NORTHCLIFFE 



5773 



NORTHCOTE 



people for 15 years before the war 

 I tin- danger from Germany, but 

 11 a provocative manner ; he 

 advocated a strong navy ; ho sup- 

 ported his great friend, the late 

 Lord Roberta, in his campaign be- 

 fore the war for universal service ; 

 he urged the rejection of the De- 

 claration of London, a code of sea- 

 law i hut would have paralysed the 

 Itriti.sh navy's power of blockade ; 

 he was the persistent advocate 

 of aircraft, and offered through 

 The Daily Mail various prizes of 

 10,000 each for great flights, the 

 last of which was won in 1919. 

 when the Atlantic was crossed in 

 a single day by British airmen in a 

 Mrit ish aeroplane. During the war 

 h>- insisted on the most energetic 

 prosecution of operations. He car- 

 ried out the famous campaign for 

 munitions in 1915, which com- 

 pelled him severely to criticise 

 Lord Kitchener's administration 

 at the War Office ; largely due to 

 his unwavering advocacy, com- 

 pulsory service was introduced in 

 1916 ; and his criticisms brought 

 down Asquith's Cabinet at the 

 close of that year and resulted in 

 the formation of a small War 

 Cabinet to direct operations. 



He opposed the Dardanelles ex- 

 pedition and was instrumental in 

 securing its withdrawal. He ad- 

 vocated with success the con- 

 struction of aircraft on a great 

 scale. He paid numerous visits to 

 the various Allied fronts, and in the 

 crisis of the German attack on 

 Verdun in 1916 went to that place, 

 conferred with Marshal, then 

 General, Petain, and in a long 

 dispatch, which was given freely 

 to the Allied and neutral Press, 

 boldly stated, in opposition to the 

 generally accepted view, that 

 Verdun would hold out. His Times 

 articles on these war experiences 

 in France and Italy were re- 

 published under the title, At 

 the War, 1916. The book had 

 an enthusiastic reception and 

 its substantial profits went to 

 the British Red Cross. Regarded 

 in Germany as the incarnation 

 of British spirit during the war, a 

 periodical was issued by the Ger- 

 mans called The Anti-Northcliffe 

 Mail, entirely devoted to attacks 

 upon him. In 1916 the Germans 

 honoured him by producing a 

 " hate-medal " of him in bronze. 



At Lloyd George's special re 

 quest, he accepted in May, 1917, 

 the appointment of chairman of the 

 British war mission in the U.S.A. 

 and arrived in New York on June 

 1 1. He controlled British expendi- 

 ture in the U.8.A., amounting to 

 over 10.000,000 a week, and main- 

 tained touch with President Wil- 

 son's administration ; on the eve 



of his return in Nov., 1017, the 

 British War Cabinet telegraphed 

 " their complete satisfaction with 

 the manner in which you have 

 fulfilled your mission," and con- 

 gratulated him on the " great 

 energy and effect " with whic-ii In- 

 bad explained to the American 

 people the British effort and the 

 needs of the Allies. On behalf of 

 the American Government, Col. 

 House testified to the " energy and 

 generosity " of his cooperation. 

 He was thanked by the king and 

 advanced to the rank of viscount. 

 Offered the appointment of Air 

 Minister, he declined it, but in Feb., 

 1918, accepted an invitation from 



Northclifle. German "bate-medal" 



Lloyd George to become Director of 

 Propaganda in Enemy Countries, 

 on the understanding that he was 

 to remain free to criticise. His 

 work in this department by the 

 evidence of all the German leaders 

 was largely responsible for the col- 

 lapse of Germany and Austria. 

 Ludendorff described him as " a 

 master of mass-suggestion," and 

 after the armistice Lloyd George 

 in expressing his thanks stated that 

 he had " many direct evidences of 

 the success of your invaluable work 

 and of the extent to which it has 

 contributed to the dramatic col- 

 lapse of the enemy strength." 



At the general election of 1918, 

 and in the peace negotiations, 

 Viscount Northcliffe was ill, but his 

 influence was felt in the reparation 

 terms, which but for his pressure 

 would have let Germany off more 

 lightly. In June, 1919, he under- 

 went a successful operation for an 

 adenoma of the thyroid gland, and 

 soon regained his health. On May 

 1, 1921, he took the chair at a 

 luncheon at Olympia given to 7,000 

 members of The Daily Mail staff 

 and friends, to commemorate the 

 25th birthday of that newspaper; 

 and on July 16, 1921, he left Eng- 

 land on a world tour, investigating 

 in Canada, Australia, and New 

 Zealand emigration opportunities, 

 and, in the Far East, Japane.se 

 and Chinese questions. 



His chief recreations were motor- 



ingbe wan one of the first motor- 

 drivers in the 'nineties golf, and 

 fishing. Always a great traveller 

 and reader, he believed in early 

 ruing, beginning his day's work a't 



and going early to be- : 

 I/M<i<ni h.. line was 1, Carlton Gar- 

 \V. ; I. ut his home at Elm- 

 wood, Kt. Peter's, Thanet. was his 

 favourite place of residence from 

 1890. He died Aug. It 1 



Vwcount XnrthrlirtV married on 

 April 11. 1888. Mary Elizabeth, 

 daughter of Robert Milner, of K nl 

 lington, Oxon, and St. Vin-nt, \\ 

 Indies. For her services to the Red 

 Cross during the Great Wsr Vis- 

 countess Northcliffe was created 

 Dame Grand Cross of the Order of 

 tin- UriTi-h I'm |>ire. In 1923 she 

 married Sir hobert Hudson 



Northcliffe Glacier. Huge ice 

 muss on the coast of Queen Mary 

 Land (q.v.), Antarctica, falling 

 into Robinson Bay. It was dis- 

 covered and named by Sir Douglas 

 Mawson (q.v.), Dec. 25, 1912. 



Northcote, HENRY STAFFORD 

 NORTHCOTE, IST KARON (1846- 

 1911). British administrator. Son 

 of the first earl 

 of Iddealeigh. lie 

 was born in 

 London, Nov. 

 18, 1846, and 

 educated at 

 Eton and Mer 

 ton College, Ox- 



ford. Secretary 

 to his father, 

 then chancel- 

 lor of the 



ex- 



lit Baron North- 

 cote, British ad- 

 ministrator 

 chequer, 1877-80, he was M.P. for 

 Exeter, 1880-99, holding various 

 minor posts in Salisbury's cabinet, 

 1885-87. He was appointed gover- 

 nor of Bombay, 1899, and created 

 a peer in 1900. From 1904-8 

 Northcote was governor-general of 

 the Commonwealth of Australia. 

 He died Sept. 29, 1911. 



Northcote, JAMES (1746-1831). 

 British painter and author. Born 

 at Plymouth, Oct. 22, 1746, he began 

 his art career there as a portrait 

 painter, and 

 when about 25 

 came to Lon- 

 don, where the 

 help of Rey- 

 nolds enabled 

 him to study 

 at the H.A 

 schools. He 

 spent the years 

 James Northcote. 1777-80 in 

 British painter j^y He was 



elected A.R.A. in 1786, and R.A. in 

 1787 ; he published his Life of Sir 

 Joshua Reynolds in 1813, One Hun- 

 dred Fables, illustrated by himself, 

 in 1828, and A Life of Titian in 



1830. He died in London, July 13, 



1831. See Godwin, W. ; Graves, T. 



