Lament him, ye mountains of Ross-shire;
Your tears be the dew and the rain;
Ye forests and straths, let the sobbing winds
Unburden your grief and pain.
Lament him, ye warm-hearted clansmen,
And mourn for a kinsman so true
The pride of the Highlands, the valiant MacDonald
Will never come back to you.
Chorus
O, wail for the mighty in battle,
Loud lift ye the Coronach strain;
For Hector, the Hero, of deathless fame,
Will never come back again.
Lament him, ye sons of old Scotia,
Ye kinsmen on many a shore;
A patriot-warrior, fearless of foe,
Has fallen to rise no more.
O cherish his triumph and glory
On Omdurman's death-stricken plain,
His glance like the eagle's, his heart like the lion's
His laurels a nation's gain.
O rest thee, brave heart, in thy slumber,
Forgotten shall ne'er be thy name;
The love and the mercy of Heaven be thine;
Our love thou must ever claim.
To us thou art Hector the Hero,
The chivalrous, dauntless, and true;
The hills and the glens, and the hearts of a nation,
Re-echo the wail for you.
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From: [email protected]
Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999 08:10:19 EDT
Subject: Hector the hero
To: [email protected]
Here is what I have on Hector MacDonald
1857 - Born in the Black Ilse
1870 - Enlisted in 92nd Gordon Highlanders
1879 - Served as a colour-sergeant in the Afghan War
1880 - Promoted to 2nd Lieutenant at end of Afghan War
1881 - Mentioned in despatches in 1st Boer Ware, South Africa
1885 - Led military expedition up Nile (Sudan)
1888 - Took part in Battle of Sunkin (Sudan)
1889 - Won Distinguished Service Order (DSO) medal (Sudan service)
1891 - Took part in Battle of Tokar (Sudan)
1896 - Led 2nd Infantry Brigade the Dunglen Expeditionary Force(Sudan)
Was now a Brigadier-General. May have been promoted about this
time.
1897/98 - Khartoum - Battle of Omdurman
1898 - ADC (Ade de Camp) to the Queen (Victoria)
1899 - Served as a Brigadier-General in Sirhind area of India
1900 - Served as a Major-General with Highland Brigade in South Africa
1901 - Knighted
1902 - Served as a Major-General with forces in Ceylon
1903 - Accused of being a homosexual. Committed suicide.
Sources: Campbell, David, "Major-Gneral Hector A. MacDonald", Douglas
Howard, London, 1903. Chambers Biographical Dictionary.
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