The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1881-07-12 00:00:00

THE VOLUNTEER REVIEW Al

WINDSOR.

The great review of the Volunteers by the Queen
was held a% Win hew on Satue.lay, and proved • com-
plete and b illicit success. Tne occasion had been one
of great intoned in the " Royal 1,..r.0ugh" of Windsor,
and for days peat preparations had bo ea going on to do
honour to the event. Th. main Arcot. had been
briliantly decorated with flax., anti all molts of devices
adopt° I t , give • suitalle welcome the Voluntems.
The we other ..n Saturday could hardly have tem. more
ended t encore the 'MCC ,so of the review it h VC )111
specially devieed for the ...erasion. The temmoaturs
wan cool awl the eke, sufficiently t t . in.dts
in rching a phactre, and though • few oho • em
fe I .lu. inc the el-fl'e, they were barely ant& lent t
Icy the dust and certsinl, n enomth c CM) incon-
venience. The arramtemesoe f or hringi g the troops
to Windsor were admirably effective. Toe carne may
be Paid of the staff arrangements by the Quart. ram der.
General for moving the tumorous p.n'n as soon as the
railway companies had dep sited them at the half-
doe en stations in and around the town if Windsor,
which were utilised for the purpose,. The time of
ordeal, and the time to reach the rendezvous, to which
each carps wan to go, was calculated to • second, and
though from early [forcing to three p in. lines of men
were convergine on to these apmoint., I stations. there
was not the slightest hitch, and the operation wa.
carried out with emoothne., and if 11.11+14. I he wual
field ma-ks and bannerols sh owe I where each battalion,
brigade, and division W. 01.1 located, awl here an ample
and excellent water su ,ply had been provided. Each
corps on its arrival at the reilw..y station marched off
immediately to it. known reudezvou., with bands play-
ing and colours flying, mak ne Windsor aid its
environs gay with military mu,ic, and furnishing •
source of interest to the persismot lines of spectators
for hour. before the cerium business of the review
began. On arrival, acme were piled, and the men,
wr o carried their rations for the day, in vie • comfort-
able meal, and rested fr oaa the fatigue of what had
been in many cases • weeriamne night's travel. There
was a stroug ;toile I force made u., of metropolitan
reserve men county conatabelary, and borough p
besides which there were th-- It .yal Horse Guard., the
4th Dragoon Guard.. the 11th fluotare, and some of
the Grenadier G lards to au I in keeping the ground.
A. the pressure of spectators was never great, and as
they were, moreover, orderly an I intelligent enough
to mad d that all the regulations had been con-
ceived awl carried nut in their interest, the arrange-
ments were admirably efficient. Toe bulk of spec-
tators were accommodated along the west aide of Queen
Anne's Rile, shout the centre of which the 'eluting base
had been fixed, and a place for the Royal carriages,
with a few picketed enclosures right and left for the
m.mbers of the two Houses of Par:lament. the Press,
the Eton Boys, and others. Here a guard of honour
of the I ;ronsdiers was drawn, and the royal standard
spread on the grass at th- foot of the flupdaff, ready t
hoist on the advance of the Queen. Spectat re flocked
to the beet points of view to otty early, and found
ample amusement in watching the last arrivals of the
volunteers a. they streatne I in Lone line, of " fours "
acmes the rich swan I of the park, with the noble
avenues of elmt as a backgroued, .tulll they a.eglomer-
ated in a did and variegated rossets of humanity which
were visible at the two rendezvous east and west of the
long wa'k. Then came the It-yal Horse Guards inc I
their brilliant panoply of polished helmet and cui raw,
the scare tly pas ornate Dragoon. and Hussars, and a
battery ..f 9-pounder. bel 'aging to tae Hon. Artillery
Company, which took up • pn.ition near the double
game for saluting purpose.. They commenced their
functions at 3 p.m. exactly by firing a single gun. This
was • signal for any volunteers who had strayed from
their rendezvou. to fall in without a moment's del ,7.
