§ EARL MANVERSMy Lords, seeing the noble Earl who represents the Home Office in his place, I beg to ask him a question of which I have given him private notice—namely, 1222 who is responsible for the utter breakdown of the arrangements connected with keeping the ground at the Horse Guards Parade on Saturday afternoon last, on the occasion of the presentation of prizes by H.R.H. the Prince of Wales to the Members of the Fire Brigade, which resulted in a scene of disorder probably unparalleled in London?
§ EARL BROWNLOWMy Lords, in reply to the question of the noble Lord, I think it is desirable to inform the House exactly what took place on that occasion. On the 11th of May a letter was received from the Chairman of the Committee of the London County Council, informing the First Commissioner of Police that a parade was about to be held of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, and stating that the Queen's Westminster Volunteers would keep the ground, and, as I believe, asking for the co-operation of the Metropolitan Police. My Lords, in consequence of this letter a meeting was arranged between the Chairman of the Committee and Captain Shaw, Colonel Roberts, and Superintendent Fisher. It was held on the 20th of May, and at that meeting it was arranged that the Queen's Westminster Volunteers should keep the ground. It was further distinctly arranged that the action of the police was to be the same as that which they had always undertaken for a number of years at the Queen's Birthday parade in the morning at the Horse Guards. That duty of the police consisted in keeping order among the crowd, and in keeping open the communication to and from the Horse Guards Parade, in the rear of the corps that is keeping the ground. The usual number of police was sent down to the ground, 1223 and it was sufficient for keeping order among the crowd, and for keeping open communications in the rear, but it was not sufficient naturally for keeping the ground over that very large space. My Lords, that is exactly what happened, and I can only say that I very much regret that, owing to the arrangements for keeping the ground not having been satisfactory, some inconvenience and annoyance was caused to the Prince and Princess of Wales by the pressure of the crowd. I should like, however, to read a sentence from the Report of the Chief Commissioner of Police, who says:—
I cannot close my remarks without paying a tribute to the loyal behaviour of the crowd which filled the Parade. The crowd was thoroughly good humoured and orderly, and their loyalty certainly showed itself in enthusiastic cheers for the Royal personages who were present.
§ VISCOUNT HARDINGEWhat strikes me as the most extraordinary thing in this case is that when it was seen that the Volunteers were perfectly powerless to keep back the mob, the Life Guards or the Blues were not ordered out. I recollect an incident very much of the same character, whore a crowd broke through the Volunteers who were unable to keep the ground, and the Life Guards were ordered out to drive back the people. I only mention this that in future orders may he given to hold troops in readiness should the police or the Volunteers fail to keep back the crowd. I do not think that the Volunteers are the proper body for keeping ground, as they cannot be expected to act with the strictness which it may be necessary to use, and I hope it will be the last occasion on which Volunteers will be so employed.