CO-OPERATION BETWEEN GUNS AND CAVALRY. 237 
course, at home. But that is not the only point, and that is not the most valuable 
point, perhaps, of the change that we have seen. It is only 15 or 20 years ago 
that I asked an artillery officer, ‘““ What do you think of So-and-So ?’” ‘* Oh,” he 
said, “he is the sort of fellow that you do not see at Woolwich; he goes to India 
and the Colonies, and that sort of thing!’? Gentlemen, there has been a vast 
change in this regiment since then! You realize now that Woolwich is not the 
only place (applause), and in realizing that, it is an advantage not only to the 
regiment but to the whole Service. You have learnt to appreciate the other 
branches and now I am glad to say the other branches are learning to appreciate 
you. Yours is not a sealed book at all! It would be absurd for us of course 
outside the regiment to try and learn all the small details of guns, especially as 
they are now so complicated; but we can learn to catch the broad principles, 
especially where your work runs into that of the other two branches. 
I have been talking in rather a high strain so now I will tell you a story which 
may interest you, which occured to me after having seen the synopsis of the lecture 
as regards Albuera. Napier tells the story, and tells it very well—that Colonel 
Hardinge sent back those troops which had retired from there, i.e., the bridge 
(pointing to the map) and ordered up the Fusilier brigade. I asked Arthur 
Hardinge (I was there in 1888, going thence straight to Gibraltar) “is that true 2” 
“Oh no,” he said “nota bit of it, my father often talked to me about it. But 
he was trying to persuade Beresford to hold on,” Beresford was a very brave man, 
and I should not tell you the story except that it is very well known; but he had 
been greatly “hustled ;” a Polish lancer had got behind him and he very nearly 
got his spear into the general who caught the lance and turned it away. There 
were three or four others trying to kill him at the moment, and Beresford, seeing 
so many men down, had his head inclined backwards, when Hardinge rode up to 
him and said “I think, sir, I ought to tell you that you have a peerage in one 
hand and a court-martial in the other.” Beresford waited a moment or two and 
then turned round and said “I will go for the peerage.” That is really what oc- 
curred. 
And I am tempted to tell you one more thing, that I came upon only a day or 
twoago. ‘This is only a small point—the lecturer brought into my head in talking 
of Waterloo—but it gives a great example which brings home to us the great 
qualities of some of those gunners who have gone before us. Coming away from 
Genappes it rained very heavily. (I am alluding to the 17th of June, 1815.) The 
rear battery were being pressed. It had no cavalry behind it, but the ground was 
so heavy that the enemy could not move off the road. A wheel-horse cast a shoe, 
and the officer in command of the battery stopped there and then, sent some gun 
detachments back to keep back the French, who were skirmishing, stopped till 
he got his shoe tacked on, and then trotted on again. I have always thought 
that that must have been a very good man indeed. 
Just now I was speaking of the change of tone in the service, but if I may say 
so as an outsider, I am very anxious to see something more. I have put you 
gentlemen out of my mind for the moment, do not think that I am alluding to the 
lecturer only, but I am anxious to see a greater joining together of artillery officers, 
and not only artillery officers but of the army officer who writes, and the army 
officer who only rides to hounds, is a very fine fellow and plays polo—because 
until we get that we shall not get the best results. When I went to Aldershot 
that system was never acted upon, in other words the mingling of theory and 
practice. [am not speaking of course of any particular person. We happened to 
have a General there who is a great friend of mine, General Williams; and I have 
to read you a letter from him saying that he regrets he is not able to come here ; 
and he urges what Lord Roberts and Sir Redvers Buller and all of us agree with, 
a greater intimacy between cavalry and Horse Artillery. He urges their living 
