WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:03.480
<v Speaker 1>Chapter five of the British Army from Within by E.

2
00:00:03.720 --> 00:00:07.799
<v Speaker 1>Charles Vivian. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.

3
00:00:08.279 --> 00:00:12.800
<v Speaker 1>Chapter five Cavalry. Practically any man of the twenty eight

4
00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:16.120
<v Speaker 1>cavalry regiments of the Line will announce with pride that

5
00:00:16.160 --> 00:00:19.239
<v Speaker 1>he belongs to the right of the line. By this

6
00:00:19.359 --> 00:00:21.760
<v Speaker 1>claim is meant that if the British Army were formed

7
00:00:21.839 --> 00:00:24.440
<v Speaker 1>up in line, the regiment for which the claim is

8
00:00:24.480 --> 00:00:26.800
<v Speaker 1>made will be on the right of all the rest.

9
00:00:27.280 --> 00:00:29.480
<v Speaker 1>As a matter of fact, this claim on the part

10
00:00:29.519 --> 00:00:32.479
<v Speaker 1>of the cavalryman is incorrect, for when the Royal Horse

11
00:00:32.600 --> 00:00:36.079
<v Speaker 1>Artillery parade with their guns, they take precedence of all

12
00:00:36.119 --> 00:00:41.200
<v Speaker 1>other units except the household cavalry. British cavalry is divided

13
00:00:41.240 --> 00:00:45.119
<v Speaker 1>normally into three regiments of household cavalry and twenty eight

14
00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:49.039
<v Speaker 1>cavalry regiments of the Line. These latter are subdivided into

15
00:00:49.079 --> 00:00:53.479
<v Speaker 1>seven regiments of dragoon guards, three of dragoons, and eighteen

16
00:00:53.520 --> 00:00:59.119
<v Speaker 1>regiments of lancers and hussars. Theoretically, lancers take precedence over hussars,

17
00:00:59.399 --> 00:01:02.159
<v Speaker 1>but in action will practice. The two classes of cavalry

18
00:01:02.159 --> 00:01:07.120
<v Speaker 1>are about equal. Dragoon guards and dragoons rank as heavy cavalry.

19
00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:10.480
<v Speaker 1>Lancers are supposed to be of medium weight, and hussars

20
00:01:10.760 --> 00:01:15.400
<v Speaker 1>like cavalry. In reality, dragoon guards and dragoons are slightly

21
00:01:15.439 --> 00:01:19.319
<v Speaker 1>heavier than other core except the household cavalry, who are

22
00:01:19.400 --> 00:01:22.920
<v Speaker 1>heaviest of all, but lancers and hussars are of about

23
00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:27.480
<v Speaker 1>equal weight. Both as regard horses and men, the possession

24
00:01:27.519 --> 00:01:30.640
<v Speaker 1>of a horse and the duties involved thereby render the

25
00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:34.879
<v Speaker 1>work of a cavalryman vastly different from that of an infantryman.

26
00:01:35.519 --> 00:01:37.959
<v Speaker 1>In the matter of guard duties. For instance, it would

27
00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:41.599
<v Speaker 1>be possible, in time of peace to abolish all infantry

28
00:01:41.599 --> 00:01:45.280
<v Speaker 1>guard duties without affecting the well being of the units concerned.

29
00:01:45.760 --> 00:01:49.120
<v Speaker 1>In cavalry regiments, on the other hand, it is absolutely

30
00:01:49.159 --> 00:01:52.000
<v Speaker 1>necessary that a certain number of men should be placed

31
00:01:52.040 --> 00:01:55.439
<v Speaker 1>on night guard over the stables, since horses are capable

32
00:01:55.480 --> 00:01:58.079
<v Speaker 1>of doing themselves a good deal of harm in the

33
00:01:58.159 --> 00:02:01.120
<v Speaker 1>course of a night if left to the mind. This

34
00:02:01.280 --> 00:02:04.840
<v Speaker 1>is only one instance of the difference between cavalry and infantry,

35
00:02:05.079 --> 00:02:07.879
<v Speaker 1>but it must be apparent to the most superficial observer

36
00:02:08.280 --> 00:02:11.120
<v Speaker 1>that a vast difference exists between the two arms of

37
00:02:11.159 --> 00:02:15.560
<v Speaker 1>the service. Cavalrymen affect to despise the infantry, whom they

38
00:02:15.639 --> 00:02:20.719
<v Speaker 1>term foot sloggers and beetle crushers, while various other uncomplimentary

39
00:02:20.759 --> 00:02:23.879
<v Speaker 1>epithets are also applied at times to the men who

40
00:02:23.919 --> 00:02:27.800
<v Speaker 1>walk while the cavalry ride. Each section of the cavalry

41
00:02:27.840 --> 00:02:32.439
<v Speaker 1>has its own particular prides and prejudices. The household cavalry,

42
00:02:32.520 --> 00:02:36.400
<v Speaker 1>for instance, consider themselves entitled to look down on the

43
00:02:36.439 --> 00:02:41.039
<v Speaker 1>regiments of the line. Lying cavalrymen conversely affect to despise

44
00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:44.560
<v Speaker 1>the men of the household brigade, who they say counted

45
00:02:44.599 --> 00:02:47.599
<v Speaker 1>a hardship to go to Windsor and never get nearer

