28 MARCH 1903, Page 3

It is with great regret that we record the tragic

death of Sir Hector MacDonald, which took place by his own hand in Paris on Wednesday. We shall say nothing of the sad circumstances in which the gallant soldier's end came. It is enough to remember that he was a man of extraordinary personal courage, and that though he may not have had the strategist's brain, his instinct for swift and sound action in the field was most remarkable. His handling of the Soudanese Brigade at Omdurman was a masterly piece of field tactics. Sir Hector's career was a source of great pride to the Army and the nation owing to his having risen from the ranks entirely through his fine military qualities.