The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-02-19 00:00:00

I

that the conditions under which it is organised, and
the objects for which it is maintained, are widely dif-
ferent from the conditions and objects which govern
the requirements of any Continental army. I under-
stand by a volunteer army versus one raised by con-
scription that the soldiers belonging to it should, so far as
the exigencies of the service will admit, be treated as
volunteers throughout their whole career. We shall, indeed,
defeat our object if we call upon men to enlist of their own
free will, and then, having secured their services, deal with
them as though they were mere machines. Some men may
possibly have no great preference for any particular
regiment when they first make up their minds to enlist,
and may be satisfied to join a brigade depBt, with the chance
of being sent to this or that regiment. But, when once
they have been posted if that spirit of loyalty to their own
corps is to be maintained, a spirit which every soldier knows
often prompts men to do so much more than their duty,
they should not be removed from their regiments except by
their own choice or at the most pressing demands of the
service. (Hear, hear) Other men again, and certainly
those who belong to the best educated and most desirable
classes, have the strongest prejudice in favour of the
regiment which they elect to join. Your Royal Highnesses,
my lords and gentlemen, you must not put me down as a
mere theorist when I insist upon these opinions. I can give
you facts to bear me out. Here is one :—A man for whom
I leave the greatest respect and regard, who now holds the
rank of captain in her Majesty's ludian forces, and fills a
high position under the Government of India, told me that,
when he was a boy at Perth, the 42nd Highlanders were
quartered there, and he determined to serve in that and no
other corps. Ile was too young at the time to enlist, but
when he became old enough he walked all the way from
Perth to Portsmouth to join the regiment of his ellirn choice,
passing en route two or three other Highland corps, none of
which had for him the same attraction as the 42nd. Now my
friend would have been lost to the Army if he had been
obliged to enlist for a depot with the chance of being sent to
a regiment he did not care for. (Hear, hear.) As a proof
that men, even if they be indifferent on first enlistment as
to which regiment they may join, having once been posted
to, and taken as it were into the family of a regiment,
will not willingly leave it. I may mention that, between the
first and second phases of the recent campaign in Afghanis-
tan, some 150 men of the 92nd Highlanders, whose first
period of service had expired, expressed their readiness
to re-engage provided they were permitted to serve in their
own corps: but if they were to be liable to be transferred
to some other regiment on the 92nd going home, they
would certainly claim their discharge. Under existing rules
the wish,of these men could not be entertained, but the
authorities in England, on being referred to, wisely au-
thorised a temporary relaxation of the regulations. What
, was the result? Why, when the war broke out again and
when every tried soldier was worth his weight in gold, the
92nd Highlanders were stronger by 150 seasoned men than
they otherwise would have been. (Cheers.) Every soldier
experienced in war will tell you that we should do all in
our power to uphold the regimental system (cheers), and to
foster and encourage that sensitive plant "esprtt de corps,"
which, like other sentiments having their roots in our com-
mon nature, plays as large and influential a part in life as
the dictates of reason itself. After some observations on
the short service system, Sir F. Roberts proceeded—Young
soldiers of 18 or 20 may be, and probably are, indi,yidually as
brave as their comrades of maturer age and as well able to fight,
when everything is couleur de rose, but I will never admit,
that young soldiers or those new to each other are as reli-
able in times of difficulty as old and tried soldiers. What is
it that has enabled a comparatively small number of British
troops over and over again to face tremendous odds and
win battles against vastly superior numbers? The
glorious annals of our regiments give the answer—Disci•
pline, esprit de corps, and power of endurance—the three
essentials which are absolutely wanting in the young soldier.
Discipline enables a man to obey his leaders implicitly and
to rely as implicity on his comrades, but it cannot be in-
stilled into a young soldier in a few months, and the more
short-service men there are in a regiment the longer the
process takes. Esprit de corps is, as I said on a former occa-
sion, the backbone of the British Army. It is thisfeeding which
teaches our soldiers to take an interest in the traditions of
their regimeat, and consequently to take a pride in
helping to keep up its good name. My lords and gentle-
men, it must be remembered that fighting is not the
only demand made upon our soldiers. It is, of course, the
main object to be kept in view in any system of training,
but all, especially British soldiers, must possess great
powers of endurance. Without them they are really worth
nothing. What is it which causes the long casualty roll
during a campaign? Not the losses in battle, but the
steady, never-ceasing disease brought about by insufficient
and badly-cooked food, hard work night duties, and by
exposure to extremes of heat and cold. Against such trials
only the strongest can bear up, and unless our regiments
are composed of men full grown and of prime stamina, our
armies, in point of numbers, weak enough at the beet for
the work they have to do, must dwindle away very rapidly
when they take the field. After giving some illustrations
of the value of seasoned troops from his experience in
India and Afghanistan, Sir F. Roberts proceeded to say—
The question of our army is a national one, and must be of
as vital importance to one party of our countrymen as
another. (Hear, hear.) What we all want is to get the
best material for our money, and what we shall all probably
agree to is that nothing is so expensive as a bad article The
origin of the short service system was, I understand, the
necessity of having a reserve of trained soldiers in England.
