THE HISTORY OF THE PRINCE OF WALES’ OWN CIVIL SERVICE RIFLES

To William Manning Esq^r. M.P. Lieutenant Colonel Commandant,

The Officers and Privates of the Bank of England Volunteer Regiment. This Print is by permission most respectfully dedicated by their obedient servant, John Wallis Junior

By the courtesy of the Governor and Company of the Bank of England, the possessors of the original print.

The uniform is similar to that worn by the Somerset House Volunteers of the period.

London: Published, August 30th, 1804, by
John Wallis, Jun., 16, Ludgate Street. Frontispiece.

THE HISTORY OF THE PRINCE OF WALES’ OWN CIVIL SERVICE RIFLES
PRINTED BY WYMAN & SONS LTD., FETTER LANE, E.C.,
FOR P.W.O. CIVIL SERVICE RIFLES,
SOMERSET HOUSE, STRAND
1921

TO THOSE CIVIL SERVICE RIFLEMEN
WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES
IN THE GREAT WAR

NOTE BY THE EDITOR

These pages have been put together under pressure of the desirability of placing their contents without further delay in the hands of a public virtually limited to Regimental members past and present, their relatives and friends. They do not aim higher than setting on record the unvarnished chronicles of several generations of volunteers who have never yielded place to any in their pride and love of regiment.

Before the close of the last century the story of the Regiment’s thirty years’ existence had been written by the officer who to-day has been the right hand of the Editor in the task of bringing the record down to the year of the War. The latter has to thank Colonel Merrick for giving up much of his time to this object, and for allowing a reprint of the earlier portion.

Captain Bell was good enough to make himself responsible for the tale from the year 1909 to 1914. Major Kirkby has kindly given his supervision in preparing certain tabular statements which are found as appendices. Yet this book would never have reached the printers’ hands but for the initiative shown by Captain Davenport as regards the narrative of the first Battalion in War. His achievement prompted the search for an author who could and would do the same for the widely ranging story of the movements of the second Battalion. Into this gap stepped Major Benké who, in a short space of time delivered the completed task. It will be agreed that both these officers, aided in some parts by collaborators, have produced a readable and human account of those events of which they can speak at first hand, made clearer by the excellent sketch maps which accompany the narratives of operations.

To Major Duncan Lewis, the writer of those pages in which the necessarily uneventful story of the third Battalion is found, we express our indebtedness. Captain Doubleday is best fitted to tell of the beneficent work of the Regimental Aid Fund, and thanks may be expressed here on behalf of all those who benefited by the activities of himself and his fellow-helpers. In the very difficult task of compiling the lists of all ranks who served in the Regiment during war time, we have to thank Major Ramsbotham—the Adjutant—for his energy in this and, indeed, in all matters connected with the needs of the Regiment.

Attention is directed to the statistics relating to the numbers who served in the Regiment, and who were transfers, which will be found at the end of Appendix VI.

Nine hundred and sixty-seven commissions were granted from the ranks. The Dead number 1,227.

CONTENTS

APPENDICES

PLATES[1]

[1] It might be explained that the photographs here reproduced were not selective but rather those which were at hand available for publication. A larger collection of portraits might have been secured had there been more time.

SKETCH MAPS

HISTORY OF THE CIVIL SERVICE RIFLE VOLUNTEERS

CHAPTER I
1859-1909[2]

[2] This history, up to the year 1891, was written and published in that year by Lieut. (now Lt.-Col.) Edward Merrick, C.S.R.V. He has brought his narrative down to 1909 for the purpose of this volume.

For the purpose of tracing the first authentic record of Volunteers connected with the Civil Service, it is necessary to call attention to the raising of the Loyal Volunteers of London in 1798. About that year, when we were at war with France and Spain, were fighting in India, and almost all over the world, and the country was denuded of troops, the rich citizens of London began to get alarmed at their unprotected state, in the event of rebellion or riot at home. They petitioned the King, and a charter was granted, authorising the formation of armed associations in London and the environs.

The “Loyal Volunteers of London,” as they were called, were therefore raised to uphold the cause of the King and of order. Their motto was “Pro Rege et Patria.”

Among the corps thus raised was that of the “Somerset House Volunteers.” A picture of one of these gentlemen, as copied from a book by T. Rowlandson, in the British Museum, may now be seen in the Orderly Room at the Audit Office.

Somerset House Volunteers, 1798.

The Somerset House Volunteer Association consisted only of two companies of light infantry, under the command of Walter Sterling, Major Commandant. The Captains were J. Stewart and W. Harrison. The corps was not to go out of the district of Somerset House and St. Mary-le-Strand, but with its own consent.

Bank of England Volunteers, 1798.

Among those who would have cause for anxiety at such a period would naturally be the Governor and Directors of the Bank of England, and certainly they showed great public spirit. They headed a voluntary contribution to the revenue in this year, with a subscription of £200,000. They also raised from their employés a corps of volunteers, 450 strong, to protect the Bank.

This corps was under the command of Thomas Whitmore, and Rowlandson tells us that it was presented with colours on 2nd September, 1799, by the lady of Samuel Thornton, Esq., Governor of the Bank of England, in Lord’s Ground, Marylebone. A picture of this ceremonial, painted by Stoddart, is to be seen now in the Bank.

These Loyal Volunteers of London were, however, entirely swamped by the great volunteer movement, which swept throughout the country in 1802, caused by the extensive preparations then being made by Bonaparte to invade England.

Volunteers of 1802.

In this war-scare, which far exceeded in its intensity that of 1859, 420,000 Volunteers were enrolled in a few months—many more, in fact, than the Government could or ever did arm.

The Civil Service were represented in this body by two corps: the Excise Corps, which in 1804 was 576 strong, under the command of Lord George Seymour, and the Customs Corps, about 300 strong.

In the same year (1804), the Bank of England had a corps of 433, under the command of William Manning, and a supplementary corps of 122, under the command of Beeston Long.

Some of the records of the last-named corps are still in existence in the Bank. From them we gather that the parades were usually held at 7 or 8 a.m. The most notable period in their history appears to have been in 1812, at the time of the assassination of Mr. Percival in the House of Commons. In the state of public alarm that followed this event, it was considered necessary that the Bank Volunteers should be under arms to guard the Bank, night and day.

Disbandment.

At the signing of the general treaty of peace in 1814, the joy of the country at what it believed to be the conclusion of its long and exhausting wars, was shown by the haste with which the Volunteers were at once disbanded.

The Corps of the Civil Service shared with others in votes of thanks passed to them by both Houses of Parliament, and letters from the Commander-in-Chief (the Prince Regent) were received, thanking each corps for its valuable services.

From the records already referred to, we find that a special “march past” before the Lord Mayor, at the Mansion House, brought the military duties of the Bank officials of that generation to an end.

We now pass over a space of 45 years, during which the military spirit of the Service may be said to have lain dormant, until we approach the event with which the true interest of our story begins, viz., the year 1859, and the birth of the Corps to which we have the honour to belong.

To the Members of the Audit Office (now the Exchequer and Audit Department), Somerset House, must, without doubt, be assigned the honour of having founded the Civil Service Volunteer Corps.

General Meeting at Audit Office.

The Volunteer Force of to-day, as everybody knows, sprang into existence in the year 1859, and was occasioned by the warlike attitude of the Emperor of the French and the blustering threats of his generals. The notable circular of the Secretary of State for War to the Lords Lieutenant, which called the Volunteers into existence, was dated 12th May, 1859, and on the 18th May a meeting, which had been formally convened “to take into consideration the formation of a Rifle Volunteer Corps from the Members of the Civil Service,” was held at the Audit Office. Mr. F. A. Hawker was the prime mover in this proceeding, and he presided at the meeting.

Now, if everything had proceeded as satisfactorily as the energetic and spirited action of these early pioneers deserved, the “Civil Service” would have been one of the first Metropolitan Corps formed, and its order of precedence would therefore have been far in advance of what it ultimately became. But, unfortunately, we have here another example of the old proverb, “the more haste,” &c., for, notwithstanding the circular of the Secretary of State, the War Office were by no means ready to respond with any degree of generosity to the crowds of enthusiastic civilians who at once cried out on all sides to be armed.

