Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
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Awards | Frederick Roberts (son) Sir Abraham Roberts (father) |
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A man of small stature, Roberts was affectionately known to his troops and the wider British public as "Bobs" and revered as one of Britain's leading military figures at a time when the
Early life
Born at
Roberts was educated at
Indian Rebellion of 1857
Roberts fought in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, seeing action during the siege and capture of Delhi where he was slightly wounded, and found a dying John Nicholson amidst the chaos of the battle.[7] He was then present at the relief of Lucknow where, as Deputy Assistant Quartermaster-General, he was attached to the staff of Sir Colin Campbell, Commander-in-Chief, India.[3] He was awarded the Victoria Cross for actions on 2 January 1858 at Khudaganj.[3] The citation reads:
Lieutenant Roberts' gallantry has on every occasion been most marked.
On following the retreating enemy on 2 January 1858, at Khodagunge, he saw in the distance two Sepoys going away with a standard. Lieutenant Roberts put spurs to his horse, and overtook them just as they were about to enter a village. They immediately turned round, and presented their muskets at him, and one of the men pulled the trigger, but fortunately the caps snapped, and the standard-bearer was cut down by this gallant young officer, and the standard taken possession of by him. He also, on the same day, cut down another Sepoy who was standing at bay, with musket and bayonet, keeping off a Sowar. Lieutenant Roberts rode to the assistance of the horseman, and, rushing at the Sepoy, with one blow of his sword cut him across the face, killing him on the spot.[8]
He was also
Abyssinia and Afghanistan
Having been promoted to
He was promoted to the substantive rank of
He was given command of the
The
After the defeat of a British brigade at
After a very brief interval as
Ireland
After relinquishing his Indian command and becoming
While in Ireland, Roberts completed a memoir of his years in India, which was published in 1897 as Forty-one Years in India: from Subaltern to Commander-in-chief.[38]
Second Anglo-Boer War
On 23 December 1899 Roberts left England to return to South Africa with his chief of staff
Having raised the
On 3 May, Roberts resumed his offensive towards the Transvaal, capturing its capital Pretoria on 31 May. Having defeated the Boers at Diamond Hill and linked up with Buller, he won the last victory of his career at Bergendal on 27 August.[45]
Strategies devised by Roberts, to force the Boer
With the Boer republics' main towns occupied, and the war apparently effectively over, on 12 December 1900 Roberts handed over command to
He became a Knight of Grace of
Later life
Lord Roberts became the last
He was the initial president of the Pilgrims Society during 1902.[61]
National Service League
Following his return from the Boer War, he was instrumental in promoting the mass training of civilians in rifle shooting skills through membership of shooting clubs, and a facsimile of his signature appears to this day on all official targets of the
In retirement he was a keen advocate of introducing compulsory military training in Britain, to prepare for a great European war. He campaigned for this as president of the
In a speech in Manchester's Free Trade Hall on 22 October 1912 Roberts pointed out that Cobden and Bright's prediction that peace and universal disarmament would follow the adoption of free trade had not happened. He further 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.[65]
He claimed that Germany was making enormous efforts to prepare for war and ended his speech by saying:
Gentlemen, only the other day I completed my eightieth year...and the words I am speaking to-day are, therefore, old words—the result of years of earnest thought and practical experience. But, Gentlemen, my fellow-citizens and fellow-Britishers, citizens of this great and sacred trust, this Empire, if these were my last words, I still should say to you—"arm yourselves" and if I put to myself the question, How can I, even at this late and solemn hour, best help England,—England that to me has been so much, England that for me has done so much—again I say, "Arm and prepare to acquit yourselves like men, for the day of your ordeal is at hand".[66]
The historian A. J. A. Morris claimed that this speech caused a sensation due to Roberts' warnings about Germany.[67] It was much criticised by the Liberal and Radical press. The Manchester Guardian condemned the
insinuation that the German Government's views of international policy are less scrupulous and more cynical than those of other Governments...Prussia's character among nations is, in fact, not very different from the character which Lancashire men give to themselves as compared with other Englishmen. It is blunt, straightforward, and unsentimental.[68]
The Nation claimed Roberts had an "unimaginative soldier's brain" and that Germany was "a friendly Power" who since 1870 "has remained the most peaceful and the most self-contained, though doubtless not the most sympathetic, member of the European family".[69] The historian John Terraine, writing in 1993, 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".[70]
Kandahar ski race
Roberts became vice-president of the Public Schools Alpine Sports Club during 1903.
