A 2019 dramatic reading by Alan Buchanan of a letter sent from Private Lee G. Darrach to his brother, Jack Darrach. In this letter, Lee further enquires about any news from his home and briefly mentions the sinking of Lord Kitchener's ship that occurred on June 5th, 1916. This letter was sent from an undisclosed location in Egypt/Middle East on June 27th, 1916.
All content on this site is made available for personal research and private study only. Any other reuse, reproduction, or re-purposing may require the permission of the rightsholder(s); please contact the UPEI Library or the Clyde River Historical Society for more information on permissions/clearances.
Lord Kitchener was the British Secretary of State for War during WW1. He predicted a long war and organized a large British volunteer army. On June 5th, 1916, Kitchener was on his way to Russia to discuss munition and financial challenges when his ship, HMS Hampshire, was struck by a German mine off the west coast of the Orkney Islands in Scotland. They had taken a different route than originally planned. Some suggest it was because of bad weather and others suggest it was to throw off anyone considering an attack. Two destroyers had accompanied the ship, but they were falling behind and instructed to not continue. It was shortly after that the ship stuck a German mine. Kitchener was among 737 who died. This stuck fear in the British. They thought they would now lose the war. In the years since, there have been conspiracy theories surrounding his death. Kitchener, Ontario, is named after Lord Kitchener.
