The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-03-23

the lllne-Stalned rolls or membership. Reminiscent of Puritan days are those of Aquilla Skinner, Praise Barbon, Repent 1 Brown and Humiliation Hynde. Names of some members are entered h letters of gold. Other names are struc< out. Thus in 1670 Lieut.. Francis Colman ceased to be a member of the company for his unmanly carriage" toward an- etaer officer and in the same year ii Was directed that the name of John CErrey be rased out of the great book for his unmanly action in biting of his wffe's nose.
 Among the famous men. dead and liv- iEg. whose names appear on the nominal rolls of the regiment are Samuel Pepys the diarist and Theodore Roosevelt, like wise. Sir Christopher Wren the architect of London; Prince Rupert, Lord Roberts, General Monck and Lord Strathcona. In consideration of the antiquity of the regi- nent, Queen Victoria, in 1883, commanded i'll general orders that it should take precedence next after the regular forces
 It was then stated that the company "ha1 long been famous as the oldest military body in the British empire, having been formed more than a century before any other corps
 The III. A. C." was prominent while the Armada ruled the waves It supplied nany officers to the forces. and en- camped near Tilbury Fort, where, by l coincidence, some of the men in the sec oud battalion were recently in training. In the great civil war it had the blessin.; of Cromwell and supplied officers and in- strnetors 10 the men who fought at the battle of Newbury in October f6i4. on two occas sons at least the company has been called to assist the civil power in 17S0, the occasion of the Gordon riots. and in 1S4S, when the Chartists threatened London.
 Up to now, however, the regment'i | greatest page of history was the South African campaign, which afforded the men the first opportunity in 4o0 years of serving their country abroad The I'll. A. e. raised battery of field artillery which was incorporated in the City I'm perial volunteers, and also mounted in fantry and infantry attachments. out of 193 men who served. 26 were killed or wounded. Eighteen Of the artilerymen Were mentioned in dispatches, one re- ceived the distinguished service order. and three the distinguished conduct medal.
 Possibly the only man living who can claim the distinction of having fought in pajamas is Lord Athlumney, the vet eran Irish peer, who, as director of the provost marshal's office, is doing so much in the interests of British soldiers at present An old soldier himself, who showed uncommon mettle in both the Egyptian and South African campaigns. who was aid-de-camp to Kitchener Tor two years and who. incidentally. is re- garded as perhaps the best bridge player in the United Kingdom, this nobleman, at 90, can look back over as dramatic and checkered a career as falls to the lot of most men.
 It was during the Dongola expedition that he did his pajama fighting. He took a prominent part in getting gunboats up the Nile, and for days at a stretch his uniform consisted of a suit of ragged pajamas, jersey and a hat. This, Tor the reason that he was fin and out or the water all day swimming with ropes to make them fast to the shore-not an altogether delightful job in view of croc- odiles and strong currents.
 Swimming, however, always has been Lord Athlumney's long suit. It is thanks to his prowess thereat that Britain today as her first lord of the admiralty man who is half-American, in the person Of Winston Churchill, for, when barely more than a boy the Irish nobleman saved Lady Randolph Churchill from a watery grave in the Solent. She made. he con- fesses, a "great impression on his then susceptible heart, and he enjoys bearing witness to the interest and admiration which the former Jennie Jerome eNclteu wherever she went.
 Apparently he was at first something of a scapegrace was James Herbert Gus tayus Meredyth Someryille, Baron Ath- lumney to give him his full name. Born in County Meath, he went up to Dupnn castle at only 6, as page or honor to the lord lieutenant Lord Spencer, his not particularly arduous duties beginning, and to all intents and purposes ending, with holding up the lady lieutenants train at drawing rooms and other functions La ter he went to 'ichool first to Elstree ana then at Harrow being sent down with ignominy iron the latter, with whose .'swishing block he had previousiy gained an intimate acquaince, but not sufficient one, apparently, 10 taAo 'iie Irish devil out of him.
 Award in chancery, with every pros- pect of coming into an ample Iortunes his youthful lordship then decided 10 try for the army and started OH to oe ..crammed' by British officer, who had his establishment, curiousiy enough, a, Datmstadt in Germany. And there thls sn,.,g of the peerage certainly had high old time. .,
 "The whole place rocked" the noble man declares, with the spirit or Ger man officialdom and bureaucracy ahc, naturally we were not going to stanu if. Next to the police our greatest enemies were the butcher poys with whom, for some reason l have forgot ten we had a very special feud and eventually matters came to a climaN with a regular pitched battle between us
 Ut was a glorious fray Whilst l. lasted. which was until the police saw we were getting the best of 1t, when they interfered and marched us off to the station, not. I may say, without considerable resistance on our part.
 But their numbers were overwhelm- l ing; for whenever it was case of an Englishman being arrested they all ways sent at least 10 policemen to do the job although in the case of their own people one policeman was consid-
 cred quite enough to overawe q dozen 1 Darmstadters.
 "On arrival at the station the police were simple enough to put another l fellow and me into a room in which
 were a number of poiicemen's oloaks 1 and helmets
 1 "Five minutes later. disguised as I policemen. we marched boldly oyt Of | the station. and that German Bob by's helmet is still in my possession as one of my greatest treasures. ] "In the end we were ararigned be- | fore the magistrate and I remember | the prosecuting counsel in pleading for an exemplary fine. stated that he was
 credibly informed that we were all