He took part in the funeral processions following the deaths of Queen Victoria in January 1901[75] and King Edward VII in May 1910.[76]
Curragh incident
Roberts was approached for advice about the Ulster Volunteer Force, formed in January 1913 by Ulstermen who had no wish to be part of a Home Rule Ireland. Too old himself to take active command, Roberts recommended Lieutenant General Sir George Richardson, formerly of the Indian Army, as commander.[77]
On the morning of 20 March – the morning of Paget's speech which provoked the Curragh incident, in which Hubert Gough and other officers threatened to resign rather than coerce Ulster – Roberts, aided by Wilson, drafted a letter to the Prime Minister, urging him not to cause a split in the army.[78]
Roberts had asked the Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS) John French to come and see him at Ascot on 19 March; French had been too busy but invited Roberts to visit him when next in London. On the morning of 21 March Roberts and French had an acrimonious telephone conversation in which Roberts told French that he would share the blame if he collaborated with the Cabinet's "dastardly" attempt to coerce Ulster, and then, after French told him that he would "do his duty as a soldier" and obey lawful orders, put the phone down on him. Soon after, Roberts received a telegram from Hubert Gough, purporting to ask for advice, although possibly designed to goad him into further action. Roberts requested an audience with King George V, who told him that Seely (Secretary of State for War), to whom the King had recently spoken, had complained that Roberts was "at the bottom" of the matter, had incited Gough, and had called the politicians "swine and robbers" in his phone conversation with French. Roberts indignantly denied this, claiming that he had not been in contact with Gough for "years" and that he had advised officers not to resign.[79] Roberts's claim may not be the whole truth as Gough was on first name terms with Roberts's daughter and later gave her copies of key documents relating to the Incident.[80]
Roberts also had an interview with Seely (he was unable to locate French, who was in fact himself having an audience with the King at the time) but came away thinking him "drunk with power", although he learned that Paget had been acting without authority (in talking of "commencing active operations" against Ulster and in offering officers a chance to discuss hypothetical orders and to threaten to resign) and left a note for Hubert Gough to this effect. This note influenced the Gough brothers in being willing to remain in the Army, albeit with a written guarantee that the Army would not have to act against Ulster. After Roberts's lobbying, the King insisted that Asquith make no further troop movements in Ulster without consulting him.[79]
Roberts wrote to French (22 March) denying the "swine and robbers" comment, although French's reply stressed his hurt that Roberts had thought so ill of him.[82]
Death
Roberts died of pneumonia at St Omer, France, on 14 November 1914 while visiting Indian troops fighting in the First World War.[3] His body was taken to Ascot by special train for a funeral service on 18 November before being taken to London.[83] After lying in state in Westminster Hall (one of only two people who were not members of the royal family to do so during the 20th century, the other being Sir Winston Churchill), he was given a state funeral and was then buried in St. Paul's Cathedral.[3]
Roberts had lived at Englemere House at Ascot in Berkshire. His estate was probated during 1915 at £77,304[3] (equivalent to £9.37 million as of 2022).[84]
Honours
On 28 February 1908 he was awarded the
His long list of honorary military posts included: honorary colonel of the
Lord Roberts received civic honours from a number of universities, cities and livery companies, including:
- Honorary Freedom of the City of Cardiff – 26 January 1894[104]
- Honorary Freedom of the borough of Portsmouth – 1898 (and received a Sword of Honour from the town in 1902)[105]
- Honorary Freedom of the City of Canterbury – 26 August 1902[106]
- Honorary Freedom of the borough of Dover – 28 August 1902[107]
- Honorary Freedom of the City of Bath – 26 September 1902[108]
- Honorary Freedom of the City of Winchester – 9 October 1902[109]
- Honorary Freedom of the City of Liverpool – 11 October 1902[110]
- Honorary Freedom of the borough of Croydon – 14 October 1902[111]
- Honorary Freedom of the borough of Bournemouth – 22 October 1902[112]
- Honorary Freeman, Worshipful Company of Fishmongers[113]
- Honorary Freedom and livery of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths – 6 November 1902 – "in recognition of his distinguished services to the country".[114]
In 1893 he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (FRSGS).[115]
Family
Roberts married Nora Henrietta Bews, the daughter of Captain John Bews on 17 May 1859. The couple had the following six children of whom three, a son and two daughters, survived infancy:[3]
- Nora Frederica Roberts. Born 10 March 1860, died 3 March 1861
- Eveleen Sautelle Roberts. Born 18 July 1868, died 8 February 1869.