The utmost conceded was that Volunteers should be allowed in certain cases to purchase their own arms and equipment.

First Attempts at Formation.

The desire, however, of the Audit Office Meeting was that special favour should be shown to Civil Servants, so it was decided to express the views of the meeting in the following letter, which was despatched, not to the War Office, but to the Prime Minister himself, Earl Derby:

“Audit Office, 20th May, 1859.

“My Lord,—I have the honour to transmit to your Lordship a copy of the Resolutions passed at a meeting of gentlemen of the Audit Office, held on the 18th instant to take into consideration the formation of a Volunteer Rifle Corps from the members of the Civil Service and I beg leave respectfully to request that your Lordship will be pleased to cause me to be furnished with replies to the Resolutions in question for the information of the gentlemen in this office who have signified their desire to join a Civil Service Rifle Corps.

“The junior members of the Civil Service being generally in the receipt of small incomes, your Lordship will perceive that the only difficulty in obtaining volunteers from the Civil Service is the expense attending their outfit. I would therefore, venture more particularly to draw your Lordship’s attention to the 3rd Resolution, in which we request that the arms and accoutrements only may be supplied to volunteers from the members of the Civil Service by Her Majesty’s Government; and as this is a question which affects nearly the whole body of the Civil Service, who are anxious to enrol themselves into a Volunteer Rifle Corps, I trust that your Lordship will not think us intrusive in asking you to take these Resolutions into your favourable consideration.

“We hope your Lordship will pardon us if we have taken any liberty in bringing this subject under your consideration, but as Civil Servants of the Crown we are anxious that we should not be behind others in the present movement in favour of the formation of Volunteer Rifle Corps.

“I have, &c.,
“F. A. Hawker.”

The reply to this letter came from the War Office, and affords an admirable illustration of the amount of official support, which the Volunteer movement received in its infancy.

“War Office, 31st May, 1859.

“Sir,—I am directed by Secretary Major-General Peel to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 20th instant, on the subject of a Civil Service Volunteer Corps, which has been forwarded to this office by Lord Derby.

“In reply, I am to inform you that the Government have decided not to supply arms to Volunteer Corps, either by sale or otherwise; and that General Peel does not consider the case of the gentlemen on whose behalf your application has been made to be one in which he can sanction a departure from the general rule.

“I am, &c.,
“H. R. Drewry.”

Thus closed the first act in the attempt to form a Civil Service Rifle Corps, for this snub appears to have had the effect of quenching the military ardour of the Auditors to such an extent that several months elapsed before they recovered from it.

In October, however, roused by events going on around them, they took heart once more, and returned to the charge. By this time Government had partially thawed, under the influence of the excitement throughout the country. Lord Ranelagh’s Committee had sat at the War Office, and it had been decided to issue arms to Volunteers at the lavish rate of one rifle to every four men enrolled.

In answer, therefore, to a letter despatched to him by Mr. Hawker, the Secretary of State for War stated, in a reply dated 7th November, 1859, that he would be happy to recommend Her Majesty to accept any offer of the service of a Company or Sub-division of Volunteers, which he might receive from Mr. Hawker through the Lord-Lieutenant of the County.

Audit Corps Formed.

Forthwith, at a general meeting held in the Audit Office on the 10th November, it was resolved, “That it was desirable that a Sub-division of not less than forty effectives be at once formed in the Audit Office, and that other departments be invited to co-operate by raising Companies or Sub-divisions with the view of promoting the formation of a Brigade.”

From this time forward enthusiasm and hard work were the order of the day. A circular letter to other Government Departments was issued, and the nucleus of the Corps was at once formed by the immediate election of forty-six members of the Audit Office.

In a few days the number of effective members enlisted had reached seventy. Affairs were pushed on with great energy, and on the 25th November, 1859, at half-past four in the afternoon, the first drill of the Civil Service Volunteers was held in Westminster Hall—one Sergeant Chace being the Instructor.

Other Corps Formed.

The Auditors were not to be left long in sole possession of the military arena of the Civil Service, for Corps were being rapidly raised in the Post Office, Inland Revenue, Customs, Whitehall, and Admiralty.

An unsuccessful attempt was made to raise a Corps in the British Museum.

Almost all of these Corps date their origin from the circular issued from the Audit Office, inviting the co-operation of their department. So rapidly were they organised, that towards the end of December, 1859, they appear to have got into fair working order; and in answer to an invitation from the Audit Office, a Provisional Council, consisting of two representatives from each Corps, assembled for the purpose of taking the necessary steps to amalgamate the whole into one Brigade.

First Council Meeting.

This first meeting of the Council was held on the 7th January, 1860. The following members were present, as the first chosen representatives of their divisions, and to them may be justly attributed the title of “The Fathers of the Regiment”:—

Captain F. A. Hawker, Audit Office Corps, in the chair.
Lieutenant Vine, Audit Office Corps.
Captain Harrington, Post Office Corps.
Mr. T. Angell, Post Office Corps.
Mr. W. Willis, Admiralty Corps.
Mr. A. Brady, Admiralty Corps.
Mr. F. B. Garnett, Inland Revenue Corps.
Mr. J. H. Dwelly, Inland Revenue Corps.
Mr. J. H. Lilley, Customs Corps.
Mr. Wybrow, Customs Corps.
Mr. Tom Taylor, Whitehall Corps.
Mr. Richard Mills, Whitehall Corps.

Containing, as this list does, the names of so many men that have since become eminent in the Service, it affords ample evidence that the Regiment could have suffered from no lack of talent in the conduct of its affairs in its early days.

Title of Corps.

The first proceeding of the Council after electing Mr. Francis Taylor, of the Audit Office, its secretary, was to resolve that the amalgamated corps (now found to consist of 658 effective and 410 honorary members, and stated to be “daily increasing”) should be called the “Civil Service Rifle Brigade.” The Admiralty representatives suggested the “Crown Rifle Brigade,” but their amendment was not received with favour.

Uniform.

The Council next launched into the important subject of uniform, a subject of which the details occupied their attention at several successive meetings, and in regard to which some of the members displayed great energy. Apparently unmindful of the terrors of a military tailor’s bill, each attended the meeting in the pattern of uniform that he individually recommended. Mr. Tom Taylor was one of these energetic members, and to him it appears that the regiment was indebted for the pattern of most of the uniform ultimately selected; for we find that with regard to the full dress of both privates and officers, the decision of the Council was that “the uniform worn by Mr. Tom Taylor be adopted.”

The uniform as then fixed was similar in all main points to that so recently discarded. It was, perhaps, a little more sombre in appearance, for the royal blue facings, silver lace, and Prince of Wales’ feathers were added at a later date (1863). The cost, including chako, was £4 4s.

Affairs were not to remain for long in the semi-amalgamated corps in a state of perfect harmony. A disagreement, amounting to an open breach, even occurred on this early question of uniform; for at the third meeting of the Council, held on the 31st January, a letter from the Customs Corps was read, stating that “they declined to adopt the ornaments on the belts as decided upon by the Council, and that they would therefore have no participation in the arrangements of the Civil Service Regiment.”

Customs Corps Secede.

The Customs had, from the first, shown an inclination to fall off. It appears that, being a strong corps, they considered they were entitled to be represented on the Council by more than two representatives.

With an expression of regret for their withdrawal, “more especially on a matter so trivial,” the Council accepted the loss; and when the authority for the amalgamation was ultimately received from the War Office, it referred only to the 27th Middlesex (Inland Revenue), the 31st (Whitehall), and the 34th (Admiralty), which were to be amalgamated with the 21st Middlesex (Audit Office and Post Office), the battalion to be entitled “The Civil Service Corps of Rifle Volunteers,” with an authorised maximum strength of 800.

Prince of Wales.

At its second meeting, the Council had decided upon the important step of inviting the Prince of Wales to accept the Honorary Colonelcy of the Regiment. They were induced to take this step by the hopes held out to them through Mr. George Alexander Hamilton, Secretary to the Treasury, to whose influence the success of the application was mainly attributed; for by the beginning of May an intimation was received that, with the sanction of Her Majesty and the Prince Consort, His Royal Highness had graciously consented to accept the post. And from the honour thus accorded it the Regiment has never ceased to derive the greatest benefit. To be singled out in these early days as the Regiment through whom this mark of Royal favour was to be shown to the Volunteer force, was a distinction which placed it at once in the forefront of public estimation, whilst the interest which, on many occasions, the Prince has since exhibited in its welfare has contributed largely to the prosperity of the corps.

