fro THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.1 SIR,—May I be
allowed to say how entirely I agree with the opinion expressed by you in your leading article of last Satur- day with reference to the functions of the Veteran Reserve ? It seems to me that if the prospective members of that Reserve are told beforehand that they can have no place in the forefront of the fray, their readiness to join will most certainly- be diminished. By all means let officers and men be employed according to their fitness and abilities, but let it not go forth that the entire body of the Veteran Reserve is to be regarded by the authorities as mere "padding." Had the Surrey men whom you yourself have incited to show so good an example to other counties been aware of the position that would be assigned to them, I feel certain that very many who have given in their names would have declined to do so, and the parade you have organised for Waterloo Day would have been scarcely worth bolding.
You propose, I observe, that two companies of Veterans ehall be, attached to each Territorial battalion. I would venture to suggest as an amendment that the Veterans should furnish an additional section to each company in time of peace, and be formed into companies of their own only in the event of mobilisation. The suggestion I have made would in my opinion better serve the interests of administrative economy, and also of efficiency, by giving the Veterans more definite places in the peace organisation, especially in reference to occasional training.
One word as to Cadets. I hope one day, as you do, " to see the whole manhood of this country enabled by proper training to carry out that primary duty of citizenship which the law imposes upon every man,—namely, the defence of his home, his liberties, and his country." The natural medium by means of which to secure this most desirable end is, in my opinion, the Cadet system. We do not require to make every man a soldier, but we have great need to ensure that every able- bodied youth shall grow up fit to be a soldier, and those who are not able-bodied as well developed as can be, morally and physically, by a sound system of universal training. Assuming universal training to have been included in the educational curriculum, would it not probably assist the solution of the recruiting difficulty if selected boys of, say, fourteen years of age whose parents were willing to pledge them to join in due time some branch of his Majesty's Forces, Regular or Auxiliary, should be clothed in uniform, as enrolled Cadets, this privilege being denied to others F Finally, in the ease of Cadets, as in that of the Veteran Reserve, the closest possible connexion ought to be established with the local units of the Territorial Force.-1 am, Sir, &c., [The Surrey Veteran Reserve and the parade on the Horse Guards' Parade on June 18th are organised by the Surrey Territorial Association, to whom, and especially the chairman, the secretary, and the office staff, credit for the movement is due. It is a purely accidental circumstance that the editor of the Spectator is a member of the Surrey Association, and that his colleagues have honoured him by entrusting him with certain duties connected with the Register and the parade.— ED. Spectator.]
Previous page