- Frederick Henry Roberts. Born August 1869, died August 1869.
- Aileen Mary Roberts. Born 20 September 1870, died 9 October 1944.
- Frederick Hugh Sherston Roberts. Born 8 January 1872, died 17 December 1899.
- Ada Edwina Stewart Roberts. Born 28 March 1875, died 21 February 1955.
Roberts' son,
Publications
- Field Marshal Lord Roberts of Kandahar, Forty-One Years in India: from Subaltern to Commander-in-chief (1897, reprinted Asian Educational Services, New Delhi, 2005)
- Field Marshal Lord Roberts of Kandahar, Lord Roberts' Message to the Nation (1912, John Murray, London)
Legacy
In March 1898, a statue of Lord Roberts, sculpted by Harry Bates, was unveiled on the Maidan in Calcutta.[117] The statue of Roberts on horseback sits on a pedestal with reliefs on each side depicting Sikh, Highlander and Gurkha cavalry and infantry, and statues of Britannia/Victory and India/Fortitude in front and behind. After the statue was commissioned Roberts started sitting for the sculptor in 1894 and a bust was displayed at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1896.[117]
After Roberts' death in 1914, money was raised to place a copy of the Calcutta statue as a memorial in Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow.[117][118] Almost identical to the original statue, the memorial in Glasgow only includes minor changes like the inclusion of a quote from a speech Roberts gave in Glasgow in 1913 to promote national service.[117] "I seem to see the gleam in the near distance of the weapons and accoutrements of this Army of the future, this Citizen Army, the wonder of these islands, and the pledge of peace and of the continued greatness of this Empire." The memorial was unveiled by his widow.[119]
A second copy of the statue was erected on Horse Guards Parade in London and unveiled in 1924.[117][120] It is smaller and simpler than the other two, and sits on a simpler pedestal without the reliefs or extra figures. After Indian independence from the British Empire, the Roberts statue in Calcutta was moved with other statues to Barrackpore in the 1970s, and then by itself to the Artillery Centre, Nashik Road.[117]
Roberts Barracks at
Lord Roberts French Immersion Public School in
The Lord Roberts Centre – a facility at the
On 29 May 1900, Pretoria surrendered to the British commander-in-chief, Lord Roberts.[129] Due to the prevalence of malaria and because the area had become too small, he relocated his headquarters from the vicinity of the Normal College to a high-lying site 10 km south-west of the city – hence the name Roberts Heights.[129] Roberts Heights, a busy military town, the largest in South Africa and resembling Aldershot, soon developed. On 15 December 1938, the name was changed to Voortrekkerhoogte[129] and again to Thaba Tshwane on 19 May 1998.[130]
On a visit to the Victoria Falls, one of the larger islands just upstream of the Falls was named Kandahar Island in his honour.[131]
The grave of Roberts' charger Vonolel (named after a Lushai King whose descendants Roberts had fought in 1871) is marked by a headstone in the gardens of The Royal Hospital Kilmainham, in Dublin.[132]
Mount Roberts in British Columbia, Canada, was named in his honour in 1900.[133]
Notes
- ^ "Poems – 'Bobs'". Kiplingsociety.co.uk. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
- ^ "16 November 1914 – The late Lord Roberts. – Trove". Trove.nla.gov.au. 16 November 1914. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
- ^ doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/35768. Retrieved 25 February 2009. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ "ny times". The New York Times. 16 January 1897. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ "Bunbury of Kilfeacle Family History". Turtlebunbury.com. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
- ^ a b Heathcote, p. 246.
