CORRESPONDENCE.

THE " SPECTATOR " EXPERIMENTAL COMPANY. ITS LESSONS IN REGARD TO NATIONAL SERVICE.

[To THZ EDITOI OF THZ " SPECTATOR:1 SIR,—I have before me at this moment a roll containing the names of one hundred and two men of the Speelaior Experimental Company, one hundred of whom completed the training, while the other two elected to enlist in the Royal Artillery shortly before the expiration of the six months' course at Hounslow. The figures I am about to quote relate only to men of whom I can speak with certain knowledge. I have taken no account whatever of any who are merely believed to have enlisted, and I may also remark that of the hundred and two men whose names are on the roll, there are twenty-six with whom I have not yet been able to communicate. Therefore the percentage of enlistments relates not to one hundred and two men, but to seventy-six ; though, even if we assume that of the twenty-six men unaccounted for not one has enlisted in any branch of his Majesty's Forces, I think that I shall succeed in sufficiently proving that the exceedingly strenuous Hounslow course—a far harder and more comprehensive one than is undergone by recruits of the Regular Army, and incomparably more severe than that proposed by the National Service League—so far from resulting in " fed-upness," had precisely the contrary effect.

My figures are as follows. Of the seventy-six men fully accounted for on the roll which lies before me, thirty-seven enlisted in the Regular Army, and one who wished to enlist in the Rifle Brigade was rejected by the doctor. The number enlisted, or desirous of enlistment, in the Regular Army is therefore thirty-eight—exactly fifty per cent. In addition to the above, the following enlistments must be recorded : Royal Navy one, Special Reserve one, Australian Permanent Forces one, Canadian ditto one, New Zealand Volunteers, one, Honourable Artillery Company one, Yeomanry one, Territorial Infantry one, making a total of eight miscel- laneous enlistments and a grand total of forty-six men, or sixty per cent., who by enlisting in the King's Service proved the truth of the saying that l'appelit vient en mangeant.

is, moreover, noteworthy that only one man joined the Company with the intention of afterwards enlisting in the Army, and that the one sailor (a merchant seaman) trained at Hounslow finally forsook the sea in order to become a soldier. Both of these men are now non-commissioned officers in the same regiment. I mention the latter fact in order to show that neither was a " waster " ; actually both were able to produce first-rate references when offering themselves am candidates for the S.E.C.

Having thus disposed of the question whether the strenuous work at Hounslow resulted in the men being "fed up" with soldiering, I will now turn to that of whether those who returned to civil life, many of them to their former employers, received benefit from their six months' course. On this point the men shall speak for themselves. I will not

weary your readers by making a large number of quotations, but content myself with presenting a few only

Private A writes :--" The training made no difference to me regarding my situation, but I think it has made a man of me."

Private B:—"In my own opinion I have received great benefit from the physical training I received in the Company."

Private 132:—" The S.E.C. training helped mo greatly, making me know what discipline meant; also the training helped to improve me wonderfully bodily."

Private E :—" I look back on the six months with the S.E.C. as the most beneficial time of my life. It has helped me mentally, bodily, and physically. The training quickened my power of decision, concentration, and endurance. I feel sure I could not have held my own and risen to my present position if I had not had the S.E.C. training, or something like it. When I left Hounslow I went to one of my previous employers," ite., &a. (describes subsequent promotions).

Lance-Sergeant The actual work of the S.E.C. was very beneficial, inasmuch as it gave me a sound constitution and increased strength and physique."

Private P :—" The S.E.C. training certainly helped me in several ways. (1) It smartened me up ; (2) it made me used to discipline, which is necessary in my trade; (3) it built my body up so that I have kept in health in spite of being about in all weathers ; (4) it gave me a great respect for the British officer and soldier."

Lance-Corporal 12,:—" The training has been the cause in many ways that led to my advancement,—to name only one, that of enabling me to become an instructor in physical exercises during my spare time."

