New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-23
BRITISH GUARDS MUT1NY.
TUE coLpsTREAMs lNSUBoRDINATE.
-,,,-sYSG TO PARADE UNTIL THE PROSPECT OF
EXILE is HELD BEFORE THEM THEN
THEY BEHAVE BADLY AND GIVE
THEIR OFFICERS TROUBLE.

THEIR OFFICERS TROUBLE.
,.naon July CO." Truth to-day prints
.ortlino story of another mutiny in the British
~ The facts seem 70 have been kept que.
nm 70 the present time, and strange to IeiharA' ~
a. AGAIN one of the famed Foot Guard regihehN
which finds itself in trouble. According 10 'no
.,orv IN Truth. this third serious mutiny among
the Guards during the last year or so occurreu
n tho second battalion of the Coldstream Guards,
whose colonel is General the Hon. Sir a. Il.
Hardinge. X. C. b. The second battalion OF
this regiment has been Quartered at Weilhe'oh
Barracks. Brdcage Walk, close to BucKinghani
Palace. where it has been furnishing the guaru ol
honor md incidentally, during the recent VlsiV
If Emperor William, taking prominent part III
the parades. reviews and professions wmch Weic
arranged in honor of the Imperial vlstor' ms
work naturally caused a considerable amount oi
extra duty. which was far from being pleaSahV !"
the Guardsmen, who have long oeen inc pc'S'
some people say spoiled pets, oil inc pii'i'i
army. ,,.
After the departure of the German emperor
from London the Guards expected TO DC aIOWeu
az least day free from guardmOuntlng at The
palaces or other places which are regularly coh'
mitted to the watchful1ess Of tie Grenaoer uuaros
Scots Fusilliers or COdstream Guards, FORMING tic
brigade of foot guards in garrison al WeihhgIoh
racks. London. This day does not seem to have
been granted to the Coldstreams, and week ago
The grumbling which this alleged neglect had oc-
casioned amo the men broke out into serious
trouble. Instead of getting a day of, the men
were ordered to parade in full marching order
Spllcn. fierce mutterngs were heard throughout
the companv rooms of the barracks. The first ana
third companies at first buntly refused 10 parade
and told their non-commissoned officers that they
could inform the higher authorities of the deter
nination the pIivattS had arrived at. 1he nrst
and third companies officers held hurried consul
tation and did not lose sight of the fact that they
had before them the prospect OF term oil exile
similar TO that which the second battalion OF the
Grenadier Guards was subject to at Bermuda. The
officers repaired TO the company rooms and earn
estly argued with the mutinous prlvates,
setting forth to them the disgrace which had fallen
upon the Grenadiers and holding up to them the
prospect of being exiled from England.
FINALLY the pGivates sullenly consented to
parade and were conducted TO st. Jamess Park
in full marching order for their usual drlll. but
after arriving upon the parade ground the be
havior of the men was so glarlngly III
subordinate that their officers conceded that 1t
would be advisable to march them back to
Wellington Barracks. The officers, upon arriving
,t the barracks, issued orders confining their
commands 10 barracks for three days. In add
ton to this they ordered that the ten senior
prvates of the mutinous companies should be
placed under arrest, with the view OF Trying
them by court-martial for insubOrdination.
No sooner did the main body of the excited
Guardsmen hear of this last order than ninety
of them barrcaded themselves in a room and
declined 10 emerge from it until promised that
she ten senior privates should not fare any
hat tnn1 1lx
persuaded to open the door. The men were then
addressed by General IIardinge who succeeded in
quieting them
The mutiny Of the Coldstreams is another
illustration of the ill-feeling and discomfort which
has been growing in certain corps at least of
the British army for some time
The real significance of this display of mutinouS
sentiment can be Judged from the fact that this
regiment of foot guards is the oldest corps in the
British army, except the First foot regiment.
General Monk in 1860, raised corps of infantry
at Coldstream. Berwickshire and it was at first
called Monks Regiment" When Parliament
gave brigade of guards to Charles II, Monks
Regiment was included in it under the title of
the Coldstream Guards. They have seen service
on many battleGcIds and are counted among the
best infantry regiments in the world
The military authorities when questioned to-day
in regard to the story published in Truth" did no;
depy that the Guards had again mutined. When
asked for some exploration of the soldiers con-
duct the War Office officials said that the mutiny
was OF a minor character and that the causes which
led to it had been thoroughly investigated by the
proper officials Asked what the causes
which led TO the mutiny, the War Office officials
replied frankly that unreasoning compliance with
orders no longer obtalnable from men who
were permeatcd with quaSi-educatiOn7 and that
"this must be seriously considered in all future
dealings with soldiers"