The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1882-03-14 00:00:00

WIXBOiIf I.

THE UNFORTUNATE STATE OF AFFAIRS IN
REUARD TO THE VOLUNTEERS

The good old town of Wimborne, —as spirited a
place for its size as any in the county —possesses a
volunteer corps of which it has every f 11114 i .11 to be
proud. It ie s .cne 70 strong, and the &vial status of
the men will compare favourably with any other com-
pany in the battalion. Its officers are Captain Lloy I
Jones, Lieutenant Rawlins, and 2nd Lieutensnt
Rawlins, Captain Lloyd Jones is a well-known shot,
an I has scored many honour . for his company, both at
Wimbledon and lamer meetings. His men are
naturally proud of this. But of late an uneasy feeling,
and one much t • be regretted, has arisen, and the
relations between the captain and his men have not
been at all what could be desired. At last matters
have culminated an outburst of feeling which we
sh..uld imagine under the Articles of War can scarcely
be considered lees than such an one of sub mdination
that a dispensation of cervices either wholesale cr in
pr t must follow the enquiry now being held by the
War Office. . •

Ia addition to the animal encampment, which, by
the way, is by no means ' all beer and skittles," but
which every volunteer, as a rule, avails himself of at
far as possible, the annual dinner of • company is ro-
garded with • considerable degree of letterset—in fact,
it is looked up°si almost as an institution. Ttie men
expect it,the officers willinglynthecribe to it—rat Poole
the other day Lieutenant Smythe paid for the dinner
of his company out of his own pocketj—and it gener-
ally promotes the (Mode covaiiale which should exist.
The Viimborue Volunteers have been accustomed to
those annual gratheringe. This year, however, Captain
Lloyd Jones has placed his bot upon the custom, and
refused positively to allow it to be held. This some-
what unsocial determination on the part of the gallant
captain naturally caused • great deal of murmuring,
and one of the other officers—tiers is no need Eo
particularise—wrote a letter remonstrating, and aid-
in, if we are rightly informed, that they were deter.
tinned to have it. The letter, we understand, was
quite unoffi..tial and private as between man and man.
Captain Lloyd Jones, however, chose to regard it as
official, as between a sebordin ate officer and his
captain, and as • defiance of his authority, lie accord.
legly forwarded the letter to the cdonel of the
battsliou, Colonel Steward. Colonel Steward, of
c curse, had no alternative but to rep irt the en titer to
[ the War Office, as affairs had by that time assumed
rather a serious aspect. Tee men had openly asserted
they would not march out &grin under their present
(*.plain; arid la proof of how they intends Ito keep
their word, Adjutaat Harmar, when be came down
souse two weeks ago to impact the compiany,found there
LOW c renpauy to inspect.
i Accordingly an official investigation is now being
made into the matter, nr command of the authorities,
and Colonel Wilkinson has beau h siding • court of
enquiry with Major and Adjutant Harmer.
The feeling in this unfortunate ruptures is running
ry high, not only am ng the volunteers theinselv-s,
: but the inhabitauts of Wimborue as well. Not only
have more than two-toirds of the volunteers drawn up
a petition tr the colored requesting that the captain be
called upon to resign, but a similar memorial has also
been extensively segue I in the town.
The men make no secret of it that it the decision of
the authorities is adverse to a p 'pular officer, and he
is obliged to give up his cousuni•sion, they well send in
their uniforms and arms. They assert their captain
irate toem in a manner which might perhaps be
excusable in dealing with • body of the London
Minna, but certainly not with men of their class and
station in life. On the other hand it is only fair to
say when spesking to one of the non-commissioned
officers he made the remark tons, " I speak of • man
as I find him--Captain Lloyd Jones has always
treated mess a gentleman."
The result of weep poky, and the course which the
War Office will adopt, bas not as yet been made
known; but the con luct of the enquiry before Colonel
Wilkinson did not give the highest satisfaction, inas-
much as it Is stated only two sergeants were examined,
and th see loudeet in their complaints were not heard.
In the town it livery much feared either the corps
will be disbanded or the offioer to whom we have
referred will receive an intimation that his steel**
are so ',lager required, which will amount to about
the same thiog, for the majority of the men will follow
him. Altogether it is • muffirto-be.regretted state of
affairs, and clearly " Some one ham blaadenaL"