HC Deb 04 August 1881 vol 264 cc853-60

SIR ROBERT LOYD LINDSAY, in rising to move— That, in order to meet the requirements of modern warfare, and to secure rapidity of movement for troops armed with breech-loading rifles, some provision be made in this year's Army Estimates for the formation of corps of mounted infantry, and that a proportion of such corps form part of the Army establishment in future, said, he did not desire to see a new branch of the Service established; but he wanted greater mobility to be given to our Infantry, who were, nevertheless, not to relax their efforts to improve themselves in the use of the rifle. Almost inestimable service was rendered in a campaign by giving additional power of locomotion to the troops engaged in it. He had no doubt that hon. Members who had taken interest in modern campaigns had observed that themselves. They might remember the very wonderful marches which Sir Hugh Rose made in India with troops mounted on ponies and mules. If his hon. and gallant Friend the late Member for Sunderland (Sir Henry Havelock) had been in the House he would have said something in support of the Motion he had brought forward. The success of Sir Henry Havelock's mounted riflemen was recorded in Malleson's History of India, from which he begged to quote the following passage:— Thus 60 men, organized on a novel plan—that is to say, as mounted riflemen—had effected, with almost nominal loss, in five days, during which they marched about 40 miles a-day, what 3,000 regular troops had for six months failed to accomplish—namely, the complete expulsion of 4,500 rebels from the province, and in the infliction on them of a punishment which has not to this day been effaced. With reference to operations in Cabul in December, 1880, the advantage of having a body of mounted infantry available for service was forcibly brought to notice, and Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Roberts accordingly gave orders for the formation of such a body. A committee was assembled to consider the subject, and the result was as follows:—One officer and 60 rank and file were selected from each regiment from men best able to ride. Each man was provided with a pony or mule from the regimental transport. The baggage saddles were so far converted as to make them suitable for riding, and were furnished with stirrups. Each man was provided with a pair of "khoojins," or native saddle bags, and in these were carried 60 rounds of ammunition in two tin cases holding 30 rounds each, three days' rations, and one day's grain for the pony; the total weight of these articles was 17 lb. Blankets were carried, folded under the seat, and fastened by a surcingle; greatcoats were carried, rolled up behind; also a picketting rope and peg; spare shoes and nails were carried in a pocket in the saddle. For British soldiers a small Warren's cooking pot was adopted for every four men, carried by one of each squad in a bag specially suited for the purpose. The equipment of the infantry soldier was not changed; but when mounted the men carried their rifles slung across their backs. There was no doubt that a body of infantry possessed of such mobility might on many occasions prove invaluable, whether the object was to relieve or reinforce a distant post, or seize a point of vantage; while the increased distances they would traverse might be of the greatest service. In an essay written for the Wellington Prize in 1871, Sir Garnet Wolseley said— The next time we take the field, if the general has the same views as the writer, he will be as strong in mounted infantry as he can, with due regard to the forage resources of the country to be operated in. He added— The offensive operations of mounted infantry must be by flank attacks. Its great power of moving enables it to make wide turning movements, knowing that, if beaten off, the enemy's infantry cannot pursue, and that from his cavalry it has nothing to fear. In the same essay he said— With reference to the use of cavalry in attacks upon an enemy's position, the more one studies the battles lately fought in France, the more one is convinced that the chief use of cavalry henceforth will be as the eyes and ears of an army. The days of grand imposing charges of horsemen in masses are past, and only to be remembered among the spirit-stirring deeds of a bygone era. During the late war (Franco-German), the