MAJOR ILESKETH-PRICHARD.
[To THE EDITOR Or THE " SPECTATOR.")
Sus,—I am -grateful to you for publishing " A. H. L.'s " letter on Hesketh-Prichard. I know it will be much quoted, and I hope it may influence many a man and boy to follow the same high ideal of service. A friend of mine met a young officer during the War and he told him just what " A. H. L." describes as Hesketh-Trichard's habit of meeting the officers and men on arrival at the S.O.S. School. This boy had an awful time in the trenches and was so wretched and worn-out that he felt half distracted as he drove to the S.O.S. Hesketh-Prichard appears to have singled him out and took him away for a walk round the ranges. " By the time we got back I was ready for anything," the boy said; "cheery and full of go. He is a wonderful man."
You cannot easily realize how the Spectator's interest and kind help about the sniping during the War helped him. He was so greatly encouraged. He was terribly anxious to save the men in the trenches, and was very sleepless at that time. Ile often spoke to me of the men and the young subalterns—how splendid they were. Once I remember his saying to me, " I could die for them l " and so he did. Even now I can say such a death was well worth while.
I must thank you again for your warm interest in his efforts to carry out his scheme and the substantial help you gave him.
It meant so much to him.—I am, Sir, &c., X.
[We are delighted to know that Hesketh-Prichard found the help we gave him useful. But we must not take too much of the credit. Our chief material help consisted in supplying hint with a very large number of powerful telescopes which we purchased from a fund placed at our disposal by an American lady in Pittsburg some two years before America entered the War and by an Englishman who, fired by her example, also sent us a generous cheque. We were thus enabled to ransack London for telescopes, and got them even where the Govern- ment failed. Besides telescopes we were able to buy special rifles and "fancy " sights for long-distance sniping, and also to help with prizes, &c., in the Sniping School Competitions. It was always a great delight to us to think that the plan enabling the Spectator to do this work originated in the mind of an American woman. She trusted us to make a good use of her money, and we think wo did not leave her talent un- employed, thanks to lIesketh-Prichard.—ED. Spectator.]
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