The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-04-15 00:00:00

Cly c*tourllribge (Nstrtur.

SATURDAY, APRIL 15, 1871.

THE VOLUNTEER REVIEW.

Th. eat annual volunteer holiday and re-
view has, now Meeine a settled institution : it
is looked forward to with pleasant anticipations,
and remembered with equal pleasure by those
who take part in it or witness it, and perhaps no
volunteer review can be looked back upon with
such pleasant memories on the whole as that of
1671. We can best appreciate the value and im-
portance of this review, by taking a brief retro-
spect of its predecessors. On Easter Monday,
1861; tue first r view of a similar kind to those
which have now become a settled institution,
took place at Brighten, there being less than
7,000 volunteers present. On Easter Monday,
1882, there were 20,000 resent; in 1863 there
were a review and sham light, 16,000 men taking
part in it; in 1984 at Ouildford, there were
18,000 volunteers; in 1865, there were 22,000;
in 1866, 20,000; and last year there were 26,000.
if any one will carefully read the history of
these reviews, he will see that there were many
mistakes and mishaps, to a great extent insepa-
rable from all such affairs ; but during the whole
career of our volunteers their zeal and enthusi-
asm. their self-denying exertions and ready
obedience to orders command respect. Nor has
the review of this year passed off entirely with-
out errors; and who indeed could have expected
that it would ? But take it altogether it has
been an exhibition of national strength, organi-
zation, and discipline, of which volunteers and
civilians alike may feel proud. Pride, however,
in our citizen soldiers litiould not blind us to
some shortcomings, not so much in the men
themselves as in the entire system. The ac-
count which we elsewhere give will doubtless be
read with a measure of satisfaction, and we
would add our meed of approbation of the vol-
unteers of to-day ; but at the same time we
would offer a few remarks on the general ques-
tion.of a citizen army.
. .

The principle of' a volunteer force is, we
maintain, thoroughly good in itself. We cannot
do without a standing army. but it is none the
less a necessary evil; it is enormously costly,
and, as Mr. Mill said on a recent occasion, our
present standing army is too large when it is
not wanted for service, and too brush when it is.
A volunteer army, on the other hand cannot well
be too large wader any circumstances, though it
certainly may be too swell; and we could wish
that our volunteer force was now larger. The
military forces of this country consist of the
regular army, the reserve force, the militia, the
yeomanry, the pensioners, who are scarcely
worth reekuumg, and the volunteer, the latter
numbering some 140,000 a splendid force truly
on paper, but a hose therougn efficiency it must
not be considered heresy to doubt. The volun-
teers can be caned on, iii theory at least, to take
[lie field in Mule ut invasion, and we have com-
plete confidence in their responding to the cad
should it ever uniortunately arise But thongn
the volunteers may be utunericany strong enough
to defend our nomes, with greater or less suc-
cess, accortuug to the circumstances of the in-
vasnm—iudi we will not speculate on the char-
acter that this bare possibility might assume—
they really are deficient in uniform control arid
organisation; they possess nu hospitals and no
commissariat, and could not be placed on a war
footing within a reasonable time. Even sup-
posing, therefore, that we are amply providediu
case of offensive war—a point which is largely
disputed—it can scarcely be said that we have
an adequate defensive force. The truth is that
no Minister has yet even proposed any scheme
which would bring all the departments of our
various military forces into harmonious working '
under one control. Our Volunteer forces are
weak in this respect, and we see no reason why
they should not be strengthened; for certainly
no defensive army could be supported so cheaply
even if the capitation grant were reasonably in-
creased, as the Volunteers. We believe that
sooner or later it must come to this. But before
an increase takes place the tiovernment has as-
suredly a right to demand fair qualifications both
from officers and men. Local and personal
popularity and a full purse are now frequently
the chief characteristics of an officer, and mill.
tary knowledge and ,iperience are but secondary.
'The Uovernmeut which might propose an in-
creased capitation grant would also have the
right to insist that the Volunteers should sacri-
fice a certain amount of independence (the in-
tending volunteer maintaining his right to full
liberty L'.6,re joining the force), and should be
more closely affiliated to the general military
system of the country. We believe that the
%oluiltaers thewaelves wouid not object to this.
As a rule they desire to be efficient; they wit-
l.ii,i,ly give up time and devote labour towards
acquiring ...11iciency ; they uo not wish to be Mere
boast solOiels, or men playing at soldiering,

bUL tO JAMMU a tborougldy -tea-able detensict.:
force, under legitunate control, and governed by
sound regulation&

ANNUAL tuAL.AV uF TOL FIRST BAT-
TALION OF WORCESTERSHIRE
VOLUNTEERS.

