The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-23 00:00:00

THE VOLUNTEERS.

A court of inquiry, ordered by the Lord Lieutenant of
Hampshire at the instance of the Secretary of State for War,
was held at Winchester a few days ago into the circum-
stances upon which he official reports were based which
led to the recent disbandment of the 18th Hants, or Basing-
stoke corps, for insubordination at the review at Guildford
on Easter Monday. The court was composed of Sir George
Pechell, Colonel-Commandant of the 4th Administrative
Battalion of Hampshire, as president, Capt. Barton, of the
3d Hants, and Capt. Brace, 7th Hants. Col. Luard, Assis-
tant-Inspector of Volunteers, attended from the War-office.
It appears that previous to the review on Easter Monday a
general order was issutd by Col. M'Murdo that no company
in any battalion was to consist of less than 24 files. Lieut.-
Col. Humphery, M.P., who commands the Ist Hants
Administrative Battalion, on arriving at Shalford-common
with his own, the Andover company, found four other com-
panies and one subdivision belonging
to his battalion already
on the ground; two companies froili Southampton, under
Lie}tt - • G. Pechell, wary 4.44cd_to his command,
mon. rue men tue subdivision were at once Pallier; and one subdivi-
whic t consisted of seven corn
dis-
tributed among the seven companies,
but Colonel Hum-
phery, in the hope that more men might yet arrive, and
obviate the necessity of breaking up any y of the com-
panies, delayed obeying the general order until the last mo-
ment—until, indeed, a peremptory command from the
brigade-major compelled him at once to do so. As each
company consisted of less than 24 file, and as the battalion
could consist of six companies only, one had to be broken
up. He accordingly directed Lieutenant Brooks, who com-
manded the Basingstoke or junior company, and which
numbered only 174 files, to distribute his men in certain
proportions among the rest. Some of the men, in obedience
to Lieutenant Brooks's order, were marched off to one of the
companies from Winchester, but others of them, on being
ordered to join some other company, refused to obey. After
the review Lieutenant Brooks resigned his commission, and
Colonel Humphery, as the officer in command of the bat-
talion, reported the circumstances to the Lord-Lieutenant
of the county, the Marquis of Winchester, who in turn re-
ported to the War-office, and eventually, by the command
of the Queen, the Basingstoke corps was disbanded for in-
subordination, The subject was one of painful interest to
Volunteers in general at the time, and having since con-
tinued to rankle in the minds of the corps in question and
of the rest of the inhabitants of the town of Basingstoke,
Lord de Grey and Ripon ordered an inquiry into the cir-
cumstances.

At the court constituted as above Mr Brooks, late lieu-
tenant, was called as a witness. He said he was at the re-
view with the Basingstoke corps, which he commanded. He
formed up the corps, when the Colonel asked him the date
of his commissions, he told him he could not mind the date,
but that Lieutenant Poore was his senior in rank. The
Colonel then said he must break up the 18th, or Basing-
stoke. He replied, " Very well," and asked how many files
were wanted for No, 1 Company. The Colonel said, "Three
files," which were detached and joined it without objection
on their part. He then asked the Colonel how many files
he would require for No. 2, and was told two files. He ac-
cordingly ordered two files to join No. 2. On his so doing
the front rank man of one file said, " I won't go." He also
heard two other men further down the company say they
would not break up, Upon that he turned to Colonel
Humphry, who was close by, and said, My men refuse
to break up. On this the Colonel said to Adjutant Crofts,
who was near him, " The Basingstoke corps refused to be
broken up." The Adjutant's answer was, " Then we must
break up the battalion." The Colonel then turned to him
(Lieutenant Brooks), and said, " I will have nothing more
to do with you; I will break up the Andover corps." He
did so, and brought five files from that corps to the 18th
Hants to make it up to the requisite strength, with an
order that the Andover files should work together. He
then proved the company, and they drilled with the rest of

