LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
LORD WEMYSS AND THE VOLUNTEER RESERVE.
To TITS EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR:'] SIR,—I am glad you approve of a Volunteer Reserve. It is an administrative scandal that such a source of national strength should have been all these years allowed to run to waste. And even now—such are our War Office wondrous ways—we can- not get even a friendly pat on the back from the Secretary of State for War in our attempt to do the thing ourselves. My object, however, in writing is not to complain, but to explain. You ask, " Why make forty-five the limit of age ?" And you say there are plenty of men fit to handle a rifle up to sixty. No doubt there are. But it seems wise in the first instance, in forming a Reserve, to fix this at such a fighting age that our foreign friends could not look upon the force as made up, as they un- doubtedly would say, of dotards and incapables. When we have got our first Reserve of men from twenty to forty-five, let us by all means have a second line of Volunteer Reservists from forty-five to sixty years of age. Then as to a Militia Reserve, the Militia Act provides for the raising of a Militia Reserve of sixty thousand men ; but as it is, the Militia itself is always from twenty thousand to thirty thousand below its establishment, and of those serving thirty thousand belong to the Militia Reserve for the regular Army, and cannot therefore be reckoned on the strength of the Militia proper. This is no doubt a sad state of things, but so it will remain until our vote - fearing Governments have the courage to enforce our existing military law of compulsory service for home defence. It is, however, especially regarding what you say of our want of big guns and artillery that I would speak. This is indeed a thing to weep over. Had it not been for the naval guns where should we now be in South Africa ? Ah ! where ? In 1860 we had big field-guns of position ; we have them not now. We have no equivalent for the Armstrong forty-pounder field- gun of the " sixties " date. Why ? Ask the responsible War Office and military authorities. Ask our so-called "Defence Committee." I am curious to know their answer. And when you justly complain of the want of field-guns for our Reserve forces, I would point out that we had some field batteries thirty years ago, organised by Colonel Shakespear, of Crimean fame, Colonel Creed, and others, but they were sup- pressed by our War Office. Why ? Let the responsible officials answer. So much for big guns. Now as to small arms. What number of the latest pattern we have in store I know not, but it is said the War Office dread having to arm the reserve force of Volunteers. Now this they will not have to do till they are called out when a national emergency arises. Mean- time, all that is needed would be a certain number of extra rifles allowed to Volunteer regiments, to be kept in store at headquarters for use at the butts by such Reservists as could find time for rifle practice. Surely our military store of small arms should be equal to such a modest demand. Let we add a last word. " One Who Knows" tells me it would
be well if by this time next year we were so armed and organised that no foreign Power would dream of setting a hostile foot upon our shores. This is what we have to work for ; and to this end a reserve Volunteer force greatly tends.
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