THROUGH THE RANKS TO A COMMISSION.* Ai rnonnu this is
the work of an anonymous writer, the genuine- ness of the narrative is guaranteed by the publishers, and we have, therefore, no hesitation in accepting it as a page from real experience. Having a decided taste for soldiering, and being too old, after taking his B.A. degree at the University, to obtain a commission in any but a West India Regiment, the author was, it appears, advised by the officer commanding the School of Instruction for Auxiliary Forces at Aldershot in 1873 to get over the difficulty by enlisting; and although this idea was naturally, in the first instance, extremely repugnant to a man with gentlemanly feelings, he gradually came round to it, believing, as he tells us, that in his case there were many
• Through the Ranks to a Commission. London: Macmillan and Co.
special circumstances which made it probable that such a step would prove, after no very long interval, successful. These special circumstances were the love of Army work, good knowledge of drill, and experience of camp life and manoeuvres gained as a Volunteer officer. The fact that his name had been entered at the War Office for a commission, that he was educa- tionally qualified through the examinations passed at Oxford, had had a good religions education, and lastly, was in the pos- session of good private means.
Having facilities for obtaining information upon many useful points, the author was able to select as the theatre of his experi- ment a regiment whose colonel took a favourable view of the proceeding, promising promotion when a vacancy should occur, provided that the young man should have proved himself the best man in his grade, but at the same time gave him warn- ing to expect no privilege or freedom beyond that allowed to the rest of the men. This officer spoke of the attempt to rise through the ranks as a " great ordeal " to be passed through, but he also expressed an opinion that it might be accomplished with credit; and, in fact, within sixteen months of having taken the Queen's shilling, the young man found himself gazetted to a sub-lieutenancy, and by a special favour, quite contrary to usual custom, in the very regiment in which he had climbed the ladder by steps which, although exceptionally rapid, must naturally have been toilsome in no slight degree.
The record of the author's experiences is one of unusual in- terest, throwing as it does a new light upon barrack life and the various duties and pleasures of the soldier's existence. The writer is at pains to treat each portion of the subject in detail, and he appears to do so with great fairness. We must forgive the little touch of conceit with which he expatiates upon his own performances, as he wishes to show himself to have been really the fittest man for promotion, and that no unfair preferences were ever given to him. To us, it seems quite simple that it should have been so. With a strong desire to attain his object, and especially with the very great advantages of education and of Volunteer training, surely the gentleman should be able easily to beat the common soldier on his own ground. Nevertheless, without a very strong reason for doing so, it would not seem to be wise to confront all the disagreeables of such an abnormal position, although there is certainly one point in favour of the step, namely, the complete insight gained by an officer who has been one of them into the difficulties and trials of his men, an insight which ought to make it much more easy for him to command well.
Not only was the writer not made to feel that his fellow- soldiers were in any way jealous of him, but he tells us that he was splendidly treated both by privates and non-commissioned officers, and gives it as his opinion that none are quicker than soldiers to find out and appreciate a gentleman ; and he remarks that his company seemed to take a pride, rather than otherwise, in his successful performances. He tells as also that very few serjeants are desirous of a commission, most of them being quite wise enough to see that in point of expense, as well as in other
ways, they are better off in their present position. They feel themselves unfitted to associate with gentlemen on equal terms, and know that their wives would he even more uncomfortable than they themselves would be in a new sphere, even apart from the impossibility of paying their way in an officer's mess.
Of all subordinate military positions—except, of course, that of Quartermaster—those of Oanteen-Serjeant and Master-Gunner seem to be the ones most desired. " I do not believe," says the author, "there was a man of any rank in the —th during my time who would have taken a commission as sub-lieutenant, if it had been offered to him. I remember well a young serjeant saying to me one day, 'We all know what you are, and that you will get your commission right enough ; and I hope you will, with all my heart, for there is not one of us would stand in your way. What should we want of commissions ? ' " Although the change from ordinary diet to soldiers' fare was naturally felt, and the writer found it necessary, when possible, to supplement his rations by a good supper at a temperance hotel, or by some other stray meal, he declares that he was agreeably surprised at the quality of the food served out, and does not hesitate to say that it was almost always good and sufficient. During marches and sham-fights at Aldershot, some privations seem to have been experienced, such as long fasts and scarcity of water, the former being probably inten- tional, with a view to giving the soldier some idea of campaign- ing hardships, and the latter unavoidable. Life on board a troopship, of course, was a season of misery. But apart from these occasions, the author does not seem to have found his situation one of extreme discomfort, or to have been called on to take part in anything which to a gentleman might seem de- grading, and he often finds fault with the exaggerated accounts of a soldier's existence which had reached him before he joined.