46
00:02:47.639 --> 00:02:52.080
<v Speaker 1>to foreign service than Aldershot. Further, a dragoon guard considers

47
00:02:52.120 --> 00:02:56.240
<v Speaker 1>himself immensely superior to a mere dragoon. Both look down

48
00:02:56.520 --> 00:02:59.360
<v Speaker 1>a long way down on the thought of service in

49
00:02:59.400 --> 00:03:02.879
<v Speaker 1>the lancer, and all three affect to despise the idea

50
00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:07.080
<v Speaker 1>of serving as hussars. In the meantime, The hussars declare

51
00:03:07.120 --> 00:03:10.759
<v Speaker 1>that dragoons are big, heavy and useless, while lancers are

52
00:03:10.800 --> 00:03:14.439
<v Speaker 1>not much better, and the hussar is the only perfect cavalryman.

53
00:03:15.039 --> 00:03:17.719
<v Speaker 1>All this, however, is a matter of good humored chaff,

54
00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:21.879
<v Speaker 1>and in reality Dragoons and lancers, or dragoons and hussars,

55
00:03:22.120 --> 00:03:26.120
<v Speaker 1>are any two regiments belonging to different branches of the cavalry,

56
00:03:26.400 --> 00:03:29.840
<v Speaker 1>when placed side by side in the same station, respect

57
00:03:29.960 --> 00:03:34.599
<v Speaker 1>each other's qualities without undue regard to their particular designations.

58
00:03:35.120 --> 00:03:38.599
<v Speaker 1>Among the many little legends and traditions of the cavalry

59
00:03:38.680 --> 00:03:42.599
<v Speaker 1>that attached to the Carabineers six Dragoon Guards is as

60
00:03:42.639 --> 00:03:46.840
<v Speaker 1>interesting as any, though not a particularly creditable one. It

61
00:03:46.919 --> 00:03:50.319
<v Speaker 1>is alleged that some time during the Peninsular Campaign this

62
00:03:50.400 --> 00:03:54.360
<v Speaker 1>regiment misbehaved itself in some way, and the sentence passed

63
00:03:54.439 --> 00:03:57.400
<v Speaker 1>on it was to the effect that officers and men

64
00:03:57.439 --> 00:04:00.919
<v Speaker 1>alike should no longer wear the red tunic to Dragoon

65
00:04:00.960 --> 00:04:05.719
<v Speaker 1>and Dragoon Guard regiments. Thenceforth a blue tunic is substituted

66
00:04:05.759 --> 00:04:08.840
<v Speaker 1>for the more brilliant red, and in addition, a mocking

67
00:04:08.960 --> 00:04:13.000
<v Speaker 1>tune was substituted for the ordinary cavalry revelle, while the

68
00:04:13.039 --> 00:04:16.720
<v Speaker 1>band was ordered to play before revelle each morning. Possibly

69
00:04:16.800 --> 00:04:20.439
<v Speaker 1>the band was guilty of exceptionally bad behavior in order

70
00:04:20.480 --> 00:04:24.680
<v Speaker 1>to merit this extra special punishment. In any case, the

71
00:04:24.680 --> 00:04:28.959
<v Speaker 1>blue tunic, the revelle, and the band playing have persisted

72
00:04:29.120 --> 00:04:32.360
<v Speaker 1>unto this day, and even yet it is unsafe to

73
00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:36.160
<v Speaker 1>inquire too closely of a carabineer into the reason of

74
00:04:36.199 --> 00:04:38.959
<v Speaker 1>his wearing a blue tunic while all others of his

75
00:04:39.199 --> 00:04:42.800
<v Speaker 1>kind were read, although the regiment elected to retain the

76
00:04:42.839 --> 00:04:46.079
<v Speaker 1>blue tunic when a further change of color was proposed.

77
00:04:46.759 --> 00:04:50.560
<v Speaker 1>Another tradition is that of the eleventh Hussars, who, on

78
00:04:50.560 --> 00:04:53.879
<v Speaker 1>one historical occasion were supposed to have covered themselves in

79
00:04:53.959 --> 00:04:57.279
<v Speaker 1>gore and glory to such an extent that the original

80
00:04:57.319 --> 00:05:01.000
<v Speaker 1>color of their uniforms, and especially that of their riding bridges,

81
00:05:01.240 --> 00:05:05.120
<v Speaker 1>was no longer visible. For this meritorious feet, which is

82
00:05:05.199 --> 00:05:08.439
<v Speaker 1>more or less authentic, the regiment was granted the privilege

83
00:05:08.439 --> 00:05:12.800
<v Speaker 1>of wearing cherry colored riding breeches and overalls, and this privilege,

84
00:05:13.000 --> 00:05:17.160
<v Speaker 1>like the carabineer's blue jacket, still survives. It is hardly

85
00:05:17.240 --> 00:05:20.480
<v Speaker 1>necessary to add that the cherry picker, as the eleventh

86
00:05:20.519 --> 00:05:24.959
<v Speaker 1>Husar names himself, is considerably prouder of his cherry colored

87
00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:28.720
<v Speaker 1>pants than is the carabineer of his jacket. A different

88
00:05:28.839 --> 00:05:31.720
<v Speaker 1>explanation of the color is that it was adopted in