Too kiitt“Lal rrViOW of tue Firat Battalion of
Woreen,,Le....o oiuutneru took place at Hoo
Br.ug, /MIL 11.1alltr1111116ttr, OD, 2elonday last.
For many .)<.4i 6 ...at tne review has been held in
;Bagley kat., ; out linlderminster being eon-
aiurreu siitiai, aiol euitutde ground being
oltsred LroaLnsr, tioo brook, it was
decnion Lo now IL tlisrs. 'toe following corps
were on the gIOUtAI

Nu. 1 (Worverley).—Rank and file, 39. Cap-
tain Trow, Lieutenant Brown, and Ensign
Morton.

U. 2 (Tenbury).— Rank and file, 48. No
°thetas present.
0. iliatticrthinster).—ltailk nut] the, 40
P. Jiit,oL abd Lieutenaut, Morton.

.No. 4 thlacietwimotez).—lturk awl tile, 40.
CLI .31U \.. li. laibut eb(l Ensign NNE.tson.
thewthey).—ltauk and file, 40. Captain
runloe.

No. 7 kHudleyl —Rank and file, 56. Captain
Wainwright and Lieutenant Reiland.
No. b (Stourport).— Rank and filo 50. Capt.
Harrison, Lieut. Hanks, and Ensign Rogere.
N 0.9 Stotirbridgel.— Rank and file, 99. Capt.
Walker, Lieut. Walker, .

No. AO (Oldbury
officers present.
Sc'. 20 (Kidilerminster).—Hank and file, 112
Capt. Dixon and Ensign Griffin.
There were also upwards of 100 recruits on
the ground.
Lord Lyttelton (the Lord-Lieutenant) was
present, and the field and staff officers with the
battalion were Colonel Knight, M.P. ; Major
Smith, Capt. Wolrige (adjutant), Surgeon Cow-
en, and Acting-Quartermaster Jobson. This
was the first muster of the battalion this season,
and all the men appeared with the Snider, in
lieu of their old rifles. After the salute, the
battalion marched past in open column and
quarter distance column. Various evolutions
were then gone through, the manoeuvres being a
variation on those of former years, from the
fact that the new drill was introduced. Gene-
rally the Easter Monday turn-out of the batta-
lion has shaped itself into a sham fight, but on
Monday last there was less of the spectacular in
their movements and the battalion confined it-
self to study drill work. The number of per-
sons on the ground rather hampered the move-
ruents, for in whichever direction the volunteers
advanced crowds of people were in the way. On
another occasion it would be an advantage to tell
oft the recruits to keep the ground. After about
two hours' drill, which, for the first muster this
year, was creditably performed, the battalion
was formed into double column on the centre,
and

-Rank aIRI file, 33 No

Lord Lyttelton addressed them. He said he
was very glad to have had an opportunity of
meeting them again, especially as he supposed
it was the last time he should meet any of the
reserve forces on exactly the sonic footing as
formerly. He did not profess to know the exact
details, or to criticise the Government measures
for the remodelling of the reserve forces; but
so far as the object was to consolidate and sim-
plify their administration, and assimilate as far
as possible to the regular army, they would en-
tirely approve of it; and he sincerely hoped
those measures would be brought to success.
But there had not been in that county, or else-
where, be believed, any interference on the part
of the Lord Lieutenant, with the administration
and conduct of the reserve forms. The patron-
age of those forces, as he understood it, would
now be taken from the Lords-Lieutenant, and
placed in the hands of the commander of the
army. The first commissions would still be
given by the Lords• Lieutenant, but afterwards
promotion and appointments would take place
as in the army. As far as he was concerned, it
would hardly make ally difference, because, as
their comminding officer knew, the appointment
of their subordinate officers rested with him,
and of the subaltern officers with the cuniman
d,

[era of the corps. lie was not sure the Govern-
ment would do well to make the matter alto•
gether one of their cognisance, as they must
need have some local advice. He was not speak-
ing with regard to promotion, but as to the se•
lection of officers. He thought the Government
would still have to consult some one on the spot,
and he thought they could not do better than
they were now doing in that respect. The ex-
traordinary events which had happened abroad
had caused them to turn more attention to their
forces, reserve and otherwise, and he hoped in
that county as well as elsewhere they would be
kept in a state of efficiency.
Colonel Knight also addressed the battalion,
and expressed his satisfaction with the ruanceuv•
ring for the first day of the season.
Three cheers were given for Lord Lyttelton,
and the battalion broke up.