INDEX, 1 9 3 4 .

Army List............................. ... ..............Army Cross Country Championship ...Army Technical School (Boys) ..............

‘ Apprentice Tradesmen in the Army ..............A Visit to the 4th Battalion in Camp ...Awards—Long Service and Good Conduct Medal

PAGE*41, 366* . 124. 184

178 264

. 226-Battalion News :—

1st Battalion ... ... 19, 93,2nd Battalion ................. 22, 56, 102,Depot ... ... ... 37, 66, 110,4th Battalion ... ... 39, 68, 115,

Balances of Deceased Soldiers, Undisposed ofBattle of Messines, 1917.....................................Births, Engagements, Marriages, Deaths, 4, 45,

147, 198, 237, 273, 315, 367, 403, 439, 480-156, 201, 243, 277, 321, 372, 412, 443, 484168, 211, 251, 289, 329, 379, 417, 455, 492;171, 213, 253, 293, 331, 383, 419, 456, 494

......................... 425*

......................... ......................... 17775, 123, 176, 219, 259, 299, 337, 391, 425,.

463-Brighton College (Gill Memorial Scholarships) ... ... ... ... ... ... 12Canterbury Cathedral Festival ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 265-Cenotaph Sunday ... ... ... 267Colonel of the Regiment, Activities of—See Personalia.Colonel Gosling's Gift to Territorials......................... 6-Contemporaries......................... 4, 64, 110, 170, 219, 259, 300, 343, 392, 427, 469-Correspondence .............................. ... 11, 48, 136, 184, 230, 262, 302, 350, 397, 432, 467Cricket Weeks :—

Canterbury ...Regimental ... ... ...

Deputation to Colonel-in-ChiefDinners :—

Dragon Dinner Club .............. ..............7th Battalion Ninth Annual Dinner8th (S) Battalion Dinner ... ... ..............Mesopotamia and Persia Force Dinner Club

Duke of York's S chool......................... ... ..............General:—

A Day under Canvas ................................................A Dragon or a Griffin ? .............. ..............A Cheetah’s Leap ... ................................................A Month’s Tour in Two Days A Night on the Ocean WaveArticle on the Ulster Crisis, from a Leading Odessa PaperBlankenberghe ..................................................Burma, Home via Canada Civvy View (Cont.)Chitral .......................................................................East Kent HuntEuropean Tour ... ................................................General Bainbridge at M essines.....................................Germany,—Southampton,—Winchester ...Golden Wedding—Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Ives ..............Military Curiosities ... ... ...On a Visit to the North-East Frontier of Burma Our Zulu War Warriors ...• ... "...Portland Reflections ...Record of an Old Buff (Cpl. W. C. Field) ..............Some Reflections from Fort Vendeuil ... ... ...Southern Rhodesia ... .............. .........................The Barber of Oporto ...The Best English ... ... .....................................The Shorncliffe Tunnels The Time and the PurposeWhat Daddy did in the Great War .........................With the French Army

General Lynden-B ell’s Reminiscences :—To India yrith the 1887 Draft To Dum-Dum ...To Jullundur ...........................................................J ullundur and After To Chitral ...Reflections ...

.............. 349-178, 222, 347, 348-

... 491

2578878

23146-

.............. 268-... 351

.............. 469-

......................... 187.......................... 387.......................... 227.......................... 400.............. 306-.......................... 49.............. 18... 14, 469*.......................... 394......................... 431.......................... 393.......................... 139.......................... 470-......................... 131.............. 128......................... 395

... 146

... 178... ... 7, 47

... 467188

.......................... 177

... ... 457... 308

86, 129, 190, 231.......................... 471.

85-.135268305346392

PACK

[Records of O ther R egim ents :—The R oyal C anadian R egim ent of In fan try The D orsetshire R egim ent The N orthum berland Fusiliers 14/20tli H ussars 13/18th H ussarsThe R oyal H orse G uards (The Blues)The London Rifle Brigade The Scottish Horse (Scouts)The C ity of M elbourne R egim ent T he R oyal Corps of Signals

R egim ental G azette ... 41, 70, 120, 173, 215, 255, 296, 333,R egim ental H isto ry (Captain C. R . B. K nigh t) ... ... ... 77,R egim ental Museum

/R em a rk s by the Colonel of the R egim ent on R em em brance D ay, 1934 Reminiscences by B rigadier-G eneral A. J . W hitacre Allen .R oyal Fusiliers and The Buffs ...S o u th African W ar S tren g th of the R egim ent T errito ria l A rm y (Sum m er Camp A ttendance)T errito ria l A rm y (Recruits)T he Buffs R em em ber The Buffs Leave Shom cliffeT he D uke of K en t (P resen tation by The R egim ent)The Old S tagers ...V ocational T rain ingW ar-tim e Pen P ic tu re of 4 th Buffs’ New Colonel W in or Lose ?W ro tham Picnic ...W eddings :— C apt. L. M. S. Essell and Miss C. M. M oynihan W ritings, Miscellaneous :—

A Ghost S tory ... ... • ...A H ap p y C hristm as ... ... ... ... ,...

4 81

126 183 223

... 261 301 342 428 466

388, 421, 459, 497 300, 397, 431, 464

222, 343, 427................ 341................ 464

297, 351 ... 50, 84, 145

310, 432............ 8

12, 307, 352, 431................ 337................ 474..: ... 461

35212, i 37, 438

................ 78

................ 76

................ 269

................ 300

................ 473

................ 496

IL L U S T R A T IO N S .

A gricu ltu ra l W ork as it is done in B urm a B atta lions :—

1st -... 2nd ..

Depot 4 th

................ 95, 96, 97, 99, 101, 153, 198, 315, 317, 405, 409, 411, 441, 483. 31, 35, 36, 59, 61,65, 120, 159, 161, 279, 281, 325, 327, 375, 379, 415, 447, 448, 451,

453, 475.............................' ... ... 38, 113, 173, 211

171, 214, 385B rigadier-G eneral-R . A. H ickson ... ... ... \ j t t ...Book of Life ... ... ... ... ... ... .................Buffs’ Camp a t Sevastopol ... ... ... ... _r•C anterbury C athedral Festival ... ... ... ...........•Captain A. B arton and O thers ... ... ... ... . . . . .■Captain L. M. S. Fssell and Miss C. M. M oynihan ...■Captain T. II. Keble ... ... ... ... ... ... ...■Colonel j . V. R . Jackson and Mr. T. T revor ... ... ... .........[E lephant ... ... ... ... ... ... .................E ncam ping ... ... ... ... ... . . . .E x-Sergeant-M ajor J . E . Develin■General Sir A. Lynden-B ell In specting on The H orse G uards’ Parade .Mr. and Mrs. J . C. Ives ... ... ... ... ... . . . .N m ai K ha near T am u ... ... ... ... ... ... ...Officers, 1st B atta lion T he Buffs, Chitral, 1895 R egim ental Cricket Ground R e-U nion D inner, 8 th B a tta lion The Buffs ...-Service of Rem em brance, 4th B atta lion D rum s ... ... ..•:•Service of R em em brance, 1934•Silver Bugle ... ... ... ... ... ....The F irs t Club in Piccadilly (N. & M.)T he F ro n tie r Ridge ’...The P riv a te Soldier (Cartoon) ...W in n e rs of In ter-B ranch Challenge Cup

299 15

433 ... 265

355 ... 300

426 2

!!! 309133 476 268 139 132

9347

79 335

339, 341 257

13134

... 461

... 314

PACE'

Gill M em orial Scholarships and E xhib itions a t B righ ton College for Sous of A rm y Officers 12: Golfing S o c i e t y .......................................................... 77, 138, 186, 228, 310, 353, 396, 429, 469'

H isto rical :—B attle H onoursCharles I I ., 1660— 1683 ...............................E as t K en t M ilitia R egim ent

In ter-C o u n ty C ross-Country C ham pionship ... K e n t C ounty C onstabulory K e n t E d ucation C om m itteeK ing A lbert of th e Belgians (M ilitary Memorial to) B aying th e A rm y’s Ghosts L loyds’ P a trio tic P'und ...M atte rs of In tere st

333;46-

262139136.138463'472226.465

Medal A rticles :—L ist of Officers who received Gold Medals, Crosses, BarsR egim ental MedalsMilitary General Service MedalP un n ia r S ta r and In d ia Medals ...Crimean Medals ChinaSouth Africa, 1879 ...Boer W ar G reat W ar ...Medals

Medals— How to w ear them M emorial Chapel to S an d h u rst Cadets

O b itu ary :—Sergeant H . T. B u rt Mr. H. G. L. Davidson J im C arpenter, D.C.M.T hom as M atthew W heatley B rigadier-G eneral B unbury G erald du M aurier ...B rigadier-G eneral R. A. HicksonR.S.M. E . A. Beilby ..........................................................P te . Jo h n Clarke Pte. A lbert Geersdale C aptain T. H . Keble W. H. Francis

80'128.178.224263303 303-304 304 344 304 230'

467676

123177177299299300 391426427

P ast an d P resen t A ssociation :— A nnual R eportE xecutive Com m ittee M eetings Sub-C om m ittee M eetings ... N otesA shford B ranch C an terbury B ranch C anterbury L ad ies’ Guild ... Deal Branch Deal L adies’ Guild ...D over B ranch D over L adies’ Guild Folkestone B ranch ... Folkestone L adies’ Guild ... H erne Bay Sub-B ranch H ytlie B ranch London B ranch London L adies’ Guild M argate B ranch M edway B ranch R am sgate B ranch ...Sandw ich B ranch ...W eald B ranch

Personalia

357................................................................................... 16, 192, 311, 434................................................................................... 17, 193, 311, 435............................... 51, 88, 139, 232, 266, 354, 399, 476............................... 18, 52, 89, 141, 233, 270, 354, 400............................... 54, 143, 196, 236, 271, 314, 356, 479............................................ 92, 143, 236, 272, 314, 438... 19, 56, 93, 145, 197, 237, 272, 356, 403, 438, 480................................................................................... 93, 145, 272, 480... 18, 54, 90, 142, 195, 236, 271, 313, 355, 437, 478............................................ 54, 142, 271, 355, 437, 478............................... 55, 92, 143, 197, 236, 272, 437, 479............................................. 19, 93, 145, 236, 272, 356, 438........................................................................ 55, 92, 236, 403.................................................................................................... 19618, 52, 89, 141, 194, 233, 270, 312, 355, 401, 435, 477

52, 90, 142, 195, 235, 271, 313, 402, 436, 477................................................................................... 54, 142, 402, 47918, 54, 91, 142, 195, 236, 271, 314, 355, 402, 437, 478...................................................................................... 91, 196............................................. 55, 93, 145, 197, 438, 480...................................................................................... 90, 142

1, 43, 73, 121, 175, 217, 257, 297, 335, 389, 423, 462Post Office E m ploym ent P re sen ta tion P arade (Silver Bugle)Prom otion of A rm y OfficersQ ueen’s Own to replace Buffs a t Shorncliffe ...