There was a tooth at once ot scattered unite, and a
marching of markers to chow the ground that was to
be taken for the Royal inspection. A second gun,
at 345, set the whole force in motion from their
rendezvous for the positions they were to t oke
up. The markers had been extende 1 with notable
rapidity end decision, and when their b ittalions
I moved off to to-m up on those positmes one of the
prettiest sights occur-el, hens a demons•ration af
the beautiful precision of military ~ovement under
I the mod picturesque c onditio is. One thing must
have struck everybody, military or civilian, and
that was the marvellous r ;ditty and the pert ct
eilence with which the operation wa. effected. No
regular troops c mid have done it b tter, and probably
' the Quartennseter-General's department had erectly
over estimetel the time that would he neeeseary. The
large form, which by addition t' the original estimate
of the numbers that would attend will probably turn
out t be fully 45,000 men, WM row drawn up in two
boil's., one half, as before stated, in line of brigade,
on either side the northern half of the Long Walk, for
a distance of nearly a mile and half; while the other
half, forming the First Army Corps, was disposed,
aloo, in double line of brigades, extending f. r hal •
mile north and south, filing the salutiog point.
When they were all in position there was a wee:lame
wait .of three-quarteri of an hour, representing probahly
the miscalculati on of the time which would be required
to get the volunteers into position, end a margin of
time for any lag.;ard battalion, to arrive which wan
far in excess of what was actually rermirid. During
Chi" time the troops were permitted 1, lie down, and a
good many availed themselves of this permistion. All
sprung ti their feet, however, and became fixed and
immobile when, about ten minutes to five p.m., the
first gun of a Royal salute of twenty-one annolinc‘l
that the CI men and lloval family had left the
castle, and the great ev nt of the day had begun.
The two army corps cenmanders and the Duke
of Cambridge had roreviouely inspected the two
bocliee of troops, and now officers were ordered to
the front ready, and the treops stood at attention.
From the nature of the disposition of the troops, the
inspection of the 2nd Army Corp. was first made by
the Queen, commencing directly after lea,.i rig 016 gates
of Windsor Castle. tier Majesty was in an open
carriage, drawn by four g 'rye, with outriders, and
accompanied by the Crown Princess of Prunlia and
the Prince of Wales. On the right of the c trriage,
which was preceded by Prince Ch m in his
capacity as Ranger, rode the Duke of C arnbridge, who
was accompanied by the Crown Princi wearing the
white uniform of the Pruaden Cnieasder , and Frince
Louis of Hesse, with the brilliant Horse Gaged, Staff,
a few Prussian whom., tool the French military
attache. In the sec nod carriage came the Princess Loniee,
and Princess Christian, the Princess Beatrice, and the
Duchess of Connaught. A third carriage contained
Prince Leopold. Duke of Albany, the Duchess of Teck,
and Prince Wal teener of Sweden, while a forth
carriage conveyed the two Prince's' of Hesse, her
faishaty's grand-daughters, with their lady-in-wait-
ing. As this Royal cortege proceeded down the
Long Walk, the Royal inspection was accom-
plished, the Duke of Cambridge riding by the
side of the carriage, and explaining to her Majesty
and the two Princmres the particulars of the
gathering. Behind the troops were dra. wit rows of
spectators, who acclaimed her Majesty add her Royal
relations with heady good will, receiving in return
gratifying acknowledgments. On the blilliant corlngs
leavigg the Long Walk ' and turning into the expanse
of the park Where the Ist Army Corps was drawn up
the Royal staodard wars run up to the =Whew], and
henrty cheers accompanied the passage to the eailiting
point. Here the mused bands of the Brigade of
Guards, of the Royal Artillery, and Royal Engineers
were posted opposite the flagstaff to furnish the music
for the march past. The Queen and the R oral cortege
on reaching the flagstaff were received with a Royal
Paiute, the bands playing the National Anthem and
the epectators unoovering. Her Majesty, accompanied
as before, then pro.eded t o inspect the ld Army
Corp., riding along both lines of brigades, and receiv-
ing explanations from the Commander-in-Chief. On
returning to the saluting point th defile was commenced
at 5.40 p.m., the honour of leading the long column
which went by dm, dying on the Royal Naval Artillery
Volunteers, who, 12 companies strong, dressed in their
man-of-war uniform, and marching wi h a sten I.
