The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-04-03 00:00:00

THE MARCH PAST.

We take the following account of the "March Past" from
Tuesday's TinteB :

"The Volunteers certainly achieved a great triumph by
Lrle manner in which they marched past, and they well
deserved the high praise which the Duke of Cambridge and
Is staff bestowed upon them. Scarcely a corps passed that
"18 Royal Highness did not cry out 'Well done!' to, and he
even singled out particular companies for special praise as
t4,5Y marched in review before him.

" Owing to a slelay in clearing the course, the March Past did
not commence until a quarter to four o'clock. For nearly an
hour the Duke of Cambridge sat on horseback in the enclosure
at the saluting point, which was marked by the Royal
standard floating from the Sag-staff. His Royal High-
ness passed the time in good humouredly chatting with every-
body near him, and remarked that he di a not care how long
he waited as long as the whole thing was a success. He was
subsequently joined by Prince Edward of Saxe Weimar and
Prince Teck, the latter of whom was good enough to take a
great deal of trouble to explain any doubtful points to those
who were interested in the proceedings. Among others
present were General Lysous, Colonel Bray, and Colonel
Dormer.

"The eourse having been with great difficulty cleared of.
e dense crowd which occupied it by a line of the 16th
• Lancers, the signal for the march past to commence was
even at a quarter to four o'elock. Where all did so well it
scarcely possible to discriminate between the corps with-
out impliedly blaming those who are left unmentioned; but,
as was remarked by one of the Generals with his Royal
Eighness, not a corps bore itself badly.' The greater
PorUon of the force had been under arms since four o'clock
in the morning; they had had a severe and dusty march to
their respective positions, they had gone through an engage-
ment ispeciidlY arduous from the hilly nature of the ground,
they had had no food during the day except such as they had
themselves brought on to the 'field, and yet they marched
Pastas steadily as though they were on parade, and they had
lulng the halt removed all traces of what they had under-
gone. On the whole they presented a thoroughly soldierly
appearance, not a buckle nor a strap being out of place. The
Artillery were the first to pass in review, and they did so
A_vtlPl Pairs of guns abreast, the huge 40-pounders being
u-ca„ Irn by six horses each, driven by countrymen with their
&Ong Whips, p The marching of the men of the 2n6 and 3rd
Ylddlesex Artillery Volunteers was warmly commended by
nis Royal Highness, and the corps were loudly cheered all along
e course. The Duke said of the marching of the Ist London
Angineers that it was very good indeed. His Royal High-
ness 'was also loud in his praise of the 40th Middlesex Rifle
Volunteers, the 46th Middlesex Rifle Volunteers, the 3rd
Administrative Battalion Surrey Rifle Volunteers, the
London Rifle Brigade, the 7th Surrey, the 6th Surrey, the
19th Surrey, the Ist Administrative Battalion Cinque Ports
Rifle Volunteers, the 4th Surrey Rifle Volunteers, and he
sPecially complimented the individual companies of the Ist
Administrative Battalion Kent Rifle Volunteers. The Queen's
Westminster, the Artist's, and the Ist Tower Hamlets also
Caine in for a share of his Royal Highness's commendation.
The London Scottish, as usual, were the general favourites,
and Well done, Scottish,' was shouted all along the line as
they stepped out boldly to the notes of the bagpipes. The Inns
of Court were represented by a single company attached to
the Artists, andait was rumoured that the Temainder of the
corps were absent on urgent private affairs not unconnected
With the elections.

"For the first time on record, a balloon figured in the march
peat. The captive balloon 'Crusader,' which had done good
Bervica during the day' floating in the air some 500 yards
above the course, was attached to its cart drawn by four
horses, and was kept in the centre of the line by cords hauled
along by the Engineers. It saluted his Royal Highness by
descending some distance as it passed. This terminated the
Proceedings and brought the Easter Monday Review for the
present year to a successful termination."

The Pall Mall Gazette remarks :—" Amid the con-
gratulations showered upon the volunteers at Brighton,
Which both men and officers seem well to have de-
served, it is desirable to recall the fact that this valu-
able body of 200,000 well-drilled and well-equipped
men are entirely without the necessary transport and
commissariat arrangements for an army, that they are
not even armed with the best available weapons, and
that no scheme for their action in the neighbourhoods
, with which they are specially familiar has ever been
put forward. That the volunteers should form a really
important portion of our national defensive force is
Mow generally acknowledged; but from this acknow-
ledMent to providing them with the accessories of a
real army seems a long step."

The Duke of Cambridge has issued a General Order
rpecting the Volunteer Review at Brighton on
nd,V. He expresses his satisfaction at the soldier-
bte Dearing and discipline exhibited by the forces,
their the operations of the field manceuvres,
eir stea Mess at the march past, and their good
onduct while quartered in the town.