Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-30
ENGLAND'S Army SYoTGM
Is an Outgrowth Of Trad --onsand is Largely
Regimsntal.
ARMY Reserve, NIlitia, Ieorianry
roxnIry. Volunteers and Their
MnLe-Up-Grent Indian Army.



The British army is peculiar institution
| Liz the British constitution. Il Is IN" out
growth Of circumstance rather than the
otItr,u7. If a definite $ nenle- Unlike the
great E.rIrop..tu armies. it has practically
| nothing more than a reg7mental "rgaaiza-
| tfon. and nothing more seems possible. At
ternpts have been made 10 form hrigades.
| divisions and army corps. but when 4 mo-
bilizatinn is ordered some Of the battalions
| are found to be serving in Africa. Asia ana
| America and the others scattered all over
the British Isles. The regiments are ter
ritUrial in name. but are seldom stationed
| in the county from which they take their
name AT a recent mobilization it was
| found that the battalions belonging TO the
county were serving. one in South Africa
and the other in Ireland battalion be
longing To another brigade when, IN turn.
belonged to another army corps. had to hi
substituted II mobilization Of that Other
army corps were ordered 1t would nave L
pick up battalion or two wherever it couI,.
lind them. of the bdttaliIns now In South
Africa, not half nave gone with the ul-
visions OF which they are supposed to form
part
\ regiment is composed of two battalions
of regulars. two OF militia. and from two Il
f1Ee II volunteers The only exception Is
In the ease III the Cameron Highlanders.
who have only one regular battalion The
peace strength of regular battalion is 81"
men. eighty men to Il company. and wheI.
fl Is sent active service it is raised to it,
war strength by drafts from the sister bat
talon on the home station. The militia
battaliOuS are about The same StrenSj n, but
thu volunteer battaiiJnS often contain from
1900 10 1900 men. and one battalion in the
west Of England has 30 men.
Immense Regiments.
Thus regiment may comprise from 5000
10 1o,ooa men, but only the regulars are
available for active service. and as half OF
them are perpetualy on the foreign sta
tons. there only remains one battalion OF
each regiment for emergency such
the present. Many of the battalions or
dered to South Africa found themselves
Very weak when the call came, having been
| repeatedly called upon for drafts for the
sister battalion on foreign service, and they
had still further TO weaken themselves by
wedding out all the recruits of less than
one years service and all the weaklingS
who may be able To do garrison duty at
| home but who are unable to stnad for
| eign climate These are all left behind at
| the depot and the battalion is raised to its
| full strength Of LOCO men by drawing from
| the army reserve
| The regular army is $4,000 strong exclu-
| siye nf colonial corps. but only half of it is
| kept at home. 1000 being stationed perma-
| neHrly in India and the remainder in the
| colonies and other dependencies. The army
| reserve Is composed of men who have
| served six years with the Colors and
| transferred to the reserve to put in the
other six years of their enlistment. They
| retire into private life an allowance of
| sixpen"e a day. and are obliged to rejoln
the CylO-s whenever called upon. When
| called out for service they receive the reg
Elar pay of their rank. and the government
makes an allowance for subsistence to their
wives and children The army reserve Is
| SiO" strong. and when ii is exhausted, as
# would speedily he in a great war. the
militia reserve is called out.
The miiitiaman is a civilian for eleven
months OF the year. and for the twelfth he
Is a soldier. and serves in barracks or IN
der canvas. Most of the militia battalions
are mach superior to the regulars in ply
sigue. and perhaps in intelligence. and very
little inferior in drill and discipline.
bounty and a small addition to his pay is
given To every militiaman who will enroll
in the reserve. and in many counties the
nobility and landed gentry will offer an ad-
ditiOuul bounty IN order to have as many
reserve men IN their county regiment "a
possible The militia reserve is probably
40dsE strong. but no official returns have
lten published Of late years.
Reserves Growing Up.
While these reserves are being exhausted
another has been growing up. The recruits
left at the depot have been completing their
years probationary service and have be-
Gene eligible for foreign service. There is
always q rush of recruits in war time. and
the men AT the depot form military school
for the training Of these newcomers, 50
that taere is always greater or lesser
= ,.Tr1F..- af regular rr5orts on the horne sta
ZION 10 sriffeu the militia and volunteer
f,rr-s on which the country will RELY for
T,rlts.rinr, in the event If all -ha regular
ta++,rf.,,,s t[fDp sent 7h-Cad Th, militia
= -, mi srr1ra7
r!.+,-..r M militia and the volunteers
st9pa ~ yao-r1nry rrv.llry A contract
| I5,tI.. r,,7,- ~ - o-sl bn~sanosn II Is com
| - 80 ~. r1nst mr. Of youne farmers
| and sons Of the county families tla,h man
furnishes his own horse. md it must be at
| least the second hest in the stable
tn. militia. but the yecmanry get no nay
| beyond an allowance OF ah7ut ca cents
ofy Tor the US oil tneir ho.S,.s- ne Eto-
It~i'LS "'e - ~ ~
f,.r.ts
The. volunteers occupy very much the
same position in Britain that the mi
lirfa do in the United States, except that
11.-v receive no pay whatever. The regi-
,rarr draws a Capitatiun grant from the
government for each man who renders him