ARTILLERY MOBILISATION. 
271 
4. Unallotted units, available for any special service that may be 
required. The detail is given in regulations for Mobil¬ 
isation Home Defence, Appendix Gr. 
5. Field Force for service abroad. This force consists practically 
of the Aldershot Division, and is composed as follows:— 
2nd Division for Home Defence. 
2nd Cavalry Brigade for Home Defence. 
Additional Units. 
Base and Line of Communication Troops. 
The Cavalry Brigade has two batteries of R.H.A., in¬ 
stead of one allotted to it. Fall details are given in 
Mobilisation Tables-—Service Abroad—-Field Force, pub¬ 
lished in November 1893. 
With regard to the foregoing categories, it may be observed that the 
first four are for Home Defence, and the last (No. 5) for foreign 
service; moreover, that No. 1 embraces No. 5. 
Scheme of Defence for the United Kingdom. 
The principles which guided the framers of our scheme of defence 
are based on the following postulates 
1. That an invader’s objective is London, and that until London 
. is taken no invasion can be considered entirely successful. 
2. That it is essential to prevent an invader from seizing any 
important fortified ports or commercial harbours, which would give 
him an initial advantage. 
3. That after having due regard to 2, our forces must not be 
frittered away by extending them in a long chain of guard 
posts all along the coast, with the idea (impossible to carry 
out) of preventing a landing at any point : but that our 
forces must be concentrated and mobile and capable of strik¬ 
ing a blow, wherever and whenever the invader can be met, 
to the best advantage after a landing has been effected. 
Foreign Expeditions. 
The field force mentioned in category 5 above, is kept in constant 
readiness for service in any part of the world: it consists roughly of 
20,000 men of all arms. “Should it be necessary to send a whole army 
corps abroad, the First Army Corps for home defence (as detailed in 
appendix E, Mobilisation Regulations, 1892) will be taken, and the few 
modifications necessary to bring it up to the establishment for service 
abroad will be made. Special arrangements will also be made with re¬ 
gard to the additional equipment required.” 1 
Explanation of Terms Used. 
The following terms are used in connection with mobilisation :— 
Mobilisation Stores comprise all articles of equipment (including 
vehicles) in the possession of the Ordnance Store Department with a 
view to mobilisation. It also includes the equipment kept for the Army 
Reserve by Officers Commanding Regimental Districts. 
Station Equipment comprises all articles of equipment kept by a unit 
with a view to its own mobilisation. 
1 Storage of Mobilisation Equipment for service abroad, A.O. 127, July, 1898. 
