mark
Administrator