Chaplain.

The first Staff appointment which the Council succeeded in filling was that of Chaplain, offered to, and accepted by, the Rev. Charles Kingsley, afterwards Canon Kingsley.

C.O.

The important post of Lieutenant-Colonel or Commanding Officer was not so easily filled. It was offered first to Sir E. Lugard, and afterwards to Lord West, but both were unable to undertake the duties. At length, at a meeting held on the 15th May, on a proposition of Captain Mills, the Council decided that Viscount Bury be invited to take the command of the regiment. This application proved more successful, for although Lord Bury had connected himself to a slight extent with the “Artists’” Corps, which had just been formed, the impediment was soon removed, and before the end of June his lordship attended a meeting of the Council, and a few days afterwards was gazetted Lieutenant-Colonel of the Regiment.

Lord Bury at this time occupied the official position of Treasurer to the Royal Household, and, together with Lord Ranelagh, Lord Elcho, and the Duke of Westminster, was one of the prominent leaders of the Volunteer movement.

Adjutant.

The appointment of an Adjutant also caused difficulty. A committee consisting of a few members of the Council was elected to consider the applications for the post. The choice of this committee fell upon Captain Ennis, who was a member of the Corps, and Captain-Commandant of the Inland Revenue Companies. Captain Ennis had at one time been in the “Hussars.”

The War Office, however, refused to accept Captain Ennis as Adjutant, on the ground that he was over fifty, and that his service in the army had been in connection with the Cavalry. The feeling in the Regiment was very strong against this decision, and grave consequences with regard to the prosperity of the Corps were said to be likely to ensue if the War Office refused to appoint so popular an officer.

One of the first tasks which Lord Bury undertook, by desire of the Council, was to overcome the objection raised by the War Office. In this he was successful, and Captain Ennis was appointed to the post, which, however, he held for two years only, when he resigned.

Surgeon.

With the authority for the appointment of Captain Ennis to the Adjutancy came also that of Dr. Spencer Smith to the post of Surgeon. This gentleman resigned only a few years ago, after a service of 24 years. In the early days his office was by no means the apparent sinecure it has since become, for it was the duty of the Surgeon, or the Assistant Surgeon, to attend at the range whenever target practice was held, and for the zealous and kind manner in which this duty was carried out, at great sacrifice of time and convenience, the Commanding Officer, in regimental orders, expressed the warmest thanks of the Regiment.

The amount of zeal with which the Surgeons entered upon their work in those days is exemplified by the following unpleasantly expressive item in the Regimental accounts of that period:

Major.

The War Office, at that time, required that Majors of Volunteer Corps should have served in the Army, so that it was not until April, 1861, that the post of Major was filled by the appointment of Major Leslie (late Captain 1st Life Guards).

With this exception the formation of the Regiment may now (June, 1860) be said to have been complete. It was composed as follows:

Composition of Corps.

These numbers scarcely convey a correct impression of the hold which the corps had secured upon the Civil Service. It must be remembered that, in addition to the effective strength as given above, there were at least 500 honorary members including many who occupied leading official positions. These were individuals who were debarred by age or other reasons from drilling, but who, nevertheless, were quite as enthusiastic in advocating the new “movement” as their more active comrades in the ranks.

Of the latter it may be said that, on the whole, they were men of more advanced age and position than we are now accustomed to see in the ranks. Shouldering the rifle amongst them were many men now of note—Lord Lingen, Sir R. G. C. Hamilton, Lord Teynham, and others. The name of Mr. Tom Taylor the well known dramatic author, afterwards editor of Punch, has already been mentioned; whilst other literary and scientific men the corps could then claim were Professor Huxley, Professor Tyndall, Mr. Anthony Trollope, Mr. W. S. Gilbert, and Mr. Edmund Yates.

To turn from the doings of the Council to those of the Regiment itself, we find that the first parade of the combined corps “for the purpose of drilling as a battalion” was held at Somerset House on the 28th March, 1860.

First Battalion Drill, &c.

This parade was in plain clothes and without arms, but in the following week the regiment mustered in uniform and under arms. Captain Ennis (afterwards Adjutant) took the command at these drills.

The following week the regiment was ready for its first “march out.” This notable event was held at Wimbledon, amidst torrents of rain, and is commemorated by a sketch made by Captain Angell, a photograph of which hangs in the Orderly Room. The expense of this march was defrayed by a collection of ten shillings per man.

From this time, instruction in battalion drill proceeded with great vigour. The use of the West London Cricket Ground at Brompton was obtained for the purpose, and the regiment marched there weekly, whilst other battalion drills and “skeleton drills” for officers were held almost daily at Somerset House.

Matters proceeded so rapidly on the appointment of a Lieutenant-Colonel, that Lord Bury considered that the Corps might be safely exposed to the perils of a sham fight to be held by the Metropolitan Volunteers at Bromley, on the 14th July. This, however, did not appear to be the opinion of the regiment itself when the day arrived. The muster was very small. It was attributed afterwards by Lord Bury in Orders, to the fact that “many members of the regiment had resolved not to come on account of the danger to be apprehended from the inexperience of their comrades in firing drill.”

The members themselves, however, seemed very anxious to remedy this minor defect on their part, and musketry instruction now became the rage. To carry this out successfully it was necessary that a staff of Volunteer Instructors should be raised, who in their turn should instruct the other members of the Regiment.

Musketry Instruction.

The arduous duties carried out by these Volunteer Musketry Instructors certainly entitle them to especial mention. At their head was Captain Du Plat Taylor, assisted by Ensign Campbell and Battalion Instructor Halliday. The first Company Instructors in the order of merit in which they passed their examination were:

Every available place in the neighbourhood of Somerset House was occupied nightly by squads practising “position” and “aiming” drill, and by August, Captain Du Plat Taylor was able to take his first squad to the Wimbledon range for ball practice. This was carried out in the strictest and most methodical manner, for even in those days, Captain Taylor began to earn for himself the character of the strict disciplinarian for which he has since been so noted. The following facts are gathered from the regulations laid down by him in Regimental Musketry Orders:

“All Target Practice to be performed in Uniform, in Full Marching Order.

“Members proceeding to Wimbledon for Firing Practice to fall in in Military Order at the station at Putney, and march to the range under the command of the senior present. On arrival at the range they would be delivered over to the Senior Musketry Instructor. The return to Putney to be conducted in the same manner. Strict silence to be maintained in the ranks throughout the whole of the proceedings.

“With the view of avoiding the heavy expenses incurred by the hire of Butt Markers, the duties to be undertaken by members of the Corps; three non-commissioned officers and three privates being previously detailed on each occasion.

“Should any member so detailed refuse or neglect to attend, he would be disqualified from competing for Regimental Prizes.”

However necessary these rules may have been at the time, it need scarcely be observed that before long they were found to be irksome. Rumour reports that on the occasion of a squad, on its return from the ranges in the dark, being marched into a ditch, open mutiny broke out with regard to the obnoxious rules, and that Captain Taylor was thereupon constrained to relax his discipline until he could find more tractable material to work upon than the “gentlemen of the Civil Service.”

Queen’s Review.

Two events of the year 1860 must not be omitted. One was the first grand Volunteer Review before the Queen, in Hyde Park, when the Civil Service, under Lord Bury, formed part of a brigade under Lord Ranelagh.

In reference to this event Lord Bury states, “The behaviour of all ranks on the ground was steady and soldierlike, and the general appearance presented by the Regiment was all that could be desired.”

Another was the celebration of the Prince of Wales’ birthday by an inspection at Somerset House, followed by a Regimental Dinner.

CHAPTER II
Eccentricities.

Looking back from the sober routine of the volunteering of to-day, to this strange period when every one was a recruit, it is only natural that eccentricities should be apparent on all sides. The enthusiasm that pervaded all ranks was, of course, immense, and the amount of drilling done, especially by the Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers was enormous. A golden age was this for the Army Drill-Instructors. Elderly recruits of a nervous temperament hesitated to exhibit themselves in the ranks until they had been privately coached in the initial mysteries of drill, in the seclusion of their own apartments. Uniform was worn on every possible occasion, at drill or on the range. It is said that after one occasion when Lord Bury had appeared at the range in plain clothes, he received a letter from an indignant private, expressing a hope that such a slight would not again be cast upon members of the regiment.

