The National Reserve. 



649 



take that home defence rests, after all, with the 

 people of the country themselves. The system 

 adopted has been attended with the must satis- 

 factory results, directly by the enrolment of over 

 35,000 officers and men in London itself, and 

 indirectly by the better feeling of friendship, 

 sympathy and recognition which has been ex- 

 tended to those who have given personal service 

 to their country. This may be applied equally 

 to all parts of the kingdom where the Reserve 

 has been instituted. 



Before summarising the present position of 

 the National Reserve, the fact should be em- 

 phasised that the results achieved have been 

 entirely brought about by the efforts of various 

 individuals, members of Territorial Associations, 

 retired officers, and of civilians, under the 

 general directions of County Territorial Force 

 Associations, authorised, as previously men- 

 tioned, to make their own regulations. As there 

 are no less than ninety-six of such associations 

 in the United Kingdom, variation of organisation 

 and imagined requirements must be looked for. 

 There is, however, one fact recognised by all 

 associations, which is, that the organisation, as 

 it now stands, has been created, and is domi- 

 nated by sentiment and patriotism. 



The present position of the Reserve is 

 primarily that 170,000 officers and men have 

 registered with the acknowledged undertaking 

 that they are willing to come up for active duty 

 " in the event of a national emergency." It is 

 under that condition or undertaking alone that 

 they have joined the Reserve. 



Of the above number about 57 per cent, are 

 under forty-five years of age, a further 28 per 

 cent, under fifty-five, giving a total of 144,500 

 officers and men at this date who may be con- 

 sidered a very valuable military asset to be 

 drawn upon for home defence when the time of 

 "emergency" may arise. It should be added 

 that about 60 per cent, of the total register are 

 men who have served with the Regulars. 



This is the Reserve Force which at the present 

 time is offered to the country. The associa- 

 tions have already instituted various systems for 

 keeping records of each man's service, showing 

 ihe details of arm to which he previously be- 

 longed, trade or occupation, general conditions 

 of life, and for what duties he could best be 

 utilised on service, and every officer and man 

 would be willing to step into the position which 

 he may be called upon to take up. It should, 

 Iwwever, he more clearly defined during peace 

 what that position, or possible position, may be. 



The War Office intimated in general terms 

 that the men might be invited, on mobilisation, 

 to bring Territorial units up to strength, to 



undertake the defence of bridges or other 

 positions, or be employed on remount or store 

 duties. Such vague general possibilities cannot, 

 however, be accepted upon which effective or- 

 ganisation can be maintained. 



It is generally understood to be the official 

 view that home defence rests in the main with 

 the Territorial Forces. There are at the present 

 time 47,500 under establishment, and there is no 

 Reserve whatever, not only to bring up numbers 

 to establishment in the first instance, but to 

 replace the wastage which must arise, if not 

 from active operations, from sickness and other 

 causes. 



The Reserve is capable of providing men to 

 form battalions for garrison duty or defensive 

 positions, as well as for the miscellaneous duties 

 which have previously been mentioned ; and 

 further, if a lead from the War Office were 

 forthcoming, it would be ready to furnish men 

 to be allocated to those duties during peace. It 

 is, however, desirable that the War Office 

 should, on its part, provide uniform, arms and 

 equipment to be in readiness for issue when their 

 services will be called up. 



The only financial grant at present given with 

 which this organisation is to be maintained is 

 the sum of is. per head per annum, a rate 

 totally inadequate to provide administrative 

 charges alone. If more financial assistance, in 

 addition to more defined details towards effective 

 organisation, is not forthcoming, it is the well- 

 considered opinion of those who have been re- 

 sponsible for raising the Reserve to its present 

 strength that their efforts will have been in vain, 

 and that the magnificent response which has 

 been made throughout the kingdom by men who 

 have already served, and ar^ under no further 

 obligation to serve, will be lost for ever. 



The parades of the Reserve, notably that 

 one inspected by His Majesty the King 

 on June 8 last in Hyde Park, show of what 

 material it is composed. Upon that occasion, 

 with Field-Marshal Sir Evelyn Wood at their 

 head, over 19,000 officers and men, organised by 

 battalions into brigades, under the leadership 

 of distinguished general officers, took up their 

 positions with as much steadiness and ease as 

 if they had been still serving soldiers. The in- 

 herent value of these men as a military asset 

 for home defence was recognised by all officers 

 and others competent to form an opinion on the 

 subject, and it would be nothing less than a 

 national crime to allow such a patriotic response 

 from the trained men of the country to be cast 

 aside for the want of suitable support and direc- 

 tion by the War Office, and of a grant from 

 public funds of sufficient means by which it can 

 be maintained. 



