28o REMINISCENCES OF 



CHAPTER XIII. 



MY RETIREMENT FROM COMMAND OF FIFE LIGHT HORSE 

 —THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE AT DYSART. 



On going to the orderly room on Friday, 20th 

 September, I found a memorandum to this effect : 

 " The officer named in the margin [Colonel John 

 Anstruther Thomson] will retire from command of 

 the regiment, and is permitted to retain his rank and 

 wear the uniform of the regiment". On Tuesday 

 following I was gazetted out. I was not treated 

 with much courtesy by the authorities, having raised 

 the regiment and served thirty-five years in it, thirty 

 of which I was in command. 



"HoPETOUN House, 

 " South Queensferry, Tuesday. 



'• My Dear Jack, — 



" I got your letter yesterday on our return 

 from Edinburgh. This is an awful blow. I am 

 awfully sorry, the more so as even another week 

 would have been a pleasure to us all, and you would 

 have died in harness as it were, instead of going 

 without even having a farewell parade of your own. 

 What is to be done now? I understand about 

 sending in an application for grant as you suggest, 

 and will do so later. But I would rather like to hear 