89
00:05:31.800 --> 00:05:35.120
<v Speaker 1>honor of the Prince Consort, and since the regiment still

90
00:05:35.160 --> 00:05:39.360
<v Speaker 1>retains as its title the Prince Consort's own. The latter

91
00:05:39.560 --> 00:05:42.959
<v Speaker 1>is more probably correct. From the beginning to the end

92
00:05:43.000 --> 00:05:46.199
<v Speaker 1>of his service, the cavalryman never gets quite clear of

93
00:05:46.279 --> 00:05:50.360
<v Speaker 1>riding school. Riding school work forms the chief portion of

94
00:05:50.399 --> 00:05:52.959
<v Speaker 1>his training as a recruit, when he is taught to

95
00:05:53.079 --> 00:05:56.720
<v Speaker 1>ride both with and without stirrups, to take jumps with

96
00:05:56.839 --> 00:06:00.319
<v Speaker 1>folded arms, to vault on too a horse's back, and

97
00:06:00.519 --> 00:06:02.560
<v Speaker 1>in brief to do all that can be done with

98
00:06:02.639 --> 00:06:06.079
<v Speaker 1>a horse. Supposing him to be an average horseman, he

99
00:06:06.160 --> 00:06:10.319
<v Speaker 1>comes back to riding school annually, at least to refresh

100
00:06:10.360 --> 00:06:13.680
<v Speaker 1>his memory with the old riding school lessons, while if

101
00:06:13.720 --> 00:06:16.639
<v Speaker 1>he is a really good horseman, he is set to

102
00:06:16.920 --> 00:06:19.639
<v Speaker 1>training remounts, in the course of which he has to

103
00:06:19.720 --> 00:06:23.680
<v Speaker 1>train practically unbroken horses to do their part in the

104
00:06:23.720 --> 00:06:26.560
<v Speaker 1>work which he himself has learned on the back of

105
00:06:26.600 --> 00:06:30.360
<v Speaker 1>a horse already trained. The best riders of all in

106
00:06:30.399 --> 00:06:33.720
<v Speaker 1>a regiment are singled out as rough riders or riding

107
00:06:33.720 --> 00:06:36.959
<v Speaker 1>school instructors, and their duty is to take charge of

108
00:06:37.079 --> 00:06:40.800
<v Speaker 1>rides or remounts, to instruct men and horses too, and

109
00:06:40.920 --> 00:06:44.560
<v Speaker 1>to pay particular attention to the breaking in of especially

110
00:06:44.720 --> 00:06:49.519
<v Speaker 1>unmanageable young horses. The riding school training adopted in the

111
00:06:49.519 --> 00:06:54.120
<v Speaker 1>British Cavalry is based on the system inaugurated by Beauchet,

112
00:06:54.399 --> 00:06:58.079
<v Speaker 1>the famous French riding master who came over to England

113
00:06:58.120 --> 00:07:02.680
<v Speaker 1>and revolutionized all ideas with regard to horse mastership in

114
00:07:02.720 --> 00:07:06.240
<v Speaker 1>the early part of the nineteenth century. Under this system,

115
00:07:06.519 --> 00:07:09.120
<v Speaker 1>a horse is taught to obey pressure of leg and

116
00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:13.240
<v Speaker 1>rain to the fullest possible extent, and the bit mouthpiece

117
00:07:13.360 --> 00:07:16.240
<v Speaker 1>forms only a part of the rider's means of control.

118
00:07:16.920 --> 00:07:19.399
<v Speaker 1>By this means, the horse has saved a good deal

119
00:07:19.480 --> 00:07:23.360
<v Speaker 1>of unnecessary exertion, which is an important thing as far

120
00:07:23.399 --> 00:07:26.439
<v Speaker 1>as cavalry riding is concerned, since the object of the

121
00:07:26.480 --> 00:07:29.800
<v Speaker 1>cavalrymen on active service is to save his horse as

122
00:07:29.800 --> 00:07:33.319
<v Speaker 1>far as possible against the need for speed or effective

123
00:07:33.360 --> 00:07:37.040
<v Speaker 1>striking power. Following on the work of the riding school,

124
00:07:37.120 --> 00:07:40.240
<v Speaker 1>the cavalryman is taught on the drill ground to ride

125
00:07:40.360 --> 00:07:44.120
<v Speaker 1>in line of troop at close order. Theoretically, the interval

126
00:07:44.160 --> 00:07:47.439
<v Speaker 1>between men is six inches from knee to knee, but

127
00:07:47.600 --> 00:07:50.839
<v Speaker 1>in practice the knees of the men are touching. When

128
00:07:50.839 --> 00:07:53.399
<v Speaker 1>a troop of men can keep the line perfectly at

129
00:07:53.399 --> 00:07:57.240
<v Speaker 1>a gallop a squadron line is formed. The culminating point

130
00:07:57.240 --> 00:08:00.000
<v Speaker 1>of cavalry training is perfection of line in the lad

131
00:08:00.079 --> 00:08:02.879
<v Speaker 1>the charge of which the rate of progression is the

132
00:08:02.920 --> 00:08:07.120
<v Speaker 1>fastest pace of the slowest horse. A charge produces its

133
00:08:07.160 --> 00:08:10.639
<v Speaker 1>greatest effect when the men ride close together and keep

