Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1904-07-21
ODD REcIMENTAL CUSTOMS
English Soldiers Have Some Quaint
observances and Special
Privileges.

There Is not a more curious custom In
the British army than the holding of the
leek feasts by the Royal Welsh Fusilers,
the origin of which is "wropt in mys-
:'ry," but which is as firmly established
as the custom of saluting the colors,
says London Tit-Bits.
Every year on st. David's day at the
regimental dinner a dish of pungeant
leeks is laid upon the officers mess
table, and every officer who has not done
so on some previous occasion and every
guest present must partake Of the leeks
and express an opinion on their merits.
which should not be disparaging, but
need not necessarily be too fattering.
Moreover, there is a certain position In
which the '.feaster" must stand at the
time, and the fact that one Of his feet
must be on the table leads one to sup
post that the custom originated when
table manners" were not quite so efe-
CANT as they are now. And while he
discourses on leeks in general and his
eek in particular the 'feaster's" voice
Is drowned by the rolling of a drum
played Immediately behind him. Per-
haps the drum business Is intended 10
lrown any disparaging remark which
nay involuntarily spring from his lips
Many people have been led to wonder
why the men Of the Gloucester regiment
have shields to the back as we'll as in
front Of their helmets, while other he'll
NETS only have shields in front. The
custom is intended to commemorate a
famous event in the regiments history.
0ne day at Alexandria the Gloucesters
were having a stiff fight when they
were suddenly attacked in the rear. II
was critical moment, but the situation
was smartly saved by the left flank
suddenly swinging round, back to back.
and repelling their attackers front and
rear Since then they have had shields
front and rear Of their helmets to sig
nifty they are capable Of fighting be-
hind their backs as In a frontal direc-
lion.
Actors in military plays. and occa-
sionally artists, are apt to fall into error
in their arrangement OF the sashes worn
~ officers and noncommissioned off,
GERS. The rule, however. is simple
enough. The sashes Of officers general
y go over the left shoulder and bunch
At the right hip, while with noncoms
the reverse is correct. But there is one
peculiar exception to this latter rule,
for the sergeants Of the Somersetshire
light infantry all wear their sashes in
the same way as officers-over the left
shoulder.
The reason for this is that at Cullo-
len all the officers Of the regiment were
all killed or severely wounded, and the
sergeants took command of the men,
and after long, severe fight won sig
nal victory. In consequence the ser
yeants Of the s. L. I. have since been
allowed to wear their sashes as II they
were officers. The same regiment has
the distinction Of black line worked
into the lace on their uniforms, and
this also commentaries the loss of Of
icers the regiment suffered at Culloden.
the Seventeenth Lancers
wear black lace on their decorations. In
memory of Wolfe's death at Quebec.
There are only three regiments in the
British army possessing the right to
march through the city of London with
flags unfurled and their bands playing
the Royal Marines. the Royal Fusiliers
and the East Kents. The custom which
gives these regiments the exclusive
right arises from the fact that they
sprang from the city, just as the c. I.V.'s
lid.