THE " SPECTATOR " EXPERIMENT IN MILITIA TRAINING.
To TIER EDITOR OP TUN 'SPECTATOR:9]
think that very many of your readers, not only sub- scribers to our funds but also others, will be interested to hear a few particulars regarding the initial stages of the "Experiment."
Seventy-five of the men reported themselves on the 15th, and, including one probationer, we have now one hundred collected in barracks. The probationer is slightly under the standard of chest measurement, but, as he is only just seventeen years of age, I propose to give him a fair trial. The ages of our recruits vary between barely seventeen and nearly twenty-five. As you are aware, the age-limits stated in our advertisement ranged between eighteen and twenty-five, and, as the result, I believe that the average age will work out at under twenty ; but I am as yet unable to give the exact figure. We have been too busy to go closely into such details. I may say, however, that I have rejected large numbers of young men, quite suitable in other respects, merely upon account of their ages exceeding twenty years. Most of those over that age were accepted at an early stage of the recruiting, when I was afraid to reject them too freely lest we might find ourselves unable to complete the required number. I am acting upon your suggestion to raise the strength to one hundred and four ; but for the four fresh vacancies I shall accept none who are over nineteen years of age. The men have been drawn from all classes, from sons of clergy- men to dock labourers ; the majority, however, are bond-fide labourers of various descriptions, and in the case of the latter I have more than once strained a point to accept young fellows of proved respectability who were out of work and evidently suffering from an insufficiency of food. In the cases of men who had not filled permanent situations, or who had been working for their fathers, I have invariably required a reference from the clergyman of the parish, or from the minister of some Noncon- formist congregation ; and to many of these gentlemen we are greatly indebted for much trouble taken to make full inquiries about young men with whom they were imperfectly acquainted. And now as to the results of the training so far. I entered upon the work, I admit, in a very sanguine spirit, but the actual progress made has astonished me beyond measure. We are doing already many things that I had not looked forward to being ready to commence for at least a fortnight. The sergeant instructors, and also my subaltern, Mr. Walsh, agree with me that never in all our lives have we seen anything like the keenness displayed or the resulting progress. I have had to do with the training of very many excellent recruits at Taunton, men of just as good character and so on as any I now have here, but never any whose actual performances can even remotely be compared with those of the Spectator Experimental Company. I may add that although special inducements in the way of substantial prizes are now being offered, the men until yesterday had no expectation of receiving more than a few trifling rewards for those who excelled the rest. The special grants to all who " qualify " in the various branches of training have only been announced after the zeal which is hereafter to be rewarded had been already manifested. There has, in short, been no mercenary motive; the men have worked hard under the influence of no other incentives than their own ambition to do well for their credit's sake, and because, as they all tell me, they " think the course will do them good." I can truly assert that I have never seen any recruits after a whole month's training as far advanced as these men are after less than a week. For example, I was able yesterday to extend "outwards," from fours, a half-company of forty-eight men in the idea of an "emergency extension" on coming under shell fire. This was as well done as it is likely to be in six months' time, and I can praise the performance no more highly; at all events, I have never seen a company of Regulars, commanded by myself or by any other officer, do the same thing better. The object of the formation is to " scatter " with the utmost rapidity, and yet without loss of order.
Military readers will understand the stage to which we have
arrived in squad drill when I tell them that all four sections can without a mistake "form squad," from fours, on the right or left.
We began work with six squads, but are now drilling by sections.
We shall serve out the rifles next Monday, and I shall be much surprised if there are by the following Saturday more than a dozen men who cannot handle their arms quite respectably. The
following week we shall commence using the " Sub-Target Gun Machine " kindly lent to us by Messrs. Wilkinson, and I hope also
the miniature range now about to be constructed after the pattern of the shooting galleries seen at fairs, &c., with fixed and vanishing targets, running animals, and celluloid balls dancing on water jets. The men are, I believe, happy, and I certainly am. I have not had even one "prisoner" brought before me up to the present, the takings of the " wet " canteen have been fearf ally disappointing to the contractor, and on Saturday night, when the men had leave to be out until 11 p.m., the company was reported present at 10 p.m. The joy of dealing with such men is unspeakable. I. feel twenty years younger already.
I ought to have mentioned that my sergeant instructors were not "picked" by me. I applied through the Chief Recruiting Staff Officer to the National Society for the Employment of Discharged Soldiers for seven ex-non-commissioned officers of " exemplary " character and possessed of certain certificates. The seven sent to me I accepted on the spot, and have every reason to congratulate myself upon remarkable good fortune in having secured such entirely admirable assistants, upon whose shoulders the entire burden of instructing has hitherto rested.
Hounslow, March 21st.
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