134
00:08:10.680 --> 00:08:14.120
<v Speaker 1>in line, the object being to effect a definite shock

135
00:08:14.399 --> 00:08:17.600
<v Speaker 1>by throwing as much weight as possible against a given

136
00:08:17.680 --> 00:08:21.839
<v Speaker 1>point at as great a pace as possible. The impact

137
00:08:21.839 --> 00:08:24.839
<v Speaker 1>of the charge, in theory, carries the men who make

138
00:08:24.920 --> 00:08:28.120
<v Speaker 1>it through and beyond the enemy against whom they have charged,

139
00:08:28.399 --> 00:08:32.440
<v Speaker 1>when they are expected to break up their formation and reform,

140
00:08:32.600 --> 00:08:36.080
<v Speaker 1>facing in the direction from whence they have come. The

141
00:08:36.120 --> 00:08:38.440
<v Speaker 1>training which a man has to undergo in order to

142
00:08:38.480 --> 00:08:42.799
<v Speaker 1>fit him for participating in these shock tactics is necessarily

143
00:08:42.960 --> 00:08:47.159
<v Speaker 1>long and severe. In addition to this, cavalry training is

144
00:08:47.200 --> 00:08:51.120
<v Speaker 1>directed toward a multiplicity of ends. In any military action,

145
00:08:51.440 --> 00:08:54.919
<v Speaker 1>infantry have their definite place, which involves bearing the full

146
00:08:54.960 --> 00:08:59.679
<v Speaker 1>brunt of attack, maintaining the defensive, or, in exceptional circumstances,

147
00:09:00.039 --> 00:09:04.399
<v Speaker 1>assuming the offensive, and charging with the bayonet. Cavalry, however,

148
00:09:04.639 --> 00:09:07.440
<v Speaker 1>very rarely bear the full brunt of a sustained attack,

149
00:09:07.879 --> 00:09:12.519
<v Speaker 1>as their organization and equipment render them unfit for prolonged

150
00:09:12.639 --> 00:09:16.600
<v Speaker 1>defensive operations. They are used generally on the flanks of

151
00:09:16.639 --> 00:09:21.320
<v Speaker 1>a field force, for making flank attacks and pursuing retreating enemies.

152
00:09:21.639 --> 00:09:25.080
<v Speaker 1>They are also used in small bodies known as patrols,

153
00:09:25.399 --> 00:09:29.279
<v Speaker 1>as the eyes and ears of an army, preceding other

154
00:09:29.480 --> 00:09:32.320
<v Speaker 1>arms of the service in the advance. They spy out

155
00:09:32.399 --> 00:09:35.200
<v Speaker 1>and bring back information of the position and strength of

156
00:09:35.240 --> 00:09:39.919
<v Speaker 1>the enemy, avoiding actual contact as far as possible. Work

157
00:09:39.960 --> 00:09:43.720
<v Speaker 1>of this kind calls for such initiative and self reliance

158
00:09:43.799 --> 00:09:47.080
<v Speaker 1>on the part of the rank and file, as infantrymen

159
00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:51.639
<v Speaker 1>are seldom called on to exercise. Further, all cavalrymen are

160
00:09:51.679 --> 00:09:54.159
<v Speaker 1>expected to be as proficient in the use of the

161
00:09:54.279 --> 00:09:57.960
<v Speaker 1>rifle as are infantrymen, while they have also to learn

162
00:09:58.000 --> 00:10:01.039
<v Speaker 1>the use of the sword and lance, still carry and

163
00:10:01.240 --> 00:10:04.600
<v Speaker 1>use the lance, which carried by a certain proportion of

164
00:10:04.600 --> 00:10:07.080
<v Speaker 1>the men in the ranks of the dragoon guards and

165
00:10:07.360 --> 00:10:10.320
<v Speaker 1>dragoons at the end of the last and beginning of

166
00:10:10.360 --> 00:10:14.360
<v Speaker 1>the present century, is no longer used by them. It

167
00:10:14.399 --> 00:10:17.519
<v Speaker 1>will be seen from the foregoing that a properly trained

168
00:10:17.559 --> 00:10:21.679
<v Speaker 1>cavalryman must be a thoroughly intelligent individual, and must be

169
00:10:21.759 --> 00:10:25.919
<v Speaker 1>capable of greater initiative and possessed of more resource than

170
00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:29.720
<v Speaker 1>his brother on foot. In many directions, also, he is

171
00:10:29.759 --> 00:10:33.759
<v Speaker 1>required to exercise more initiative than the artillery man, who

172
00:10:33.799 --> 00:10:37.960
<v Speaker 1>is always protected by an escort either of cavalry or infantry,

173
00:10:38.360 --> 00:10:41.080
<v Speaker 1>and is called on to think for himself and work

174
00:10:41.120 --> 00:10:44.559
<v Speaker 1>the gun himself only when all his officers and non

175
00:10:44.600 --> 00:10:49.720
<v Speaker 1>commissioned officers have been shot to stillness. At first sight,

176
00:10:49.840 --> 00:10:52.759
<v Speaker 1>it would appear that the lancer has an immense advantage

177
00:10:52.799 --> 00:10:55.879
<v Speaker 1>over the man armed only with a sword, but in

178
00:10:55.960 --> 00:10:59.559
<v Speaker 1>actual practice the man with the sword is slightly better off.

