Father Brindle, D.S.O. 253 



won an array of British and Egyptian medals and clasps, as 

 well as the Turkish order of the Medjidie and Osmanieh ; he 

 was, moreover, the recipient of a '.Good Service Pension," and 

 would have had the grants of a civil C.B., but this could not be 

 conferred on a chaplain . 



Queen Victoria expressed a wish that he should not wear the 

 distinctive decoration of the D.S.O. until she had herself 

 personally invested him with it ; he therefore received the 

 honour at her hands. 



The prayer-Vjook for Catholic soldiers which has been 

 adopted by the War Office was compiled for them by Father 

 Brindle, who was at their side during the two fights off Kasassin, 

 at El-Teb and Tamai in 1884, up the Nile with them in 1884-5, 

 and marched across the Baynda desert to Metemmeh with them, 

 and at the decisive action which broke the Dervish power for 

 the time being at Wady Haifa. 



I think he was rather proud of Lord Kitchener's faith in 

 him when putting him in command of the third gun-boat, which 

 had troops on board struggling up the Nile. 



It will be interesting to Catholics and others to know 

 what all the brave show of medals on Father Brindle 's breast 

 are. 



The British War Medal for Egypt, 1882, with three clasps, 

 i.e., Suakin, 1884, El-Teb, Tamai and the Nile, 1884-5, 

 Soudan, 1898. 



The Turkish order of the Medjidie (third class) and the 

 Osmanieh (fourth class). 



The Egyptian War Medal, 1896-8, with three clasps, i.e., 

 Haifa, Atbara, and Khartoum. 



The Khedival Bronze Star, 1882. 



On the morning of Tel-el-Kebir Father Brindle was lying in 

 hospital with English cholera, and consequently unable to be 

 present with the troops, who missed his cheering presence. 



I have been told he was called the " soul of the regiment." 



In 1899 his long connection with the army ended, and he 

 visited Rome, where he was consecrated Bishop of Hermopolis 

 that he might act as auxiliary to Cardinal Vaughan, who was 

 growing rather infirm. Father Brindle acted as Bishop Auxiliary 

 of Westminster until 1901, when he was translated to 

 Nottingham. 



