NATIONAL RESERVE.
[To THE EDITOR ON TEl "SPECTATOR,"]
SIR,-I think it may interest your readers to have their atten- tion drawn to a very interesting article on the National Reserve by Captain Holmes, the Commandant of the Weybridge Company, which appeared in the Military Mail for September 20th. Captain Holmes deals as follows with "the ominous suggestion now abroad that interest in the movement is on the wane " : "If such unhappily be the case then it behoves someone to sound the tocsin before it is too late. Our naval and military position is far too critical to allow the National Reserve to dis- solve into thin air, for once it withers and dies no power on earth can reanimate it. Material equally valuable to that already in being remains to be tapped, and a timely hint from headquarters to those County Associations who have hitherto preserved an attitude of masterly inactivity, as regards opening a register, undoubtedly would produce most excellent results. As one who, single-handed, has formed and organized a company which as regards numbers, efficiency and the quality of its members will, I think, be found to be second to none amongst the various units of the National Reserve, perhaps I may be permitted to draw attention to some of the conclusions at which I have arrived. In the first place, apart from its military character, I consider the movement a distinctly valuable one. Not only has it been the means of providing a new and healthy interest in the lives of many who have little to leaven the daily task, but in rural dis- tricts it has awakened a spirit of comradeship which otherwise would have remained dormant. I have also noted that the effect on some men of joining the Reserve has been actually to rejuvenate them, whilst the holding of church parades has undoubtedly led many into places of worship to which, in ordinary circumstances, they would have remained strangers. All these things must constitute a moral force acting for the good of the community, and, therefore, on its social side alone, the movement is to be commended. As regards its military character, the Reserve provides a large number of trained and disciplined men, in the very prime of life, easily convertible into excellent infantry—in which arm numerically we are very weak—. and probably an equally large number who are competent to pro- tect and hold in restraint the civil population in the event of an invasion. However, the figures can only be approximate in any event, since it is the physical condition of the man at the time of mobilization that determines exactly what duties he is capable of performing, besides which men who are in the Reserve to-day may not be available at any given future date swing to death, resignation, or illness. My own company roll will give some idea of the Cossrrrealort OF A NATIONAL RZBERITE UNIT.
Analysed it stands thus :—N.C.O.'s and men under 45 years of age (Class I.), 126; N.C.O.'s and men between 45 and 55 years of age (Class II.), 30; N.C.O.'s and men over 55 years of age (Class LEL), 14. The average age of Class (I.) is 84 1-3 years; of Class (II.), 49 years; of Class (IIL), 67 years; and of Classes (L) and (II.) combined-156 men-36 years and eight months. We have in addition 7 officers and a chaplain (late Royal Navy), thus making the company 28 above full strength.
I am unable to say if the above be a fair sample of the bulk of National Reserve companies throughout the country, but in the south-west of England, I RI/I informed, the Reservists show a higher age average than in other parts, and probably upon ex- amination rural districts generally will be found to yield a higher percentage of men over 45 than urban ones, although this view lacks confirmation if the Weybridge company be contrasted with the whole of the London Division, which latter already numbers over 35,000 officers, non-commissioned officers, and men. The ages of the members of this division—no less than 61 per cent. of whom, i.e., 21,350 men, are ex-Regulars—are given as follows in a state- ment recently issued, namely : 66 percent. are under 45 (Class I.), 28 per cent, are between 45 and 55 (Class II.), and 16 per cent, are over 55 (Class It will be seen from the foregoing that the proportion of Class (I.) to Class (II.) is as two to one in London, whereas in Weybridge it is four to one, just double. My experience is that the majority of members are exceedingly keen, and elisions to be up and doing, and that for all practical purposes half of them can be relied upon to attend, with some sort of regularity, parades held in times of peace, and that about four-fifths of Classes (L) and (II.) would be fit for service in the event of war. Such being the case, I think the movement is fully justified on its military side. Hitherto the Reserve has made headway without receiving any of that encouragement by the military authorities which is referred to in the Revised Regulations—save and except the issue to certain units of a handful of Lee-Metford rifles 'on long loan '— and unless in the immediate future more of this is shown, the movement will assuredly collapse, since difficulty in raising funds is in some measure due to the public requiring to see some more outward and visible sign of recognition by the War Office before it will loosen its purse strings. The authorities unfortunately seem bent on preferring a 'paper' to an active force, but this is not what the majority of the men wish to belong to at all. The former would be nothing short of a snare and a delusion, and only serve to inspire a feeling of false security throughout the country."
Captain Holmes next proceeds to deal with National Reserve requirements.
"What then does the National Reserve desire ? First and foremost, and until the force is firmly established, great elasticity in the matter of organization, a wide discretion being conceded to the 'man on the spot,' who is best cognisant of local conditions, and to be independent of any other Force in time of peace. What is suitable for Territorials may be most unsuitable for National Reservists. It must be borne in mind, that in the latter force one has to deal with older men, many of whom are married; men who have already learned their lesson ; men occupied in many different ways and working different hours—the rural men, for instance, take advantage of the longer daylight in spring and summer, just at the time when outdoor parades could best be held, for working late or out of doors, either at their regular employment or upon. their allotments—and often these men are widely scattered (as is the case in my company), and live at some distance from their headquarters. I am convinced that any form of compulsion in time of peace would not only prove a deterrent to enrolment, but also undermine that voluntary spirit which it is so essen- tial to foster. The utmost that should be required is for a member, other than an honorary one, to undertake during a definite period—say four years—to come up for service in the United Kingdom, if called upon by Order in Council, made after the Committee of Imperial Defence had certified that the country was in such grave peril as to justify the mobilization of the National Reserve. It must not be forgotten that the social and military sides of the movement must run concurrently if any lasting enemas is to be achieved, and that the club-room must rank 'with, but after,' the drill shed and rifle range. The neat requirement is for members of Classes (I.) and (II.) to be sup- plied at the public expense with arms, ammunition, equipment, and uniform. Even with the best efforts in the world we cannot make bricks without straw, and the absence of a uniform not only robs the Reserve of its distinctive military character, but prevents many eligible officers and men—particularly those of the stamp who belonged to the old Volunteer "Class" Corps—from joining, and those already enrolled from appearing on parade. The National Reserve contains all sorts and conditions, and it is not reasonable to expect these to meet on a common footing unless they can wear a dress of a uniform description. We aim at drawing into the fold every man who has been through the mill, regardless- of his social position, so as to make the Reserve really National, and not largely representative of one class of the community only. Lord Roberts, the Colonel-in-Chief of the National Reserve, has given it as his opinion that unless it is recognized by the Govern- ment, and is properly armed, equipped, organized, and supplied with officers, it will not be of any practical use. If financial con- siderations constitute the real stumbling-block to progress and development, the unclaimed balances at the banks and in the Post Office Savings Bank, and also the dormant funds lying in Chancery, would probably suffice to provide the necessary sinews of war, for some years at all events. In the House of Commons, on October 31st, 1911, the Postmaster-General, in answer to a question put to him, stated that the dormant accounts under .£1 in the Post Office Savings Bank on December 31st, 1910, numbered 3,460,387, and amounted to £372,091, and that no figures were available for larger accounts."
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