179
00:10:59.759 --> 00:11:03.360
<v Speaker 1>The lancer gets one effective thrust, but if this is

180
00:11:03.480 --> 00:11:06.559
<v Speaker 1>parried or misses its object, the man with the sword

181
00:11:06.720 --> 00:11:10.000
<v Speaker 1>can get in two or three thrusts before the lancer

182
00:11:10.320 --> 00:11:14.240
<v Speaker 1>has the chance for another blow. Thus, dragoons and dragoon

183
00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:18.000
<v Speaker 1>guards lose little by the absence of the lance, since they,

184
00:11:18.240 --> 00:11:22.080
<v Speaker 1>in common with all other cavalry regiments, still carry the sword.

185
00:11:22.639 --> 00:11:25.159
<v Speaker 1>The American Army, by the way, is the only one

186
00:11:25.240 --> 00:11:28.519
<v Speaker 1>so far which has tried the experiment of arming the

187
00:11:28.600 --> 00:11:32.399
<v Speaker 1>rank and file of its mounted units with revolvers or pistols.

188
00:11:32.720 --> 00:11:35.960
<v Speaker 1>In the British Army revolvers are carried only by sergeants

189
00:11:36.159 --> 00:11:38.960
<v Speaker 1>and those of higher rank, and the rank and file

190
00:11:39.120 --> 00:11:42.720
<v Speaker 1>trust to cold steel for mounted work, reserving the rifles

191
00:11:42.720 --> 00:11:46.159
<v Speaker 1>which they carry for use on foot. The bane of

192
00:11:46.200 --> 00:11:50.279
<v Speaker 1>the cavalryman's life, in his own opinion, is stables, where

193
00:11:50.360 --> 00:11:53.759
<v Speaker 1>he spends about four hours each day in grooming, cleaning,

194
00:11:53.879 --> 00:11:57.320
<v Speaker 1>sweeping out, taking out, betting and bringing it in, and

195
00:11:57.559 --> 00:12:01.519
<v Speaker 1>various other duties. Grooming in a cavalry regiment is a

196
00:12:01.600 --> 00:12:06.200
<v Speaker 1>meticulous business. The writer has personal knowledge of an acquaintance

197
00:12:06.279 --> 00:12:08.960
<v Speaker 1>with a troop officer who used to make his morning

198
00:12:09.039 --> 00:12:12.279
<v Speaker 1>inspection of the troop horses with white kid gloves on,

199
00:12:12.679 --> 00:12:15.080
<v Speaker 1>and the horses were supposed to be groomed to such

200
00:12:15.080 --> 00:12:17.840
<v Speaker 1>a state of cleanliness that when the officer rubbed the

201
00:12:17.879 --> 00:12:22.639
<v Speaker 1>skin the wrong way, his gloves remained unsoiled. Such a

202
00:12:22.679 --> 00:12:26.799
<v Speaker 1>state of perfection as this, of course, is possible only embarracks,

203
00:12:27.000 --> 00:12:30.120
<v Speaker 1>and it is hardly necessary to say that the officer

204
00:12:30.200 --> 00:12:34.559
<v Speaker 1>in question was not exactly idolized by his men. Like

205
00:12:35.039 --> 00:12:39.000
<v Speaker 1>most youths fresh from Sandhurst, he was incapable of making

206
00:12:39.039 --> 00:12:43.759
<v Speaker 1>allowances on maneuvers and under canvas, generally grooming is not

207
00:12:43.879 --> 00:12:46.559
<v Speaker 1>expected to be carried to such a fine point as this.

208
00:12:47.039 --> 00:12:50.000
<v Speaker 1>On active service, it frequently happens that there is no

209
00:12:50.080 --> 00:12:52.919
<v Speaker 1>time at all for grooming, but the general rule is

210
00:12:52.960 --> 00:12:55.360
<v Speaker 1>to keep the horses in such a state of cleanliness

211
00:12:55.559 --> 00:12:58.960
<v Speaker 1>as will avert disease and assist in keeping the animals

212
00:12:58.960 --> 00:13:02.559
<v Speaker 1>in condition. During the South African War, it was found

213
00:13:02.759 --> 00:13:07.279
<v Speaker 1>that gray and white horses were dangerously conspicuous, and animals

214
00:13:07.320 --> 00:13:11.320
<v Speaker 1>of this color were consequently painted khaki. It is not

215
00:13:11.399 --> 00:13:15.200
<v Speaker 1>many years since a proposal was made that the Second Dragoons,

216
00:13:15.360 --> 00:13:18.279
<v Speaker 1>known in the service as the Scots Grays, from the

217
00:13:18.360 --> 00:13:21.080
<v Speaker 1>nationality of the men and the color of the horses,

218
00:13:21.320 --> 00:13:24.559
<v Speaker 1>should have their gray horses taken from them and darker

219
00:13:24.600 --> 00:13:28.519
<v Speaker 1>colored animals substituted. From the time of the founding of

220
00:13:28.559 --> 00:13:31.399
<v Speaker 1>this regiment, its men have been proud of their Grays,

221
00:13:31.720 --> 00:13:35.879
<v Speaker 1>and the order necessitating their disappearance caused a certain amount

222
00:13:35.919 --> 00:13:39.360
<v Speaker 1>of outcry. In spite of the fact that modern military

223
00:13:39.399 --> 00:13:45.000
<v Speaker 1>conditions rendered the substitution desirable. Regimental traditions die hard, and

224
00:13:45.080 --> 00:13:49.159
<v Speaker 1>the Scots Grays elected to remain Grays in reality, while

225
00:13:49.159 --> 00:13:52.320
<v Speaker 1>they will retain their name as long as the regiment exists.