One Rule passed by the Council was that Honorary Members should be entitled to appear on parade in uniform, with a scarlet sash as a distinguishing ornament.

Another Rule strikes us as still more eccentric. Privates when off parade should be allowed to wear a sword similar to that worn by officers, but in a black leather scabbard. What the privates were supposed to want to do with their sword when off parade it is difficult to imagine.

With the close of the drill season the Regiment does not cease to show signs of interesting activity. Whilst in winter quarters it enlivened its repose with various festive gatherings having for their main object the support of the regimental band, which was in want of funds.

Dramatic Performance.

Perhaps the most interesting of these gatherings is an Amateur Dramatic Performance, held at the Lyceum Theatre, wherein the corps exhibited an array of talent, of which it might justly feel proud. The performance was so successful that it was repeated. The following is a copy of the programme:

PRINCE OF WALES’ OWN
Civil Service Rifle Volunteers.
HONORARY COLONEL, H.R.H. THE PRINCE OF WALES, K.G.
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL, VISCOUNT BURY, M.P.
On WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 1861,
WILL BE PERFORMED, FOR THE SECOND TIME, AT THE
THEATRE ROYAL LYCEUM,
By Special Desire,
The original Comedy by CAPTAIN TOM TAYLOR, C.S.R.V.,
ENTITLED:
“A LESSON FOR LIFE.”

TO BE PRECEDED BY AN ORIGINAL COMEDIETTA, IN ONE ACT,
“IF THE CAP FITS,”
WRITTEN BY
Captain HARRINGTON, C.S.R.V., and Ensign EDMUND YATES,
C.S.R.V.
THE PERFORMANCES TO CONCLUDE WITH
“THE HAPPY MAN,”
a Farce,
By Private SAMUEL LOVER, of the London Irish Rifle Volunteers.
The Band of the Regiment will attend.

Regimental Ball.

A Regimental Ball was also given at Willis’s Rooms, in aid of the same object. In the list of the Lady Patronesses are the names of:

The Duchess of Manchester.
The Duchess of Wellington.
The Countess Russell.
Viscountess Palmerston.
Viscountess Bury.
Lady Elcho.
Mrs. Gladstone.

Band.

The Band, on behalf of which so much energy was expended, was composed of 25 members, the greater number of whom were amateurs. It appears to have been in an excellent state of efficiency, as it gained prizes at various band contests, which it was then the fashion to hold. It was under the charge of an energetic and capable bandmaster, Mr. J. Moirato Davis; but very valuable assistance was rendered to its efficiency by Mr. W. P. Jones, of the Audit Office. Its annual cost to the regiment appears to have been about £300.

Subscription Fund.

As there was no Government grant in those days to assist in defraying the expenses of the corps these had to be met entirely by voluntary contributions, and the subscriptions of members.

The Council issued a circular asking for assistance from the whole of the Civil Service. Subscriptions flowed in liberally. In the Inland Revenue and Whitehall Divisions alone the subscriptions in the first year exceeded £1,000.

1861. First Easter Monday Review.

The opening of the year 1861 was marked by the first Easter Monday Review. This was held at Brighton. Some difference of opinion was displayed by the various Volunteer Commanding Officers as to the advisability of holding this review. Lord Bury opposed the idea. He expressed his opinions on the point in a Regimental Order to the following effect:—

“I do not think the proposed expedition judicious in a political point of view. I think it inconsistent with the purely defensive character of the Volunteer movement to make demonstrations on the coast.”

Of course, under these conditions the Civil Service Regiment refrained from demonstrating; or, at all events, they joined with a few other like-minded corps, and so effectually concealed their demonstrations among the bushes of Wimbledon Common, that they evidently felt satisfied that not the slightest exasperation could have been felt on their account by the most bellicose of Frenchmen.

1862.

Little else of importance occurred to mark the year 1861, so we will pass at once to the second Easter Monday Review, which ushered in the drill season of 1862.

By this time it would appear that Lord Bury’s views had changed, for the regiment not only attended the Review, but in a Regimental Order, in which he praises the steadiness of the battalion on that occasion, Lord Bury states—“It is an honour to have taken part in such a day.”

Another event of this year was a review by the Duke of Cambridge at Wimbledon, when we are told that His Royal Highness expressed his praise on witnessing the advance of the battalion extended as skirmishers.

To show the satisfactory state of affairs at this period, I cannot do better than again to quote from Regimental Orders as follows:

“The Lieutenant-Colonel cannot but congratulate the Regiment on the fact that at the close of their third drill season, they occupy a most satisfactory position among the Volunteer Corps of the country: the organisation is complete; the numbers are increasing; the Officers have passed the ordeal of a searching examination; the Drill is improved; the Musketry Instruction, which was from the first the strongest point in the organisation of the Regiment, has even improved in efficiency; and the number both of effectives and of marksmen is fully equal, in proportion to numbers, to any other Volunteer Corps. The Lieutenant-Colonel need not point out how much the efficiency of a Regiment depends on its Non-commissioned Officers. We are fortunate in having a body of Non-commissioned Officers who thoroughly know their duty. The Skirmishing Drill of the Regiment is better done, and much more clearly understood than in former years. In conclusion, the Lieutenant-Colonel confidently believes that the utmost unanimity and good feeling exists throughout the Regiment.”

The last statement appears, in the present day, a rather strange and superfluous one to put into Regimental Orders; but it is evident that its meaning was fully understood at the time. Enthusiastic volunteer as Lord Bury was, and evidently taking a delight in his duties as Commanding Officer, he must have frequently felt that to rule a body of gentlemen volunteers, in a very elementary stage of military knowledge and discipline, was a somewhat formidable and even thankless task. Every member of the corps—officer, non-commissioned officer, and private—had an opinion to express on every point, and he expressed it freely. Plenty of evidence exists of burning questions which agitated, and sometimes even threatened the unity of the corps; but the great tact displayed by Lord Bury, his forbearance and kindly courtesy, which disarmed all opposition, led the corps safely through all.

One incident which occurred about this period, and the explanations with regard to which occupy the greater part of three Regimental Orders, was, that a part of the Regiment had expressed unwillingness to join in a march out with the “Artists’” Corps, owing to what Lord Bury describes as “an absurd wish attributed to him to bring about an amalgamation between the Civil Service Regiment and the Artists’.”

But it is not necessary here to go into the details of these almost forgotten grievances, which, although interesting as showing what may be called the morale of the Corps at that period, are perhaps best buried in oblivion.

CHAPTER III

1863. Prince of Wales’ Challenge Cup.

At the commencement of the year 1863, the Prince of Wales showed his interest in the Corps by presenting it with a Challenge Cup of the value of 100 guineas. The nominal right to hold this cup for a year is still annually shot for; but it is customary for the Commanding Officer to retain it in his own custody.

This was the year of the Prince of Wales’s marriage, and on the 7th March the Regiment took part in the parade of the Metropolitan Volunteers in Hyde Park, on the arrival of the Princess Alexandra in London. The “Civil Service” were granted the post of honour on the right of the line, on this occasion.

The Regiment again attended the Easter Monday Review at Brighton, and earned golden opinions for itself, receiving, we are told, from Officers of high rank, great commendation for their steadiness at drill.

In this year (three years after their formation) the Volunteers were first thought worthy of an annual Capitation Grant by the Government. £1 was paid for every efficient member who completed three Company and six Battalion Drills.

Adjutants: Captain Adair, 1862-3.
Captain Lombard, 1864-1886.

It has not yet been mentioned that Captain Alexander W. Adair was appointed to the Corps as Adjutant, in May, 1862. Towards the close of this year (1863) he resigned, and with the opening of 1864 we form the acquaintance of one who has left an indelible mark on the history of the Civil Service Rifles. On the 17th March, 1864, Captain Graves C. Swan Lombard (late of the 16th Regiment) was appointed Acting Adjutant, and for the long period of 22 years from this date his name appears at the foot of Regimental Orders.