cavalry on both sides remained idle listeners to the roar of distant guns, or, when this course was departed from, the result proved the folly of the proceeding. We read of whole regiments of French cavalry being, as it were, crushed to death by the infantry fire at Sedan in their efforts, not so much for victory, as to prove that all chivalrous gallantry had not departed from their army. The deductions which Sir Garnet Wolseley drew, therefore, from the most recent lessons in war was that during an action, cavalry, as a combatant arm, could seldom be of much decisive use; while the duties of obtaining information of the enemy's doings and of protecting the flanks could be more effectively performed by corps consisting of mounted infantry and cavalry in the proportion of four to one in favour of the mounted infantry. In a lecture on mounted riflemen at the United Service Institution, delivered in 1873, Sir Evelyn Wood, now second in command in the Transvaal, said— The experience gained during the war of 1870–1 has confirmed the opinion, long held by many soldiers, that mounted riflemen are now essential to every enterprising army. In the course of that lecture, delivered seven years ago, Sir Evelyn Wood, then Colonel Wood, urged with great energy—and, let him say, with great courage—as an army reformer, the necessity of forming such corps, and he laid down this resolute proposition—namely, that before the next war a scheme for establishing mounted riflemen must be decided upon. And on that question, he said, all thinking soldiers are agreed, and that it only remains necessary to ascertain which plan is the most suitable for the British nation. But he added— If the formation of such troops is postponed until war is imminent, it will be hurriedly and, therefore, badly executed. He would read an extract from Sir George Colley, written from the camp, at Newcastle, January 17, 1881, which showed that Sir Evelyn Wood's words were almost prophetic. In that letter Sir George Colley said— I confess that I was greatly disappointed that the effect of the artillery fire, which, even when the Boers came out of their cover, and crowded the ridges pretty thickly, seemed absolutely nil; and to this and the failure of Brown-low's charge I attribute the loss of the day. But in justice to Brownlow's second troop it must be remembered that they consisted only of mounted infantry very recently organized. It was a steep and bold charge, and some of their horses, with little training, could not be brought to face the fire. It was rather curious that Sir Evelyn Wood should have had an opportunity of proving the very thing that he said nine years ago, when he remarked that unless that matter was taken in hand at leisure and done in time of peace, they would have it done in time of war, and done badly and insufficiently. Now, he himself was not an alarmist as to this country, with its small Regular Force, being able to hold its own in every part of the world, as it was called upon to do; but it was a matter of grave consideration how that could best be done in future. In every war in which we had been engaged, from the Peninsular down to the Zulu War, the British troops had invariably met other troops who were not so well armed as themselves. Even in the Indian Mutiny, the Sepoys, although trained by English officers, were only armed with Brown Bess, while our troops used breech-loading rifles. But things were reversed in the case of the late contest with the Boers of the Transvaal. Breech-loading rifles were now so cheap and so easily obtained that every nation, and even every savage tribe that intended to go to war, would take care to provide themselves with those weapons. Unless, therefore, we took such steps to keep ourselves in advance and to alter our tactics and the equipments of our Army as our most experienced officers recommended, we might be placed in a position of great difficulty at no distant clay. He trusted the Secretary of State for War would take the matter into consideration; and he (Sir Robert Loyd Lindsay) believed that if it were shown, as he thought it could be, that the additional outlay requisite for that important purpose was not large, the House would cheerfully vote the funds which the Secretary of State for War deemed necessary. The hon. and gallant Member concluded by moving the Resolution of which he had given Notice.