226
00:13:52.879 --> 00:13:56.480
<v Speaker 1>The cavalrymen, far more than the infantrymen, makes a point

227
00:13:56.519 --> 00:14:01.360
<v Speaker 1>of wearing posh clothing on every possible occasion, Posh being

228
00:14:01.399 --> 00:14:05.320
<v Speaker 1>a term used to designate superior clothing or articles of

229
00:14:05.360 --> 00:14:09.440
<v Speaker 1>attire other than those issued by and strictly conforming to

230
00:14:09.799 --> 00:14:14.000
<v Speaker 1>the regulations for walking out in town, a business commonly

231
00:14:14.039 --> 00:14:18.200
<v Speaker 1>known as square pushing. The cavalryman who fancies himself will

232
00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:23.200
<v Speaker 1>be found in superfine cloth overalls, wearing nickel spurs instead

233
00:14:23.240 --> 00:14:27.159
<v Speaker 1>of the regulation steel pair, and with light, thin soled

234
00:14:27.200 --> 00:14:30.159
<v Speaker 1>boots instead of the wellingtons with which he is issued.

235
00:14:30.679 --> 00:14:33.600
<v Speaker 1>It is a commonplace among the infantry that a cavalryman

236
00:14:33.919 --> 00:14:37.639
<v Speaker 1>spends half his pay and more on posh clothing. But

237
00:14:37.840 --> 00:14:41.679
<v Speaker 1>probably the accusation is a little unjust. There is in

238
00:14:41.720 --> 00:14:45.320
<v Speaker 1>the cavalry a greater percentage of gentlemen rankers than in

239
00:14:45.399 --> 00:14:48.120
<v Speaker 1>any other branch of the service, and there are more

240
00:14:48.240 --> 00:14:52.159
<v Speaker 1>queer histories attaching to men in cavalry regiments than in

241
00:14:52.279 --> 00:14:55.919
<v Speaker 1>units of the other arms. The gentleman ranker usually shakes

242
00:14:55.960 --> 00:14:58.120
<v Speaker 1>down to a level with the rest of the regiment.

243
00:14:58.720 --> 00:15:01.559
<v Speaker 1>It has never yet come within the writer's knowledge that

244
00:15:01.679 --> 00:15:05.519
<v Speaker 1>any officer accorded to a gentleman ranker different treatment from

245
00:15:05.519 --> 00:15:08.559
<v Speaker 1>that enjoyed by the majority of the men. In spite

246
00:15:08.559 --> 00:15:12.840
<v Speaker 1>of the assertions of melodrama writers on the subject, favoritism

247
00:15:12.879 --> 00:15:15.320
<v Speaker 1>in the cavalry, as in any branch of the service,

248
00:15:15.720 --> 00:15:18.720
<v Speaker 1>is fatal to discipline, and is not indulged in to

249
00:15:18.840 --> 00:15:21.720
<v Speaker 1>any great extent, certainly not to the benefit of a

250
00:15:21.840 --> 00:15:26.360
<v Speaker 1>gentleman rankers. As a whole, work and efficiency stand first.

251
00:15:26.679 --> 00:15:30.440
<v Speaker 1>Social position in civilian life counts for nothing, and the

252
00:15:30.480 --> 00:15:33.399
<v Speaker 1>gentleman ranker who joins the service with a view to

253
00:15:33.519 --> 00:15:36.919
<v Speaker 1>a commission must prove himself fitted to hold it. From

254
00:15:37.000 --> 00:15:41.159
<v Speaker 1>a military point of view, the gentleman ranker is frequently

255
00:15:41.200 --> 00:15:44.440
<v Speaker 1>a remittance man, and in that case he is certain

256
00:15:44.559 --> 00:15:47.960
<v Speaker 1>of many friends. For the frequenters of the canteen are

257
00:15:48.080 --> 00:15:51.240
<v Speaker 1>usually short of money a day or two before pay

258
00:15:51.320 --> 00:15:54.120
<v Speaker 1>day comes round, and thus the man with a well

259
00:15:54.159 --> 00:15:59.080
<v Speaker 1>lined pocket is of material used to them. Disinterested friendships, however,

260
00:15:59.240 --> 00:16:02.480
<v Speaker 1>are too in the army to call for comment, and

261
00:16:02.600 --> 00:16:05.919
<v Speaker 1>many and many a case occurs of one cavalryman quick

262
00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:09.759
<v Speaker 1>at his work, helping another at cleaning sadlery or equipment

263
00:16:10.039 --> 00:16:13.320
<v Speaker 1>after he has finished his own, without thought or hope

264
00:16:13.360 --> 00:16:17.720
<v Speaker 1>of reward. The mention of sadlery takes us back to stables,

265
00:16:17.799 --> 00:16:21.279
<v Speaker 1>where the cavalryman goes far too often for his own

266
00:16:21.360 --> 00:16:24.080
<v Speaker 1>peace of mind, although as a matter of fact, the

267
00:16:24.080 --> 00:16:27.000
<v Speaker 1>three stable parades per day which he has to undergo

268
00:16:27.440 --> 00:16:30.559
<v Speaker 1>are absolutely necessary for the well being of the horses.