468220353

8

JUCteb ^ e g tm e n fs .Q ueen 's {3)nm 'glifCes of (Scmabct. jSEe ^Tancour>er ] |ieg tm e«f.

3v6 p a t ta C io n C g^erritoa gnfcm frp ) J ltts fra C ta r t ^TtCitarj? f o r c e s .

No. 1. January, 1934. Price Sixpence.

Personalia.X TlvS Majesty Christian X, King of Denmark

and Iceland, Colonel-in-Chief of the Regiment, graciously cabled the following message at Christmas to the Colonel of the Regiment :—

“ Xmas and New Year’s greetings to all ranks.—Christian R.”

His Majesty the King of Denmark and Iceland arrived in England on December the lOtli on a strictly private visit. His Excellency the Danish Minister met His Majesty at Harwich and was good enough to convey a message from the Colonel of the Regiment expressing the loyal greetings and humble duty of all ranks of The Buffs to His Majesty. On the 14th of December Sir Arthur Lynden- Bell and Colonel Scarlett lunched at the Danish Legation to meet their Majesties. There were 23 guests at the Luncheon Party which included the Prime Minister, Sir John Simon, Cord Hailsham, Mr. Stanley Baldwin, Sir Austen Chamberlain and Mr. Walter Runciman. His Majesty King Christian showed his usual gracious interest in the well-being of the Regi­ment and commanded the Colonel to convey his affectionate greetings to all ranks and expressed the hope that he might be able to see something of the Regiment when he next visits England.

As from the 2nd instant the Colonel of the Regiment ceased to belong to the Reserve of Officers, having reached the age to recall, after nearly 49 j'ears’ service.

We publish elsewhere an article on the Relief of Chitral for which we thank the Colonel of the Regiment and Colonel B. E. M. Gurdon,C.I.E., D.S.O., the sole-surviving BritishOfficer of the Garrison of Chitral Port in 1895.

We are honoured also by Colonel Gurdon becoming an annual subscriber to The Dragon.

Lieut.-General Sir Ernest de Brath, former Military Secretary, Government of India, who died at Nice last month on his 75th birth­day was gazetted to The Buffs in 1876, but transferred to the Indian Army in 1879. He served in the Afghan War ’79—’80, with the Waziri Expedition in ’81 and with the Huzara Expedition in ’91.

In ’92 he was appointed A.M.S., Govern­ment of India and was promoted Military Secretary in 1904—G.O.C., Aden 1906 and retired with the rank of Lieutenant-General in 1910.

An old friend of the Regiment writes to say that he recently heard from Brigadier-General Cotton who was commanding at Chanak when relations with the Turks were strained in 1922. Our friend says " He speaks very highly of the conduct of the Buffs under very trying conditions. He says they were always cheery and contented and it was a great privilege to serve with them. He was present, he says, when The Buffs and The Royal Fusiliers trooped the Colours together. He believes that was the first occasion the two Regiments had served alongside each other

THE DRAGON2A

since Albuhera.” We cannot vouch for the historical accuracy of the latter statement, but, in any case, General Cotton has paid a charming tribute to the 1st Battalion.

We had much pleasure, last month in visiting Brigadier-General E. H. Finch Hatton at Windsor. Both lie and his family are well and General Finch Hatton full of enquiries about The Buffs and his old friends.

Colonel the Rt. Hon. Viscount Goschen, P.C., G.C.S.I., G.C.I.E., C.B.E., T.D., has resigned the Hon. Colonelcy of the 4th Battalion of The Buffs after having held the appoint­ment for ten years.

Lord Goschen joined the Volunteers in’82.

At the commencement of the Great War Lord Goschen was 2nd-in-Command of our 5th Battalion and subsequently raised the 2/5th Battalion.

Lieut the Hon. George Goschen—his only son—died of wounds received at Sheikh Saad whilst serving with 1 /5th Buffs.

Lord Goschen has always taken great interest in our Association and it is primarily due to him that so many of the 2/5th are members.

At our Annual Service of Remembrance Lord Goschen has invariably marched at the head of his old comrades to and from the Cathedral : we sincerely hope he will continue to do so for many years.

We have received from Lieut.-Colonel J. V. R. Jackson an account of his trip to Japan, and produce a photograph of himself and Mr. T. Trevor, late Sergeant No. 6394, “D” Company, 2nd Battalion—taken on board S.S. Yasukuin Mam off Shanghai.

In Hong Kong Colonel Jackson met Messrs. Marks and Millington, late 2nd Battalion " both hale and hearty and in good jobs.”

It is interesting and pleasing to note that the above are all Life Members of the Past and Present Association and subscribers to The Dragon.

At Yokohama Colonel Jackson dined inH.M.S. Kent.

WTe have received messages conveying good wishes to the Regiment from the follow­ing :—

Major-General Kennedy, Colonel Sir Courtenay Vyvyan, Lieut.-Colonel R. C.

Raines,Major George Chapman, N. E. Parry (late Bandsman), H. Nicholls, F. C. Elliott, Sir William and Lady Crandall, Sidney H. Todd, H. R. Fenyer, G. C. Cobb, F. R. Parks (S/Sergeant), C. F. Kember, Major Campbell Johnstone, Captain Loyd Hardcastle, Major Keown.

Lieut.-Colonel Guy Lee stayed at the Depot last month and was present at the Executive Committee Meeting on December 14th.

We congratulate Mrs. Dempster and her son, A. S. K. Anderson, son of the late Captain (Temporary Lieut.-Colonel) D. I. C. Anderson on. having passed into Sandhurst 35th out of 180.

We hear that Captain E. H. Allen is comfortably settled at Rangoon as Brigade- Major, and that Mrs. Allen is expected to join him there very shortly.

We offer our best wishes to Captain E. B. and Mrs. Backhouse, whose wedding took place at St. Mary’s Church, Walmer on the 3rd instant.

THE DRAGON 3

Captain Backhcmse has taken a farm in Diss, Norfolk.

We are indebted to Captain R. Tuke for the interesting article on the E.K. Hounds, which appears in this number.

Captain T. H. Keble writes under date 1st November “ between Rangoon and Calcutta ” that he is taking over his “ new job ” (Staff-Captain) in Ambala a month earlier than originally arranged ; consequently Rieut. H. Milton has taken over the duties of Sub-Editor, 1st Battalion.

Captain Roster Hall has been on a visit to Hong Kong.

We heartily congratulate both Captain A. W. Andrews and his son on the latter’s success at the Rower King’s School in winning the heavyweight boxing championship—a chip of the old block.

On behalf of our Association we thank Captain Harry Jackson very much indeed for sixty pounds of Kenya coffee beans received as a Christmas gift from East Africa.

Forty pounds have already been sold at 1 /6 per pound. Would-be purchasers of the balance should apply to the Secretary of the Association. The proceeds will be credited to the Benevolent Fund.

We thank Captain Harry Fine, M.C., (7th Batt.) for his very interesting “ Reflections.”

Rieut. F. W. B. Parry has sailed for Burma to join the 1st Battalion.

We very much regret to hear that the Officer Commanding the Depot has—just as we go to press (December 31st)—received a cable from Maymvo reporting the accidental death of C.Q.M.S. Thomas Pratt.

We offer our sincerest sympathy to Mrs. Pratt and her family.

The 1st Battalion polo team has recently suffered in consequence of casualties to two of the team, Captain Hammond Davies a broken collar bone and Rieut. H. S. Knocker, a broken knuckle.

We regret to hear that the East Kent Window Cleaning Company referred to in our last number, has not proved a success and has in consequence been wound up. We trust this means that there are not many ex-Buffs in Canterbury out of work.

We have pleasure in announcing that up to December 22nd a total of £25 13s. Od, had been subscribed to the Plum Pudding Fund. —one hundred and twelve families have been supplied with puddings. Any cash balance will be credited to the Benevolent Fund.

On behalf of the Association we very grate­fully thank all those who have sent donations.

The Kent County Constabulary is about to suffer a great loss owing to the retirement under the age rules of that great Buff, Chief Superintendent P. F. Ambrose.

The Colonel of the Regiment recently wrote to Mr. Ambrose, whom he knows well and who served under him as a Signaller, in Chitral, congratulating him on his magnificent services in the Police and the great credit he had brought to the Regiment. Mr. Ambrose’s reply will be found on another page and also some details of his career extracted from the Kent Messenger.

We are glad to hear that, thanks to the efforts of the Association, Mr. E. Tribe, who has been bed-ridden for some time, has now been taken into The Star and Garter Home, at Sandgate.

R/Cpl. Wenham, late 1st Battalion is now employed by Captain E. B. Backhouse.

The 2nd Battalion, according to present arrangements, will move in the Autumn to Bordon.

LONDON BRANCH.We were pleased to welcome Captain

Massie Bloomfield, late 1 /5th Battalion, after his sojourn in Jamaica. He last visited the Branch in 1930.

We remind all who served with the 8th (S) Battalion that the re-union dinner takes place on Saturday, the 10th of February next, at the Bedford Head Hotel, Maiden Rane, Strand, W.C. Tickets are 4/6 each from Mr. G. Scott, 12 Pleasance Road, S.W.15.

Major A. C. Grigg, late 4th and 5th Battalions, sends his greetings to all old friends.

We very much regret the illnesses of Mr. W. J. Hetherington and Mr. A. Talbot Harvey, both of whom served with our 2/5th Battalion We trust our comrades will soon be on the road to recovery.

4 THE DRAGON

Mr. F. G. Hearn, who served with the 1st Battalion when it was stationed in Calcutta recently underwent a serious operation in the Middlesex Hospital. Notwithstanding his old age, the operation was successful and the news is “ good progress.”

We congratulate Mrs. Marjorie Nanson on the birth of a son on the 9th December last. Mrs. Nanson will be remembered as the daughter of that grand old 1st and 8th Buff, the late Bobby Wittering.

The 7th Battalion are holding their annual re-union dinner on Saturday, the 17th February next, at the Bedford Head Hotel, Maiden Lane, Strand, W.C. The tickets are 4/6 each. For further information phone Battersea, 2657.

Several members with their wives attended the Medway dinner in November. Including guests, thirty-six sat down. We had quite a happy charabanc party.

Captain T. O. Cook, M.B.E., was present at our last meeting. “ He gave a command that the meeting was about to start and we nearly dropped our beer,” I was told. It would be interesting to hear both Captain Cook and Captain Barton drilling a battalion to-day.

Births, Marriages and Deaths.B ir t h s .

King.—6282300 Sgt. G. King, ”S,” a daughter, Mary Louise—born at Shorncliffe on 5/11 /33.

West.—6280189 Sergt. (O.R.C.) H. West, H.Q., a son, Keith Charles, born at Maymyo, on 30/10/33.

Marriage .Parker—Howard.—6284430 Pte. C. Parker,

married at the Parish Church of All Souls, Cheriton, Kent, on 21/10/33 to Ivy Ethel Howard.