Private It :—" I am getting on fine over here [New York], and I assure you, Sir, the training I received in the S.E.C. has helped me a lot in many ways I would like to handle a rifle again; I have not forgotten the way."

Private 112 :—" I have been more fortunate for work since leaving the S.E.C. than I ever was before."

Private S :—" Getting on first-class and strongly approve of S.E.C. training; it has learnt me what every English subject ahould know, even a civilian."

Corporal T :—" Am still working at my trade as a carpenter. Cannot speak too highly of the benefits gained from the training both mentally and physically."

Private W I think the S.E.C. training helped me and I miss it much, for I don't have much time now for anything of that sort of thing."

Private W2 :—" I am a Police Constable at — and getting on very well; indeed I am sure the training in S.E.C. did me a wonderful lot of good, for had it not been for that I know I should have not been able to pass as P.C. as regards development." (This man is one of four now in the Metropolitan Police.) Private W3 Am now grocery manager. The S.E.C. training helped rue by making me physically fit to do a long and hard day's work."

I have selected the foregoing extracts from the roll, as alpha- betically arranged, endeavouring to avoid vain repetitions, and to present the views of men in various classes of work and of various educational standards. Replies received from soldiers are at least equally gratifying ; but several complain that though they are kept busy they get too little real training. One non-commissioned officer states that in his opinion he is less efficient now than when he left the S.E.C., because his opportunities for making use of the knowledge gained are too few. I may mention that all the non-commissioned officers of the Company who enlisted in the Regulars were promptly given lance stripes, and several are now full corporals. One S.E.C. lance-corporal received his stripe as a Guardsman within six weeks after joining, and within six months was appointed a drill-instructor at the dept. One private was made lance-corporal in a Line regiment the day after joining ; he has been a "full corporal" since October, 1909. Of the three men serving in Colonial Forces, two are non-commis- sioned officers, and the third is a "first-class signaller." The S.E.C. is represented by non-commissioned officers of House- hold Cavalry, Guards, Cavalry of the Line, Royal Horse, Field, and Garrison Artillery, and Infantry of the Line.

I will now conclude this already too long letter with some extracts from the views of the one man who originally meant to be a soldier, and who is now, as be has long been, a non- commissioned officer. There is in his remarks cause to make us "furiously to think." He says :— "I am at the present time getting on Al, and have ever since the day I enlisted, when our grand old Company disbanded (Sept. 10th, 1300). I am pleased to say I have made the Army my profession, but one little thing troubles me. If I take on for my twelve, under the 10 per cent. order will I be able to take on for 21 or thrown away to be discarded, laughed, jeered, and not required, by a civilian employer ? In my experience of India and home, there is nothing to beat soldiering, it makes you feel you are doing something to be proud of, and that you are a man If a company officer was only given more use of his company, the same as our old Company under your supervision, we should be efficient in every sense of the word."

The answer to this keen soldier's question is not what it ought to be. In spite of all-round efficiency, fine physique, and a "second-class certificate of education," which he means to improve into a "first," this non-commissioned officer, if not a sergeant by the time he has completed his "twelve," is liable to be thrown upon the world. He was a "labourer" before he joined at the age of eighteen. What is he to do at the age of thirty P The "ten-per-cent. rule" is not merely "not business," it is criminal. That rule was not in existence when the S.E.C. was disbanded; had it been, I should not only have refrained from advising enlistment, but would have done my very best to dissuade one and all from having anything to do with the Army. Nonsense is talked about the necessity to pile up the Reserve ; but it is forgotten that, necessary as a strong Reserve most certainly is, the larger the number of efficient soldiers serving with the colours the smaller will be the demand for men from the Reserve on mobilisation. At present our Reserve is required to replace immature boys in addition to completing the difference between the peace and war establishments. Consequently many thousands are really in the "First Line," and only nominally in reserve. Why not, then, let good and willing men remain in the ranks, making the Army their profession, as formerly P—I am, Sir, A. W. A. POLLOCK, Lieut.-Colonel.

Wingfield, Godallning.