The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-03-21
VOLUNTEER TRAIlNNG
POPULAR in BRITAIN
Recognition of ovement
byst the { government Has
Aided It.

LONDON, Feb. 80 Correspond:
ence "a The Associated Press)-The.
decision 81 the Government to reeog.
ME the militia organization known as
4hs volunteer Training Corps" rs
parts of the military forces Of the eoun:
tryS solves a difficulty that for many
months threatened to wreck the whole
Volunteer e.detenBe movement.
The, trouble arose in connection with
Ireland, and shows how the old Home
Raies quarrel persists even in the face
of5Sfwar. The Irish Nationalist
Home rulers that a bill giving
official recognition to the Volunteer
ofrces would strengthen the power OF
3fttaf Nationalist Volunteer force, which
Is q 9consider body Of men, all uni
ted with the intention of backing the
demand for Home Rule with. force II
Necessity should arise.
10 prevent this strengthening Of the
Home Rule element, the government
nrepared a bill at the last session
winch was carefully worded so as to
appIy8to ireland at all, but the Nation.
" alistsgsaw through the ruse promptly
aud threatened to put up big fight.
I The government then included Ireland,
ana proposed to include both in Ma
tionaIists and the Ulster Anti.Home
Rule militia. But the Obstetrics rose
Enforce against this compromise, point
ififS Tout that practically all the young
men or the Ulster Volunteers had for
saken It for the front, whereas there
were still large numbers OF men OF
fnilitary age in the Nationalist militia.
4 "a So. while Ireland was quarreling, the
Blk allowed 10 die, and according
skly no official recognition could be CIV
Zen ito the Home.De fenses organiza-
lions through Act OF Parliament. .
The ministry has now got around
this by merely recognizing the Volun-
feers under an old military act OF
1855. whereby Ireland is excluded, In
1smuch as the act In question never
applied to ireland.
The Volunteer Training Corps thus
enrolled as a part Of the nations fight
ing forces are believed to aggregate
nearly four hundred thousand men.
THE Corps was organized specifically
for home defense. and includes mostly
men past military age or otherwise
exempt from military duty. The or
ganiSation led thankless and union
ored existence during its first year.
The papers poked a good deal of fun
&c it, and the War Office ignored It.
But despite rebuffs, the movement
spread with remarkable rapidity. It
adopted gray-green uniform with red
sbrassard, with the initials &c. r."
Sstanding presumably for George Rex.
and drilled faithfully in the highways
and byways.s Punsters explained the
r.. as Estapding, for Georges
Wrecks: Going Rotten, or Govern
ment'ss Rejects, but no amount Of rid
Ssicule awaited to hinder the growth
z OF the movement.
At one time 1t was suggested that
\ the Volunteers should go to Flanders
ito dig trenches. but the scheme fell
through. When the Derby canvass be-
gan. they proved Of the greatest as
distance. They helped in the canvass.
and as soon as the canvass was com.
pleted they threw open their ranks to
the Derby recruits, Offering them free
preliminary training, so that when
they were called up they would not
have to begin absolutely at the begin
- l355N5as