CHAPTER I

1859-1909[2]

[2] This history, up to the year 1891, was written and published in that year by Lieut. (now Lt.-Col.) Edward Merrick, C.S.R.V. He has brought his narrative down to 1909 for the purpose of this volume.

For the purpose of tracing the first authentic record of Volunteers connected with the Civil Service, it is necessary to call attention to the raising of the Loyal Volunteers of London in 1798. About that year, when we were at war with France and Spain, were fighting in India, and almost all over the world, and the country was denuded of troops, the rich citizens of London began to get alarmed at their unprotected state, in the event of rebellion or riot at home. They petitioned the King, and a charter was granted, authorising the formation of armed associations in London and the environs.

The “Loyal Volunteers of London,” as they were called, were therefore raised to uphold the cause of the King and of order. Their motto was “_Pro Rege et Patria_.”

Among the corps thus raised was that of the “Somerset House Volunteers.” A picture of one of these gentlemen, as copied from a book by T. Rowlandson, in the British Museum, may now be seen in the Orderly Room at the Audit Office.

Somerset House Volunteers, 1798.

The Somerset House Volunteer Association consisted only of two companies of light infantry, under the command of Walter Sterling, Major Commandant. The Captains were J. Stewart and W. Harrison. The corps was not to go out of the district of Somerset House and St. Mary-le-Strand, but with its own consent.

Bank of England Volunteers, 1798.

Among those who would have cause for anxiety at such a period would naturally be the Governor and Directors of the Bank of England, and certainly they showed great public spirit. They headed a voluntary contribution to the revenue in this year, with a subscription of £200,000. They also raised from their employés a corps of volunteers, 450 strong, to protect the Bank.

This corps was under the command of Thomas Whitmore, and Rowlandson tells us that it was presented with colours on 2nd September, 1799, by the lady of Samuel Thornton, Esq., Governor of the Bank of England, in Lord’s Ground, Marylebone. A picture of this ceremonial, painted by Stoddart, is to be seen now in the Bank.

These Loyal Volunteers of London were, however, entirely swamped by the great volunteer movement, which swept throughout the country in 1802, caused by the extensive preparations then being made by Bonaparte to invade England.

Volunteers of 1802.

In this war-scare, which far exceeded in its intensity that of 1859, 420,000 Volunteers were enrolled in a few months--many more, in fact, than the Government could or ever did arm.

The Civil Service were represented in this body by two corps: the Excise Corps, which in 1804 was 576 strong, under the command of Lord George Seymour, and the Customs Corps, about 300 strong.

In the same year (1804), the Bank of England had a corps of 433, under the command of William Manning, and a supplementary corps of 122, under the command of Beeston Long.

Some of the records of the last-named corps are still in existence in the Bank. From them we gather that the parades were usually held at 7 or 8 a.m. The most notable period in their history appears to have been in 1812, at the time of the assassination of Mr. Percival in the House of Commons. In the state of public alarm that followed this event, it was considered necessary that the Bank Volunteers should be under arms to guard the Bank, night and day.

Disbandment.

At the signing of the general treaty of peace in 1814, the joy of the country at what it believed to be the conclusion of its long and exhausting wars, was shown by the haste with which the Volunteers were at once disbanded.

The Corps of the Civil Service shared with others in votes of thanks passed to them by both Houses of Parliament, and letters from the Commander-in-Chief (the Prince Regent) were received, thanking each corps for its valuable services.

From the records already referred to, we find that a special “march past” before the Lord Mayor, at the Mansion House, brought the military duties of the Bank officials of that generation to an end.

We now pass over a space of 45 years, during which the military spirit of the Service may be said to have lain dormant, until we approach the event with which the true interest of our story begins, viz., the year 1859, and the birth of the Corps to which we have the honour to belong.

To the Members of the Audit Office (now the Exchequer and Audit Department), Somerset House, must, without doubt, be assigned the honour of having founded the Civil Service Volunteer Corps.

General Meeting at Audit Office.

The Volunteer Force of to-day, as everybody knows, sprang into existence in the year 1859, and was occasioned by the warlike attitude of the Emperor of the French and the blustering threats of his generals. The notable circular of the Secretary of State for War to the Lords Lieutenant, which called the Volunteers into existence, was dated 12th May, 1859, and on the 18th May a meeting, which had been formally convened “to take into consideration the formation of a Rifle Volunteer Corps from the Members of the Civil Service,” was held at the Audit Office. Mr. F. A. Hawker was the prime mover in this proceeding, and he presided at the meeting.

Now, if everything had proceeded as satisfactorily as the energetic and spirited action of these early pioneers deserved, the “Civil Service” would have been one of the first Metropolitan Corps formed, and its order of precedence would therefore have been far in advance of what it ultimately became. But, unfortunately, we have here another example of the old proverb, “the more haste,” &c., for, notwithstanding the circular of the Secretary of State, the War Office were by no means ready to respond with any degree of generosity to the crowds of enthusiastic civilians who at once cried out on all sides to be armed.

The utmost conceded was that Volunteers should be allowed in certain cases to _purchase_ their own arms and equipment.

First Attempts at Formation.

The desire, however, of the Audit Office Meeting was that special favour should be shown to Civil Servants, so it was decided to express the views of the meeting in the following letter, which was despatched, not to the War Office, but to the Prime Minister himself, Earl Derby:

“Audit Office, 20th May, 1859.

“MY LORD,--I have the honour to transmit to your Lordship a copy of the Resolutions passed at a meeting of gentlemen of the Audit Office, held on the 18th instant to take into consideration the formation of a Volunteer Rifle Corps from the members of the Civil Service and I beg leave respectfully to request that your Lordship will be pleased to cause me to be furnished with replies to the Resolutions in question for the information of the gentlemen in this office who have signified their desire to join a Civil Service Rifle Corps.

“The junior members of the Civil Service being generally in the receipt of small incomes, your Lordship will perceive that the only difficulty in obtaining volunteers from the Civil Service is the expense attending their outfit. I would therefore, venture more particularly to draw your Lordship’s attention to the 3rd Resolution, in which we request that the arms and accoutrements only may be supplied to volunteers from the members of the Civil Service by Her Majesty’s Government; _and as this is a question which affects nearly the whole body of the Civil Service, who are anxious to enrol themselves into a Volunteer Rifle Corps_, I trust that your Lordship will not think us intrusive in asking you to take these Resolutions into your favourable consideration.

“We hope your Lordship will pardon us if we have taken any liberty in bringing this subject under your consideration, but as Civil Servants of the Crown we are anxious that we should not be behind others in the present movement in favour of the formation of Volunteer Rifle Corps.

“I have, &c.,

“F. A. HAWKER.”

The reply to this letter came from the War Office, and affords an admirable illustration of the amount of official support, which the Volunteer movement received in its infancy.

“War Office, 31st May, 1859.

“Sir,--I am directed by Secretary Major-General Peel to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 20th instant, on the subject of a Civil Service Volunteer Corps, which has been forwarded to this office by Lord Derby.

“In reply, I am to inform you that the Government have decided not to supply arms to Volunteer Corps, either by sale or otherwise; and that General Peel does not consider the case of the gentlemen on whose behalf your application has been made to be one in which he can sanction a departure from the general rule.

“I am, &c.,

“H. R. DREWRY.”

Thus closed the first act in the attempt to form a Civil Service Rifle Corps, for this snub appears to have had the effect of quenching the military ardour of the Auditors to such an extent that several months elapsed before they recovered from it.

In October, however, roused by events going on around them, they took heart once more, and returned to the charge. By this time Government had partially thawed, under the influence of the excitement throughout the country. Lord Ranelagh’s Committee had sat at the War Office, and it had been decided to issue arms to Volunteers at the lavish rate of one rifle to every four men enrolled.

In answer, therefore, to a letter despatched to him by Mr. Hawker, the Secretary of State for War stated, in a reply dated 7th November, 1859, that he would be happy to recommend Her Majesty to accept any offer of the service of a Company or Sub-division of Volunteers, which he might receive from Mr. Hawker through the Lord-Lieutenant of the County.

Audit Corps Formed.

Forthwith, at a general meeting held in the Audit Office on the 10th November, it was resolved, “That it was desirable that a Sub-division of not less than forty effectives be at once formed in the Audit Office, and that other departments be invited to co-operate by raising Companies or Sub-divisions with the view of promoting the formation of a Brigade.”

From this time forward enthusiasm and hard work were the order of the day. A circular letter to other Government Departments was issued, and the nucleus of the Corps was at once formed by the immediate election of forty-six members of the Audit Office.

In a few days the number of effective members enlisted had reached seventy. Affairs were pushed on with great energy, and on the 25th November, 1859, at half-past four in the afternoon, the first drill of the Civil Service Volunteers was held in Westminster Hall--one Sergeant Chace being the Instructor.

Other Corps Formed.

The Auditors were not to be left long in sole possession of the military arena of the Civil Service, for Corps were being rapidly raised in the Post Office, Inland Revenue, Customs, Whitehall, and Admiralty.

An unsuccessful attempt was made to raise a Corps in the British Museum.

Almost all of these Corps date their origin from the circular issued from the Audit Office, inviting the co-operation of their department. So rapidly were they organised, that towards the end of December, 1859, they appear to have got into fair working order; and in answer to an invitation from the Audit Office, a Provisional Council, consisting of two representatives from each Corps, assembled for the purpose of taking the necessary steps to amalgamate the whole into one Brigade.

First Council Meeting.

This first meeting of the Council was held on the 7th January, 1860. The following members were present, as the first chosen representatives of their divisions, and to them may be justly attributed the title of “The Fathers of the Regiment”:--

Captain F. A. Hawker, Audit Office Corps, in the chair. Lieutenant Vine, Audit Office Corps. Captain Harrington, Post Office Corps. Mr. T. Angell, Post Office Corps. Mr. W. Willis, Admiralty Corps. Mr. A. Brady, Admiralty Corps. Mr. F. B. Garnett, Inland Revenue Corps. Mr. J. H. Dwelly, Inland Revenue Corps. Mr. J. H. Lilley, Customs Corps. Mr. Wybrow, Customs Corps. Mr. Tom Taylor, Whitehall Corps. Mr. Richard Mills, Whitehall Corps.

Containing, as this list does, the names of so many men that have since become eminent in the Service, it affords ample evidence that the Regiment could have suffered from no lack of talent in the conduct of its affairs in its early days.

Title of Corps.

The first proceeding of the Council after electing Mr. Francis Taylor, of the Audit Office, its secretary, was to resolve that the amalgamated corps (now found to consist of 658 effective and 410 honorary members, and stated to be “daily increasing”) should be called the “Civil Service Rifle Brigade.” The Admiralty representatives suggested the “Crown Rifle Brigade,” but their amendment was not received with favour.

Uniform.

The Council next launched into the important subject of uniform, a subject of which the details occupied their attention at several successive meetings, and in regard to which some of the members displayed great energy. Apparently unmindful of the terrors of a military tailor’s bill, each attended the meeting in the pattern of uniform that he individually recommended. Mr. Tom Taylor was one of these energetic members, and to him it appears that the regiment was indebted for the pattern of most of the uniform ultimately selected; for we find that with regard to the full dress of both privates and officers, the decision of the Council was that “the uniform worn by Mr. Tom Taylor be adopted.”

The uniform as then fixed was similar in all main points to that so recently discarded. It was, perhaps, a little more sombre in appearance, for the royal blue facings, silver lace, and Prince of Wales’ feathers were added at a later date (1863). The cost, including chako, was £4 4s.

Affairs were not to remain for long in the semi-amalgamated corps in a state of perfect harmony. A disagreement, amounting to an open breach, even occurred on this early question of uniform; for at the third meeting of the Council, held on the 31st January, a letter from the Customs Corps was read, stating that “_they declined to adopt the ornaments on the belts as decided upon by the Council, and that they would therefore have no participation in the arrangements of the Civil Service Regiment_.”

Customs Corps Secede.

The Customs had, from the first, shown an inclination to fall off. It appears that, being a strong corps, they considered they were entitled to be represented on the Council by more than two representatives.

With an expression of regret for their withdrawal, “more especially on a matter so trivial,” the Council accepted the loss; and when the authority for the amalgamation was ultimately received from the War Office, it referred only to the 27th Middlesex (Inland Revenue), the 31st (Whitehall), and the 34th (Admiralty), which were to be amalgamated with the 21st Middlesex (Audit Office and Post Office), the battalion to be entitled “The Civil Service Corps of Rifle Volunteers,” with an authorised maximum strength of 800.

Prince of Wales.

At its second meeting, the Council had decided upon the important step of inviting the Prince of Wales to accept the Honorary Colonelcy of the Regiment. They were induced to take this step by the hopes held out to them through Mr. George Alexander Hamilton, Secretary to the Treasury, to whose influence the success of the application was mainly attributed; for by the beginning of May an intimation was received that, with the sanction of Her Majesty and the Prince Consort, His Royal Highness had graciously consented to accept the post. And from the honour thus accorded it the Regiment has never ceased to derive the greatest benefit. To be singled out in these early days as the Regiment through whom this mark of Royal favour was to be shown to the Volunteer force, was a distinction which placed it at once in the forefront of public estimation, whilst the interest which, on many occasions, the Prince has since exhibited in its welfare has contributed largely to the prosperity of the corps.

Chaplain.

The first Staff appointment which the Council succeeded in filling was that of Chaplain, offered to, and accepted by, the Rev. Charles Kingsley, afterwards Canon Kingsley.

C.O.

The important post of Lieutenant-Colonel or Commanding Officer was not so easily filled. It was offered first to Sir E. Lugard, and afterwards to Lord West, but both were unable to undertake the duties. At length, at a meeting held on the 15th May, on a proposition of Captain Mills, the Council decided that Viscount Bury be invited to take the command of the regiment. This application proved more successful, for although Lord Bury had connected himself to a slight extent with the “Artists’” Corps, which had just been formed, the impediment was soon removed, and before the end of June his lordship attended a meeting of the Council, and a few days afterwards was gazetted Lieutenant-Colonel of the Regiment.

Lord Bury at this time occupied the official position of Treasurer to the Royal Household, and, together with Lord Ranelagh, Lord Elcho, and the Duke of Westminster, was one of the prominent leaders of the Volunteer movement.

Adjutant.

The appointment of an Adjutant also caused difficulty. A committee consisting of a few members of the Council was elected to consider the applications for the post. The choice of this committee fell upon Captain Ennis, who was a member of the Corps, and Captain-Commandant of the Inland Revenue Companies. Captain Ennis had at one time been in the “Hussars.”

The War Office, however, refused to accept Captain Ennis as Adjutant, on the ground that he was over fifty, and that his service in the army had been in connection with the Cavalry. The feeling in the Regiment was very strong against this decision, and grave consequences with regard to the prosperity of the Corps were said to be likely to ensue if the War Office refused to appoint so popular an officer.

One of the first tasks which Lord Bury undertook, by desire of the Council, was to overcome the objection raised by the War Office. In this he was successful, and Captain Ennis was appointed to the post, which, however, he held for two years only, when he resigned.

Surgeon.

With the authority for the appointment of Captain Ennis to the Adjutancy came also that of Dr. Spencer Smith to the post of Surgeon. This gentleman resigned only a few years ago, after a service of 24 years. In the early days his office was by no means the apparent sinecure it has since become, for it was the duty of the Surgeon, or the Assistant Surgeon, to attend at the range whenever target practice was held, and for the zealous and kind manner in which this duty was carried out, at great sacrifice of time and convenience, the Commanding Officer, in regimental orders, expressed the warmest thanks of the Regiment.

The amount of zeal with which the Surgeons entered upon their work in those days is exemplified by the following unpleasantly expressive item in the Regimental accounts of that period:

“To set of Amputating Instruments kept at the Range £4 4 0.”

Major.

The War Office, at that time, required that Majors of Volunteer Corps should have served in the Army, so that it was not until April, 1861, that the post of Major was filled by the appointment of Major Leslie (late Captain 1st Life Guards).

With this exception the formation of the Regiment may now (June, 1860) be said to have been complete. It was composed as follows:

A Company (Audit Office) 81 Captain Hawker.

B & C “ (Post Office) 133 { “ Harrington. { “ Du Plat Taylor.

D & E “ (Inld. Revenue) 102 { “ Dalbiac. { “ Ennis, junr.

F & G “ (Whitehall) 153 { “ Tom Taylor. { “ Mills.

H “ (Admiralty) 64 “ Willis. ---- 533 ----

Composition of Corps.

These numbers scarcely convey a correct impression of the hold which the corps had secured upon the Civil Service. It must be remembered that, in addition to the effective strength as given above, there were at least 500 honorary members including many who occupied leading official positions. These were individuals who were debarred by age or other reasons from drilling, but who, nevertheless, were quite as enthusiastic in advocating the new “movement” as their more active comrades in the ranks.

Of the latter it may be said that, on the whole, they were men of more advanced age and position than we are now accustomed to see in the ranks. Shouldering the rifle amongst them were many men now of note--Lord Lingen, Sir R. G. C. Hamilton, Lord Teynham, and others. The name of Mr. Tom Taylor the well known dramatic author, afterwards editor of _Punch_, has already been mentioned; whilst other literary and scientific men the corps could then claim were Professor Huxley, Professor Tyndall, Mr. Anthony Trollope, Mr. W. S. Gilbert, and Mr. Edmund Yates.

To turn from the doings of the Council to those of the Regiment itself, we find that the first parade of the combined corps “for the purpose of drilling as a battalion” was held at Somerset House on the 28th March, 1860.

First Battalion Drill, &c.

This parade was in plain clothes and without arms, but in the following week the regiment mustered in uniform and under arms. Captain Ennis (afterwards Adjutant) took the command at these drills.

The following week the regiment was ready for its first “march out.” This notable event was held at Wimbledon, amidst torrents of rain, and is commemorated by a sketch made by Captain Angell, a photograph of which hangs in the Orderly Room. The expense of this march was defrayed by a collection of ten shillings per man.

From this time, instruction in battalion drill proceeded with great vigour. The use of the West London Cricket Ground at Brompton was obtained for the purpose, and the regiment marched there weekly, whilst other battalion drills and “skeleton drills” for officers were held almost daily at Somerset House.

Matters proceeded so rapidly on the appointment of a Lieutenant-Colonel, that Lord Bury considered that the Corps might be safely exposed to the perils of a sham fight to be held by the Metropolitan Volunteers at Bromley, on the 14th July. This, however, did not appear to be the opinion of the regiment itself when the day arrived. The muster was very small. It was attributed afterwards by Lord Bury in Orders, to the fact that “many members of the regiment had resolved not to come on account of the danger to be apprehended from the inexperience of their comrades in firing drill.”

The members themselves, however, seemed very anxious to remedy this minor defect on their part, and musketry instruction now became the rage. To carry this out successfully it was necessary that a staff of Volunteer Instructors should be raised, who in their turn should instruct the other members of the Regiment.

Musketry Instruction.

The arduous duties carried out by these Volunteer Musketry Instructors certainly entitle them to especial mention. At their head was Captain Du Plat Taylor, assisted by Ensign Campbell and Battalion Instructor Halliday. The first Company Instructors in the order of merit in which they passed their examination were:

Sergeant Rule. “ Powell. “ Bond. “ Lockhart. “ Crispin. “ Pitt. Corporal R. G. Hamilton. “ Churchill. Sergeant Plaskett. “ Trickett. Corporal Hamilton. Sergeant Cardin. “ Potter. Corporal Baker. Sergeant Pidcock. “ Jackson.

Every available place in the neighbourhood of Somerset House was occupied nightly by squads practising “position” and “aiming” drill, and by August, Captain Du Plat Taylor was able to take his first squad to the Wimbledon range for ball practice. This was carried out in the strictest and most methodical manner, for even in those days, Captain Taylor began to earn for himself the character of the strict disciplinarian for which he has since been so noted. The following facts are gathered from the regulations laid down by him in Regimental Musketry Orders:

“All Target Practice to be performed in Uniform, in Full Marching Order.

“Members proceeding to Wimbledon for Firing Practice to fall in in Military Order at the station at Putney, and march to the range under the command of the senior present. On arrival at the range they would be delivered over to the Senior Musketry Instructor. The return to Putney to be conducted in the same manner. _Strict silence to be maintained in the ranks throughout the whole of the proceedings._

“With the view of avoiding the heavy expenses incurred by the hire of Butt Markers, the duties to be undertaken by members of the Corps; three non-commissioned officers and three privates being previously detailed on each occasion.

“Should any member so detailed refuse or neglect to attend, he would be disqualified from competing for Regimental Prizes.”

However necessary these rules may have been at the time, it need scarcely be observed that before long they were found to be irksome. Rumour reports that on the occasion of a squad, on its return from the ranges in the dark, being marched into a ditch, open mutiny broke out with regard to the obnoxious rules, and that Captain Taylor was thereupon constrained to relax his discipline until he could find more tractable material to work upon than the “gentlemen of the Civil Service.”

Queen’s Review.

Two events of the year 1860 must not be omitted. One was the first grand Volunteer Review before the Queen, in Hyde Park, when the Civil Service, under Lord Bury, formed part of a brigade under Lord Ranelagh.

In reference to this event Lord Bury states, “The behaviour of all ranks on the ground was steady and soldierlike, and the general appearance presented by the Regiment was all that could be desired.”

Another was the celebration of the Prince of Wales’ birthday by an inspection at Somerset House, followed by a Regimental Dinner.