Our Contemporaries.YX/E acknowledge with thanks the receipt of the

following journals :—"Journal of The Honourable Artillery Company.” “ Aldershot Command News.” " Journal of The Royal Army Service Corps.” “ The Tiger and The Rose.” "The Hampshire Regimental J ournal. ” " The Sapper. ’ ’" St. George’s Gazette.” “ The Gunner.” " The London Scottish Regimental Gazette.” “ K.S.L-I- Regimental Journal.” “ Our Empire.” “ The Snapper.” “ The Green Howards’ Gazette.”

Records of Other Regiments.THE ROYAL CANADIAN REGIMENT

OF INFANTRY.Battle H onours.

(Those borne on the Colours are shown in heavy type.) “ Sascatchewan,” “ N orth-west Canada, 1885,”

“ Paardeberg ,” “ South Africa, 1889-1900,” “ The Great War,” “ Mount Sorrel,” “ Somme, 1916,” " Flers Courcelette,” “ Ancre Heights,” " Arras, 1917, ’1 8 “ Vimy, 1917,” “ Hill 70,” “ Ypres, 1917,” “ Passchendaele,” “ Am iens,” “ Scarpe, 1918,” ** Hindenburg Line,” “ Canal du Nord,” “ Pursuit to M ons,” " France and Flanders, 1915/1918.”

# * * *

The senior regiment of the " Permanent Active Militia of Canada,” The Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry, celebrates its jubilee in September, 1933. Fifty years does not seem a long time, when compared with the venerable ages attained by such regiments, as The Buffs and The Royal Scots; yet we must remember that Canada itself is still a comparatively young country, and the career of The Royal Canadian Regiment of infantry, if brief by comparison with most units of the Regular Army at home, has certainly not been uneventful.

The Permanent Active Militia of Canada corresponds to our own Regular Army at Home, its members being full-time soldiers. In addition to performing garrison duty, the officers and non-commissioned officers of the Permanent Force have to act as instructors to the units of the Non-Permanent Active Militia, who are organised on somewhat similar lines to our Territorials at home. The usual term of enlistment is for three years, with re-engagement to serve on for pension in certain cases, but no reserve service.

Originally formed in 1883 as “ The Infantry School Corps,” the regiment did not have long to wait for its baptism of fire. In 1885 a mad French-Canadian “ prophet,” Louis Riel, who had already led one un­successful rebellion against British rule, and had escaped to U.S.A. fifteen years before, returned to Canada and, by a mixture of oratory and trickery (including the old dodge of pretending to give a sign of his power by darkening the sun—at the time when he knew an eclipse was due), he managed to get the “ metis ” or half-breed,? of the North-west to take arms in support of him and declare a republic, of which he was head, with the title of "Supreme Exovede.” Worse still, he got several of the Red Indian tribes (who at that time were numerous, warlike, and but little affected by the softening influences of civilisation) to go on the war-path. The rebellion was quelled entirely by the Canadian local forces, and the campaign was by no means an easy one, for though there were no big battles, there were plenty of sharp skirmishes, and the two oldest battle honours borne on the Colours of The Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry were fully earned and well deserved by their predecessors of the Infantry School Corps.

In 1892 the title was changed to " The Canadian Regiment of Infantry,” and in 1894, by Order of Qiiieen Victoria, the prefix “ Royal ” was added. In 1899, at- the time of the Boer War, a 2nd (Special Service) Battalion of The Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry was formed, of men who volunteered for active service in South Africa. Some of the recruiting centres were

TH E DRAGON s

over three thousand five hundred miles apart, yet the battalion was concentrated a t Quebec within fifteen days of its formation being authorised, the Commanding Officer being Lieut.-Colonel (afterwards General Sir) William D. Otter, one of the finest soldiers Canada has ever produced. The battalion sailed from Quebec on October 30th, 1899, reaching Cape Town thirty days later. The Royal Canadians were brigaded with three British Regular battalions (The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, The King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, and The Gordon Highlanders) and soon gained the respect of their Regular comrades,. The most out­standing, feature of The Royal Canadian Regiment’s service in South Africa was their bayonet charge at the Battle of Paardeberg, of which it is recorded th a t " the greatest possible steadiness and bravery was shown by the men, while their, keenness and readiness to bring in and care for the wounded was most exemplary.” Lord' Roberts himself described it as " a most dashing advance . . . a gallant deed, worthy of our colonial comrades.” “ Paardeberg Day ” is still a f£te day in the regiment.

A 3rd Battalion was also added to the regiment a t the time of the Boer War, to take over garrison duties a t Halifax, Nova Scotia, and thus release another British Regular battalion for the front. By a coincid­ence the Regular battalion thus released was the 1st Battalion The Leinster Regiment (The Royal Canadians), the old 100th Foot, originally raised in Canada from loyal Canadians who volunteered to figlit for Queen and Country in the Indian Mutiny. Although enlisted for garrison duty only, the men of the 3rd Battalion The Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry signed a petition asking to be allowed to go to China, when the outbreak of the Boxer Rising involved the British Empire in still another war. This patriotic offer was not accepted, bu t many of the men after­wards went to South Africa as reinforcements for the Canadian contingent in Ihe field. On November 30th, 1900 tile 1st Battalion R.C.R.I. had the honour of being reviewed by Queen Victoria a t Windsor Castle, before their return to Canada.

At a special parade at Ottawa in 1904, the Governor- General of Canada (Lord Minto) presented to The Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry a special banner (a plain silken Unior Jack), “ to commemorate the meritorious services of the regiment in South Africa, this being the first occasion on which a regiment from the Dominion took part in a war for the Empire outside its own country.”

In 1906 the: last of the British Regular troops left Canada, and all garrison duties were taken over by-the Dominion Forces. The Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry took over the historic citadel of Halifax, Nova Scotia, which became the regimental headquarters until 1932. In December, 1906, 120 men of the 3rd (Regular) Battalion The Manchester Regiment, which was one of several infantry battalions being disbanded at th a t time, were specially enlisted in The Royal Canadians, this being the first instance of men from the Imperial Forces being enlisted direct into the Canadian Forces. I t is of interest to note th a t three veterans of ” The Manchester Draft ” were still serving a t,th e headquarters of The Royal Canadian Regiment a quarter of a century later.

In September, 1914, shortly after the Great W ar started, the regiment sailed for Bermuda, where they relieved a British Regular battalion (2nd Battalion. The Lincolnshire Regiment) for service in France. This gave The Royal Canadians tne distinction of being the first unit of the Dominion Forces to embark for service overseas during the Great War. In 1915

The Royal Canadian Regiment landed in France, as part of the 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Division. Fifteen battle honours (ten of which figure on the Colours) testify to the amount of fighting in which they took part. Of many gallant actions performed by members of the regiment in the Great War, mention may be made of th a t which earned the Victoria Cross for Lieut. Milton Fowler Gregg, in the fighting round Cambrai. To quote from the official accounts, “ On September 28th, when the advance of the brigade was held up by fire from both flanks and by thick, uncut wire, he crawled forward alone and explored the wife until he found a small gap, through which he sub­sequently led his men, and forced an entry into the enemy breach. The enemy counter-attacked in force, and, through lack of bombs, the situation became critical. Although wounded, Lieut. Gregg returned alone under a terrific fire and collected a further supply. Then rejoining his party, which by this time was much reduced in numbers, in spite of a second woimd, he re-organised his men and led them with the greatest determination against the enemy trenches, which he finally cleared. He personally killed or wounded eleven of the enemy and took twenty-five prisoners, in addition to twelve machine guns captured in the trench. Remaining with his company in spite of wounds, he again, on September 30th, led liis men in attack until severely wounded. The outstanding valour of this officer saved many casualties and enabled the advance to continue.”

During the Battle of the Somme, in the attack on Zollern Trench, Lieut. Penniman, Bombing Officer of The R.C.R.I., after all his men had become casualties, joined the bombers of The Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and continued to fight with them until the end of the engagement.

The honour of being the first battalion of the Canadian Expeditionery Force to enter Mons on November 11th, 1918 is claimed by The Royal Canadians, and an officer of the regiment (Lieut. Martin King,M.C.) had the honour of being the first member of the Allied Armies to affix his signature to the Mons Municipal Register Book, signing his name immediately below th a t of King Albert of Belgium, who had been the last to sign before Mons was evacuated.

In April, 1919 The Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry returned home to H alifax, Nova Scotia. During their absence the town of Halifax had suffered a terrible experience, many of its buildings being destroyed by the awful explosion which occurred when two ships (one of them loaded with high explosives) had collided in Halifax Harbour. After the explosion the Colours of The R.C.R.I. (presented by the Duke of York, now H.M. the King, a t Toronto in 1901) were missing. A few days later they were unearthed from under a thick covering of snow and the debris of what had once been the Officers’ Mess at Wellington Barracks. These Colours were carried until May, 1932, when new Colours were presented by the Governor-General of Canada.

The uniform of The Royal Canadian Regiment is scarlet with blue facings, similar to th a t worn by Royal regiments of infantry at Home, but the head­dress is of a distinctive pattern—the white “ Wolseley ” helmet, with spike and puggaree. The cap-badge is a large eight-pointed silver star, in the centre of which is a gilt circular plate containing the Royal Cypher surmounted by a Crown. The collar-badge is beaver, with the motto “-Pro Patria ” on a scroll below'.

R. Maurice H h,l.

THE DRAGON6

Colonel’s Gift to Territorials.In te re s tin g P re se n ta tio n to “ D ” C om pany 4 th Buffs.

Medals, Swords and Silver Salver for Old Comrades.

in te res ting p resen ta tion took place a t th e Folke­stone Drill Flail, Shellons S treet, on W ednesday

evening, when th e m edals and swords and a silver salver, bequeathed by the late Colonel G. Gosling,O . B.U., T .D ., to “ D ” C om pany (Folkestone), 4 th B attalion The Buffs, were handed over to the Officer Com m anding th e Folkestone D etachm ent.

The gifts, which have been superbly m ounted in a glass case on th e wall of the Club Room a t the Drill Hall, were presented by Colonel B. S. Collard, T .D ., com m anding 4th B atta lion T he Buffs, in th e presence of a large gathering of p a s t and present m em bers of " D ” Com pany, m any of whom had served w ith Colonel Gosling, Am ong those presen t were L ieut. C. Brooke (O.C. Folkestone D etachm ent), 2 /L ieut. A. C. R oberts, 2 Lieut. P. L. R oberts, C aptain 1). V. Coote (Vice- President of th e Club), Mr. W. FI. F'rancis (Hon. Secretary), R.S.M. Jones (late Buffs), Mr. C. J . Roberts, ifr . J . R igden, C aptain H. I,. Cremer, M ajor G. Kings- ford, C aptain FI. F . W hitfield, ex-Sergean t-Instruc tor J. Butcher, M ajor F. FI. Keeler (late Buffs), and Mr.P. G reenstreet. T he ga thering included some of the men who served w ith Colonel Gosling in South Africa.

Messages of reg re t for absence were received from M ajor F. M. D unstan, C aptain j . F . Monins, C aptain R. F. H arbord , C aptain S. Baker, Lieut. K. G. Millar and L ieut. A. S. B artter.