269
00:16:31.120 --> 00:16:34.759
<v Speaker 1>The really smart cavalryman is conspicuous not only for keeping

270
00:16:34.799 --> 00:16:38.840
<v Speaker 1>his horse in exceptionally good condition, but also for the

271
00:16:38.879 --> 00:16:41.240
<v Speaker 1>way in which he keeps the leather and steelwork of

272
00:16:41.279 --> 00:16:45.399
<v Speaker 1>his saddle and head dress. Regulations enact that all steel

273
00:16:45.440 --> 00:16:48.440
<v Speaker 1>work in the stables shall be kept free from rust

274
00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:51.559
<v Speaker 1>and slightly oiled, and leather work shall be cleaned and

275
00:16:51.679 --> 00:16:57.399
<v Speaker 1>kept in condition with soft soap and dubbin only. This regulation, however,

276
00:16:57.559 --> 00:16:59.960
<v Speaker 1>is honored in the breach rather than in the observd

277
00:17:00.600 --> 00:17:03.200
<v Speaker 1>for by the use of brick dust followed by the

278
00:17:03.240 --> 00:17:06.920
<v Speaker 1>application of a steel link burnisher. Steel work is given

279
00:17:06.960 --> 00:17:11.880
<v Speaker 1>the appearance of brilliantly polished silver, and various patent compositions

280
00:17:11.920 --> 00:17:14.880
<v Speaker 1>are used on leather to give it a glossy surface,

281
00:17:15.160 --> 00:17:18.519
<v Speaker 1>this latter with very little regard for the preservation of

282
00:17:18.559 --> 00:17:21.759
<v Speaker 1>the leather. All this means a lot of extra work

283
00:17:21.799 --> 00:17:25.400
<v Speaker 1>in the stable. For the cavalrymen. It is induced in

284
00:17:25.440 --> 00:17:28.160
<v Speaker 1>the first place by one man desiring to give his

285
00:17:28.279 --> 00:17:32.240
<v Speaker 1>outfit a better appearance than the rest. The squadron officer

286
00:17:32.279 --> 00:17:35.559
<v Speaker 1>approves of the polish and brilliance, or perhaps the troop

287
00:17:35.640 --> 00:17:39.279
<v Speaker 1>officer is responsible, and as a result all the men

288
00:17:39.359 --> 00:17:42.880
<v Speaker 1>take up what is merely extra work with no real

289
00:17:43.000 --> 00:17:47.200
<v Speaker 1>resulting advantage. In some extra smart units, the men are

290
00:17:47.319 --> 00:17:51.680
<v Speaker 1>even required by their superiors to scrub the stable, wheelbarrows

291
00:17:51.720 --> 00:17:54.880
<v Speaker 1>and burnish the forks used for turning over the bedding,

292
00:17:55.319 --> 00:17:59.319
<v Speaker 1>but this, it must be confessed, is not a general practice.

293
00:17:59.559 --> 00:18:02.599
<v Speaker 1>At the same time, the fetish of polish and burnish

294
00:18:02.880 --> 00:18:06.400
<v Speaker 1>is worshiped far too well in cavalry units, with the

295
00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:10.599
<v Speaker 1>occasional result that efficiency takes second place in time of

296
00:18:10.680 --> 00:18:15.359
<v Speaker 1>peace to mere surface smartness. As has already been stated

297
00:18:15.400 --> 00:18:18.160
<v Speaker 1>in a different connection, the barrack room life of the

298
00:18:18.200 --> 00:18:23.000
<v Speaker 1>cavalryman is easier than that of the infantryman. Kit inspections

299
00:18:23.039 --> 00:18:27.000
<v Speaker 1>and arms inspections take place at stated intervals, and barracks

300
00:18:27.079 --> 00:18:30.400
<v Speaker 1>rooms are kept clean, though not kept with such fussy

301
00:18:30.559 --> 00:18:35.000
<v Speaker 1>exactness as in infantry units. The trained cavalryman, in normal

302
00:18:35.079 --> 00:18:37.759
<v Speaker 1>time finishes the main part of his work at midday.

303
00:18:38.319 --> 00:18:41.799
<v Speaker 1>He then has his dinner, and after this makes down

304
00:18:41.880 --> 00:18:44.759
<v Speaker 1>his bed as it will be for the night. Unless

305
00:18:44.759 --> 00:18:48.079
<v Speaker 1>it is his turn for fatigue, he generally snoozes through

306
00:18:48.119 --> 00:18:51.559
<v Speaker 1>the afternoon until about half past four, when it is

307
00:18:51.640 --> 00:18:55.599
<v Speaker 1>time to get ready for stable parade. In India, especially,

308
00:18:55.720 --> 00:18:58.359
<v Speaker 1>a cavalryman has a light time of it, for there

309
00:18:58.440 --> 00:19:01.799
<v Speaker 1>is allotted to each squadron a definite number of siices

310
00:19:01.920 --> 00:19:05.559
<v Speaker 1>or native grooms, who assist the men, as well as

311
00:19:05.599 --> 00:19:08.799
<v Speaker 1>the non commissioned officers in the care of their horses,

312
00:19:09.039 --> 00:19:12.480
<v Speaker 1>and who do a good deal of the necessary saddle cleaning.