- ^ "No. 22095". The London Gazette. 10 February 1858. p. 673.
- ^ "No. 22212". The London Gazette. 24 December 1858. p. 5516.
- ^ "No. 22143". The London Gazette. 25 May 1858. p. 2589.
- ^ "No. 22621". The London Gazette. 29 April 1862. p. 2232.
- ^ "No. 22480". The London Gazette. 15 February 1861. p. 655.
- ^ a b c Heathcote, p. 247.
- ^ "No. 23442". The London Gazette. 17 November 1868. p. 5924.
- ^ "No. 23876". The London Gazette. 16 July 1872. p. 3193.
- ^ "No. 23895". The London Gazette. 10 September 1872. p. 3969.
- ^ "No. 24188". The London Gazette. 9 March 1875. p. 1528.
- ^ Roberts 1896, p. 348.
- ^ "No. 24668". The London Gazette. 14 January 1879. p. 174.
- ^ "No. 24747". The London Gazette. 29 July 1879. p. 4697.
- ^ "No. 24837". The London Gazette. 23 April 1880. p. 2658.
- ^ Vetch, R.H. "Sir Donald Stewart". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ "No. 24886". The London Gazette. 28 September 1880. p. 5069.
- ^ "The Story of Lord Roberts by Edmund Francis Sellar". 1906. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ "No. 24947". The London Gazette. 8 March 1881. p. 1071.
- ^ "No. 24984". The London Gazette. 14 June 1881. p. 3002.
- ^ "No. 25034". The London Gazette. 4 November 1881. p. 5401.
- ^ "No. 25268". The London Gazette. 11 September 1883. p. 4452.
- ^ "No. 25546". The London Gazette. 5 January 1886. p. 65.
- ^ "No. 25673". The London Gazette. 15 February 1887. p. 787.
- ^ "No. 25773". The London Gazette. 5 January 1888. p. 219.
- ^ "No. 26109". The London Gazette. 25 November 1890. p. 6463.
- ^ "No. 26239". The London Gazette. 1 January 1892. p. 4.
- ^ "No. 26260". The London Gazette. 23 February 1892. p. 990.
- ^ "No. 26409". The London Gazette. 3 June 1893. p. 3252.
- ^ "No. 26667". The London Gazette. 1 October 1895. p. 5406.
- ^ "No. 26628". The London Gazette. 25 May 1895. p. 3080.
- ^ "Field Marshal Lord Roberts of Kandahar". Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ Field Marshal Lord Roberts of Kandahar, Forty-one Years in India: from Subaltern to Commander-in-chief 1897, reprinted by Asian Educational Services, New Delhi, 2005
- ^ Chronicle of the 20th Century by John S Bowman
- ^ "No. 27146". The London Gazette. 22 December 1899. p. 8541.
- ^ Daily Mail, 16 November 1914.
- ^ "No. 27160". The London Gazette. 2 February 1900. p. 689.
- ^ "From the Front, AB Paterson's Dispatches from the Boer War", edited by RWF Droogleever, Pan MacMillan Australia, 2000.
- ^ Pakenham, p. 574.
- ^ Heathcote 1999, p. 193
- ^ "Concentration camps". Archived from the original on 27 August 2007. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
- ^ "The Transvaal. The attacks on the lines of communications". Evening Telegraph (Dundee). 23 July 1900. Available from the database, British Library Newspapers (Gale Primary Sources).
- ^ Pakenham, p. 575; Heathcote, p. 249.
- ^ "No. 27290". The London Gazette. 1 March 1901. p. 1498.
- ^ "No. 27283". The London Gazette. 12 February 1901. p. 1058.
- ^ "No. 27293". The London Gazette. 17 March 1901. p. 1763.
- ^ "No. 27330". The London Gazette. 5 July 1901. p. 4469.
- ^ "No. 27311". The London Gazette. 7 May 1901. p. 3124.
- ^ "Emperor's visit". The Times. No. 36371. London. 6 February 1901. p. 7.
- ^ "The Coronation Honours". The Times. No. 36804. London. 26 June 1902. p. 5.
- ^ "Court Circular". The Times. No. 36842. London. 9 August 1902. p. 6.