Colonel Collard, in m aking the p resen ta tion , said he, had been given the honour of handing over those gifts, a t the request of th e Colonel of the R egim ent (M ajor-General Sir A rth u r Lynden-Bell) and the Com­m ittee of th a t Club. F'or the benefit of some of the younger m em bers, he would like to give them some deta ils of th e late Colonel Gosling's connection w ith Tlie Buffs. He form ed th a t Club in 1898 in a room over a shop in T ontine S treet. W hen the p resen t Drill Flail was bu ilt as a m em orial to th e la te Queen V ictoria, the m oney was p u t up by Colonel Gosling in order th a t th a t Club Room m ight be bu ilt, and th e actual building was done by m em bers of th e Folkestone Com pany, as it was then , in th e ir spare tim e. I t was first used in 1904. Three years ago the K en t T errito ria l Associ­a tion im proved th e san ita ry arrangem ents of th e Club, and the}' m oved the roof so th a t the Club could be brought all u nder one building. Colonel Gosling joined The Buffs in 1895 and he a t once set to work and form ed a very powerful com pany there. H e took the active .service com pany, the 1st V olunteer B a tta lion of The Buffs, to the South African W ar. T h a t com pany was composed of a very high percentage of Folkestone men. For th a t service, Colonel Gosling was gran ted the honorary rank of C aptain in th e R egular Arm y. In 1899 th e s tren g th of th e com pany in Folkestone was 98, and there were no less th an 93 m arksm en. The com pany in those days h ad its own ten ts and tran sp o rt, and they used to have regular week-end cam ps in th e sum m er, w hich were of th e u tm ost value. Colonel Gosling was second in com m and of th a t b a tta lion from 1909 to 1912, when he becam e th e C om m anding Officer. H e took the b a tta lio n to In d ia in 1914, Aden in 1915 and back in 1916 to Ind ia, where he rem ained w ith th e b a tta lio n until 1919, when he re tired . Fie h ad had the privilege of serving w ith Colonel Gosling

for very nearly ten years and he knew how m uch he was loved and respected by all ranks. Fie was a m an of very h igh sense of du ty , and his first th o u g h t alw ays was for th e m en serving under him. He would like to m ention and th an k th e Com m ittee of th a t Club for defraying the expenses of th a t beau tifu l case in which th e various trophies were displayed. Fie felt no th ing would please Colonel Gosling and the m em bers of the fam ily more th a n th a t the p resen t serving Buffs should come to th a t Club as often as possible and take a real live in te res t in it. “ W ith those w ords,” he concluded, “ I will ask Mr. Brooke, as C om m anding Officer a t F'olkestone, to tak e over in to safe keeping Colonel Gosling’s g ifts .”

L ieut. Brooke, replying, said he first of all wished to th an k Colonel Collard very sincerely for coming down th a t evening to h and over the m edals and sw ords of the late Colonel Gosling. Fie could assure them and every m em ber of old “ D ” C om pany th a t they h ad found a very good resting-place, and they would be treasu red as a rem em brance of all th a t th e la te Colonel Gosling did for th a t Com pany. H e (the speaker) joined The Buffs in 1917, and afte r serv ing w ith various b a tta lions of th e R egim ent, he finally cam e to rest w ith “ D ” Com pany, 4 th B atta lion The Buffs in 1923, and, of course, when he arrived there th e first person he heard of was Colonel Gosling. H e happened to know him very in tim ate ly , and although a lo t of th em did n o t see him very m uch during th e last ten years of his life, he h ad frequently been to see him . H e could assure them th a t during those las t ten years, Colonel Gosling’s though ts during those evenings he spen t with him were for th e “ D ” Com pany, asking w hat they were doing and where they were. Colonel Collard had a lreadv referred to w ha t the Com m ittee h ad done w ith regard to g e tting th a t m ost beau tifu l case for the m edals and swords, and he d id th ink th ey were specially to be thanked . H e w anted th e p resen t serving de tach ­m en t to realise th a t th a t Club, th e trad itio n s of which they had h eard th a t evening, could n o t go on unless i t was w ell-supported by the p resen t day detachm ent. H e th o u g h t Colonel Collard h ad im pressed on them the sp irit of “ D ” Com pany, and th a t sp irit could n o t go on unless it was w ell-supported. H e did no t m ean th a t th ey were not supporting th e Club and old " D ” Com pany, because they did, b u t w hat he w anted to see -was th e youngest m em bers of th e de tachm en t having a glass of beer or ginger beer w ith the oldest m em bers of' th e Club. Concluding, he again th anked Colonel Collard for coming down th a t evening. They could rest assured th a t w henever they looked on th a t beau tifu l gift, th ey would rem em ber Colonel Gosling and i t would inspire th em to carry on th e old trad itio n s of “ D ” Com pany.

A t th e conclusion of th e cerem ony, th e de tachm ent dism issed and spen t a convivial evening in th e Club.

T he silver salver, which accom panies the m edals and swords in Colonel Gosling’s bequest, was presen ted to th e Colonel by th e officers of th e R egim ent on his re tirem ent.

Extract from “ Folkestone Express," December 9th.

the dragon 7

Some Reflections from Fort Vendeuil.March 20th to 22nd, 1918.

“ QTAND t o ! That was the order on March20th, 1918. The enemy was due to attack.

True, from information received the attack was a fort­night overdue, but it Had come at last. With nerves tense and eyes ever watchful we “ Stood to,” not knowing quite what to expect. For some days the guns had been registering on our positions . . . . So we remained until the next morning, when at four o'clock the fun started in real earnest. The noise seemed more deafening than an ordinary bombardment. An extra fury seemed let loose. One almost got the impression of “ now or never.” The noises seemed stranger, if only because of the intense stillness of the night before. With every muscle and nerve strained, we stared and stared. . . . We could see nothing, for a dense fog surrounded us in an uncanny manner . . . .

Notwithstanding the commanding position of Fort Vendeuil, it was quite impossible for us to see what was happening in front of us, or anywhere near us. This fort was a pre-war earth-work and had been recon­ditioned during the Great War by the French. It was horse-shoe shaped and fire-bays had been constructed all the way round. On either side of these bays was a concrete stairway, to which the men repaired during the intense shelling. It stands to reason that while you are being shelled you cannot be attacked. The shelling must subside first.

This fort overlooked the village of Vendeuil, which, though of no strategic value, was maintained with posts because of sentimental reasons on the part of the French. I t did, however, have a number of uses. Before daybreak we secured our fresh water from there, and the sight of spring flowers rising superior to the ruins of the village, lent an aspect of strange beauty . . . .

To revert to the attack. The fog seemed to be thinning, or perhaps it was that we were gradually getting used to the atmosphere. Gradually I began to realise that the posts in front of me had been scuppered, and stragglers that came into the fort confirmed these suspicions. Now the shelling seemed to be concentrated on the fort and its immediate vicinity. On my flanks the enemy seemed to have advanced slightly and the fort held up its progress quite considerably. We had not very much difficulty in repulsing the first attack. We had the most perfect targets, and being in an elevated position, we got first look-in as it were.

There were many of the enemy, but none got near enough to even try to make an entrance. We soon appreciated the fact that as long as we had am m u n ition food and water we were pretty safe. Nevertheless, I do not think we gave this knowledge too much con­sideration. There were other things to be thought about. We were still getting a certain amount of excitement out of the affair, and not really considering the dangerous position we were holding. I had by now discarded my own observation post as it was a little too conspicuous and had previously been used by the gunners. I could see all I wanted to from most positions in the fort. Later, I was very glad of this decision. The entrances to the fort were guarded by machine guns, and unless the enemy could scale the walls of the fort, there seemed little chance of their getting in. Even then they would have had to cross the moat. But I do not think they were aware of all this....From a German soldier I captured early on, I took a " programme of work,” according to which the fort should have been in their possession on the 21st at 11 o'clock. They were a little out in their calculations.

The officers and men continued cheerful, and as we felt there might be a counter-attack, our position in the fort seemed quite tenable. Communication with Headquarters was severed quite early in the first battle, and my last words with my Commanding Officer over the telephone were that I would “ Hold on at all costs.” Later I sent runners out in twos. These neither got to Headquarters nor returned. I was forced to presume that the worst had happened. I decided to waste no further lives on this errand. I learned many months later that communications were sent to me from the Commanding Officer with special orders. These, how­ever, failed to reach me. Perhaps it was as well. They contained the instructions to withdraw to the new front line. I have since wondered if we would have been able to fight our way back. I doubt it, for we were surrounded by the enemy on all sides, and the tired condition of the garrison of the fort would not have been conducive to a good scrap. By now it was night of the 21st, and so we hung on.

Next day we saw a pleasant little formation of the enemy preparing to attack from a little coppice not far from the fort. This we had no difficulty in dispersing quite effectively with trench mortars. I t was indeed good hunting ! Then a sort of calm seemed to surround us, and it gathered quite suddenly. I t was ominous. The men devoured what rations they were allowed. I conferred with the officers and N.C.O.'s, all of. whom were prepared to rely upon my judgment. At least, they had the good grace to say so, but -what some of them actually thought is a matter of a different kind; for in this world they will have no chance of telling me.

I t was, at this stage of the proceedings, too difficult to estimate how far the enemy had actually advanced. This much I . did know, that I was gradually being isolated. From the noise I knew that bits of battle were happening all around me. Yet in the fort things were comparatively peaceful at that time. But not for long. A fresh fury suddenly broke out. Obviously the enemy guns had changed their positions, for the shells were coming from a very different position, and intense was the shelling. - From this new position of theirs they succeeded in blowing up my Headquarters, a thing they could not have done previously. But this was of no consequence, as I was using it little. Even this second bombardment did not do us very much harm. We had once more made use of our concrete stairways, and our fire bays were more or less intact. Still the enemy failed to reach tile fort. But now I was beginning to feel a little perturbed about the ultimate issue of this affair. Repeatedly I had sent up lights to let those behind know that I was still alive and in possession. By this time I think they all thought that there were hardly any of us alive—a miracle must have happened, we were very much alive.

I was worried by the fact that our keep had been riddled in the recent shelling. My reserve water was gone and the men had only what was in their bottles. Food was getting low, though the Iron Ration was still intact. Ammunition too was getting low and there was no possibility of getting a further supply.

Before long a fresh difficulty assailed me. We were how being plastered with gas shells. This was the foulest of the lot. Our gas helmets were quite efficient, and we could do little else but keep them on and hope for the best. During this waiting my servant valiantly, offered to make me some sandwiches, as I complained quite unintentionally of being hungry. He soon appeared bearing some ham sandwiches on a plate.

the dragon8

A shell landed quite near him. He was not harmed, but the sandwiches turned a sickly greenish-yellow. I was no longer hungry !

