5 
with Captain J. C. Wray in command, and Lieutenants A. E. Oldfield, D. F. 
Nicholl, and G. Y. Clarke, has arrived from Landguard Fort; Captain W. H. 
Cummings has been appointed Adjutant and has joined from Dover, vice Lieutenant 
E. McM. Seddon transferred to a Field Battery. 
The cricket season having opened, the golf links on the Well Marsh have been 
closed ; the last match on the links was for a very handsome silver cigar case, 
presented for competition under handicap by the officers Eoyal Naval Barracks, 
this was won by Captain P. PI. M. Doreliill, who deserves many thanks for the 
trouble he, together with Major D. C. Carter, took laying out the course. 
This (the second) season’s polo promises to eclipse last year’s performances 
both in the number of ponies and quality of the play. The fact that the E.A. at 
Sheerness has a Polo Club is worthy of record in the “ Proceedings.” At present 
it boasts of 10 E.A. playing members, and two honorary members (one E.N. and 
one E.E.), with at least 24 ponies, some of which, however, have not taken very 
kindly to the game, but it is early in the season yet and they are sure to improve. 
Expensive ponies are not allowed, and the forage is managed in a highly credit¬ 
able and economical way by the energetic Secretary, Lieutenant J. E. Cairnes, 
who buys the forage in bulk and has it issued daily by the liead-groom, all 
owners paying a share monthly in proportion to their number of ponies and num¬ 
ber of days in the stable. The bedding is sawdust, obtained cheap out of the 
dockyard, and a gunner has been found to do the shoeing. 
The cricket season has opened badly, but there being so many other things to 
do no one practises at the net, so the Sheerness cricketers must expect to be 
beaten. The E.A. Woolwich sent a team on the 23rd May, defeating the home 
team by 17 runs. At the conclusion of the match everyone adjourned to the 
Eacket Court, when conclusions were tried there. The Woolwich team were 
represented by Captain J. Gr. E. Wynne and Lieutenant C. C. Van-Straubenzee, 
and Sheerness by Captain Gr. Humphreys and Lieutenant J. E. Cairnes, to be 
decided by the best out of seven games. Eesult, Sheerness won by four games to 
nil. In spite of a cold, windy,-and showery day an enjoyable day was spent. 
The (Prince of Wales’s Own) Norfolk Artillery left on 25th May, after three 
weeks encampment on the Well Marsh ; with their practice and that of the 3rd 
Middlesex Volunteer Artillery (in barracks here for Whitsuntide), and the 1st 
City of London Volunteer Artillery (at Grain) a great deal of ammunition has 
been got through. At the Militia Athletic Sports, the Companies entered teams 
for the tug-of-war; comparing the strength of a Company to the Militia, some 
500 strong, it was highly creditable that No. 19 Company team appeared in the 
final and made a splendid long stand against the Militia team, had it been a pull 
over instead of only a six-feet pull, the endurance of the 19 Company team would 
probably have succeeded in winning it. At the Naval Sports held on the Queen’s 
Birthday, seven teams were entered ; on this occasion an E.A. team had been got 
together and trained, and easily pulled over all they were drawn against, first the 
Militia team, then the Bluejackets, E.N. Barracks, and finally the Thunderer's 
team. 
OBITUARY* 
Lieut.-Colonel S. G. Fairtlough, died at Sierra Leone, West Africa, on 18th 
May, 1894. He joined the Eegiment as Lieutenant, 7th July, 1869 ; Captain, 
22nd February, 1880 ; Major, 22nd July, 1885, and Brevet Lieut.-Colonel, 26th 
March, 1894. Colonel Fairtlough commanded the operations against Fodi Silah, 
after which he was appointed Governor of Gambia. H.B.H. the Commander- 
in-Chief at the Eegimental Dinner pointed out the loss the Eegiment sustains by 
his death. 
51b 
