ROBES 



division at the war office, and pro- 

 ceeded to S. Africa in 1899, serving 

 on the staff and taking part in 

 various battles. From 1902-7 ho 

 was again at the war office (in- 

 telligence), then served as chief of 

 the staff, Aldershot, and in 1910 r 

 was appointed commandant of the' 

 staff college, Camberley, which 

 post he retained until 1913, when 

 he became director of military^ 

 training at the war office. 



Robertson went to France in 

 Aug., 1914, as Q.M.G. of the ex- 

 peditionary force, and was chief of 

 the staff, Jan.-Dec., 1915. In 

 Dec., 1915, he went to the war 

 office as chief of the imperial 

 general staff. From that time on- 

 ward, and especially after Kit- 

 chener's death in June, 1916, 

 Robertson was in supreme direc- 

 tion of the British military opera- 

 tions on all fronts. He resigned 

 early in 1918, owing to a differ- 

 ence of opinion with the Govern- 

 ment as to the Versailles War 

 Council. He held the Eastern com- 

 mand, Feb., 1918-March, 1919, 

 when he became commander-in- 

 chief of the British Rhine forces, 

 vacating that position in 1920. 



For his war services Robertson, 

 who had been knighted in 1913, 

 was made a baronet, and received 

 10,000, in Aug., 1919. Promoted 

 major-general 1910, lieut. -general 

 1915, general 1916, he was created 

 a field-marshal in 1920, thus be- 

 coming the first and only soldier 

 in the British army to rise from 

 private to the highest rank. He 

 published in 1921 his auto- 

 biography, From Private to Field- 

 Marshal. See Sir W. Robertson, 

 G. A. Leask, 1917. a. A. Leask 



Robes, MISTRESS OF THE. Offi- 

 cial of the British royal household. 

 Senior lady of the queen's house- 

 hold, the mistress of the robes 

 attends her on all state occasions. 

 Invariably a duchess, she does not 

 reside at the palace, and is the 

 only lady whose appointment is 

 political and ceases with the 

 ministry. See Royal Household. 



Robeson Channel. Strait 

 separating N.W. Greenland from 

 N.E. Ellesmere Island, Arctic 

 America. It connects Hall Basin 

 on the S. with Lincoln Sea on the 

 N. It is 50 m. long, and its width 

 varies between 11 m. and 24 m. 

 It is blocked with ice nearly all 

 the year round, but Peary suc- 

 ceeded in taking a ship through 

 the channel in both directions. 

 See Arctic Exploration. 



Robespierre, MAXIMILIEN MARIE 

 ISIDORE (1758-94). French revolu- 

 tionist. Born at Arras, May 6, 

 1758, he became an attorney 

 at his native place, and was 

 one of the representatives of the 



6648 



After Ducreux 



Third Estate, when the States- 

 General was assembled in France 

 on May 5, 1789. Fixed convic- 

 tions, extreme zeal, and an osten- 

 tatious disinterestedness, joined 

 with an enormous egoism and 

 some talent, soon made him pro- 

 minent among the extremists, 

 with whom the Jacobin Club 

 presently became identified. 



It was on his proposal that the 

 Constituent Assembly passed the 

 self-denying ordinance which ex- 

 cluded its members from its 'suc- 

 cessor, the Legislative Assembly, 



1791, It was therefore as a member 

 of the Jacobin Club, not of the 

 Assembly, that Robespierre con- 

 tinued to lead the extreme faction 

 in association with Marat and 

 Danton. He was, however, again 

 elected to the National Convention 

 which met at the end of Sept., 



1792, and proclaimed the French 

 Republic. He had already brought 

 about the creation of the Revolu- 

 tionary Tribunal. In the Conven- 

 tion he was at first, with Danton, 

 leader of the extreme section known 

 as the Mountain, who after the 

 execution of the king, Jan. 21, 



1793, entered upon their victori- 

 ous struggle with the Girondists. 

 Elected, July, 1793, to the recently 

 appointed Committee of Public 

 Safety, which was to all intents 

 and purposes a commission en- 

 dowed with absolute powers for 

 the government of France, Robes- 

 pierre was the person most respon- 

 sible for the Reign of Terror, and 

 after the execution of Desmoulins, 

 and Danton, April 5, 1794, he be- 

 came in effect Dictator. 



But the Terror grew intolerable ; 

 France recoiled, surfeited with the 

 orgy of blood, a conspiracy was or- 



ROBIN 



ganized, the blow was secretly and 

 thoroughly prepared, and on July 

 27 Robespierre was suddenly and 

 vehemently denounced in the 

 Convention. 'The crash was com- 

 jplete. Robespierre and his most 

 intimate allies fled, but were ar- 

 rested, and next day, July 28, the 

 head of him whom Carlyle called 

 the " Sea-green incorruptible " fell 

 under the guillotine. See French 

 Revolution ; Jacobins ; consult 

 also The French Revolution, T. 

 Carlyle, 1837; Histoire de R. 

 d'apres des papiers de famille, 

 1865-67 ; Lives, G. H. Lewes, new 

 ed. 1899 ; Hilaire Belloc, 1901 ; R. 

 and the French Revolution, C. F. 

 Warwick, 1909. 



Robespierre. Title of drama in 

 five acts by Victorien Sardou (q.v. ). 

 Dealing with Robespierre and the 

 events of the Terror, it was trans- 

 lated by Laurence Irving and pro- 

 duced at the Lyceum Theatre, 

 London, on April 15, 1899, with 

 Sir Henry Irving and Ellen Terry 

 in the leading parts. 



Robey, GEORGE (b. 1869). Stage 

 name of George Wade, British 

 comedian. Born Sept. 19, 1869, 

 he made his first appearance on 

 the music-hall 

 stage at the 

 Oxford in 1891, 

 where he soon 

 acquired a 

 great reputa- 

 tion as a com- 

 edian. In 1915 

 he appeared in 

 the revue The 

 Bing Boys are 

 Here, at the 

 Alhambra, and 

 was later connected with other 

 revues. During the Great War he 

 gave his active support to many 

 charitable organizations, and was 

 made a C.B.E. in 1919. 



Robin (Erithacus rubecula). 

 Song-bird of the thrush family. 

 Often called the robin redbreast, 

 it is a native of Europe, W. Asia, 

 and across Africa to the Canaries 

 and Azores. In Britain, owing to its 

 associations in legend and litera- 

 ture and its familiarity, it is pro- 

 bably the most popular bird. The 

 bright red forehead, face, and breast 

 separated by a blue-grey line from 

 the greenish-brown of the upper 

 parts, make it distinct from all 

 other British birds. Its full bright 

 black eye and long legs are other 

 prominent features. The sexes are 

 alike in colour. In the open 

 country the robin nests usually in 

 a hole in a grassy bank or ditch- 

 side ; but near houses it shows a 

 fondness for utilising discarded 

 boots, cans, kettles, and flower- 

 pots for this purpose. Grass, moss, 

 and dead leaves are its materials, 



George Robey, 

 British comedian 



Fouls/tarn & Banficld 