Everything must come to an end, so even the shelling must cease. And it did, and then we were just ignored. That, I suppose, was a sound policy on their part, for they apparently went on their way, gaining what they could, feeling, perhaps, that sooner or later we would have to give in. At the time this seemed very far from my mind. Later, from reconnaissance I discovered that the enemy were about five miles behind its. We were down to our last of most tilings—food, water and ammunition. Obviously the time was not ripe for a counter attack, so what was the best thing to do ? I asked myself that many times. Nothing seemed left for us to do but to pack up and hand over the cursed fort. However, L once more gathered the officers and N.C.O.’s together and upon the next move we all agreed. We had no alternative but to give in. A pretty picture indeed. We burned all things that could be burned, dumped our rifles, etc., in the moat, and prepared to hand over. My Machine Gun Officer volunteered to go out with a white towel on a stick to show the enemy 'that lie could have the fort. It seemed ignominious, but what else could we do ? The gates were thrown open and there we were waiting, but for what ? That was still to be discovered. As the gates were thrown open, the German soldiers pounced upon the men, filching their rations—sparse enough— from them. It was not easy to put up any more resistance. I got into touch with the officer command­ing this rabble—an insignificant little chap. When he discovered that I was in charge, or rather had been in charge, he laughed. I could have slaughtered him. •He remained human only long enough to remark: “ But you are only a child.” Then memory seemed to stir, and he became livid with rage, cursing me and bawling that I had caused his people very many casualties, etc. At least that was a little satisfaction to me. He was quite beside himself, and I suppose I let him see that I was amused, for he immediately kicked me on the shin. What a kick ! A mule could not have done better ! At the same time he levelled a tiny revolver at my eyes. What could I do ? What would you have done ? I wonder ! I t was with great difficulty that I restrained my Sergeant-Major from landing the gentleman a beauty under the nose. Suddenly I felt tired and wanted to sit down. My mind seemed to be.a little fuddled. 1 could not get away from the idea that I had somehow failed in my job. It took me a long time to shake off this feeling. Time is a very wonderful healer. The passage of years has made the most gruesome times seem like demons of a strange p a s t A n d so started a new phase of life. (To be continued).

Queen’s Own to Replace Buffs at Shorncliffe.

'THE 2nd Battalion The Buffs are leaving Shorncliffe at the end of this year, and are happily being

succeeded there by another Kent regiment, the 2nd Battalion The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regi­ment.

The 2nd Battalion The Buffs are going to Bordon as part of the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Division—a very important position if another war should unfortunately occur.

Territorial Army.Summer Camp Attendance.

I t is officially announced that the Daily Telegraph Challenge Cup, awarded annually in the Territorial Army for the best attendance at camp, has been won jointly this year by the 5th and 6th Battalions The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment), both battalions having an attendance of 100 per cent. The cup will be held by each battalion for six months. This is the second occasion in succession that the cup was been won by the 5th Battalion The Sherwood Foresters, this battalion being the winners when the cup was last awarded in 1931. No award was made in 1932 as annual training in camp for the Territorial Army was suspended during that year for reasons of economy.

On only one previous occasion has the cup been won by a unit with an attendance of 100 per cent. This was in the year 1925, and the unit was the Tyne­mouth Heavy Brigade, Royal Artillery. Seventeen units secured an: attendance of over 90 per cent, this year, which is the largest number of units in any year since the cup was instituted. The list is as follows :—

PercentageUnit. A ttendance.

5th Battalion The Sherwood Foresters ... ... 1006th Battalion The Sherwood Foresters ... ... ... 100IOtli Battalion The Manchester Regiment ... 97-848th Battalion The Durham Light Infantry ... 97'35 The Northumberland Hussars Yeomanry ... 96'2555th (Northumbrian) Medium Brigade, Royal

Artillery ... ... ... ... ... 953182nd (Welsh) Field Brigade Royal Artillery ... 93-6646th (North Midland) Divisional Royal Engineers 93'23 5th Battalion The Northumberland Fusiliers ... 93 217th Battalion The Durham'Light Infantry ... 93-045th Battalion The Welch Regiment ... ... 92'714th Battalion The Northumberland Fusiliers ... 91-888th Battalion The Sherwood Foresters ... ... 91'726th Battalion The North Staffordshire Regiment 91'55 6th Battalion The Durham Light Infantry ... 91'225th Battalion The Durham Light Infantry ... 90 566th (Lanarkshire) Battalion The Cameronians... 90 08

Officers 1st Bn. The Buffs, Ghitral, April, 1895.Standing (left to right)—

Major R. S. II. Moody, Captain B. F. Holme, Lieut.B. R. K. Tarte, Captain and Adjutant A. Lynden-Bell, Lieut. R. Bright, Major R. A. Hickson, Captain L. N. Herbert (D.A.A.G.), Brig.-General W. F. Gatacre, Lieut. W. A. Eaton, Lt.-Col. G. E. Harley, Lieut. A. G. Trollope, Lieut. F. J . Engelbach, Major J . W. Hind, 2nd Lieut.C. E- Bateman Cliampaiu (attached), Lieut. F. S. Reeves, Captain G. S. Stockwell (Brigade Major), 2nd Lieut. R. W. Henderson (attached), Lieut. F. Bradley-Dyne.Sitting (left to right) —

Lieut, -s-------, R.A.M.C., Lieut, and Qr. Mstr. H. C.Cumber, Captain G. V. Dauglish, 2nd Lieut. T. T. G. Adamson, Capt. E. C. M. Parry, Lieut. W. H. Trevor, Lieut. R. McDouall, Lieut. C. L. Porter, Lieut. R. E. Power.

B. and W. FISK-MOORE,

Professional Photographers,

VII St. George’s Place, Canterbury.

Tel. 337.

Officers, 1st Battalion The Buffs—Chitral, April, 1895

THE D

RAG

ON

10 THE DRAGON

Chitral.J JE R E is a story which may interest Buffs, especially

those of the old brigade :—We all know about Gordon Richards and his wonder­

ful number of wins last season. The papers have been full of it and comparisons have been made between his performance and that of Fred Archer. Incidentally in this connection the merits of Roddy Owen of The Lancashire Fusiliers as an amateur jockey cropped up. I t will be remembered that he won the Grand National on “ Father O’Flynn ” many years ago (1892).

On reading the tributes to Owen’s skill as a horse­man, Sir Francis (then Captain) Younghusband, who accompanied him on a ride into Chitral 40 miles ahead of Sir Robert Low’s relieving force in 1895, when both were acting as press correspondents, was prompted to write to The Times to bear witness to Owen’s other good qualities, and he referred to the fact that for the ride to Chitral Roddy appeared in scarlet, when everyone else on the campaign wore khaki. Roddy said at the time that he adopted this garb because he thought it would cheer the relieved garrison, * which, wrote Sir Francis, it did, according to the sole surviving British Officer, Lieut.-Colonel B. E- M. Gurdon.

This letter brought Colonel Gurdon a telephone call from the Editorial Department of the Evening News in London asking him to grant an interview to their representative. Colonel Gurdon reluctantly agreed and the result was an account in the Evening News of ; November 22nd which appeared to give all the credit for the Relief of Chitral to Colonel Kelly’s force which came from Gilgit and omitted any mention of the Chitral Relief Force under Sir Robert Low. It is of course well-known that but for the pressure of the latter from the South, Colonel Kelly’s force would never have got to Chitral at all. Further, the 1st Battalion The Buffs, of Sir Robert Low’s force reached Chitral by forced marches before .any other unit of that force, and were the only British battalion to get there.

The Colonel of the Regiment wrote to Colonel Gurdon, an old friend of his, on the subject. We pub­lish (with his permission) the latter’s reply and a letter he ‘sent to the Evening News. In his letter to Coloriel Gurdon, Sir Arthur Lynden-Bell asked him if he would lend him a copy of the photograph of the Officers of The Buffs at Chitral which appeared in an album of photographs of the Chitral Relief Expedition taken by Sergeant-Major Develin, R.E. Colonel Gurdon very kindly sent along the album containing the photo­graph. Subsequently, however. Colonel Gurdon dis­covered that Sergeant-Major Develin was living in Gravesend and. wrote to him. Whereupon Mr. Develin sent him the original copy of the photograph in question which Colonel Gurdon was good enough to present to the Colonel of the Regiment. The photograph is a remarkably clear one, though it was taken some 38 years ago.

Heatherfield,Warren Road,

Crowborough.My dear Lynden-Bell, November 25th, 1933.

Many thanks for your letter of the 22nd. I am so glad you wrote.

That reporter rang me up directly he saw Frank Younghusband’s letter to the Times in which he referred to me as the last surviving British officer of the Chitral Garrison. I was rash enough to grant him an interview but said I must see his draft before it was printed. He duly sent me the draft, but I had barely had time to read it when he rang up again and asked me to check it on the telephone. This I found difficult to do as there is no light by our telephone and I don't hear as well as I used to.

When the reporter saw me I emphasised the fact that it was really the big force under Sir Robert Low which relieved us and that Kelly’s force could not haye done much alone. I suppose these reporters always work in this way. I t is strange to think that corres­pondence re Gordon Richards and then about Roddy Owen ended in Chitral affairs of 1895 once more figuring in the press.

I enclose a copy of a ietter which I have just written to the Editor of the Evening News, but I rather doubt whether he will put it in, as the Evening News does not, I believe, usually contain letters.

It is very nice to be in touch with you again. You may remember that I went out to India with yourself, Allen and T arte in the Serapis in 1887. Some years ago I met Reeves of your Regiment on the Tonbridge Cricket Ground; and it must, I think, have been due to him that you so kindly asked me several times to share your hospitality during the Canterbury Cricket Week. I have always much wanted to avail myself of these kind invitations, but have always been pre­vented from doing so. Perhaps I may have better luck next year.

I have always had a great admiration for The Buffs and am so glad you have the great honour of being Colonel.

I posted my copy of Develin’s book to you this morning. Do keep it as long as you like. The group qf officers of. The Buffs appears to me to be excellent, and when you return the book, do let me know the names of the officers in the order they stand in on a separate sheet of paper.

Yours ever,B. E. M. G u r d o n .

Copy of letter from Lieut.-Colonel B. E. M. Gurdon to the Editor of the Evening News dated November 26th, 1933 :—Sir,

I t has been brought to my notice that the report from your special correspondent which appeared in the issue of the Evening News of the 22nd instant may perhaps have conveyed the impression that the relief of the siege of Chitral Fort in 1895 was mainly due to the fine march of Colonel Kelly's small force (about 400 Sikh Pioneers, 50 Kashmir Infantry, 2 Kashmir mountain guns and 150 Levies) from Gilgit. This, of course, is far from being correct.

Colonel Kelly’s force, marching as it did across the Shandar Pass (elevation 12,000 odd feet), then deep in snow, and through perhaps the most difficult country on the whole frontier, would have had very little chance of reaching Chitral as expeditiously as it did if the Pathan tribesmen south of the Low&ri Pass had not, at the same time, been attacked in rear by the large force comprising six battalions of British and six battalions of TnHian infantry and a considerable number of Divisional troops under the command of General Sir Robert Low.

Owing to the difficulty of feeding such a large force in a mountainous country, only a portion of the 3rd (General Gatacre’s) Brigade actually crossed the Low&ri Pass and marched to Chitral, but it is interesting to note- that it included a battalion of The Buffs, the only British Corps which has ever been seen in Chitral. I remember that the Chitralis were very much impressed by the splendid appearance of The Buffs.

I hope you will see your way to insert this letter in an early edition of your paper.

(Signed) B. E. M. Gurdon.

THE DRAGON 11

Correspondence.29 P o n t S treet,

S.W.December 21 st, 1933.

Colonel II. Findlay,Secretary, Past and Present Association,

The Buffs Depot, Canterbury.My dear Colonel,

I am in due receip t of your le tte r of th e 20th inst. and I have n o t failed to send your very k ind C hristinas greetings on to H is M ajesty T he K ing of D enm ark and Iceland, who, I am sure, will be very pleased to receive such a good message from th e P ast and Present A ssociation of The Buffs.

Y ours sincerely,J . A hb t'Er.DT L a u rv ig ,

Danish Minister.

Ardview House,K illinchy,

Co. Down.December 2Qth, 1933.

My dear F indlay ,I am enclosing herein a cheque for £1 8s. 0d., viz :

/ I to the C hristm as Pudding F u n d and 8/- for n ex t y e a r’s Dragon to be sen t to Constable Leonard Orsler, R oyal U lster C onstabulary B arracks, L isburn R oad, Belfast.

I t is ra th e r in teresting , th e m anner in which I m et th is old Buff. I stopped m y car one n ig h t in B elfast to ask a Constable to d irec t me to a certa in road, and seeing he was w earing m edal ribbons, I asked him w ith whom he served in th e W ar, and he said, “ The Buffs.” I h ad a closer look a t h im th en and recognised him as one of m y own com pany in Ferm oy. T his happened ab o u t tw o years ago. I lost touch w ith him u n til M onday last. I was w alking on th e road near m y place when a car slowed up and stopped and ou t got a Constable. I tr ie d to im agine w hat crim e I h ad la te ly com m itted. However, i t tu rn ed o u t to be Orsler, who had a d ay off and h ad come ou t to see m y place. H e spen t a g rea t m orning looking a t m y photos of the R egim ent and lunched w ith m y wife, son and myself. W e were delighted w ith him and re tu rn ed h im safely to B elfast in th e afternoon. H e h ad a b ro th er in th e R egim ent.

I h ad a g rea t le tte r th e o th er day from Bob Lacey, w'hom I h a d n o t h eard from since 1902. H e was m y C olour-Sergeant a t T hayetm yo and b u t for The Dragon I m igh t n o t have heard of h im for ano ther th ir ty years.

My best wishes to all for C hristm as and the New Year.

Y ours sincerely,R. C. Raines.

Public A ssistance In stitu tio n , C anterbury .

December 22nd, 1933.Colonel H. Findlay, C.B.E.,

Secretary, Past and Present Association,The Buffs Depot, Canterbury.

D ear Sir,I w rite to acknowledge, on behalf of th e ten ex-

Buffs who are inm ates of th e C an terbury In stitu tio n , th e receip t of th e very welcome C hristm as gifts from your Association.

T he m en are very th an k fu l and th ey deeply apprecia te th e k ind action of your Association.

T hey un ite in w ishing you all a very happy C hristm as. Y ours faithfu lly ,

Geo. Addison,Master.

W ren’s Cross,M aidstone.

December 1 Ith, 1933. Maj.-Gen. Sir Arthur Lynden-Bell, K .C.B., K.C.M.G. Sir,"

I am in receip t of your le tte r of th e 2nd in stan t, and have to th an k you for th e very com plim entary sen tim ents you have so k ind ly expressed th ere in ab o u t myself.

I reg re t th a t, owing to lapse of tim e, I am unable to recall definite dates of th e m any varied and exciting incidents th a t happened w hilst I was serving in th e Regim ent, b u t m any old Buffs will p robably rem em ber me as a fairly good signaller and shot. Some of th e C hitral C am paigners m ay rem em ber me jo ining th e R egim ent a t R aw al P indi on th e w ay to C hitral (I was growing a beard), when m yself and Pte. T aylor cam e post haste from W ajiristan .

I have m any happy recollections of m y five years in Ind ia , w ith th e very best of chums, and th e best of Superiors whose s tric t and firm discipline m ade a m an of me and ta u g h t me the lessons which subsequently enabled me, a P riva te in th e Buffs, to become Chief S u p erin tenden t of the K en t C ounty C onstabulary, a Force whose stren g th is 695.

I am a n a tive of K ent, and a lthough I am re tiring from th e Force, I shall se ttle in m y County.

I am, Sir,Y our obedient servan t,

P. T. AmbroseeChief Superintendent.

F. C. Am brose served in The Buffs from 1887-1896 and possesses m edals and clasps for th e W azaristan and C hitral Campaigns.

H e jo ined th e K en t C ounty C onstabulary in 1896 and becam e Chief S uperin tenden t in 1919.

Chief S uperin tenden t Am brose was recom ­m ended by th e W ar Office for valuable services in connection w ith aliens du ring the G reat W ar. Pie has tw ice been decorated by th e King, receiving th e O .B .F . in 1918 and la te r th e K in g ’s Police Medal.

80 C anterbury Road,W illesborough,

Ashford.November 26th, 1933.

Colonel H. Findlay.D ear Sir,

I deel I m u st w rite and th an k you for ob tain ing em ploym ent for me a t Kenfield H all. I ’m afra id

^ it would have been a poor look o u t for me w ithou t the g rea t help of yourself and th e Association.

T hanking you once again and wisliing th e Association every success,

I rem ain,Y ours tru ly ,

N. F. Perry.

B roadw ater F s ta te ,Sungii S iput,

"P irar F.M.S.November 14th, 1933.

The Editor. “ The Dragon.”Sir,

H aving ju s t re tu rned from a tr ip to Jap an , I cannot b u t inform you of several in te res ting m eetings and doings. F irstly , on m y w ay th rough Singapore I visited B idadari Cem etery and found all T he Buff graves in excellent condition. In fact m y wife m entioned th a t th e cem etery was the best looked a fte r th a t she h ad ever seen.

12 TH E DRAGON

Mv second visit was to Hong Kong, where The Buffs graves were also in excellent condition. These are, I might mention, cared for by Mr. R. Marks, who left the Regiment there in 1909 and is still there.

On my way back on the Yasukuni Maru, I had the good fortune to have as a fellow-passenger no less a person than Lieut.-Colonel J. V. R. Jackson, who was also returning from a visit to Japan. Colonel Jackson soon found me out and we had many yams of old times. As Colonel Jackson is himself writing you re this, I will say no more.

On arrival at Hong Kong I was able to rake in two of the remaining four Buffs, Marks and Millington, and bring them on board to meet Colonel J ackson.

I am sure these notes will be of interest to you and those of the “ old brigade ” who were out this way with the 2nd Battalion in 1908-1912. This goes to show' how the good “ old c rush” hangs together and how true is the saying “ Once a Buff always a Buff.”

Yours very sincerely,T. Trevor,

Late Sgt. No. 6394, "D ” Coy. 2nd Bn.P.S.—I am enclosing a snap of the grave of Erorie

Wallis, a recruit with me. You might like to publish it. I shall be glad if you can find out his w7ife and send it to her. I am sure she will be glad to have it. I believe she was a native of Dover, and th a t her maiden name w'as Durrant. [We should be glad to receive Mrs. Wallis’s address.—Editor.']

T.T.

27 Willett Close,Petts Wood,

Kent.December 13 th, 1933.

Dear Colonel Findlay,I am enclosing my subscription of 15/- for The

Dragon, with best wishes for the Regiment, past and present, and all its splendid activities ; and perhaps I may7 say without presumption also thank you and your contributors for a delightful Christmas number as well as for mauy other good issues, including the splendid record of our own Parade a t Canterbury in August, which I was privileged to attend.

Yours sincerely,W. Thomson H u a ,

Captain late R.A.F., Formerly Pte. 2/5 The Buffs.

Matters of Interest.G ill M em orial Scholarsh ips and E xhib itions a t

B righ ton College for Sons of A rm y Officers.The attention of officers is drawn to the Gill Memorial

Scholarships, one or two of which together with two Exhibitions are offered annually for competition among sons of Army officers.

Candidates will take the ordinary June Common Entrance Examination a t their own preparatory schools. Admission to compete for the Scholarships and Exhibitions is by nomination, and candidates must be :—(1) Under the age of 14 years and 3 months on June

1st, 1934, and(2) The sons of officers who hold or have held His

Majesty’s Commission in the Regular Army, or, failing such candidates, the sons of officers who hold or have held His Majesty’s Commission in the Reserve or Auxiliary Military Forces.

The annual value of a Gill Memorial Scholarship is £15, and of an Exhibition ^50, thus reducing the amount payable by a parent or guardian to approxim­ately £15 and ^100 respectively, inclusive of necessary

extras. Scholarships and Exhibitions are tenable for three years, but the period may, on the recomend- ation of the Headmaster, be extended to four years.

Successful candidates will enter Brighton College at the end of the summer holidays.

Applications for nomination by the War Office (accompanied by Birth Certificate and Certificates of Conduct covering the previous two years) should reach the U nder.Secretary of State (C.I.), The War Office, London, S.W .l, not later than April 30th, 1934.

For the 1935 and subsequent examinations the age limit will be 14 years instead of 14 years and 3 months on June 1st in the year of the examination.

T e rr ito r ia l A rm y.The latest official returns show th a t during the

month of October last, 1,072 recruits were finally approved for the Territorial Army. The intake of recruits from January 1st last to October 31st, was 28,679, which is an increase of 14,619 compared with the corresponding period last year.

The total strength of the Territorial Army (other ranks) on November 1st was 127,030 ; this is 542 less than on October 1st, bu t there is a net increase of 6,863 in the strength since January 1st, 1933.

The number of recruits obtained in each Command were as follows Eastern Command, 291 ; London District, 258; Northern Command, 107; Scottish Command, 54 ; SouthermGommand, 261 ; and Western Command, 101.' -

A rm y V ocational T ra in in g .The results of the Vocational Training Courses in

the Army for the year ending September 30th, 1933, are given below :—N um ber o f stu d en ts t r a in ed and t h e n u m ber w ho obta in edEMPLOYMENT, BY TRADES, FOR THE YEAR 1ST OCTOBER, 1932, TO SOlH

Se pt e m b e r , 1933.

Course.

—

Nor

mal

cla

ss

“

capa

city

.

*6V

IaH +J9 al - s

5tn

(2)

Num

ber w

ho

3

foun

d im

med

iate

em

ploy

men

t.

Num

ber

foun

d |e

mp

loy

me

nt

not

| A

incl

uded

in C

ol. 3

|

of p

revi

ous r

etur

ns.

^

Perc

enta

ge f

ound

45

em

ploy

men

t.

