VOLUNTEER FORCE.—QUESTION. (Hansard, 24 February 1863)

§ LORD STRATHEDEN
asked the Under Secretary of State for War, Whether Her Majesty's Government are prepared to enforce that part of the Report of the Volunteer Commission which recommends the Delay of Brigade and Divisional Field Days until the end of the Battalion Drill Season? The noble Lord said that it had been found by experience that when the brigade or divisional field day was held early in the year the men fell off from attendance on the ordinary drill for the rest of the year. It was therefore desirable that the annual gatherings should be postponed to as late a period of the year as possible.

EARL DE GREY AND RIPON
assured the noble Lord, that Her Majesty's Government was most anxious to carry out all the recommendations of the Royal Commission as far as possible. The recommendations varied in their character; some of them formed the subject of propositions to be submitted to Parliament, and required alterations in the law, others were only suggestions for the advantage of the Volunteer force, and were not suitable for strict regulations. No doubt there was great force in the arguments of the Commissioners on this subject, and he had heard from other sources, and learned from the evidence taken before the Commissioners, that it had been found, that when the more important field days of the year had been held in the early part of spring, it had been difficult for commanding officers to induce the members of their corps to come up to drill with the same zeal; and the drill thus falling off, had an injurious effect on the efficiency of the corps. But, it must be borne in mind, that there was another side to this question. Although it was quite true, that it was desirable that these great displays of the year should he postponed as late as convenient, they should not forget that they could only take place on certain occasions, when it was possible to bring together a great body of Volunteers—that was to say, when the 721 convenience of members of corps rendered it possible for them to give up a whole day for that purpose. That could only take place on a very few days in the year, and it had been found that, of all days, the one on which the greatest mass of Volunteers could be got together was Easter Monday. The noble Lord had suggested Whit Monday. If that day was equally convenient, it would be an advantage, no doubt, to have the principal field day then; but so long as Easter Monday was the general holiday of the year, it was not unreasonable to choose that as the most convenient day for displays of this kind. The Government Lad not power to call Volunteers out for any purpose of this description in time of peace, and the appointment of the day and place rested with the commanding officers. The Government did not intend to make any regulation founded on the recommendations of the Commissioners, but he trusted that those recommendations would be considered by the officers commanding corps, and that they would take every possible step to prevent the falling off of drill after Easter Monday. He had ground for hoping that greater attention would be paid to this matter, as under the new system proposed by the Commissioners, and to be adopted by Government, a stricter test of efficiency would be enforced, and it would be to the interest of officers and men to take those steps which were best calculated to ensure such efficiency.

§ LORD TRURO
said, he fully concurred with the noble Earl who had just spoken. The recommendation of the Commissioners was founded on a misapprehension or forgetfulness of the other duties the men composing the various Volunteers Corps had to perform, and he was glad to hear that the Government and the War Office would not interfere with the arrangements of the Volunteer force. It was only on a few occasions, such as Easter Monday, that the men could all leave their other avocations for the purpose of taking part in the displays of field-days.