He had no easy task at the War Office, coming there as he did for the first time. There was no precedent for a great soldier occupying the position at a moment of great emergency. He was not familiar with the various ramifications of the existing military organizations. But, on the other hand his countrymen trusted him and were roused to enthusiasm by the magic of his name and his strength of character.
Of the great difficulties which beset the Secretary for War, perhaps the greatest and the most discussed was that of providing guns and ammunition for a constantly and rapidly increasing army. For the history of the provision of munitions for the army and the details arising out of it see MUNITIONS, MINISTRY OF. Before the end of the War, Kitchener's work was challenged in some quarters on this point ; the answer furnished by the dossier of the master-general of ordnance presented a defence of the War Office, whence, as a matter of fact, came the first proposal of high explosive for use in France. To be precise, the Ministry of Munitions was set up during the first week of June 1915 It was not until the end of Oct. 1915 that a single component of ammunition worth speaking of was delivered from the Ministry of Munitions factories or orders, and not until April 1916 that the first complete round, made and filled under the orders and arrangements of the Ministry, was delivered to the army author ities. In other words, the army, for a period of more than 18 months, was furnished with continually increasing supplies under the former arrangements.
If Kitchener did not travel quite easily on political lines, his close personal touch with England's Allies was not the least of his contributions to the War, and his early and constant friend ship with France gave him, so to speak, a flying start in gaining the best relationships with her public servants. Russia's role was to him a matter of vital importance if the War was to be brought even within his own three years' limit ; but in the autumn of 1915 he said to Joffre at Chantilly, "You are calculating on Russia remaining till the end of the War; I am making my calcu lations on her being out within six months." He had not been afraid to commit himself to serious responsibilities as to arming and equipping the almost weaponless Russian hosts, but even so it is difficult to account for his great influence throughout Russia.
He was thus able to criticise Russian methods with a freedom and to press his advice—more especially at the critical moment when Italy was hanging back—with an insistence that would have been tolerated at the hands of no other foreigner. Proposed Visit to Russia.—Early in May 1916 the Tsar urged that Kitchener should visit Russia, promising that his counsel would be taken to the full even if that counsel included certain transfers of control into British hands. Kitchener was to start from Scapa Flow on June 5 for Archangel. He was asked to examine thoroughly the whole Russian situation : he was given a free hand to make arrangements and conditions which he thought advisable ; he was to use all the influence which he had already acquired with the Tsar and the Russian military authori ties to set the Russian military house in order, and he was asked to come back to England with all speed.
On the afternoon of the appointed day, Kitchener, having paid a visit to Lord Jellicoe on his flagship, embarked on the "Hampshire," which was directed to proceed on what, with the prevailing wind—as reported—would be the lee side of the Orkneys and Shetlands. The arrangements made for the voyage of the cruiser have been, and perhaps always will be, open to question. It is at least certain that an unswept channel was chosen for her passage and that, under stress of weather, the destroyers who formed her titular escort turned about, leaving the vessel, with her priceless freight, to steam to her doom. The "Hampshire" struck a mine, and went down with nearly all hands. The loss of Kitchener was felt to be a national calamity. The Queen-Mother at once placed herself at the head of a movement to secure a permanent and practical memorial, and in answer to her appeal there poured in from every point of the Empire— from men, women and children of all colours, classes and creeds— a stream of money, gathering in volume until it reached the astonishing sum of over L7oo,000. On Dec. 1o, 1925 a memorial chapter in St. Paul's Cathedral was dedicated to Earl Kitchener and all who fell in 1914-8.
See Sir George Arthur, Life of Lord Kitchener (1920) also Churchill, The River War (1899), and the official records of the War in South Africa and the World War. An official narrative of the cir cumstances of his death, The Loss of H.M.S. Hampshire appeared in 1926.