313
00:19:13.000 --> 00:19:15.920
<v Speaker 1>Cavalry serving in Egypt also get a certain amount of

314
00:19:15.960 --> 00:19:19.160
<v Speaker 1>assistance in their work, and on the whole a cavalryman

315
00:19:19.319 --> 00:19:22.160
<v Speaker 1>is far better off on foreign service than he is

316
00:19:22.440 --> 00:19:26.440
<v Speaker 1>in home station. The advantages of the home station consist

317
00:19:26.519 --> 00:19:30.000
<v Speaker 1>mainly in the presence of congenial society among the civilians

318
00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:33.599
<v Speaker 1>of the station. The soldier abroad is a being apart,

319
00:19:33.920 --> 00:19:37.279
<v Speaker 1>and for the most part civilians leave him very much alone.

320
00:19:37.799 --> 00:19:41.960
<v Speaker 1>There remains, however, the ever present football by way of consolation.

321
00:19:42.880 --> 00:19:46.559
<v Speaker 1>As in infantry units, bodies of signallers and scouts are

322
00:19:46.640 --> 00:19:51.480
<v Speaker 1>necessary to the establishment of every cavalry regiment. Signalers, for

323
00:19:51.559 --> 00:19:54.680
<v Speaker 1>the period of their training are excused from all duties

324
00:19:54.680 --> 00:19:58.960
<v Speaker 1>connected with horses and stablework. Cavalry scouts, on the other hand,

325
00:19:59.240 --> 00:20:01.799
<v Speaker 1>have to use their horses in the course of their training,

326
00:20:02.079 --> 00:20:04.759
<v Speaker 1>and thus attend stables like the rest of the men,

327
00:20:05.119 --> 00:20:09.319
<v Speaker 1>although stable discipline in their case is somewhat relaxed. The

328
00:20:09.400 --> 00:20:13.480
<v Speaker 1>cavalry scout requires more training than the infantry scout. With

329
00:20:13.599 --> 00:20:16.440
<v Speaker 1>his horse, he is able to go farther afield, and

330
00:20:16.559 --> 00:20:20.039
<v Speaker 1>his work is more definitely that of reconnaissance and the

331
00:20:20.079 --> 00:20:23.359
<v Speaker 1>obtaining of information, which may be of more use to

332
00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:27.400
<v Speaker 1>a brigade or divisional commander than that any infantryman is

333
00:20:27.480 --> 00:20:31.200
<v Speaker 1>capable of obtaining. Without a horse to carry him to

334
00:20:31.319 --> 00:20:35.200
<v Speaker 1>his other accomplishments. The cavalryman is expected to add some

335
00:20:35.359 --> 00:20:38.960
<v Speaker 1>slight knowledge of veterinary matters in order that when forced

336
00:20:39.000 --> 00:20:41.920
<v Speaker 1>to depend upon himself and his horse, he can find

337
00:20:41.960 --> 00:20:44.799
<v Speaker 1>remedies for simple ailments and keep the horse in a

338
00:20:44.799 --> 00:20:48.519
<v Speaker 1>state of fitness. The shoeing smith and farriers, who form

339
00:20:48.599 --> 00:20:51.920
<v Speaker 1>a special department of every cavalry regiment, are under the

340
00:20:51.920 --> 00:20:55.920
<v Speaker 1>control of the veterinary officer. Included in the establishment of

341
00:20:56.000 --> 00:20:59.960
<v Speaker 1>each cavalry unit, and the veterinary officer constitutes the final

342
00:21:00.119 --> 00:21:03.839
<v Speaker 1>court of appeal when anything affecting a long faced chum

343
00:21:04.160 --> 00:21:08.640
<v Speaker 1>is in question. Sufficient has been said about the cavalryman

344
00:21:08.720 --> 00:21:11.960
<v Speaker 1>on duty to show that his tasks are legion. His

345
00:21:12.079 --> 00:21:15.799
<v Speaker 1>fitness to perform them has been attested on recent battlefields,

346
00:21:15.960 --> 00:21:19.839
<v Speaker 1>as well as on earlier historic occasions. Off duty and

347
00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:22.480
<v Speaker 1>in time of peace, he is, in the main a

348
00:21:22.519 --> 00:21:26.400
<v Speaker 1>fairly pleasant fellow, often a very shy one, and usually

349
00:21:26.480 --> 00:21:30.039
<v Speaker 1>capable of using the King's English in reasonable fashion. The

350
00:21:30.160 --> 00:21:33.680
<v Speaker 1>average cavalryman has a sufficiency of aspirits, and in the

351
00:21:33.720 --> 00:21:36.680
<v Speaker 1>matter of intelligence the nature of the duties he has

352
00:21:36.720 --> 00:21:42.000
<v Speaker 1>pulled upon to perform voices his claims quite sufficiently. End

353
00:21:42.079 --> 00:21:43.079
<v Speaker 1>of Chapter five