- ^ "No. 27470". The London Gazette. 2 September 1902. p. 5679.
- ^ "No. 27263". The London Gazette. 4 January 1901. p. 83.
- ^ Atwood, Rodney. "'Across our fathers' graves': Kipling and Field-Marshall Lord Roberts". The Kipling Society. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- ^ "The German maneuvers". The Times. No. 36865. London. 5 September 1902. p. 6.
- ISBN 1-86197-290-3.
- ^ SHOT Backwards Design Company. "W. W. Greener Martini Target Rifles". Rifleman.org.uk. Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
- ^ James 1954, p. 424.
- ^ James 1954, pp. 449–451.
- ^ James 1954, p. 457.
- ^ James 1954, p. 458.
- ^ A. J. A. Morris, The Scaremongers. The Advocacy of War and Rearmament 1896–1914 (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1984), p. 320.
- ^ John Terraine, Impacts of War: 1914 & 1918 (London: Leo Cooper, 1993), p. 36.
- ^ Terraine, p. 36.
- ^ Terraine, p. 38.
- ^ "History of "Kandahar"". Kandahar-taos.com. 11 January 1911. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
- ^ The Daily Telegraph, "Switzerland: Strap on the poultice" 20 January 2001 Archived 28 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "From Afghanistan to Vermont; By Allen Adler". Vermontskimuseum.org. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
- ^ "History of Alpine Skiing". Wamonline.com. 1 May 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
- ^ "No. 27316". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 May 1901. p. 3550.
- ^ "No. 28401". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 July 1910. p. 5481.
- ^ Holmes 2004, p. 166.
- ^ Holmes 2004, pp. 179–180.
- ^ a b Holmes 2004, pp. 181–183.
- ^ Holmes 2004, p. 172.
- ^ Harper's Magazine, European Edition, December 1897, p. 27.
- ^ Holmes 2004, p. 189.
- ^ Spark, Stephen (December 2016). "Forum". Backtrack. 30 (12): 765.
- ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ "No. 28114". The London Gazette. 28 February 1908. p. 1402.
- ^ "No. 25741". The London Gazette. 23 September 1887. p. 5101.
- ^ "No. 25888". The London Gazette. 28 December 1888. p. 7421.
- ^ "No. 26504". The London Gazette. 17 April 1894. p. 2176.
- ^ "No. 26717". The London Gazette. 3 March 1896. p. 1271.
- ^ "No. 26791". The London Gazette. 3 November 1896. p. 6008.
- ^ "No. 26924". The London Gazette. 31 December 1897. p. 7856.
- ^ "No. 27172". The London Gazette. 9 March 1900. p. 1632.
- ^ "No. 27226". The London Gazette. 4 September 1900. p. 5469.
- ^ "No. 27238". The London Gazette. 16 October 1900. p. 6324.
- ^ "No. 27357". The London Gazette. 20 September 1901. p. 6175.
- ^ "No. 27598". The London Gazette. 18 September 1903. p. 5791.
- ^ "No. 28180". The London Gazette. 25 September 1908. p. 6944.
- ^ "No. 28188". The London Gazette. 23 October 1908. p. 7652.
- ^ "No. 28180". The London Gazette. 25 September 1908. p. 6946.
- ^ "No. 28253". The London Gazette. 21 May 1909. p. 3874.
- ^ "No. 28200". The London Gazette. 27 November 1908. p. 9032.
- ^ "No. 28969". The London Gazette. 10 November 1914. p. 9135.
- ^ "No. 28520". The London Gazette. 8 August 1911. p. 5919.
- ^ "Freedom Roll" (PDF). City of Cardiff. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ "Lord Roberts at Portsmouth". The Times. No. 36907. London. 24 October 1902. p. 3.
- ^ "Lord Roberts and Sir J. French at Canterbury". The Times. No. 36857. London. 27 August 1902. p. 9.
- ^ "Lord Roberts at Dover". The Times. No. 36859. London. 29 August 1902. p. 10.
- ^ "Lord Roberts at Bath". The Times. No. 36884. London. 27 September 1902. p. 6.
- ^ "Lord Roberts at Winchester". The Times. No. 36895. London. 10 October 1902. p. 8.