Building Construction 6 14 9 2 78*5Builder’s Mates — 2 1 50Bricklaying ............... 209 270 209 33 89-6Carpentry ................ 170 174 119 23 81'6Cabinet-Making 15 22 15 3 818French Polishing 8 29 21 6 93-1Wood-Machinists 6 11' 9 2 100Concrete Work 10 13 6 1 53-8-Handyman- ... 25 86 58 14 83‘7Painting & Decorating 98 189 136 32 8 8 8Coach Painting 7 17 13 3 94'1Plumbing (General) ... SO 133 87 19 796Plastering & Tiling ... 101 149 110 31 94'6Acetylene Welding ... 87 176 104 35 789Electrical Wiring 62 111 66 17 74-7Fitting & Turning ... 12 21 15 o 95-2Motor Mechanism 45 95 53 43* 100Boot Repairing 66 142 94 16 77'4Upholstery ............... • 15 37 23 11 91'8Private Service 15 71 47 3 70-4Positions of T rust — 76 32 18 65-7General Farming 60 55 43 4 85'4Dairy Farming 40 33 27 3 90‘9Pig F a n n in g ............... 15 7 7 — 100Poultrv Farming 45 80 66 7 91-2M arket Gardening ... 36 76 70 2 94*7Gardener-Chauffeur ... 36 138 112 12 89-8G roundsm an ............... 36 81 69 3 88-8Outside Courses — 32 21 7 87-5

T otals ... 2,340 1,642 355 85-3

♦Includes students discharged prior to 1st October, 1932, who had n o t found employment a t th a t date.

THE DRAGON 13

The First Club in Piccadilly.

T he N aval and M ilitary was th e first club to be opened in Piccadilly. T he Club was founded in 1862, a t a house in Clifford S treet, m ainly b y officers of The Buffs, then sta tio n ed a t th e Tower. I t m oved subsequently to H anover Square, and th en to its presen t home. The house was successively occupied by Lord A grem ont, th e M arquess of Cholmondeley, th e Duke of Cambridge, Sir R ichard S u tton , and Lord Palm erston before i t becam e a club.

(,Specially drawn for " The Sunday Times ” by Hanslip Fletcher.)

14 THE DRAGON

The East Kent Hunt.QWTNG to the unwelcome visit of that arch-hore.

Jack Frost, who holds the whole country in an iron grip, fox-hunting is at a standstill. There is nothing for it, therefore, but to swap the saddle for a chair, and pulling it as close as convenient to a roaring fire, to bend over one’s desk and take what solace one can by writing about the “ image of war ” whilst this irksome armistice prevails.

Under the Mastership of the Earl of Guilford, the East Kent Hounds this season have been showing rare good sport, hike his father, who hunted the East Kent from 1870-1879, and afterwards took over the Cattistock, where he was killed in the hunting-field in his third season, his Lordship runs the Hunt in first-class style.

The Hunt horses are kept at Waldershare in the stables built on so lavish a scale by the late Lord Guilford in 1870. Hounds are still kept at Elham under Fred Sturmy, who was appointed Huntsman last season. He came from the Cotswold, where he had been eight years. Before that he was eleven years with the Cattistock.

Sam Newman, who hails from the H.H., is first whipper-in, whilst George (whose surname I have forgotten) is second whip. This is his fourth season with the East Kent. He, poor chap, has been seriously ill recently with a mysterious complaint that has baffled the doctors. But everyone hopes to see him out again before the end of the season.

Amongst the hounds great changes have been made. Sturmey brought thirteen couple from the Cotswold; five couple have been drafted from the Whaddon Chase, and ten couple from the Tickham this year; and six couple have been bred. The pack now consists of forty-six couple, and a smarter, more workmanlike lot you could not wish to see. The veteran' amongst them is a beautiful bitch called " Vivid ” which came from the Cotswold, and although in her eighth season can stay with the best of them, and often puts the doubters right. A few seasons ago she gained distinction at Peterborough, and has since done her duty at stud.

Anyone who has seen Fred Sturmey in action will agree as to his great ability. And anyone versed in venery who has hunted in East Kent knows how much skill and energy is required to kill foxes in such bad scenting country. Nowadays, with so much wire, small holdings, motor traffic and tarred roads the task is many times more difficult than even twenty years ago. Already this season 1\ brace have been killed, and 22^ brace marked to ground. Moreover, to date (December 11th) four days have been lost owing to frost. When the ground gets really sodden we may expect even better results; and if ever prosperity returns to farming we may be sure wire will be less in evidence, for the East Kent farmers are a sporting lot—indeed, in the past, they did more to support hunting than any other class.

Although this season has not so far seen any out­standing days, good sport has been enjoyed in the Monday country from Waldershare, where foxes are plentiful.

The other day a fox from the Wilderness sought refuge in a drain in the park near Canterbury Lodge. The terrier was put in, and in. a few minutes a brace came out from the other end. With hounds almost snapping at his brush, Charley raced across the park in full view of the Field, but managed to get to ground iu an earth near the tow7er. Without a moment’s hesitation Sturmey called hounds off and clapped them on the line of the other, which had gone to Captain's Wood. Bustling him through the wood, he headed back to the Wilderness, but hounds soon had him out on the other side.

Then, crossing the road near Coldred Colliery, •they hunted him on over the disused railway to Coldred Green, eventually marking to ground above Lydden. Admittedly this w’as not a great run, but it showed some beautiful hound work with plenty of drive and keenness.

Another day, after enjoying the hospitality of Major Allen, of Denne Hill, and failing to evict an old customer from that vast stronghold, Woolage Wood, hounds were taken to the spinneys near West Court Farm. After a while a fox was hollered away and led hounds at a good pace towards the Halfway House. Doubling back down a shave from the corner of Woolage Wood, our fox now’ made towards Lydden, crossing the main road and into Wickham Bushes. Sturmey gave him no chance to tarry here, and soon had hounds racing towards Geddinge. Down to Pickleden they went, and on to Wootton. Then down the valley to Shelvin, turning left-handed up the hill towards Denton, where hounds were run out of scent late in the afternoon. An onlooker later reported having seen this fox sneaking across the main Canterbury-Folkestone road into Broome Park, dead beat.

The best day of all was from Aldington on November 15th. Hounds, were busy all day in the cream of the Vale. First there was a burst of twenty minutes when the fox got to ground. Then a hunt of forty minutes ; and finally a glorious hour and a half.

Another good day was from Swingfield. Almost immediately hounds pushed out a brace from below the village. The hunted fox made at once for the sanctuary of Lords Wood, but Sturmey had him right through withotit a pause. Crossing Ewell Minnis, hounds ran at a great pace to Alkham, crossed the Dover Road to St. Radigund’s Abbey (everyone who served in the 3rd Battalion during the War knows where that is !) and finally marked to ground at Copt Hill.

To provide funds for the poultry and wire fund. Lord Guilford very generously opened his beautiful mansion at W'aldershare for a subscription dance on November 3rd. Like everything else he has undertaken on behalf of the Hunt, the arrangements for this were carried out faultlessly, with the result that the dance was very well attended (over 400 tickets -were sold) and was great fun. Officers of The Buffs attended in force.

Another good idea his Lordship has introduced is on certain Sunday afternoons to throw open the kennels at Elham and the stables at Waldershare to the public from 2.30 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. Here are the future dates :—

Kennels, December 31st and January 28th.Stables, January 14th.During the Christmas holidays several children’s

meets are being arranged. On these days only children, or those taking children on a leading rein, are to be mounted.

I t seems only fair nowadays, when so many people follow hounds in motor-cars (and sometimes head the fox) that they should be called upon to assist the Hunt. Lord Guilford has, therefore, decided to collect a small cap from these mechanised hunting folk. No one should grumble about that.

Field Masters have been appointed for each day. Colonel John Crookenden fulfils this office on Mondays.

Amongst those seen out this season are :—Lieut. - Colonel and Mrs. Crookenden and Iris, Lieut.-Colonel the Hon. P. G. Scarlett, Miss Macbean, Major and Mrs. Morgan and Joan, Captain and Mrs. Tuke and Rams, Major Field, Mr. and Mrs. Crozier, Captain Reid, Messrs. Coates, Spear, Airey, Tuff, Walker and Lewis.

R.T.

THE DRAGON 15

Past and Present Association.

[Fox Photos

16 THE DRAGON

Donations.D uring the period 18/11/33 to 18/12/33 the following

lations have been gratefu lly received :—s. d.

1st Bn. The Buffs C haritable I 'u n d s ... 21 0 0Mr. E. W. L am b ................. 0 2 0Mr. W. E lvey ... 0 2 0Anonym ous 1 0 0E. B arry, Esq. ... 1 0 0-A nonym ous 2 2 0G. F. K ingham , Esq. ... 1 0 0M. P. D. Dewar, Esq. ... 1 1 0

The Plum Pudding Fund.£ s. d.

M ajor H. S. H ardy , M .B .E ., M.C. ... 0 10 0M ajor A. R. L angdale-K elliam 0 2 0Lt.-Col. R. S. I. Friend, D.S.O. 2 0 0Col. J. Bodv, D.S.O., O .B .E ., T.D. ... 0 10 0Bt.-Lt.-Col. A. B. T hom son , M .B.E. 1 1 0Colonel F. K. Essell ... 1 4 0W. R ayden, Esq. 1 1 0Deal B ranch 0 10 0Mr. T. B . P o tte r 0 3 0Lt.-Col. L- H ow ard Sm ith 0 10 0C aptain R. W . M. W ebster ... 1 1 0Mr. S. I i . T odd 0 2 0Mr. H. R . Fenyer 0 3 6Mr. C. F. K em ber 0 2 0A shford B ranch 1 0 01st B a tta lio n ... 3 0 0

Disbursements.D uring th e period 18/11/33 to 18/12/33 th e following

d isbursem ents have been m ade :—

20. G ran t£

10s.0

d.0

20. G ran t l 0 020. G rant l 0 020. G ran t 2 10 020. G ran t 2 0 020. G ran t 1 0 022. G ran t 1 0 022. Loan 1 0 022. Loan 1 0 023. G ran t 0 2 625. G ran t 1 0 025. G ran t 1 0 027. G ran t i 0 027. G ran t 2 0 0

5. G ran t 3 0 06. G ran t 1 10 07. G ran t 2 0 08. G ran t • • • 0 10 08. G ran t 0 5 0

11. G ran t 1 0 011. G ran t 1 0 012. G ran t 0 15 014. Loan 2 0 015. G ran t 1 5 015. G ran t 0 15 018. G ran t 2 0 018. G ran t 1 0 018. G rant 1 0 0

New Members.Life Members.— Sgts. S. Page, S. G o o d ; P/Cpl.

J . B ry a n ; Ptes. R. A ucott, C. Baker, D. Brabham , P'. Blaker, P . Bowling, P. Chapm an, P. Caney, D. Dow sett, C. Field, E . Griffiths, S. H arris , W. Payne,

L. U nderwood, K. W illis, F . Saffery, P. Townend, C. Vernall, P. W ade, J . K ent, Sayer, W. Beecroft, Illingsw orth, J a r re t t , R inge, Surbey, M anning, T. T o w n er; M. de Je rsey Creswick, F sq . ; Messrs. H. W eaver, H. J . A rcher.