There is no doubt but that, from his very first appearance in the Corps, Captain (afterwards Major) Lombard ingratiated himself into the goodwill of all its members; and it is little to say, that all who had the pleasure of serving with him will ever have pleasing recollections of his kindly manner, his admirable tact, his quiet but firm discipline. These, with many other excellent qualities, combined to make him, in the opinion of all the true model of a Volunteer Adjutant.

One of the first Orders signed by Major Lombard was, however, somewhat unfortunate, containing as it did the following paragraph:—

“The Post Office Companies will proceed to Harrow on Saturday, 24th inst., to join in a Field Day with the Harrow School and other Corps. Each member to provide himself with twenty rounds of ball cartridge.”

It is never too late to acknowledge a mistake, so on the 26th inst. (only two days after the Review was held) the correction comes:

“In the Order of the 17th inst., the words ‘BALL cartridge’ should have been ‘BLANK cartridge.’”

Let us hope the Harrow boys suffered no inconvenience from the error.

1864.

The year 1864 is noted for two events of importance. The first was a Review in Hyde Park, when the “Civil Service” formed part of a brigade under the command of the Prince of Wales. The second was an Inspection of the Regiment by the Prince on the 15th June, at Somerset House. A letter from the Prince to Lord Bury was afterwards published in Orders, in which His Royal Highness stated that both he and the Princess, who accompanied him, were much gratified by the Inspection.

The events of one year are now found to be so much like those of another that it is unnecessary to follow each year in detail. We will, therefore, only refer to the prominent features which mark from this time the history of the Corps.

Shooting of Period.

A few words about the shooting of the period. “H” Company appears to have been the best shooting Company at this time, whilst “C” Company stood by far the lowest in the list of marksmen. Private E. Plasket was evidently the “crack” shot of the Regiment. Lord Bury’s name also figures well in Regimental Competitions. In 1865 he headed the 3rd class scores with 72 out of a possible 80—a score which even in these days of Martinis would be treated with great respect.

Majors.

In 1865, Members of the Regiment for the first time filled the post of Major, the two senior Captains, Hawker and Du Plat Taylor, being promoted.

1866—Bank of England Company.

An important event in the history of the Corps occurred in 1866, in the formation of a new Company, composed of members of the Clerical Establishment of the Bank of England. The Bank had as yet taken no active part in the Volunteer movement; but the Directors, following the traditions of their predecessors of the last century, were very favourably inclined towards it. It was with little difficulty, therefore, that Mr. Kingsmill, to whose energy the formation of the Company was principally due, succeeded in recruiting a sufficiently large contingent to make them an acceptable acquisition to any leading Metropolitan Corps.

An attempt was made to draw them into the ranks of the London Rifle Brigade. Although not servants of the Crown, however, it was felt that there were bonds of affinity which drew them closer to the Civil Service than to any other Corps. Lord Bury’s sanction was readily obtained, and in July, 1866, they joined, 140 strong, under the command of one of the Directors of the Bank—Captain J. P. Currie.

To make room for the new Company, the 1st Whitehall, or F Company, which was then in a weak state, was amalgamated with the 2nd Whitehall, or G Company, and the Bank took rank after the Admiralty as the K Company.

Camp at Wimbledon.

In the Orders of 1866 we find the first notice of a Regimental Camp, to be held at the Wimbledon Meeting. These were the days when Wimbledon was the only camp—a huge Volunteer “picnic,” suggestive of camp bonfires and unlimited festivity. It was certainly the first experience which the Regiment appears to have had in camp life. In the Order giving details, one of the most prominent paragraphs recommends members to bring sheets and a corkscrew!

Major Du Plat Taylor.

In April, 1868, Major Du Plat Taylor resigned. Major Du Plat Taylor had from the first been one of the most prominent and energetic officers of the Corps. He had a strong desire, which he expressed in a circular issued in 1864, to raise a third Company in the Post Office, and then to form a separate battalion under his own command. Although not successful in this very questionable scheme, he now resigned in order to take command of a new corps (the 49th, now the 24th Middlesex), raised from the Sorters and Letter Carriers of the Post Office. His success at the head of this regiment is well known.

The vacancy caused by this promotion was filled by the promotion of Captain Currie, of the Bank of England, to be Major.

1871.

The next events of importance occur in the year 1871. This was a period of some military excitement, caused by the Franco-German War. The old Enfield rifle was called in, and the Snider breechloader issued to Volunteers.

School of Instruction.

Schools of Instruction for Volunteer Officers were instituted by the Army authorities. These supplied a want that had been much felt, as much by the “Civil Service” as by other Corps; for although the more energetic Officers occasionally obtained permission to be attached to a Regiment of Regulars for a short period, the instruction thus obtained does not appear to have been very thorough.

Indeed, the blunders of Commanding Officers, eccentric words of command, and suchlike, form the staple commodity of the “Volunteer” humour of the period. It is related that on one occasion, when the “Civil Service” were marching down Fleet Street, a Field Officer, rushing to the front, delivered himself of the following: “Battalion—FOURS RIGHT. No, I mean FOURS LEFT. No—er—er—. D——n it. Turn up Fetter Lane.”

Lord Bury was the first Officer of the Corps to take advantage of the new institution, and in 1871 he attended the School at Chelsea Barracks, and obtained the “pass” certificate. Since that time it has been the rule for all Officers to pass the School as soon as possible after receiving a commission.

Major Hawker.

In this year (1871) Major Hawker resigned. On his resignation he was entertained by the Regiment at a dinner given in his honour at St. James’s Hall; and, in a special Regimental Order issued for the occasion, he was thanked by Lord Bury for the services which he had rendered the Corps. His vacancy was filled by the promotion of Captain Mills.

We now approach a period when a greater variety was displayed in the annual military programme of the Corps. Camps of Instruction were instituted—the first in 1873. Detachments from the Corps attended the Autumn Manœuvres of the Army and the Aldershot Summer Drills; but to these matters we will refer more fully in a subsequent chapter.

50th Middlesex Formed.

In 1875 a new Corps (one of the last formed in Middlesex) was raised from the porters and subordinate establishment of the Bank of England. After the disbandment of the Bank Volunteers in 1814, the Directors still considered it advisable to train a certain number of their employés to the use of arms, to be employed, if necessary, for the defence of the Bank. Their porters and messengers were specially selected with a view to this purpose, and arms and uniform were provided by the Bank. The year 1875 found them a rather antiquated body of men, armed with the Brown Bess musket, with which weapon they made an annual excursion to the butts, and underwent their sole military exercise, at great peril to themselves and to the surrounding neighbourhood.

At this period, efforts were made to bring them within the scope of the Volunteer Regulations. The only difficulty in the way was the requirement of the Directors to employ them solely for the defence of the Bank property. After some demur, however, the Government consented to admit them, and they were enrolled as the 50th Middlesex—afterwards changed to the 25th.

The Corps consisted of one Company only, about 100 strong, under the command of Captain Gray, Chief Accountant of the Bank. They chose for their uniform the dark-green and busby of the Rifle Brigade, and were attached for drill purposes to the “Civil Service” Corps.

Dramatic Society.

In 1876 a Regimental Dramatic Society was inaugurated with great éclat. Although the Corps was unable to boast of such noted names as were seen on the programme of its performance of 1861, yet there was found to be an abundance of dramatic talent in its ranks. Moreover, some of the celebrities referred to gladly gave their services to their old Corps. Mr. W. S. Gilbert personally superintended the rehearsals for the production of one of his own plays, “On Guard,” which was selected for the opening performance; and the veteran Mr. Tom Taylor contributed a Prologue for the occasion.

For several years the Club continued to give excellent performances in St. George’s Hall, and with the funds thus obtained gratuitous entertainments were provided at the various Camps.

Aldershot, Wimbledon, and the Camps of Instruction owe many a jovial evening to the efforts of the Dramatic Club. There came a time, however, when the support given by the general body of the Corps began to fall off, and it was necessary to discontinue the performances. Let us hope that it will not be long before the dramatic spirit again revives in the ranks.

Major Currie.

In 1879 Major Currie resigned. The Regiment had benefited much by Major Currie’s services. Lord Bury having suffered from bad health about this period, Major Currie for some time carried out the duties of Commanding Officer, and earned for himself much popularity in the Corps. His post was filled by the promotion of a brother Director of the Bank, Captain A. G. Sandeman, of K Company.