- ^ "Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener in Liverpool". The Times. No. 36897. London. 13 October 1902. p. 8.
- ^ "Lord Roberts at Croydon". The Times. No. 36899. London. 15 October 1902. p. 4.
- ^ "Lord Roberts at Bournemouth". The Times. No. 36906. London. 23 October 1902. p. 6.
- ^ "Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener in the City". The Times. No. 36893. London. 8 October 1902. p. 4.
- ^ "Court Circular". The Times. No. 36919. London. 7 November 1902. p. 8.
- ^ "Honorary Fellowship". Royal Scottish Geographical Society. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ Heathcote, p. 250.
- ^ ISBN 978-1409409779.
- ^ "Lord Roberts statue". Retrieved 8 January 2023.
- ^ "British Pathe news".
- ^ Tabor, inside front cover
- ^ "Hermes UAV reaches 30,000-hour milestone in Afghanistan". Ministry of Defence. 9 December 2010. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ "Communists to boycott poll in Robertsganj". The Times of India. 2 April 2009. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ "Welcome to Lord Roberts French Immersion Public School". Lord Roberts French Immersion Public School. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ "Welcome to Lord Roberts Junior Public School". Lord Roberts Junior Public School. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ "Our mission statement". Lord Roberts Elementary School. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ "Lord Roberts School – Our School". Lord Roberts School. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ "Structure". Duke of York's Royal Military School. Archived from the original on 19 August 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ "Brief History". National Smallbore Rifle Association. Archived from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-625-00324-2.
- ^ "The 1998 speech by South Africa's Minister of Defence on the renaming of Voortrekkerhoogte to Thaba Tshwane". South African Government. Archived from the original on 11 April 2005. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ Fuller: "Some South African Scenes and Flowers." p. 63, "The Victorian Naturalist" Vol XXXII August 1915
- ^ "The grave of Vonolel, the famous and bemedalled horse". 22 June 2010. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
- ^ J. Mayne Baltimore, From Mount Roberts' Summit, The Cascadian Magazine, Volume 17, 1901, p. 429.
References
- Atwood, Rodney (2008). The March to Kandahar: Roberts in Afghanistan. Pen & Sword publishing. ISBN 978-1-84884-672-2.
- Atwood, Rodney (2011). Roberts and Kitchener in South Africa. Pen & Sword publishing. ISBN 978-1-84884-483-4.
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 403–405.
- Hannah, W. H. (1972). Bobs, Kipling's General: The Life of Field-Marshal Earl Roberts of Kandahar, V.C. London: Lee Cooper. OCLC 2681649.
- Heathcote, Tony (1999). The British Field Marshals 1736–1997. Pen & Sword Books Ltd. ISBN 0-85052-696-5.
- Holmes, Richard (2004). The Little Field Marshal: A Life of Sir John French. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 0-297-84614-0.
- James, David (1954). The Life of Lord Roberts. London: Hollis & Carter.
- ASIN B008UD4EBK.
- Orans, Lewis P. "Lord Roberts of Kandahar. Biography". The Pine Tree Web. Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2008.
- Pakenham, Thomas (1991). The Scramble for Africa. Abacus. ISBN 978-0349104492.
- Roberts, Frederick Sleigh (1895). The Rise of Wellington. London: Sampson Low, Marston and Co. OCLC 2181145.
- Roberts, Frederick Sleigh (1896). Forty-One Years in India. London: Richard Bentley and Son. ISBN 978-1402177422.
- Sellar, Edmund Francis (1906). The Story of Lord Roberts, The Children's Heroes Series No.14. London: T.C. & E.C. Jack.
- Tabor, Paddy (2010). The Household Cavalry Museum. Ajanta Book Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84820-882-7.
- Vibart, H.M. (1894). Addiscombe: its heroes and men of note. Westminster: Archibald Constable. pp. 592–603. OL 23336661M.
External links
- Works by Frederick Sleigh Roberts at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Frederick Sleigh Roberts at Internet Archive
- Lord Roberts' British Honours
- Account of Earl Roberts' funeral
- Frederick Roberts and the long road to Kandahar
- National Portrait Gallery: Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts (1832–1914), Field Marshal
- Newspaper clippings about Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW