Exercise,
amusements
and occupa
-
tions.
Marches and
service.
111
MEERUT DIVISION.
Before this was done, the water was said to have been brackish and bitter-tasted. Men
bathe on the ground outside the wells and tank; but a large number go down to the river
Jumna for this purpose. Here, too, the washing of clothes is mostly carried out.
IX. Diet.—There are no orders as to the amount of food a man is to buy from the regi
-
mental bunneas, but the bunneas are ordered to supply an amount equal in value to half a
sepoy's pay, and practically every man does purchase this amount. The bazar supplies have
been good and food cheap. There is a committee of Native officers, who are changed monthly,
who are responsible for the supplies being good, and to whom all complaints are in the first
instance made. The men are generally well fed and have certainly improved in that respect
since the regiment left Allahabad.
X. Clothing.—T h e
o n l y c h a n g e i n t h e c l o t h i n g o f t h e r e g i m e n t h a s b e e n t h e i n t r o d u c t i o n
of cloth gaiters of the same colour as the trousers. They are worn with short pantaloons
fastened below the knee instead of the long trousers formerly worn. This gaiter fits inside
the boot and protects the ankle from being galled by the upper edge of the boot. It
i s
b o t h n e a t e r i n a p p e a r a n c e , a n d b e t t e r a d a p t e d f o r m a r c h i n g i n t h a n t h e l o o s e t r o u s e r s f o r m e r l y
worn. The ammunition boot continues to be worn, but from the cause above stated, blistered
feet have become much less common; there being 37 admissions from this cause against 63 in
the previous year.
XI. Duty and employment.—The duties at Delhi have been light, and consist of the ordi
-
nary drills and parades. The station guards are few in number—Nights in bed 8.09.
The duties at the Camp of Exercise were rather severe, but did not act at all prejudicially,
the regiment being unusually healthy at that time. This may partly be due to the fact that the
night duty at the camp was rather small.
Diet.
Clothing.
Duty and
employment.
XII. Exercise, amusements and occupations.— Since the regiment has been stationed at
Delhi many of the men have taken to shooting, and a number of men possess guns. The
Rajpoots and Mahomedans are fond of athletic sports, wrestling, &c. There is no available
space for gardening.
XIII. Marches and service.— The regiment was stationed at Delhi till the 7th December,
when it marched to the Camp of Exercise and joined the 1st Division, 1st Brigade, and
encamped on the north of the Alleepoor road, between it and the river Jumna. The regiment
remained there during the whole period of the Camp of Exercise. The camping ground was
dusty and devoid of shade, but otherwise good. The amount of night duty was small, and the
men more healthy than they had been in cantonments.
XIV. Hospital.—The regimental hospital is situated near the lines, between them and
the river Jumna, but inside the city walls. It is a long tiled building with a good verandah
all round. The four corners of the verandah are converted into small rooms used as dispensary,
store-room, bath-room, and dead-house. It is ventilated by ridge ventilation and also by 20
round openings, a foot each in diameter and 10 feet from the floor. It has a superficial surface
of 2,928 square feet, and could contain 58 patients, calculated at 50 superficial feet for each
There is no special ward for infectious cases.
Hospital.
XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding,— Strength of the regiment—
Present . . .
631.56
Absent
.
.
.
70.93
TOTAL . . .
702.49
Sickness,
mortality and
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
OF
Daily
average
number of
sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
From
To
Admis-
sions. Deaths.
Admis-
sions. Deaths.
Daily
average
s i c k .
Head-quaters at Delhi . . . 1st Jan . . . 7th Dec. . . . 627.07
835
3
27.03 142.95 0.51 4.31
Ditto. at Camp of Ex-
e r c i s e .
8th Dec. . . . 31st Dec. . . .
499.81
44
0
7.92 128.51
. . .
1.58
Detachment at Delhi . . .
Ditto
Ditto
190.12
24
1
13.72 184.33 7.68 7.21
TOTAL . . .
. . .
. . .
631.56
903
4
26.70 142.97 0.63 4.22
Number of deaths in hospital, 4; out of hospital, 1; total, 5; per cent. of total strength . . .
0.71
" invalided . . . "
. . . 29; " " . . .
4.12
" sent on sick leave . . . 18; " " . . .
2 . 5 6
" of days spent in hospital, 9,782; per admission, 10.82; per man of total strength . . . 13.92
" " on sick leave, 2,531; per man, 140.61; " " . . .
3 . 6 0
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength . . . 17.52