Martin Donohoe – journalist – 1912

https://widgetworld3.wordpress.com/podcasts/

WAIRARAPA DAILY TIMES 7TH NOVEMBER, 1912 PAGE 4

A COLONIAL JOURNALIST’S “SCOUP.”

(abridged)

That the great scoop of the War should be scored, by a colonial journalist is very pleasing to his brethren. Turkey is full just now of distinguished war correspondents, who have all been striving to do what Mr Martin Henry Donohoe accomplished in the graphic account of the Turkish debacle published a few days ago.

 According to a Christchurch paper,’Mr Donohoe was born in County Galway, Ireland, just 43 years ago this week/but he began his journalistic career on the French newspaper of Sydney in 1892, and subsequently joined the “Evening News” staff, and further emphasised his Australianisation by marrying a clever Australian teacher, who was identified with various women’s movements. 

While on the “News,” he was an undistinguished, but most painstaking,’ hard-working, and deservedly-liked reporter, and in that capacity pricked the Rougemont bubble. His real career, however, was destined to be in a wider field than Australia afforded. He was interested in volunteering. He became a member of the crack New South Wales Lancer Regiment (now the First Australian Horse), and made one of the contingent which went to Aldershot for training. There it was noted for its efficiency, and set out for home via the Cape, having done well what it was sent to do. But when it reached Capetown it found the Boer War in full swing, and in spite of the extraordinary decision of the War Office that it did not want mounted men from the colonies, it volunteered, was at once sent to the front, and, under General French, highly distinguished itself, and formed a text from which tho purblind individuals in the War Office suddenly saw light and reversed their previous decision. 

With the forces was Mr Lambie, an Australian journalist acting for the London “Daily Chronicle” and Australian papers, and on his death the journalistic member of the Lancers immediately took up his despatches, and did so well that he was speedily made the “Chronicle’s” regular correspondent and detached from his troop. Mr Donohoe did distinguished work in every big movement in the war; incidentally was captured, and released at the fall of Pretoria; went through the Russo-Japanese war with the first army under Kuroki, travelled extensively for his paper, doing great functions for it, was in Constantinople when it fell to the Young Turks and through the revolution, was the first to interview the new Sultan, and got a similarly exclusive scoop of the Portuguese revolution, escaping from Lisborn with his account of the street fighting. 

And now he has made a bigger scoop still by being the only correspondent to get away an account of the last great battle. One factor has been Mr Donohoe’s excellent French, an accomplishment which his wife shares with him. It has helped him immensely in foreign campaigns, and it has made him, when not on the warpath, Paris representative of the “Daily Chronicle,” installed in a delightful suite, where he is tho same competent, unassuming, good-hearted fellow to his old friends that he was when he was a reporter on the Sydney “Evening News.” Martin Donohoe deserves every success that comes to him.