PENSIONS AND PENSIONERS, MILITARY AND NAVAL. , There are pensions for good service, for mere faithful ordinary service, for wounds, and to representatives of deceased • officers.
- Good-se•vice Pensions are rewards to selected officers in the British navy for dis tinguished service. In 1S73 they were as follows: 12 admirals had £300 each, 2.5 cap tains £150, 1 general of marines £300, 5 do. £200, 2 colonels £150, and 5 medical officers £100; total L9,150. In 1875-76 the total was £7,500. The corresponding pension in the army is called a reward for distinguished service (q.v.).
The PC12810718 for Long Service are awarded in the army to non-commissioned officers and soldiers who have served 21 years in the infantry, or 24 years in the cavalry, or earlier if disabled from further service, according to the wounds, loss of health, and conduct of the pensioner. The amount is fixed by the commissioners of Chelsea hospital, and varies from 1d. to 3s. 60. a day, the lower rates being mainly confined to negro•pensioners from the West India regiments. Pensioners are either in-pensioners of Chelsea (q.v.) or lillmainham hospitals, in which ease they forego their proper pension, and receive boat d, lodging, and a small sum for tobacco-money:or out-pensioners residing where they please, and drawing their pensions from the staff officers of pensioners, of whom there is one in every considerable town. These men can follow other pursuits, often do so with very great success, as their military habits of regularity stand them in good stead in civil life. In particular, railways give employment numbers of pensioners, as signalmen, guards, etc. Pensioners who are in good health, and are willing for such service, are enrolled in a force called the "Enrolled Pensioners," which forms a defensive corps of veterans, and belongs to the army of reserve. This gives the men, as an adjunct to the pension, an annual retaining fee of £1 each, besides pay during the yearly training of 8 days, at the rate of 2s. a day for privates, 2s. Cd. for corporals, and 3s. for sergeants. The veterans are officered by their respective staff officers, and, in case of emergency, would be emb-.died for service. As garrison troops, these old soldiers would doubtless prove most valuable. A pension is load' ed if the holder be convicted of felony. The number of pensioners for 1875-76 was 63,234, and their pensions amounted to £1,193, 600, besides £7.500 to Malta fencible artillery, etc. These were exclusive of 538 in-pen sioners at Chelsea, and about 120 of Kilmainham; the cost of those establishments together being R34,334.
The Naval Pensions ,for _Long Service are given to petty officers, seamen, and marines under principles essentially similar to these for the army, except that there are now no in-pensioners. The commissioners of the admiralty award the allowances, and the pen sioners draw their pensions through the staff officers of military pensioners. Under the old arrangement there were in-pensioners, whose home was Greenwich hospital. 1111875 -76, 20,234 engineers, warrant-officers, seamen, marines, etc., received pensions, pro a total of £471,758.
• Under this section should be mentioned pensions for especial bravery in action, granted with the Victoria cross (q.v.).
Pensions for wounds are common to both services, and are limited to officers. They are awarded respectively by the secretary of war and lords of the admiralty, for serious bodily injury, ,loss of a limb or eye, and vary according to the rank of the recipi ent and other circumstances. In eases of less serious injury, temporary pensions are sometimes granted, or gratuities. The charge for pensions for wounds for 1875-76 was —army, 172 recipients, navy, 85 recipient, £9,036; total, £25,479. In the case of common soldiers and sailors, wounds may serve to hasten or augment the pension for service (see above); but they have no distinctive pension for wounds.
Widows of commissioned and warrant officers in the army and navy receive pensions so long as they remain unmarried, provided they have been married severally twelve months when their husbands die, and that the latter were under 60 years of age (50 for warrant officers) when they married the claimants. Such pension is not granted if the widow be left in wealthy circumstances,•and lies dormant during a second marriage, though it may be reviver should she again become a widow. The amount of pension varies according to rank, an there are three distinct classes for each rank: 1st, When the husband was killed in battle, or died within s;.: months of wounds received therein; 2d, When he died from ionic cause distinctly falling within the sphere of his duty, hut not from wounds in action; 3d. When he died in the course of nature. The follow ing table shows the amount of pension to widows of combatant ranks, civil ranks receiving similar rates according to relative standing. See RELATIVE RANK.
Compassionate allowances are small additional pensions granted to the children of deceased officers, left in indifferent or bad circumstances. They vary from £5 to £40 each, and can be held by boys till 18 (unless earlier provided for), and by girls until 21. or an earlier marriage. If an officer fall in action, without leaving a widow or orphans, but leaving a parent who had been more or less dependent ou him, such parent may be granted the pension or a portion of it, and is sometimes allowed to commute the pension into a single payment. In very special cases, the sisters of an officer, who had been more or less dependent on him, are granted compassionate allowances. The pen sions to soldiers' wives and allowances to their orphans, etc., amounted in 1875-76 to a total of £146,933. The corresponding figure for widows and orphans of sailors was £173,086.
The following are the principal relevant items from the estimates for 1877-78: distinguished services, £33,530; to widows and orphans, £123,461; for wounds, £16,715; hospitals, £35,012; out-pensions, £1,005.200. nieritori um services, £7,400; for wounds, £8,265; pensions to engineers, warrant-officers, etc., £71, 072; to widows and relatives • of officers, £172,745; to seamen and marines for wounds etc., £477,285. •