The great-coat nuisance may, however, be mentioned, as an absurd but very real instance of red-tape worries, for so great was the difficulty before loose capes were introduced, of folding the cumbrous garment into regulation shape and size, and so much time (from twenty minutes to half an hour) was neces- sary to perform the feat, that the men much preferred to be wet or cold rather than undo their coats; and very often a well- folded one would be passed on from man to man, as the turn came round to be on guard, loose,—that is, unfolded—coats being sent over to the guardroom, whenever the latter was sufficiently near to the barracks.
The least pleasant part of this narrative is that which deals with the terrible scenes of drunkenness so liable to occur after pay day, and at certain other times ; but a possible means of diminishing this vice is suggested in the introduction of regi- mental clubs, where the men would be able to get refreshments and to enjoy rational amusements, without the too prominent re- ligious element which appears in what are called Soldiers' Insti- tutes. The writer contends that, except in the case of decided bad characters, men drink more for the sake of good-fellowship than from actual love of liquor; and that, knowing this, publicans take care to secure custom by providing musical and other entertain- ments gratis ; and he says that if this example were followed by those who wish well to the soldier, very good results would cer- tainly ensue. From his own observation, the writer has discovered that it is the non-commissioned officers, especially the serjeants in charge of rooms, who, more even than the colonel of a regi- ment, have power to influence the men. The serjeants especially, being with them day and night at all hours, to be finally referred to in all matters, can, if anxious to do so, alter the very characters of the privates, and form their habits in a surprising manner ; so that if they were all of one mind, the difference in a regiment would be most remarkable, although, of course, the style of the officers has also a great effect upon all the lower ranks.
The author is at great pains not merely to publish the pay and allowances of the privates and non-commissioned officers, but also to show how much may be earned in the way of extra pay, by all who are desirous of doing so. Stating the case roughly, he shows that a private of good conduct who should merely earn third-rate working pay for five days in the week, and that only for three years of his service, might, after deduct- ing a liberal allowance for pocket-money, lay by £24, which, added to the £18 of deferred pay which must of necessity come to him, would give him £42 with which to start in civil life at the end of his six years, and his " reserve " pay of 4d. a day in addition, while a thrifty lance-corporal might easily save £15 every year. In short, he is anxious to prove not merely that there is nothing degrading in the life and duties of the British soldier, but that his position on rising to the higher grades is much better than that of the ordinary civilian of the same class ; and of the work and life of a serjeant he says, " I do not know any occupation or trade pursued by members of the working or artisan classes that can compare to it." He adds, " If only some of this class would make up their minds to throw on one side all old prejudices, and believe me when I say that the service of their Queen and country is a noble and interesting profession, in which there can be found many poste requiring tact and intelligence, the Army itself would be a gainer by their presence, and they would make certain of pasing rapidly through the lower grades, to assume the responsi- ble duties of the higher non-commissioned ranks." The author's idea is that a better class of men should be induced to enter the Army specially with a view to becoming serjeants, after having thoroughly learned all that is requisite for filling the position satisfactorily ; and that to this end certain changes should be made and certain inducements held out, one of them being that non-commissioned officers should not enlist for short terms. This subject might, perhaps, be worthy the attention of mili- tary men, though at a first glance it would seem to present many difficulties. But, even without fresh regulations, it seems certain that many a clever, active, young man, of good, steady character, might find it distinctly to his advantage to accept the Queen's shilling, as it would be his own fault if he did not speedily rise to a position of comfort and influence.
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