Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts

Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts Bt VC KG KP GCB OM GCSI GCIE KStJ PC (30 September 1832 – 14 November 1914) was one of the most distinguished commanders of the British Empire.

Field Marshal The Earl Roberts VC KG KP GCB OM GCSI GCIE KStJ PC
Lord Roberts by John Singer Sargent
Nickname	Bobs
Born	(1832-09-30)30 September 1832 Cawnpore, British India
Died	14 November 1914(1914-11-14) (aged 82) St Omer, France
Buried at	St Paul's Cathedral, London
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1851–1904
Rank	Field Marshal
Unit	Royal Artillery
Commands held	Kuram field force Kabul and Kandahar field forces Governor of Natal Commander-in-Chief of British forces in South Africa Commander-in-Chief in Madras Commander-in-Chief, India Commander-in-Chief, Ireland Command of British troops in Second Anglo-Boer War Commander-in-Chief of the Forces
Battles/wars	Indian Mutiny Siege of Delhi Siege of Lucknow Umbeyla Campaign 1868 Expedition to Abyssinia Battle of Magdala Lushai campaign (1871–1872) Second Anglo-Afghan War Battle of Charasiab Battle of Peiwar Kotal Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment Battle of Kandahar Second Boer War Siege of Kimberley Battle of Paardeberg Battle of Poplar Grove Battle of Diamond Hill Battle of Bergendal
Awards	Victoria Cross Knight of the Order of the Garter Knight of the Order of St Patrick Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Member of the Order of Merit Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of India Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Indian Empire Knight of the Order of St John
Relations	Frederick Hugh Sherston Roberts VC (son) Sir Abraham Roberts (father)

Roberts was Indian born, in Cawnpore (now Kanpur) Uttar Pradesh. The son of a general from County Waterford in Ireland, he regarded himself as Anglo-Irish.

Career

He served in the Indian rebellion, the Expedition to Abyssinia and the Second Anglo-Afghan War before leading British Forces to success in the Second Boer War. He also became the last Commander-in-Chief of the Forces before the post was abolished in 1904.

Roberts was awarded the Victoria Cross for actions on 2 January 1858 at Khudaganj. The citation reads:

"Lieutenant Roberts' gallantry has on every occasion been most marked".

Warning about Germany

In an important speech in Manchester on 22 October 1912 Roberts warned of the threat posed by Germany:

In the year 1912, just as in 1866 and just as in 1870, war will take place the instant the German forces by land and sea are, by their superiority at every point, as certain of victory as anything in human calculation can be made certain...We may stand still. Germany always advances and the direction of her advance, the line along which she is moving, is now most manifest. It is towards...complete supremacy by land and sea.

He claimed that Germany was making enormous efforts to prepare for war and ended his speech by saying:

Gentlemen, I say, “Arm and prepare to acquit yourselves like men, for the day of your ordeal is at hand”.

This speech was much criticised in the liberal and radical press, such as the Manchester Guardian. Much later, a historian said: "At this distance of time the verdict upon Lord Robert's Manchester speech must be that, in speaking out clearly on the probability of war, he was doing a patriotic service comparable to Churchill's during the Thirties".

Death

Roberts died on November 14, 1914. He died of pneumonia. He got sick when he was visiting British troops. Few non-royal people in four centuries have been given a State Funeral in the United Kingdom. Roberts was one of them.

Son a VC also

Robert's son, Frederick Hugh Sherston Roberts, died in 1899 in the second Boar War, and received the VC. They were one of only three father and son pairs to receive the Victoria Cross.