THE NATIONAL RESERVE AND THE LONDON PARADE A SUGGESTION. T HE
announcement that it will not be possible to invite contingents from the country to the Parade of the London National Reserve in Hyde Park on June 8th, though it is recognized that the decision was inevitable, has very naturally caused no small amount of disappoint- ment. To mitigate this disappointment we have a sugges- tion to make. It is that every County Association in England and Scotland should on Juno 8th hold a Parade of its National Reserve in the county town or at some other convenient spot, and that at these parades a general salute should be given at the moment when the Ring takes the salute in London. If this were done the benefit of the London Parade to the National Reserve would be multiplied, not tenfold, but fifty-fold. We therefore most sincerely trust that the Associations will give the matter their earnest consideration. We say the Associations advisedly, for it must never be forgotten that the Associa- tions, and only they, have any right to assemble those portions of the National Reserve raised within their boundaries. The National Reserve is now a recognized part of the defensive forces of the nation, and in each county is under the County Association. The only difficulties in the way of the scheme are those of time and finance. The time, though there is only about five weeks, is not too short if a start be made at once. Wherever a section of the National Reserve exists the names and addresses of the men are known, and the men can be reached through the post in a few hours. All that is necessary is to select a good piece of ground, to name the hour, and to make the other arrangements for a, Parade before either the Lord Lieutenant and the members of the Association or some General Officer specially invited for the purpose. The question of finance presents greater difficulties, but it should be possible even when the fares of the men have to be paid and refreshments provided for them, which is necessary in the country, to do what is needful for at most 2s. 6d. a head. Thus a county with a National Reserve of 1,200 men could hold its parade for £150. Surely the Lord Lieutenants should be able " to get this sum by appealing to the men of light and leading in the county. It would be natural to make a special appeal to the Deputy Lieutenants, who are, in essence, military officers. We fully agree that it would not be possible to make a demand of this kind every year, but in order to inaugurate the Reserve and for a special occasion a County appeal might well be made.
We have one more suggestion to make. In any instance in which it should be found impossible to arrange for a, County parade the commandants of the companies into which most of the Reserves are divided should be asked to assemble their men locally on the afternoon of Saturday, June 8th, and to order a salute at the same moment that the salute is given in London. This would involve prac- tically no cost, and though the effect would not be so good as a County parade it would, at any rate, draw local attention to the National Reserve. If those Associations which decide to adopt the proposal for a simultaneous parade would kindly inform us of such decision we will gladly publish the information in the columns of the Spectator.
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