Evening star., 1914-08-23

diers.' although they are not and never
We're grenadiers and are proud of the
fact.
The officers of the Royal Welsh Fusi
liers still wear the flash" black silk
bow a relic of the old queue which is
stitched to the back of the collar. The
Worcestershire Regiment wears regi-
mental badge on the back as we'll as the
front of its helmets TO commemorate the
gallant conduct of its first battalion IN
Egypt in 1901. when, on being surrounded
by the enemy, the rear rank faced about
and succeeded in repelling them. one
can imagine the sentiment of the officers
and men of this regiment if their head
gear made uniform with that o.
other corps. The Horse Guards at one
time always had negro trumpeters, and
relnquishcd them with deep regret
The uniforms described are the dress
parade clothing Of the troops and the
garb in which many of the regiments
made their splendid records. lust as tn"
British army's dress clothes are perhaps
the most ornate of any in the world. their
service uniforms are perhaps the plainest
The tendency Of recent years has been
10 get away from stiff and conspicuous
clothing and to get back to an attire
that more resembles the comfortable
shooting clothes of a private citizen.
Now Tommy Atkins goes to war in
pleated jacket something like a norfolk.
with big patch pockets, and wears cool
and snug puttees But he did pretty
well when his tunic was SO tight ne
couldn't perform his sword exercises
properly and when the bearsliin crest Of
his towering helmet projected SO far IL
front that he had to be careful of his
upstroke when aiming with his saheI al
). foenan. The Crimean war taught tn"
British war office lot about prope'
clothing and equipment, and the final pol
ish was put on at the time of the South
African trouble.
The names .grenadiers. ''fusiliers."
..bombariiers' .carabiniers, 'rif1emen.
etc. now mean nothing. But they did
once Grenadiers originally carried hand
grenades and did lots of damage with
them The grenadiers We're the taliest men
in each regiment. picked as having
greater reach than the others, and now
adays the term at once calls up tall
fellow in tall hat
In Sir Walter Scotts Rob Roy" when
the regulars are advancing on Aberfoyle
TO capture the noted outlaw, the officer
in charge gives commands something as
follows: "Grenadiers to the front! open
your pouches, Handle your grenades.
Handle your matches. Fire. The 'fu-
sliers" were the first troops to carry the
newly invented 'fusil,' the latest word
in firearms at tina. period, while other
troops still bore the clumsy arabesque.
Rifiemen first were equipped with the
. arm having a rifed barrel, while other
infantrymen still used the. smooth-hore
musket. In the early days of the British
cavalry the heavy troops lusged around.
in addition to Il big saber like a claymore.
and two heavy pistols. a long and cum
bersone musket exactly like those cai'-
ried by the footmen, and their horses
had to be proportionatcly as heavy as
their armament
England relies on her young soldiers OF
today to possess that tine discipline that
must to some extent, be born with q
man. and to maintain the reputation II
the British. soldier for being. as one man
summed it up many year ago, "A good,
stout fellow who will not bulge.