I fully admit this necessity; but, even after the experience
of 1878, I take leave to doubt whether we can always depend
on securing the services of the reserve we are slowly forming,
and of this I am quite certain, that we are sacrificing our
army to obtain a reserve, which', except in the case of a
great national danger, it is evidently not intended to
make use of. Some means can, I feel confident, be
devised by which our army shall be able without im-
pairing its efficiency to assist in making or training a
reserve; but what we really require for England are two
armies a borne army and a foreign service army. The
former should, I conceive, be some sort of militia, and this
should be our reserve. The latter must always be in the
most perfect state of efficiency, ready to take the field in
our distant possessions upon the shortest possible notice.
Any attempt to make the foreign service army subservient
to the reserve must end in failure, and I confidently predict
in disgrace and disaster. It is due to the nation which has
welcomed me so cordially to be frank with it. Besides, my
lords and gentlemen, I feel I am only stating what nearly
all officers of experience would state if they had such reason
as I have and such an opportunity as is offered me to-night.
In speaking thus candidly, I trust, however, I shall not be
misunderstood by my feltow-conntrymen or classed as an
anti-reformer. No one is more alive to the shortcomings in
our army, both at home and in India, and no one is more
anxious than I am that these shortcomings should be re-
dressed. Indeed, in India lam looked upon as the repre-
sentative of the army reform party, and by some of the
older officers of the service I have been mistrusted in conse-
quence, as being, in their opinion, only too ready to make
changes. Gentlemen, I have had peculiar opportunities
during the last quarter of a century of judging of the
qualities of Her Majesty's soldiers, British and Native ; I
have watched the reforms that have been introduced with
the deepest interest. 1 willingly acknowledge the great
advantages derived from many of these reforms, and I am
satisfied that still further reforms are necessary. But what
I want to make sure of is that, while continuing to remedy
what is wrong in our system, we may not get rid of those
qualities in our soldiers which have mainly contributed to the
success of our arms in all quarters of the globe, and which,
I believe, are essential to the existence of our army as a
volunteer one. (Hear, hear.) If I speak somewhat snore
candidly and decidedly to-night than is perhaps customary on
an occasion such as this, ills because I cannot resist givirig,
my country the benefit of the experience I have gained in
return for the high distinctions which have been conferred
upon me ; and because I hope that what I am now saying may
cause those in power to pause before they change altogether
a system under which England has become the great and
powerful nation that she is at present. Depend upon it, my
lord and gentlemen, the snore men and the fewer boys there
are in our army the more efficient will our regiments be
and the more the feeling of esprit de corps is encouraged
the better will duty be carried on. Soldiers have hearts
and imaginations like other men. Therefore it is that regi-
ments are proud of their traditions. Therefore it is that
the men are proud of a regiment which has made a con-
spicuous name, and look forward to adding to its reputa-
tion. This is esprit de corps. You, gentlemen of London,
who have constantly before you evidences of commercial
enterprise and prosperity, whose spacious docks and vast
warehouses are renowned throughout the civilized world—
you can well understand and best appreciate the value of
an effective army. With such interests at stake it is surely
worth your while to maintain an army on whose services
you can always depend. A wealthy and defenceless country
is merely a temptation to the cupidity of other nations.
But setting all this aside, on the score of economy alone, it
is of the first importance that our soldiers should be healthy
and strong enough to bear the strain of foreign service.
When you consider the sum that each, soldier costs the
country on Isis landing, say in ludia, and that this
sum is lost altogether, or added to considerably, if the man
dies, or is invalided home soon after his arrival in India, it
does not require much calculation to appreciate the value
of a man who is not likely to succumb to the vicissitudes of
a trying climate. Sir F. Roberts then referred to her
Majesty's native Army, and said from the experience he luid
gained Ile was satisfied that it only required a careful study
of the peculiarities and requirements of the individuals and
the localities from which our recruits are drawn to insure
the full development of that material which already pos-
sesses such admirable qualities. He concluded by say-
ing—These are trying times—times in which it behoves
every Englishman to think of what is best for the country
and the State. We have enemies without and with-
in, and we must not hope to maintain the place we hold in
the world unless we are prepared to maintain it, alike by
the wisdom of our counsels and by the strength and valour
of our arms. At such a time it were little less than treason
to know, or to believe, that there was a flaw in our armour,
and not to call attention clearly and earnestly to the fact.
This must be my apology. I have spoken warmly and
strongly, because, had I not seized this great opportunity
to do so, I feel that I should have failed in my duty, not
only to the noble service to which I have the great privilege
to belong, but also to my country and my Queen. (Loud
cheers.)