SIR BALDWYN LEIGHTON, in seconding the Resolution, observed that its importance could hardly be over-estimated. He was convinced of the necessity of organizing a mounted infantry force in time of peace, instead of leaving it to be improvised to meet emer- gencies when war broke out. He thought that the men employed in the force contemplated by the Resolution should be men from 5 feet 3 inches to 5 feet 4 inches in height. In fact, the smaller and lighter they were the better; and the horses on which they should be mounted should be small and under 15 hands high. They should be taught to act in very small bodies. He agreed in every word which had fallen from his hon. and gallant Friend, and he thought that the object in view might be carried out without adding anything to the Army Estimates, or, at least, with only a trifling increase of their present cost.

Amendment proposed, To leave out from the word "That" to the end of the Question, in order to add the words '' in order to meet the requirements of modern warfare, and to secure rapidity of movement for troops armed with breech-loading rifles, some provision be made in this year's Army Estimates for the formation of corps of mounted infantry, and that a proportion of such corps form part of the Army establishment in future,"—(Sir Robert Lloyd Lindsay,) —instead thereof.

Question proposed, "That the words proposed to be left out stand part of the Question."

SIR THOMAS ACLAND

said, he wished to take that opportunity of thanking the hon. and gallant Member for Berkshire for having brought the question forward, and for the trouble he had taken in directing the attention of the military authorities to it. He had himself, as a civilian and as a retired Volunteer, made inquiries on the subject, and was convinced of its importance, but saw difficulties in the way of giving practical effect to the suggestion of the hon. and gallant Member. There was, in the first place, the difficulty of carrying the rifle on horseback. They had, however, a regiment of Carbineers in the Service, and he believed they would never get the Yeomanry of the country to carry firearms until the example was set them in the Army. The proposal of the hon. and gallant Gentleman was one which ought to be taken up with more spirit; and he trusted.hat, between this time and next year, the question would be considered at the War Office in all its bearings.

MR.CHILDERS

said, he looked upon the question as being a very important One, and though, technically, the ques- tion could not, he thought, be put, as it would involve an addition to the Estimates, he very cordially thanked the hon. and gallant Gentleman for having brought the question before the House. So alive, indeed, were they to its importance that, in connection with the outbreak of hostilities in South Africa, they acted in the direction suggested by making an experiment, which, however, did not bear fruit, as hostilities had ceased before the troops reached the Cape. In the first place, they did what had been urged by many officers of experience—they armed a certain number of Cavalry with the long rifle. The question as to whether Cavalry could conveniently carry the long rifle had, no doubt, been a matter of much dispute; but there were those in the War Office who thought it could be accomplished, and that it might be possible to arm a large proportion of British Cavalry with that weapon. In the second place, they organized and sent out to South Africa under Major Barron a body of Mounted Rifles. As he had stated, owing to the cessation of hostilities, they were not brought into action, but if they had, then there would have been a good test of the value of the suggestion made by the hon. and gallant Gentleman opposite. The Motion of the hon. and gallant Member for Berkshire contained the words "corps of mounted infantry." Now, the formation of a regular standing corps of Mounted Infantry was a matter which required to be well weighed. They had already Dragoons, Carbineers, Hussars, and Lancers, and to add a fifth denomination would be a movement in the wrong direction. What they wished to do was to simplify the divisions of the Cavalry rather than to add a special corps, which would soon come to be regarded as a Cavalry regiment. What he hoped might be done was to take measures to have among our Infantry soldiers a considerable proportion of men who knew how to ride, and to provide in time of peace a sufficient store of saddles and other necessary equipments. If this could be done it would meet the object which the hon. and gallant Member had in view; because we should then have ready on our hand, when the time came, facilities for using our Infantry soldiers in the way he had suggested. He was very much disposed to see whether something could not be done which would give us, in time of actual service, a good Mounted Infantry, trained in the use of the rifle, and with the simplest accoutrements. There were at the War Office several experienced officers who had given this question their careful consideration, and with their assistance he hoped before next year to be able to arrive at some decision which would be generally acceptable to the House.

LORD EUSTACE CECIL

said, he wished to express his pleasure that this important question had been raised by his hon. and gallant Friend, and his satisfaction at the answer given by his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for War. There would, however, as he feared, be a difficulty in providing the horses. He suggested that as there was at present a light company in each regiment, there should also be a mounted company, which could act either upon foot or upon horseback, as the case might require. There had never been a better corps than the Cape Mounted Bines. It did very good service, and seemed to him to be a model for mounted infantry. He was only sorry that that body had been done away with, and he should be very glad if his right hon. Friend would come down to the House and say that he would revive it in another form.

CAPTAIN AYLMER

said, it would be useless to arm the Cavalry with long rifles, unless the whole of the accoutrements were altered, and even then he doubted their efficiency. What was wanted was a corps of small men, with light sling rifles, and mounted on small horses, lightly accoutred, so that they could gallop up to a given point without unnecessary fatigue, dismount, and fire as rapidly as possible, and then be ready in a moment to mount and ride off.

SIR WALTER B. BARTTELOT

urged the Secretary for War to act upon the lines which he had suggested without delay.

GENERAL BURNABY

said, he should be glad to see a larger distribution of pistols amongst soldiers than there was at present. The foreign Armies were extensively armed with them. The Evans' pistol, of American make, was the best. As to magazine rifles, those of the Evans' make were admirably adapted to use by mounted infantry. The magazine of this rifle carried 21 rounds, and it did not possess the disadvantages of the spiral spring. Russia had recently purchased 20,000 of these rifles, and he thought a trial should be made of them.

Question put, and agreed to.