At the turn of the twentieth century, leading military figures were popular choices for postcard manuafacturers and today we are looking at a postcard of General Lord Methuen:

Paul Sandford Methuen (1845-1932) was the 3rd Baron Methuen and was to have a distinguished military career. Following education at Eton, Methuen spent two years as a cornet in the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry before joining the Scots Fusilier Guards in 1864. His first combat experience was as a staff officer to Garnet Wolseley during the Third Anglo-Ashanti War in 1873. After a number of staff appointments including a spell in Berlin, he was a Colonel by 1881 and was present at the Battle of Tel el-Kebir. Further promotions followed and in 1898 he was a lieutenant general and was given command of the 1st Division in the Second Boer War.

He had a mixed war, with defeat at the Battle of Magersfontein and was captured after being wounded at Tweebosch in 1902. He became firm friends with his captor, Boer General Koos de la Rey. Following the end of the war and his release he remained in the army and at the outbreak of World War 1 was involved in training the BEF. In 1915 he was appointed Governor and Commander in Chief of Malta, a position he held until he retired in 1919. He died at Corsham Court on 30th October 1932.