Lord Bury.

Mention should not be omitted of the fact that at this period (1878-80) the Corps had the gratification of seeing its Commanding Officer (Lord Bury) occupying the post of Under Secretary of State for War. In this capacity he presided over a Committee appointed by Government to investigate and report on the requirements of the Volunteer Force. There is no doubt that the more generous treatment which the Force has received from Government of late years is owing in a great degree to the Report of this Committee.

Title Altered.

In 1880 a scheme for re-numbering the Middlesex Corps was adopted by the War Office. Many of the Corps formed in 1860 had become defunct or had been amalgamated with others. The “Civil Service,” from the 21st, thus became the 12th Middlesex. A few years later, when the territorial system was arranged, they were classified as the 5th Volunteer Battalion of the King’s Royal Rifle Corps, but this title has not yet been adopted.

21st Year.

In 1881 the Volunteer Force celebrated its coming of age, and Her Majesty marked the event by reviewing her “citizen soldiers.” The English Volunteers mustered in Windsor Great Park, on the 9th July, 1881, and marched past their Sovereign. A few weeks later the Queen proceeded to Scotland, and reviewed the Scottish Corps at Edinburgh.

The “Civil Service” decided to celebrate their arrival at maturity by a grand dinner of past and present members. The Prince of Wales graciously consented to preside on the occasion, and this necessitated delaying the festival until the following year. The dinner was ultimately held at Willis’s Rooms, on the 1st March, 1882. The demands for admission were many times in excess of the space available, and the process of balloting for tickets was resorted to in the case of past members.

A distinguished company of guests were invited to meet the Prince, who, as Chairman, made several speeches, in the course of which he warmly complimented the regiment, and expressed his wish to meet it at the Portsmouth Review the following Easter. This wish was carried out. The Prince was present at Portsmouth for some days, and appeared in public on each occasion in his uniform as Colonel of the Civil Service Corps. At the march past, on the day of the Review, he took command of the battalion, and marched past at its head.

Her Majesty further complimented the Volunteer Force in this year, by appointing, for the first time, certain of its commanding officers Aides-de-Camp to the Queen. Lord Bury was one of the six selected for this honour.

In 1884 Major Sandeman resigned, and the Honourable Arnold Keppel, the eldest son of Lord Bury, formerly of the Scots Guards, was appointed junior Major.

Change of Rifle.

In 1885 the Snider Rifles were called in and Martinis issued to Volunteer Corps. For a few years before this, a limited number of Martinis had been lent to each corps for the use of men who shot for the Queen’s Prize at Wimbledon. (The rifles of the “Civil Service” were again changed in 1890 for Martinis of a later pattern, with which the sword-bayonet was issued in lieu of the bayonet of the old type.)

Adjutants.

In 1886 Major Lombard retired from the post of Adjutant, having served to the full limit of age allowed by the War Office Regulations in force on his appointment. The Corps now came under the operation of the rule at present in force, by which an officer on the Active List of the Army is appointed for five years only, when he returns to his regiment. Under this rule Captain A. G. S. Beadnell, of the King’s Own Scottish Borderers, was appointed, vice Major Lombard.

Jubilee Year.

The Volunteer “events” which marked the Jubilee Year of 1887 will ever make it memorable to those who took part in them. The Civil Service Corps were fully represented at each of these—The Royal Procession to the Abbey; the March Past the Queen at Buckingham Palace, when the Corps had the honour of being led by H.R.H. the Prince of Wales; and last, but not least, the gigantic Military Review at Aldershot. On the last-mentioned occasion, in order to parade at the early hour of four in the morning, the detachment was billeted for the previous night at Somerset House.

CHAPTER IV

Wimbledon Ranges.

No history of the Corps could be accepted as complete which omitted an account of the Wimbledon Ranges; for it is around them that, with many of us, the pleasantest memories of volunteering life will cling—some of its sweetest triumphs, and also, perhaps, some of its keenest disappointments. Here we have endeavoured to learn, with more or less success, how to bear the pride of victory, as well as the sting of defeat, with that impassive demeanour which is held to become the well-bred Briton.

Then, too, are they not the more interesting because they are, in themselves, glorious ranges? Not, perhaps, with regard to their adaptability to good shooting. They have a fish-tail wind that is trying, and a semaphore that is—worse. But the grand view! Across the wide common, with its gorse, heather, and fern, its quiet dells, its shady copses, and its broad, open, wind-swept plateaux, to the beautiful glades of Richmond Park, and far, far away to the distant Surrey Hills. Then, the pure, bracing breeze, coming as it does just over the top of Leith Hill, straight from the sea, giving more health and vigour in one short afternoon than any doctor’s tonic taken for a month.

Every landmark around has been familiar to us for years, and most are associated with some incident which renders them attractive. Here, for instance, is the spot where we fired our first shot as a recruit. (We have never fired at that ridiculous distance since.) How well do we remember that awful event! How we screwed up our courage to the sticking-point, firmly resolved to “let off” that dread weapon; but in our own mind the immediate future was full of vague uncertainty. With what feelings of utter indifference we received the sergeant’s congratulations that we had hit the target. It had gone off! We were alive and well, and the world moved on as before! There was no room in our mind for anything else.

Well, well! That intense feeling of respect for a loaded rifle very soon wore off. Let us return to the sober facts of history.

The Wimbledon Ranges have been used by the “Civil Service” from the very commencement of the Corps. The Sub-Committee appointed by the Council in 1860 to seek for a Range were not long in discovering Wimbledon. The Ranges were then in the possession of the 11th Surrey Volunteers, who rented them from the Lord of the Manor, Earl Spencer, for the sum of one shilling yearly. They agreed to allow the “Civil Service” to share the shooting accommodation, on the understanding that the latter paid three-fourths of the cost of the erection of the Butts.

One feels compelled to remark that the Regimental authorities have never been very happy in their management of matters connected with these ranges. Affairs were commenced with a lawsuit, brought by the contractor who erected the Butts, and the Corps lost the day.

In 1861 the London Scottish, who had opened adjoining ranges, proposed to build a Shooting House. They invited the “Civil Service” to join them in the undertaking, and to become joint owners. The Council, however, did not consider it advisable to do so, but preferred to pay a yearly rent for a share in the tenancy. In 1864 the Council again refused an offer to become joint owners, and the result has been that the Corps has paid in annual rent considerably more than would have sufficed to build the house, enjoying meanwhile comparatively poor accommodation, and having no voice in its management.

Matters were considerably disturbed in 1871 by the passing of the Wimbledon Commons Act, and by the appointment of Conservators to protect the interests of the Common-holders. The Act went so far as to recognise the established privileges of the Volunteers in using the Ranges, although shooting was henceforth restricted to certain days of the week, and to certain hours of the day. But ever since then the Conservators of the Common, with their restrictions, protests, and objections, have been a thorn in the side of the Regimental Range Committee.

In 1880 a lawsuit was commenced by the tenant of the land bordering the Common near the Range, on the ground that injury was caused by bullets falling on his land. The action was brought against the “Civil Service” only, but had for its object the closing of the whole of the Ranges in this corner of the Common. After being protracted over a period of several years, the action resulted in the closing of the 1st class targets, and the substitution of wooden or canvas targets, instead of iron, at the 2nd class range.

With this concession the Corps may be said to have established its title to the use of the Ranges. The War Office have lately instituted more than one careful inspection, and have decided that they are “safe,” so that it may be hoped that the Corps will continue to enjoy possession for many years to come.

The Flagstaff.

A noteworthy object on the Wimbledon Range is the flagstaff. This is 153 feet high, and has the reputation of being the tallest flagstaff in England of one piece only. It is known as the “Douglas Pine,” and is the product of Vancouver’s Island. It was presented to the London Scottish in 1872 by an old member of the Corps, who had settled on that island and felled it on his own land. The recruit is usually informed that it took two ships to bring it over; the explanation that one ship brought it to Liverpool and the other to London being reserved.

It will be noticed that the little stick in question is protected by a somewhat formidable lightning-conductor, its predecessor having been destroyed by lightning one afternoon whilst shooting was going on at the Range.