new and procid thot wan not exceeded during
the day, went by under a running fire of a oplatue
that was richly deserved, the bands play lag the
tle. 71)4 efillnesest"th the okc if
-et on
IVatlhese omo et' airliZdaey
his
aimearance, wearing the uniform and leading the
attachment of the three arm, of the Hon. 10-I.lllery
Coma, soy, of which he is the honorary colonel!. The
march WWI changed in their h• whir to the "British
Grenadiers," and to its enlivening strains the mounted
troops, the battery of nine pounder,. awl six companies
of Infantry went by in very g sod style, fling silken
coloure in so advanced cc endi.i on of dilapidation as to
p'intt'an intereeting ceremony in connexion there-
w It in the not very distant future. Of the defile it
may be said that the weak point, speaking generally,
was the almost mini I Volunteer fault of neglecting
to maintain proper distance between the companies.
With • few honourable exception", of whieh the Royal
Naval Volunteers was a notable one the ba Gallons
univereally erred on this vooint. Companies which
were unexceptional for steadiness and dressing utterly
failed to maintain the "quarter distance "that was the
order of formation, one part of a battalion being
crowded into close column, while another part would
show • gap too wide for even wheeling dish me*, quite
spoiling the appearance of an otherwise most creditable
corpa There was consi.drable diversity in the get-np
of the different corps, somd appearing in parade order,
with arms, belt., 'pouches, aid haversacks only, while
ethers were in their heaviest ma-chin order, with
great coats and water bottle.'.The fist battalion to
Weft applause for their style of marching was the let
Rent Artillery ; but their distance wen not immaculate.
They were improved on bye on'ingents for Oefordanire
and Wiltshire, the Mariborottrh, Eton, and Harrow
Isis in the same battili un tieing Very creditably.
the defile of the jet Arm# Corp had been completed
in fifty minules; S fact indicating how well the troops
wee in hand, and how' perfectly manageable they
were found by those who had Zlie handling of them.
Tile era& the da wed oorninanded tie
Csalnool It. Pa. G3leskie, and poised of-the lit, nth,
Nth, end 31st Lioncaehire Ride.. This grand brigade
,is mad* tip of 40 strong companies, as against half
the number of weak oonapanice in some of the pretest-
ing brigades, and they proved 'themselves an good ha

q"litT se they were etrong. In the next brigade the
StatfoNlahire and Warwickahire men dli themselves
credit; whilst the CM Brigade was clapzecterieeil by
strong and go I battalions from Northamptonshire.
Warwickshire, and Notts-4th Robin Ho sia. After
these excellent provincial corp., the Metropolitae,
which followed, made but a poor show in point ot
strensth.though creditable enou 111 in way of attainment.
The last company went by the saluting bass at 7.15
p.m.. so that the defile of this large force had been
concluded in something under one hour and forty
minutes. Directly after the march past—luring the
latter part of which some rain hsd fallen—her
IdsieetY and the !Loyal party left the ground under a
Royal salute an i amid toe acclamations 'of the
spectators; and as they passed the double gates on the
way to the castle the battery of the lion. Artillery
Comp any again fired twenty-one guns. Immeliat.ly
after the march p act was conchal:lid the van lie
regina ois proceo led to the ren lezvotte, wh :re a sli4ht
bait was ma le tor necessary lefreehment. The line
of route wile then formed to the railway station, and
with so much securely hsol the departure boon time I,
and co gond wera the railway arram;ements, that by
half-past ten all the volunteers and that portion of
the public who eared to go had left both Winilaor an
Datcoet The last volunteer train from the latter
station started just before ten. A similar saccioas
attended the departures from Slough strata ~,, , to which
all the volunteees tram the North marched. At both
the Windaor stations there was a slight crush for an
hour and a half between half-post six and eight, but
the trains were despatched in turn with th containing
the volianteere. The members' train etarte 1 pune.tually
at half-past ei :ht. At eleven o'clock buninees
warn
practbally tioi,hed, and Wind,or had again resumed
Its normal appearance.