the battalion. Four men had refused to obey. One
front rank man said he would not go, two others refused
to break off, and a fourth, in the centre of the corps, ad-
dressed the Colonel, saying that the 18th were the strongest
on the ground, and requesting to know why the Colonel
did not break up his own corps. By the expression "My
men refuse to break up" witness did not mean to infer the
whole corps was disobedient, nor did he think it was. He
only intended this expression to apply to four men.
The witness, in cross-examination, said the Colonel ex-
pressed his sorrow at breaking up the company to bring up
the others to the requisite strength. He made use of no
words to the Colonel to imply that there were only four men
disobedient. The Colonel, in a letter, asked him to recon-
sider the resignation of his commission. He did so, and
wrote a letter in reply. The letter was put in, and was to
the effect that he had reconsidered his resignation, and
would not again expose himself to such treatment from his
corps. If a corps would not obey its officers it should either
be disbanded or the officers should resign. He accepted the
latter course, and adhered to his resignation.
Colonel Humphery, M.P., was called,
and said, in sub -
stance, he distinctly remembered Mr Brooks reporting to
him that his men refused to break up. He replied, "Not
break up ? They must 1" Mr Brooks said, " Well, they
won't do it, and I can't make them." He (Colonel Humes
phery) then turned to Adjutant Crofts, and, remarking that
the Basingstoke carps refused to be broken up, asked what
he was to do. The Adjutant replied, "I know what we
should do in the regulars. I should order the companies in
front and rear to fix bayonets and march the offending com-
panies off the ground under arrest. He (the Colonel) said
he could not do that in this case, and he did then hear some
man in the Basingstoke corps ask him why he did not break
up his own company. Upon that he went to the Andover
company, and said loudly—the
18th must have heard—" Do
of their officer? Now, you show them that if you under-.
you hear the Basingstoke men refuse to obey the commands
take a soldier's duties you know how to discharge them by
obeying your officers, and set them an example by breaking
up when required." They did so, and he sent five files to
the 18th, or Basingstoke, which Were five files short, al-
though they said they were the strongest company. His
company, the 13th, was one file stronger than. theirs. When
h battalion
Basingstoke corps for their
conduct. He did so in a voice sufficiently loud for all the
men to hear was equalised he formed square, and, riding
, He had no remonstrance from the Basing-
stokerues
intothe centre,
corps in reference to the rebuke ; nor had he at), rea-
son to believe otherwise than that Lieut. Brooks meant that
all his company were disobedient. He received every aid
from the non-commissioned officers of the corps, and so ho
stated in his official report. It was never said in his hearing
that it was the conduct of a few men.
He expected every
day to receive some expression of regret on the part of some
body, but in vain, and as far as he was concerned he was
willing, having rebuked the corns, to allow the matter to
matter to rest. On march 30th he receives the resignation
of Lieut. Brooks; but before that .was sent to the Lord
Lieutenant he received from Earle, on April Bth, a letter
calling for a report of the facts of the case. Up to that time
he had said nothing about what had taken place at Shalford.
He sent in his report on 9th April, the day he received Mr
Ethaerm tosuffer
iee letter.
for Th
thee Basingstokefory ot
afew
corps felt it was hard for
Men. He (Colonel
Humphery) had done all he could to get them a court of in-
quiry. There, as far as he was concerned, the matter rested.
He believed the disobedience was general till he received
copy of a letter from Mr Brooks accusing g ur men. He
then did all he could to obtain a court of inquiry.
The Court asked if more than four men expressed their
disapproval at being broken up.
Colonel Humphery replied he knew nothing of that, ex-
cept by hearsay. He did not personally observe any dis-
affection, except as to the man who addressed him.
f Mr Brooks asked the Colonel if it would have been in ac-
cordance with discipline if any of them had remonstrated
when he addressed the men in square.

Colonel Bumphery said it would not have been in accord-
ance with discipline, but in accordance with his knowledge
of the Volunteers. They were free and easy, and he did not
think they would stick at remonstrance.
These were substantially the circumstances elicited at the
court of inquiry, which lasted four hours. They will be
reported to the War-office, and the result will afterwards
be made known.

The Ist corps of the Administrative Brigade of Kent
Artillery Volunteers, consisting of two batteries, under the
command of Captain-Commandant G. E. Sharland were in-
spected on Wednesday by Colonel C. J. B. Riddell, C. 8.,
commanding the Royal Artillery stationed in the Chatham
district. After the inspection of Volunteers on the parade
ground, which was in every respect satisfactory, both as
regards equipment, arms, clothing, and accoutrements, as
well as the manner in which the parade manoeuvres were
effected, the corps commenced the more important portion
of their duties by manning the batteries commanding the
entrance to Chatham Harbour. They did so to practise with
the 68-pounder and 32-pounder smooth-bore guns, and to
expend their annual allowance of garrison gun ammunition.
The projectiles fired on the occasion consisted of 68-pounder
and 32-pounder solid shot and common shell, the target
being moored to seaward, at a range of about 1,800 yards.
Notwithstanding the somewhat untoward cirounastauce of