We must not quit Wimbledon without a passing comment on the Wimbledon Camp.

Wimbledon Camp.

The “Civil Service” was among the earliest of the Metropolitan Corps which formed its own private camp at the great rifle meeting, and from 1864 to 1885 the dark blue flag with its Prince of Wales’s Feathers was always to be seen flying in its own peculiar corner of the enclosure. This unbroken record of nearly a quarter of a century was not obtained, however, without some trouble. In the early days, when camping out was a novelty, and Wimbledon afforded the only means of enjoying that novelty, there was little difficulty in ensuring a good attendance; but, with the rise of Camps of Instruction and the Aldershot Camps, applications for the Wimbledon tents, with their somewhat heavy fees, began to fall off. For many years it was kept up merely by the efforts of a small band of enthusiasts, to whom the Wimbledon “picnic,” with its jovial round of holiday mirth, had a peculiar charm. The support of the general body of the Corps fell off to such a marked extent that in 1886, four years before the National Rifle Association removed to Bisley, the Camp was discontinued.

Shooting.

To pass from Wimbledon and to remark briefly on the shooting records of the Regiment is an easy digression.

The “Civil Service” has never yet had the good luck to provide the winner of the Queen’s Prize, and this fact is sometimes thrust forward by the thoughtless to detract from its merits as a “good shooting Corps.” A simple computation will show that, with 200,000 Volunteers to shoot for it, a Corps of 600 strong will have done its duty if it wins the prize once in 333 years! But members of the Corps have on more than one occasion run the winner very hard. Lord Bury himself was second for the prize in 1861.

Others who have been within measurable distance are: Private W. A. Impey (Audit Office) in 1869, Lieutenant J. Mitford (Post Office) in 1875, and Sergeant W. W. Akhurst (Post Office) in 1885.

Wimbledon honours have also been earned for the Corps by Sergeant J. P. Wright (Bank of England), winner of the Grand Aggregate in 1874; Captain H. W. E. Jeston (National Debt Office), winner of the N.R.A. Challenge Cup in 1869; and teams who have on various occasions won the Mappin Challenge Cup for running and shooting.

Nor can we in the present year (1891) admit that the shooting of the Corps shows any sign of declining. In the War Office Returns for the last two years it stood first of the Metropolitan Corps, and second in the Home District. The Regimental Team rejoice in an almost unbroken series of victories in the numerous matches it has shot in the same period; whilst Private Rothon, Corporal Matthews, and Corporal Clunan well maintained the credit of the Corps at the first meeting of the National Rifle Association on Bisley Common. In addition to this, in Private Rothon the Corps has the winner of the Champion Badge of Middlesex for 1890, and, having been chosen to shoot in the English “twenty,” he made the highest score in the International Match of 1891.

A few words about Aldershot.

The Aldershot Drills.

The Aldershot Summer Drills appear to have been instituted when the Autumn Manœuvres, held in 1872-3, were discontinued. The “Civil Service” first sent a detachment to Aldershot in 1875, and from that date, with but few exceptions, they have annually sent a Company. This Company has been almost always attached to the Provisional Battalion commanded by Colonel Du Plat Taylor, of the Post Office Volunteers. Of all the efforts taken to instil a military training into the Volunteer none perhaps have had so great an effect as the “Aldershot Week.” The complete change of life experienced by thus suddenly adopting the soldier’s daily routine and hard fare, the living with and fraternising with soldiers, the feeling that you are for the time being actually paid as a soldier, that you are watched by military police lest you should desert, that the Mutiny Act has been read over you, which says that if you disobey your officer you shall be shot—all this is calculated to make the most light-hearted Volunteer feel that he is in earnest at last. He enters into the spirit of the work, enjoys the novelty of the situation—knowing that it won’t last long—and generally comes home, grimy, sunburnt, and, in his own eyes at least, a soldier to the backbone. The stamp it puts on a man is never effaced. To say “he is an Aldershot-man” means that he is entitled to considerable respect as a good Volunteer.

Camps of Instruction.

Aldershot may have been instrumental in giving us a leaven of good soldiers, but nothing has had so great an effect in changing the conditions of our Volunteer life as the Camps of Instruction. As the greater part of Battalion drills are now done in Camp, it is hardly possible for a member, as was the case in old days, to make himself efficient by toddling round the quadrangle at Somerset House; and this change has almost banished from the ranks the individual generally described as the “old-fashioned Volunteer.”

The first Regimental Camp of Instruction was pitched on Wimbledon Common on the 12th May, 1873. It lasted three days only, a longer time being forbidden by the provisions of the Wimbledon Commons Act. The weather was very cold, with occasional snow. The nightly attendance averaged about 100.

In the following year, 1874, Major Currie lent a field at Esher for the purpose. This Camp lasted six days, and was memorable for being the scene of one of those foolish escapades—a night attack, delivered with great spirit by a local corps, and repulsed with equal ardour by the “Civil Service.” In the present day, with increased knowledge of military tactics, Volunteer officers recognise the absurdity of such attacks.

In 1875, the Camp was pitched in a portion of Wimbledon Park known as the Leg of Mutton Field, Southfields. Here also it was located in 1876 and 1877. In the following year, 1878, a very enjoyable Camp was held in Sandown Park, Esher.

1879 will be for ever memorable, to those who took part in it, as the year of the mud Camp, held in a small field, or rather swamp, attached to an empty house near Putney Heath.

Finally, in 1880, was discovered that very acme of positions—a spot suited above all others for an encampment of Metropolitan Volunteers—the Old Deer Park at Richmond.

The Old Deer Park.

Here the Corps has encamped every year since,[3] and, indeed, it would be difficult to find a more advantageous camping-ground. Interesting in its associations as one of the oldest Royal Parks in England, originally attached to Richmond Palace, it gives for drill purposes an extensive area of slightly undulating parkland, ornamented with picturesque groups of trees, among which are some patriarchs so venerable as to make one imagine that they might have looked down upon the grand tournaments held on that spot by the Tudor Kings.

[3] Up till 1898, but not since.

Long may it be before any over-zealous War Office official shall reform the Richmond Camp of Instruction out of existence. Let us hope that for many a future generation the Civil Service Recruit may do his lonely midnight sentry-go, in the quiet seclusion of the Old Deer Park, with no greater peril to encounter than the ghost of a Maid of Honour!

CHAPTER V

About the year 1888 a considerable decline in the recruiting power of the Regiment became apparent, owing chiefly to the reduction of the establishments of many Government Offices in consequence of the lengthening of the official day to seven hours. There were no new entrants into the Service, and consequently no material for recruiting.

By many, however, the cause was ascribed to the unattractive uniform. This idea gained ground, and Lord Bury allowed the opinion of the whole Regiment to be taken on the matter.

This was not the first time that the members of the Regiment had been canvassed with regard to a change of uniform. In 1862 a proposal was raised in favour of scarlet; and again, in 1881, when Lord Bury wished his Corps to take the lead in adopting a recommendation of the War Office Committee, of which he was Chairman, and change to a uniform similar to “regulars”; but on both of these occasions a large majority of the members were found to be thoroughly conservative. The helmet had been adopted in lieu of the Shako in 1881, but, with this exception, the uniform remained as it had been fixed in 1863.

Change of Uniform.

Other views now prevailed, and out of 300 who answered the circular addressed to them, and who expressed any opinion at all in the matter, 220 were in favour of a change. After a considerable time had been taken in arriving at a decision, it was resolved to discard the dark grey for a very light grey, retaining the Royal blue facings and the black belts of the old uniform.

The sanction of the Honorary Colonel and of the War Office having been obtained, the change was carried out at the commencement of 1890. Taking advantage of a grant from the Volunteer Equipment Fund raised by the Lord Mayor (Sir James Whitehead), the Corps at the same time furnished itself with greatcoats and the full equipment considered necessary by the War Office; so that at the Inspection of this year the Regiment paraded in its new uniform, and, for the first time, fully equipped.

The Inspection of 1890 was also remarkable for another event of importance. For some time past Lord Bury had been announcing his intention of shortly resigning the command of the Corps, which he had now held for thirty years.

A few months before, the officers of the Corps, foreseeing the coming resignation, had presented Lady Bury with an oil painting of his Lordship, in the uniform of the C.S.R.V. The portrait, by a rising young artist of the day, had been exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery, and had been very favourably noticed.

