Evening star., 1914-10-12
Noted Regiments With Strings
of Glory Face the
Germans.
SOME OF ACHIEVEMENTS
OF HISTORIC BATTALI0NS
Gen. French's Army L Made Up Of
the Flower Of the Eng
ish Warriors.
,necial correspondenee OF 1,be Star.


LONDON. October 6-The British
expeditionary force. which has covered
itself with glory in the recent heavy
lighting In France, is. without exagger-
alton, the very cream Of the English
army.
The very first unit to step from the
gangways on to French soil was the
Lothian regiment, more familiarly
known as the 1st Royal Scots. This
corps is still more familiarly known
In the service as "Pontius Pilates
Guards" 1t being the pleasing fancy
Of the sons Of Caledonia that their reg
iment was detailed in Jerusalem to
guard the tomb of the Savior. This is
, an allusion to the antiquity of the
corps. which bears the proud distinc-
tion of being the Oldest existing armed
force In the world.
Originally--in- the French army. the
France France. The Royal Scots were. by the
swing of the political pendulum.
brought under the English colors: The
French people, who are remarkably
keen upon military history. extended
frantically enthusiastic reception to
the premier regiment of British tnfan-
try of the line. An officer of the I'd
Battalion, writing from Boulogne. says
that when the people discovered the
identity of the regiment they burst
into a chorus of a song improvised
with Gallo readiness. 1t was THE Re-
turn of the Royal Scots" and sung to
the air of the once famous chanson
given at the Folies-Berger, and known
- Returning from Suresnes."
Munster Fusiliers.
Honors were equally divided between
these warriors rom Edinburgh and the
Munster Fusiliers for there has always
been in the French army passionate
attachment to the Irish soldier. When
the Stuart dynasty failed in this coun-
try the Irish army of James II trans
ferred its fighting energy to the serv-
ice of his French majesty. And in the
Franco-Prussian war of just forty-four
years ago a splendid contingent of
Irish volunteers from Dublin were,
after being engaged in a desperate bout
of fighting. finally driven into Switzer-
land, with Gen. Bourbakifs 10000 shoe
less. frostbitten, starving, but still un-
daunted, troops
The Munster Fusiliers have enjoyed
curious history. They came into mill
tary existence as regiment Of old Jan
Kumpany's army. They have a tre-
mendous list of battle honors, acquired
on the scorching plains of Hindustan
and in the Indian mutiny. Then known
as the white Caps" they formed a
unit in the series of terrible marches
and fights that took place before the
final relief of Lucknow.
1t was the commanding officer of this
regiment, Lieut.. Col Mel, who ordered
q number of natives to lick up with
their tongues the blood of the English
dered hard by the slaughter well of
Cawnpore by the command of the in
carnate fiend, Mana Sahib.
But these Munster boys have done
other good work. Last year at Alder
shot they took premier place In a COM
petition in which the troops engaged
structed bitches, and let of no incon-
structed bitches. and let OF no con-
siderable number Of bullets at q series
of difficult targets. and all this had to
be done in a remarkably quick time,
too. / know of no better set of men at
the seat of war on the English side
than these Fusiliers from Killarney's
lakes and fells.
Wales BordererA
erss once known as the Gath warwick
shire Regiment. This is a corps that
has twice been almost wiped out in ac-
tioR. There stands an obelisk In the
gardens at Chelsea Hospital, and on
that staff of stone is cut the names Of
some 500 officers and men of the regi-
ment who fell on the sternly contested
he4 of Chillianwallah. when the first
Lord Cough was held to standstiu by
the Sikh army in 1849.
Again that same LIST Battalion and
two companies of the I'd Battalion were
annihilated at Isandhlwana- From
that massacre the present Gen. Horace
Smith-Dorrien rode away on that mem-
orable afternoon when two other young
officers, intrusted to carry away the
colors of their regiment. had their
horses assegaied and were killed on
the farther bank of the Buffalo river.
couple of companies of the I'd Bat
TALON held the frontier post of Rorkes
desperate valor of 5000 of Cetewayo's
sable warriors This was one of the
most glorious defenses that stands to
the credit of British soldiers, and by
1t p wave of ruthless savagery was
stayed that threatened the lives Of the
white population of fair Natal
g, The Black Watch.
The LIST Royal Highlanders, whose
annihilation was announced some days
past by the German press, when as
matter of fact they were drinking good
Hampshire beer at Southampton, 10. of
course. the time-honored Black
Watch" This Is the regiment that was
commanded by Andrew wauchope, who,
later on. was the general who COM
manded the Highland Brigade at the
disaster at Magersfontein.
The BLACK Watch" particularly dis
Wolseley in that horrible Ashanti
campaign. where three regiments, the
BLACK Watch the Royal Welsh Fu-
sillerS and battalion of the Rife Bri-