352 KANE’S LIST AND MACDONALD’S HISTORY OF DRESS. 
Captain Martin Beckman, Engineer-General of Tangier in 1662 
became fire-master in 1664 and rose to be Colonel of the various trains 
formed between the years 1691 and 1695 and as such commanded the 
artillery at the battles of Steinkirk and Landen, at the sieges of Namur 
and Huy and at the bombardments of St. Malo, Brest, Dieppe, 
Havre and Palamos. In most of these trains the name of Jacob 
Richards appears but he, probably, was more of an engineer than art¬ 
illeryman. In 1691 Albert Borgard (No. 1 ), the Father of the Royal 
Regiment of Artillery, joined the English artillery in Flanders as Fire- 
Master under the command of Colonel Goor ; he was one of the most 
famous artillerymen that ever lived and study of the short biography 
of his life in “ Kane’s List ” will explain how this soldier of fortune 
came to exercise so great an influence on the Regiment. 
Particular atention is called to him as he appears to be a strong con¬ 
necting link between the pre-regimental period of Plate I and what 
may be called the semi-regimental period of Plate II. 
Before going further it may be well here to draw the attention of 
the student of Regimental History of this period to the following 
works viz. “ Notes on the Early History of the Royal Regiment of 
Artillery ” by the late Colonel Cleaveland (No. 83 ) R.A. published at 
the R.A.I., Woolwich, the “Master-Gunners of England” and “Mem¬ 
oirs historical and biographical; the Brome ‘ family ’ ” both by Major 
R. H. Murdoch, R.A., as published in Vols. XIX. and XX., R.A.I. “Pro¬ 
ceedings”, “England’s Artillerymen” by J. A. Browne and last but 
best of all Vol. I of the “ History of the Royal Artillery ” by the late 
Colonel F. Duncan (No. 2492 ) C.B., R.A. 
I have spoken of the period 1702-1714 as the semi-regimental per¬ 
iod but its commencement might fairly be antedated to 1693 when the 
Flanders establishment of artillery train comprised four companies 
while on the 1 st May, 1698 was established a regimental trayn of art¬ 
illery to be kept in pay in time of peace and from that date onwards. 
Companies of gunners are always mentioned in the warrants appointing 
various trains. 
Among the officers who wore the uniform of Plate II in the series of 
glorious victories under Marlborough at Blenheim, Malplaquet, Ram- 
illies and elsewhere are Holcraft Blood, Michael Richards, Borgard 
(No. 1 )’ Jonas Watson (No. 2 ) and William Bousfield (No. 4 )—Blood 
was a man equally famous in the artillery and engineering branches of 
the ordnance; his name first appears in Cleaveland’s Notes as the 
Captain of the pioneers in the list of the train of Artillery formed by 
virtue of James II warrant dated 8 th November, 1688 and thencefor¬ 
ward his name appears constantly in the list of trains, generally as 
an engineer; at the battle of Blenheim he distinguished himself b) 
keeping the enemy’s foot in check with his nine field pieces loaded 
with cartridge shot; he was made brigadier-general in 1705 and died 
in 1707 ; his name is not in “ Kane’s List ”. 
In this period many artillerymen did good service with Borgard 
under the Earl of Peterborough in Spain, notably James Richards (No. 
5 ) and Jonas Watson (No. 2 ) and, while Borgard was absent in com- 