Resignation of Lord Bury.

At the close of the Inspection referred to (held in the Camp in the Old Deer Park, Richmond) Lord Bury, in a few earnest words, regretfully bade farewell to the Regiment in which he had spent so large a period of his life, and with which he expressed a hope that his family would henceforward be always connected. He then formally handed over the command to his successor, Major and Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel Mills; and, with an outburst of hearty cheering in his honour, the Civil Service Corps took leave of its first Commanding Officer.

Staff Promotions.

On the resignation of Lord Bury, and the appointment of Lieutenant-Colonel Mills to the command of the Regiment, Captain and Honorary Major J. J. Cardin, of the Post Office, was promoted to the post of Major; and it is doubtful if in the whole history of the Corps can be recorded any more popular promotions than these two.

Building of Head Quarters.

There remains now but one more event to chronicle in order to bring this brief category to a close, viz., the building of a Regimental Headquarters. Ever since its formation the only apology for a Headquarters which the Corps possessed consisted of a single room, kindly lent by the authorities of the Exchequer and Audit Department, in which the business of the Regimental Staff was conducted. It had been felt for some time that the satisfactory condition of the Corps justified an effort being made to provide its members with similar accommodation to that possessed by most of the London Corps. The chief difficulty was that of obtaining a favourable site at an outlay within reasonable limits. This difficulty was at length overcome mainly by the exertions of Colonel Mills, through whose agency the Government were induced to lend, under very favourable conditions, a piece of ground between the two west wings of Somerset House, approached from the Embankment by what was originally the West Watergate.

It was estimated that a building suitable for the purpose could be erected on this site for about £3,000. At a meeting of officers, at which Lord Bury presided, held at the Audit Office on 19th February, 1890, it was decided to attempt to raise this sum by an appeal for subscriptions addressed principally to the upper ranks of the Civil Service. H.R.H. the Prince of Wales was graciously pleased to head the list with a donation of one hundred guineas. The Governor and Directors of the Bank of England subscribed a like sum, and within a few months Colonel Mills had personally collected £1,300 from the ministerial and permanent heads of Departments and others of high rank in the Government Offices.

1892.

In 1892 the Headquarters Building was formally opened. The Prince of Wales, as Honorary Colonel, had announced his intention of performing the ceremony, but was prevented by the lamentable death of the Duke of Clarence which occurred in January, and the duty was carried out by H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught. The event was followed by a succession of “At Homes,” dances, and other festivities to give the Regiment a house warming in its new home.

The home itself was much appreciated, and at once began to have a marked effect on the popularity and, consequently, upon the strength and efficiency of the corps. It had, moreover, the great merit of having been provided free of all future debt; for it had been the firm principle of Colonel Mills, to whose efforts the building was due, that not a brick should be laid until the whole of the money required for building and furnishing had been deposited in his hands.

Many London Regiments had built themselves fine Headquarters about this time, but in doing so had left themselves with the burden of a debt which sadly crippled them for many years. It was not indeed until the buildings were handed over to the War Office on the formation of the Territorial Force that many Commanding Officers were relieved of heavy financial embarrassments on this account.

Colonel Mills having successfully carried out the final task he had set himself, now retired after thirty-three years of arduous service. He was then the only member left in the corps who had served in it from its commencement. In the following year he became Comptroller and Auditor-General, and received the honour of knighthood.

Major Viscount Bury[4] succeeded to the Command, and the vacant post of Field Officer was filled by the promotion of Major H. B. H. Tytheridge.

[4] In 1891 the 6th Earl of Albemarle died. He was a Waterloo veteran. By his death the first Commanding Officer succeeded to the earldom, and gave his name to the Hon. Arnold Keppel.

1893.

The Regiment now entered upon an era of rising strength and vigorous efficiency. Officers keen to learn found in Captain Barton an Adjutant who was as keen to teach. Parties on outpost work, road sketching, military topography, etc., were soon to be found ranging the outskirts of London and of any other place where the Civil Service were encamped, and the result was seen in after years, when the Army List recorded a far higher list of qualifications in “extra subjects” to the officers of the Corps than to any other in the country.

Recruiting flourished, until in 1896 the Corps attained its full strength of 800, and returns were only kept within authorised limits by ruthlessly striking off would-be non-efficients.

1894.

In 1894 the Earl of Albemarle, the Regiment’s first Commanding Officer, died, and Colonel Viscount Bury succeeded to the title.

The Corps attended the Easter manœuvres at Windsor in this year, when its Commanding Officer secured for it the much appreciated privilege of being quartered at Eton College.

In July, 1894, Lieutenant-Colonel Cardin (Senior Major) resigned after a period of thirty-four years’ service in the Corps. The vacant post was filled by the promotion of Captain and Honorary Major J. Mitford.

1895.

On the 25th May, 1895, the Prince of Wales held an inspection of the Regiment at Chelsea Barracks. The parade strength was 719 Civil Service, and 93 Bank of England (25th Middlesex). The Prince, who wore the new light grey uniform of the Corps, presented the first issue of the Long Service Medal to 40 officers and men. The Officers’ Volunteer Decoration had been bestowed in 1892 on 17 officers (retired and serving) of the Corps, with the Prince’s own name heading the list.

The shooting of the Regiment was much restricted this year by the closing of all but the short (300 yards) range at Wimbledon, owing to the efforts of the Conservators of the Common, who alleged danger to the public.

It was not until 1898, that by the opening of the ranges at Runemede, the Regiment was again able to fire the full musketry course, and the Wimbledon ranges were finally abandoned.

1896.

In 1896 Captain G. Lamb, Leinster Regiment, was appointed Adjutant in the place of Captain Barton, whose time having expired, returned to his regiment. It was with great regret that the Civil Service parted with this officer.

1897.

1897 was the year of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. Unlike the Jubilee of 1887, when the Metropolitan Volunteers turned out in their full strength to line the route, battalions were now restricted to two companies of 25 file each. The Civil Service Companies were commanded by the two senior captains, Major Miall and Captain Merrick.

At the great Royal Naval Review at Spithead, the “H” (Admiralty) Company under Captain Danter had the unique experience of providing a Guard of Honour in the battleship Empress of India; perhaps the only occasion on which the Volunteer Force was represented in a Naval Review.

In this year the Regimental Signalling Party, who for some time had never failed to secure a high place in the list of those presenting themselves for official examination, now passed first in the Kingdom.

1898. “Prince of Wales’ Own.”

In February, 1898, the Prince of Wales honoured the officers by attending a Mess Dinner held at the Whitehall Rooms. Responding to the toast of his health, the Prince complimented Lord Albemarle on the efficiency of the Regiment, and spoke warmly of the pleasure it gave him to remember how long he had been its Honorary Colonel—the oldest Colonel, he thought, in the Volunteer Force. It was announced shortly afterwards that the Regiment was to be called “The Prince of Wales’s Own.”

1899.

Facilities were now being given for Volunteers to do as much training as possible with regular troops, and the Civil Service took advantage of this during the Easter period. In 1898 a strong detachment were quartered at the Albuhera Barracks, Aldershot, and in 1899 the whole Battalion were accommodated at the Inkerman Barracks, Woking, with the 2nd East Surrey Regiment. In reporting on outpost operations carried out on the latter occasion, the Brigadier said: “The outpost work was good. The placing of picquets, groups and supports left nothing to be desired and reflects great credit on the Company officers.”

An admirable test of the state of efficiency at which the Volunteer Force had now arrived was afforded this year by the Royal Review of Metropolitan Volunteers on the Horse Guards Parade, held to commemorate the fortieth year of the Force. Before midday hardly a uniform was to be seen in the streets; but by four in the afternoon 30,000 Volunteers had mustered at their Headquarters, marched to St. James’ Park, and formed up in Brigades. From thence in rapid succession, after a complicated and trying movement, owing to the awkwardly confined space, they marched past in column of double Companies, debouching from the Park by the gate allotted to them to their respective Headquarters, and by 8.0 p.m. this little army had vanished back to civilian life. The steadiness and precision of movement, the quiet, orderly behaviour, the neat and soldierly appearance of the men made, without doubt, a great impression on authorities and public alike.