14 SIR WILLIAM FLOWER chap. 



P.M.O., whose duty, amongst other things, seems to consist in 

 reprimanding men who wear loud pattern shirts or broad-gauge 

 trousers. 



However, he was not long at Chatham, receiving 

 orders to report himself as Assistant Surgeon to the 

 Depot Battalion at Templemore, where he arrived 

 on the 28th April. Here he found plenty to do, as 

 there was a large number of cases in the hospital, 

 and for a time he was the only surgeon ; and even 

 when, a little later, a senior surgeon was appointed, 

 the work was not much decreased, for the new- 

 comer was "a very jolly old file, whose greatest 

 sphere of action seems to be at the mess table — 

 a regular old army bird, always impressing on me 

 his maxim ' Never do more work than you can 

 possibly help,' but very knowing with the men, down 

 to all their tricks to get off duty, etc." Flower soon 

 saw that the uniform as then worn in our army was 

 most unsuitable for active service or for getting the 

 best work out of men at peace manoeuvres, and 

 began to advocate the abolition of the stock, and 

 other changes. " The Colonel is very old-fashioned 

 in his notions ; we have great arguments with him 

 at mess about the dress and accoutrements of the 

 British soldier, which he considers the most perfect 

 thing in the world ; nothing can annoy him more 

 than saying anything against that remnant of 

 barbarism, the leather stock ; but he is a good- 

 tempered and gentlemanly man, so we get on very 

 well." While these discussions were going on 



