The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-08-06 00:00:00

THE ALDERSHOT FLYING COLUMN.

The Flying Column having been joined at Bourley
by the expected division for Basingstoke, and having
been kept on the alert for some hours the previous
night by the suspicious movements of the invader's
- scouts from Aldershot, found itself on Monday morn-
ing under fresh orders for movement. Though the
column itself was the only one actually being shifted
about under the plan of operations prepared by Sir
Archibald Alison, that plan supposed the distribution
of other bodies of troops in several directions, whose
concentration had been accomplished by the covering
operations of Major-General Cooper's column in the
various places at which it has halted. In this way it
was supposed that the force at Woking in the east
and Wokingham in the north has now been able to
offer formidable opposition to the i ivader in
those directions; and the arrival of the division
from Basingstoke at Bourley had checked the enemy
so far as the west country was concerned. In fact he
was assumed to be checked in all these directions, his
advance troops simply holding their position at Alder-
shot, with communication to the smith-west at Peters-
field ; the defenders holding Thursley, Godalining,
aud Guildford to the east and south-east. Under
these circumstances the possibility of cutting the line
of the invaders at Aldershot, or at all events harassing
their communications and, perhaps, stopping their
supplies, had suggested itself as the next oceupation
fur Ger eral Cooper and his men ; and early in the
morning the following instructions were received by
the General as from keadquarters at Woking: ' The
enemy is headed from Woking and Reading. Detach
a force to attack him on his line of communications
wherever you can through Farnhara and Woolmer.
If you can establish yourself about Broxhead, near
Woolmer Forest, you will be able to communicate
through Hindhead with the troops at Guildford
and Godalming, and you should look for supplies
- from that direction." Thus directed, the troops
broke up their camp at Bourley on Monday morn.
ing immediately after breakfast, the day being
bright and cheerful, with a slight refreshing
breeze blowing over the high land; while the sky was
of that clear blue which usually foretells a fine day,
with, perhaps, a little heat, the latter, however, not
being realised to quite such an extent as was antici-
pated, though it proved to be quite hot enough. The
men were all on parade by half-past seven, with their
tents and stores of all kinds neatly packed in the
trim and serviceable military waggons which form
the great bulk of the column, and cause it to cover so
long a lino of road on the march. Men and horses all
seemed to be improved by the week's work in the
open they have already undergone, and, indeed, there
have been very few cases of sickness, though one or
two cases of minor accident have been sent back to
Aldershot for treatment in the Cambridge Hospital.
The General took his usual look round the troops of
the column to see that all was in good order, and
also inspected the camp ground to make sure that
the place had been left in a tidy state, and then gave
the order to move a few minutes before eight o'clock.
The 18th Hussars at once trotted off to get well in
front of the column and make sure against surprise
by the way, the strong-looking horses bearing their
loads of men, arms, equipment, and corn-feed in an
, easy manner, which showed them to be of good
quality, with plenty of go. The Hussars covered the
high ground which marks the commencement of the
march in capital style, throwing their glances far
ahead and to the right and left, the latter especially;
for though the invaders in Aldershot had re-
ceived to signal a check on Saturday from the
column when in position, it was not at all unlikely
they might be tempted to have a fresh turn against
it when drawn out upon the road in column of
route. Therefore the scouts moved on very carefully,
and not too fast, having to assimilate their pace to
that of the infantry, which over a 14 mile march is
by no means a pleasant thing for horsemen. Behind
Colonel Parker's Hussars the Yorkshire battalion,
under Colonel Handley, took up the line, their
signallers keeping touch with the Eighteenth. The
main column consisted of the artillery (four field-
pieces), the Engineer section with their carts and
wagons, the Royal Irish Fusiliers (led by Colonel
Cox). the Baker Column, the ammunition wagons, the
regimental transport, and the Medical Staff Corps,
the whole making up a heavy train; while the rear
guard was furnished by the Royal Inniskilling Fusi-
liers, a corps which has had a good share of the
fighting on other days, and might have had
a good deal to do on Monday had the enemy
in Aldershot found himself strong enough
to come out again. But the posts in
the rear were reported all quiet, and thus the column
pushed on over Cfesar's Camp, making for the old
Surrey town of Farnham. Thence the route lay by
Alice Holt Wood, covering several miles of the
journey with sheltering woodland, the advance
guard flankers always on the look-out for an enemy,
who never appeared. This was just as it should be,
for the road, with its undulations, was very trying to
men in heavy marching order; and as the infantry
came up to Broxhead-common, lying to the left of
the Portsmouth-road, it was evident that a good many
of the men were footsore, and a few had telt the long
tramp, notwithstanding which the ambulance vans
were not brought into serious requisition.
The cavalry deboucbed upon Broxhead about noon,
and some of them were sent forward upon the
road to see that the land was clear, while the
remainder of the column gradually came up, the last
being the Inniskillings. The tents were soon pitched
in their regular lines upon the thick heather, the
kitchen made, and very soon the open common
became a scene of active life. The Hussars were
able to report no enemy anywhere in the near
vicinity, and information was later brought in that
there was no foe any nearer to the southward than
Petersfield.