The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1885-03-17 00:00:00

"A" BATTIRT, "B" BBIOA DC, ROYAL
HOBBS ABraLsitr.

Thu LitTO CAIPTAIJI 00OLD ADAM.

A.. it may boi of local interest, cm account of the
assabor of men of the diatriat around who have beet
attests& to " A. 11," RAIL, now stetionod at Doe.
obeeter, a oorreepondelli hee lido/mod we of the
I allowing :
Oa the °Moe commeeding the battery receiving a
betier from Captain P. F. P. Hanilltoo, who had
served through the Afghan woo of 187940 in "A B,"
R.8.A., es a brother subaltern of the lete Captain
GNU-Adams, regarding his sad death at Sboebury•
NUS, and communicatiag coateate to the men of the
bettiery who bad geed with Captain Gould-Adams.
a suggestion, ode/mines amongst the non,' .su-
snWellowsd tillers and man, was made th..t they
It permitted would like to expense their deep eyuspa%hy
with Mrs. Goold•Adanie in bra sad bereavement, end
accordingly the following was drawn up :
" We, the undereigned, wish to express our heart-
felt sympathy with lira Geold•Adecus, widow of the
late Bald, sin F. M. Gould • • lam,. 11.1., who
lately lost his life at Shaeburyase in pert rn ince of
his ditties, and we trust it may be ',still/ins under
the great lose to record that the at, Captelo V. M.
.11.4.1ame wee held in the highest esteem by Use
too commissiosed °Moen and men of the "A"
Battery, " II" Brigade, B. ILL., in which battery he
served during the erred Afghan war, 1879.80, and
we, the only men left lo the old battery, beg to append
our in.., aOl aid t eay thot we feel Bur* that all
our old comrades who envoi in the b sttery with
Coda° 0 ollO• &dens would have done the acme.
"Signed by the querter.mostereergeant, five
sergeants, 1 erier-wergeant, two careen* two bom-
ber lien, roe rumpeter, mei 2.5 gunners and
drivers who had bees through ills Afghan Compaign
with the lett Captain Goold.Adame.'
This spontaneous action of the gallant fellows of the
R.ll. A. st et load here °epee be too • !emir comment eri
on. Doubtless satire service draw. the bonds of
comradeship together between officers, nonoora-
mieloned offiere, and men, and the proof of
sympathy for an old comrade in SIMS On Native
service moy be useful as a pleasing example to those
of our county men who hove joined this batters, and
etimulate teem in that essential, uprir dr corps. to
prove themelv•s worthy 11000111111011 Of the •• Rid
Urn " spsken .sf by! Akbar Knot with reference to
men of the old battery (le Troop, let B•igede Bengal
liar-a Artillery, a. it then wa.) in the Afghan war
to 1841. se those who are now in the battery proved
theineel wee iu the 1879-80 Afghan campaign.
A brief narredre of the brilliant sericite of this
hoe bet cry, we have no doubt, will prove interesting.
It we r timed and denom'nated se Experimental
Horse Art-hey lu ths year 1801, and in the fret
year ..f it. I irmati e was sent to Egypt with Sir D.
Bair.i'm Expedition anise Captain Clement Brown,
returning in 1802, having obtoined for the ii.H.A.,
the "Sphinx," and "Egypt "on their appointments.
It we formed into • troop in 1813 under the
denomination of B-ngal H .rse Artillery, and in the
f 'Bowing year formed pert of the Grand Army under
Lord Lake in the Mobretta C snip sign ; waa present
at the battle of Futtehgurb, and was thanked by
Use 0 1 for distiognished serviees ; was present
at the siege of Deis in the following December. In
1805 for Harries, at the elege f Bhurtpor•. tie word ,
" Bhutto we" way oniered t • be worn on aup dotineut..
To 1809 it wes stylist the let Troop Bengal H vs.
Artillery, and In 1824, when the Horse Artillery wee
divided Into brigades, its nave WY change I to let
Troop. 14 Bengal Horse Artillery. In the following
year the battery took part in the Bormere war, and
" Ara " was ordered to be worn on appointments.
Toe troop wee *specially onnoarnsi to the operations
In Afghanistan, and in 1841 the trop was literally
destroyed at Jog Irlloalt with General Elphinot ine's
force, in the retreat from Cabal, Captain Nichol,
Liouts. (1-een and Steward, and 102 000-cunwis-
atonal officers and men bolos killed. Liouts. Ere
ant Waller were woloded, and given up as hostages,
and three non-oommisei mai °fliers and gunners
taken prisoners. To show the gallantry di played by
li.. battery it was said by Akbar Khen, Chiel of the
Afghans. that hod ell the Bri•ieh fought like the
"Re I Men" (in allusi-n to the red 11 wing manes on
helmets of the Bengal Horse Artillery), they would
' never have been driven from Cobol. Tee battery
was reorganised at Meerut on Febrile), 16th, 1842,
under the same name, let Brigade, Bengal Horse
Artillery. Between this time and the Motioy
(18379) the troop did goof service. It was actively
emoted in the suppression of the I idle* Mutiny,
ant woe repostecily meotiooed in despetche. It was
a .netantly engaged throughint thee/Age of Delhi, and
was present at the Relief of Luanne, being highly
praised by Sir 0.11. C unpbell. Tele battery we
comet in ibis ant wahine minor affairs until the
final dispersion of the rob& in Oudh. We may
motion the battery was under amen, in this
campaign from 8 Ii June. 1857, till the sod of blotch,
1859, and the Victoria Cross wee awarded in 1838 to
Rough Rider Edward Jennings and Gunner Peke
for oompicuous gallantry at the relief of Lookoow. In
1862 it was denominated the A battery, 2nd Brigade
Lieut..Oolonel Maxwell being then in
commend, being succeeded by Major Benny, V.C.
In 1864 it was called the A Battery 0 Brigade, and
the same year raze to England. In 1867 the buttery
line cams to Dorchester, lieut..Coloael Tod Brown
Wins then in command. In 1872 it again proceeded
,to India under Major Fitageralci, and 4'1878 its deeds-
tion was changed to A Batteryß Brigade R.11.A. 04.
D. lifolferlansfeined in September of that year. The
battery was aotivelyenewred in the Mahn aarnpalso,
taking part with the Cavalry Brigade under Lieut.-
General Sir D. M. Stewart. Was present at the
'action at Salfwilen on 4th Joinery, 1879, and was
employed at Kairdahar, and on line communication
1 la Feeble Valiey; to Kandahar in 04 iber, '79, and
subsequently to Cabal. Took part in the battle of
Ahmed Kliery_il and the action at the village of Urea
Oa 19th and zari Aril. also in operations in Logo
Valley, and around abul until August, 1880, ultim
stely proceeding to Cognate, via C Aral and the
Klub''? Peal, having seen two years under canvas.
The ',atter, was frequently mentione I in despechee.
Ma) ir W R. C. Etrougi who ha, just been romoted
to be colonel. (being succeeded to commend of the
battery by Major 58. R. Wed) joined at Umballa in
December, 1880, and in March, 1E162. the battery left
India for England proceeding direct to Dorchester,
where it has been stationed pleas, and where by the
uniform good conduot and civility of the men they
have won the respect of all alarm. We may mention
the let troop of Beogal Horse Artillery (which is
literally the foundation of this battery) was formed
from the Geloper Guru, raised at different periods be.
tween 1756 and 1800. and to It belong, the proud dis-
tinction of having origlanted horse artillery.