South Africa, the Mediterranean fortresses of Gibraltar and the distant Eastern Ports of Singapore and Hong Kong, make fur ther demands upon the Regular Army. Ac cording to the regimental establishment of 1913— 14 (the last two normal years before the war) 33,128 British regular troops were serv ing in South Africa and the Colonies. This number, of course, does not include specially enlisted Colonial corps and native troops paid for by the Imperial Exchequer. It is the neces sity for maintaining this great force abroad that makes the British army essentially a vol untary army. Conscription for service abroad in time of peace is impossible. The young soldier cannot endure the climate of India, and a youth enlisted at 18, must perforce remain for two years at home before he becomes physically qualified for foreign service. This fact not only makes it necessary that the service should be voluntary, but that it should be lone and that it should greatly exceed the limit of two years which is the term now accepted in the principal conscript armies of the world.
For this voluntary army there are enlisted on an average 38.000 men in a normal year. The total is sometimes exceeded; there is rarely any difficulty in reaching it. There is no reason why there should be a difficulty. The old prejudice against military service due to the savage conditions of the soldier's life, his scanty pay, his squalid surroundings, lived long and died hard; indeed it is not altogether dead yet. But the life, pay and prospects of the British soldier at the present day are such as may reasonably attract young men of spirit and ambition.
When the soldier receives his pay every need has already been provided for. He has been clothed, fed, housed, doctored and educated; his general health has been looked after, his amusements furnished. If he chooses to re main in the service his pay increases with every step in rank; and, if his conduct be good, he may look forward with certainty to retirement at the age of 39 with a life pension. Not all the recruits who enter the army are good, nor do they all become useful soldiers. But the unfit are soon eliminated and the quality of the special branches, the Royal Engineers, the Royal Artillery, the Cavalry and the Guards is very high. A. British regiment returning from India after a long tour of service in that country, will bear comparison with any body of fighting men of equal numb rs in the world.
The ordinary period of color service in the British army varies from six to nine years, but the brigade of guards are enlisted for three years with the colors, the men having the right to prolong their service to eight years. Sol diers are generally permitted, if their conduct has been good, to extend their first term of serv ice and to remain with the colors for 12, and in some cases, for 21 years. In addition to the
men with the colors there are the men form ing the Army Reserve. The Army Reserve is an outcome of the great reform accomplished by Lord Cardwell in 1870. That distinguished War Minister was the first to divide the sol diers' service into two periods, the first with the colors, the second in the reserve. The period of service is six years. The reservist is liable to be recalled to his regiment in case of war or national emergency only.
The recruits for the Regular Army are drawn from all parts of the United Kingdom, as well as from the colonies.
The Territorial Force.— The British Army formerly comprised the Regular Army and the °Auxiliary Forces,)) the latter including the Militia, the Yeomanry and the Volunteers. Since 1907 it consists of the "Regular and the °Territorial Army." The term °Regu lar Army)) is applied to the regularly embodied troops and the army reserve.
The °Territorial and Reserve Forces of 1907 abolished the militia as such. Of the 124 militia battalions in the United Kingdom 74 were converted into reserve battalions of the Regular Army, viz.: 66 as 3d battalions of the 66 line regiments (of two battalions each), and 27 as 4th battalions to the same number of regiments. The Militia Artilley has be come, with the exception of certain Irish bat talions, units of reserve field artillery, and the militia engineer battalions are now turned into reserve siege and railway companies.
All men of reserve units, whether originally militiamen or directly recruited, are enlisted as °special reservists° of the Regular Army. That is to say, they are partially trained in time of peace and are available for transfer to the Regular Army in time of war, if required. The period of initial, or recruit, training is six months for all arms, followed by an annual training of fifteen days, with the addition of six days' musketry for the infantry. The 3d battalions also do the work of regimental de pots, which have been abolished. They are, in fact, training battalions, supplying material to the battalions of the first line both in peace and war. The 27 fourth or °extras battalions are available for service abroad, in event of war, as entire units. The regular field artilley is also provided with training units, one group or °brigade° of three batteries for each of the six field divisions. These units train the special reservists for the artillery, and are to supply the ammunition columns on mobilization. Four teen reserve cavalry regiments were also formed.