Annual Members.-—C aptain PI. M acBizley ; P tes. G. Brooks, A. Gilbey, IT. Jones, C. Noakes, B. M unday, J . Gough, D. Brown, G. Vooght, P'. Roffey, W. N orth , J . Bone, A. T urner, V. Brown, C. Bunker, H . Binley, J . W ilson, T. Coggin, S. T rum an, R. Spicer, T. Stim son, F. Goddcn, P'. McCormack, J . Brown, S. H arrison, I,. Young, R. Cooper, J . Gainford, R . R im m er, S. D ixon ; Messrs. S. Sm allwood, R. Lem ar, PI. Brooke, J. Lawrence.

j^/JTNUTES of the 106th M eeting of th e R egim ental C om m ittee and th e E xecutive Com m ittee of

th e P a s t and P resen t Association, The Buffs, held a t C an terbury on T hursday, Decem ber 14th, 1933, a t 11 a.m . ; approved by th e Colonel of the Regim ent.

Present:Colonel W . II. T revor, D.S.O. (in th e Chair).Lieut.-Colonel G uy Lee, D .S.O ., M.C.Lieut.-Colonel B. S. Collard, T .D .B revet-Lieut.-C olonel A. B. Thom son, M.B.B.M ajor F . W. Tomlinson.M ajor C. S. F ield, O .B .E . (representing O.C. 2nd

B atta lion).C aptain H . P. P. R obertson (representing O.C. 1st

B atta lion).Colonel H . F indlay , C .B.E. (Secretary).

969. Minutes.—The Minutes of the last meeting werepassed and signed.

970. Cottage H omes.—The Secretary reported th a t77 replies had been received from subscribers in connection w ith th e proposal th a t the E xecu tive C om m ittee should be empowered, when considered advisable, to transfer 50 per cent, of th e subscrip tion to th e Memorial F und , of these replies, only tw o were n o t in favour of th e proposal.

T he S ecretary was authorised to advise the b ank to tran sfer 50 per cent, of the 1934 su b ­scrip tions accordingly.

(b) Subscriptions to Charitable Institutions from A ssociation Funds. I t was decidedth a t no change should be m ade in 1934,and should be as follows :— .

£ s. d.N .A .E .S .S .A ............................................. 16 0 0B ritish ex-Service Legion of A ustra lia 2 0 0R oyal M ilitary B enevolent F u n d ... R oyal School for D aughters of

5 5 0

Officers, B a th R oyal Plomes for Officers’ W idows

5 5 0

and D aughters (S.S. & A irm en’sFam ilies Association)

Gordon B oys’ H om e (while Boy5 0 0

D enning there) 5 0 0Soldiers and Sailors Help Society ... 5 0 0A pproval was also given for th e continuance

of th e m o n th ly g ran ts to Pensioners a tChelsea.

972. Fixtures, 1934.— Subject to th e concurrenceof th e D ean and C hapter, i t was decided th a t th e Service of R em em brance should be held on A ugust 12th.

973. Bars.— I t was decided th a t B ars for aw ard byB ranch E lection annually , in Ja n u a ry , to the m em ber, or m em bers, whose services to th e B ranch concerned during th e previous year are considered m ost w orthy, m ight be issued under the following conditions :—

th e dragon 17

( a ) One Ear per Branch, plus additional Barsa t th e ra te of one per 100 of fu lly p a id m em bership.

(b) No recip ien t to receive the aw ard tw o yearsconsecutively.

(c) Associate M em bers no t eligible for aw ard,or to count tow ards B ranch streng th .

974. RKGim ental H isto ry .- -M ajor Tom linson, acting for M ajor-General K ennedy, C hairm an of the H istorical Sub-C om m ittee, reported very sa tis­factory progress in connection w ith th e h isto ry being w ritten by C aptain C. R. B. K night.

I t was decided th a t th e Sub-C om m ittee should be inv ited to extend th e ir supervision and control, including ac tual publication, and to in troduce procedure to help to ob tain any additional funds in connection w ith the sam e. E stim ates and proposals to be subm itted to th e R egim ental Com m ittee for approval.

I t was also ru led th a t C aptain C. R. B. K n igh t m ight consider him self free to tak e up o ther work from th e m om ent he hands in th e com ­pleted copy, plus sketches, appendixes, index, etc.

976. Canterbury Cricket W eek Club.—The lion .Secretary reported th a t an error h ad been m ade in s ta tin g a t the las t Com m ittee M eeting th a t th e Club accounts for th e y ear show ed a deficit. H e was g lad to s ta te th a t, th e balance sheet show ed a c red it of over ^13.

977. Loans.—I t was decided th a t in future no loansshould be g ran ted from th e B enevolent Fund, and as i t had been found th a t such loans very often tended to recipients cu ttin g them selves off from th e Association m eetings, and its various re-unions and activities.

978. Correspondence :(«) A pproval was given for th e A ssociation

H onorary Solicitor to be asked to w rite to a m em ber of th e Association in con­nection w ith an o u tstan d in g loan from th e B enevolent Fund , which it was believed th a t th e recip ien t was well able, b u t declined to repay.

(b ) I t was decided th a t a gift of 60 poimds ofK enya coffee beans (unroasted) received from C aptain H . Jackson from E a s t Africa, should be offered to Messes an d m em bers of th e A ssociation a t 1 /6 per pound, proceeds to be c red ited to th e B enevolent Fund .

(c) A pproval was given for th e C anterburyB ranch to m ake visiting team s honorary m em bers of th e Club for th e day, p rovided th e nam es were en tered in th e v isito rs’ book 24 hours in advance.

(d) A pproval was given for a C hristm as m essageto be sen t from th e Association to the Kent Messenger for publication.

(e) A pproval was given for the continuance ofMr. ------- pension (£\ 12s. 6d. a quarte r)for a fu rth e r tw elve m onths.

(/) A pproval was given for a new edition of th e A ssociation H andbook.

(") I t was decided th a t a copy of th e A ssociation H andbook, toge th e r w ith a n in v ita tio n to M ayors en u m erated therein as Patrons, should be sen t annually in N ovem ber to those new ly-elected, asking th em to accept office.

979. Sub-Committee Minutes.— T he M inutes of th e24th Sub-C om m ittee were approved, and the procedure regard ing the grouping of B ranches deta iled there in concurred w ith.

980. Travelling Expenses.— S ecre tary ’s travellingexpenses, am oun ting to £6 5s. 0d., wereapproved.

981. Next Committee Meeting.— Unless foundnecessary, the nex t C om m ittee M eeting will n o t be held u n til April 18th, 1934, a t the D epot.

Minutes of the 23rd Sub-C om m ittee M eeting held a t the Depot, C anterbury , on S a tu rd ay , Decem ber 9th , 1933.

PresentM ajor F . W. F osterMr. J . E . K i n g .............................Mr. P h ilp o ttC aptain A. E. L oyd H ardcastle C aptain A. B arton Mr. W. Jeffrey, M.C.Mr. P. G. K en n e tt Mr. Sinclair C aptain D. V. Coote Mr. A. A lbury ...Mr. Sm ithMr. H. G. P o p e .............................R.S.M . V aughan C aptain V. J . H a llam ...

Chairm an.Ashford.London.W eald.Medway.R am sgate.M argate.S ittiugbourne.H ytlie .C anterbury .Folkestone.Deal.2nd B attalion . D over (Secretary).

1. Minutes.— M inutes of the previous m eeting were read, and on th e m otion of M edway, seconded by Ashford, were adop ted and signed.

2. Grouping oe Branches.— London proposed th a t the system of grouping of Branches be not adopted . T here being no seconder to the proposal, M argate proposed an am endm ent, which was seconded by Deal, th a t th e grouping system be adopted . Carried.

Proposed Groups.— D eal proposed th a t, w ith th e approval of th e B ranches concerned, th e following groups be recom m ended :—

(a) Dover, Folkestone, H ythe.(£>) R am sgate , Sandw ich, Deal, M argate.(c) C anterbury , Ashford, W eald.(d) M edway, S ittiugbourne.This was seconded by th e 2nd B a tta lio n and carried,

London declining to join any group.Proposed by the 2nd B a tta lio n and seconded by

R am sgate , “ th a t th e Senior B ranch of each group be responsible for organising the group m eetings ; the C hairm an of such B ranch to get in to touch w ith o th er B ranches of Ins group to arrange dates for group m eetings and appo in t a group C om m ittee.” I t was considered th a t one group m eeting a year was am ple. T his was carried.

Proposed by M edway and seconded by S ittiugbourne, “ th a t th e above propositions be p u t before Branches b y Group Chairm en, and suggested da tes of m eetings be sen t to the G eneral Secretary.

3. Dart Competition.— Proposed by M edway and seconded by th e W eald, and carried, “ th a t no action be ta k e n .”

4. Rifle Shooting.— T he C hairm an read a le tte r received from th e 2nd B atta lion s ta tin g th a t owing to th e ir range being under repair, th ey were unable to carry o u t th e ir N ovem ber shoot, and asking if they m igh t be allowed to fire the tw o shoots in Decem ber.

dragon18

Proposed by Ashford and seconded by the Weald, '* that the 2nd Battalion be permitted to send their November and December cards in together.” Carried unanimously.

At the close of the meeting, the Chairman wished the members of the Sub-Committee the compliments of the season, which were heartily reciprocated. •

(Signed) F. W. F o s te r , Chairman, Sub-Committee, Past and Present Assn., The Buffs.

Ashford Branch.The monthly meeting was held on Saturday, December 9th, about

thirty members being present. The Chair was taken by Mr. F . C. Stoker.

After the Minutes of the previous meeting had been read and confirmed and the Correspondence read and accepted, the Chairman introduced to the Branch two late members of the 1st Battalion— Cpl. W. Shilling and Pte. G. Bottle—who are now residing in the district and have been transferred to this Branch. They were given a hearty welcome, to which they suitably responded.

The Chairman announced th a t'a list of members whom the Com­mittee had recommended for Christmas puddings had been forwarded to Colonel Findlay. A list of names was also read to the meeting whom the Committee recommended for 2 cwt. of coal this Christmas, and this was confirmed by the meeting.

I t was proposed by Mr. Hopkins, seconded by Mr. Tomsett and carried unanimously, that a donation of £1 be forwarded to Head­quarters Christmas Pudding Fund.

The Secretary of the Rifle Club (Mr. L- Lambkin) then announced that the Club was holding a prixe shoot on Friday evening, December 15tli and hoped members would turn up in force and blaze away a nice lot of ammo. He also mentioned that several competitions would be run during the winter months. His Committee had arranged that the Findlay Cup Competition should be a handicap event so that every member should have a chance. Entrance fee, 3d. per member.

The Chairman then congratulated Mr. Lambkin and his team on their obtaining the lead in the first round of the Inter-Branch Rifle Club Competition,- and trusted they would keep there during the remainder of the competition.

Mr. Lambkin said the Club felt very bucked by the result of the . first round aiid i t would not be their fault if they did not win the competition, but it would require a big effort on their part to do so.

I t was arranged that a t the January meeting a Games Tournament should be held instead of the usual social.

Before closing my remarks, I would like to take this opportunity of wishing every member of this Association a bright and prosperous New Year, and may the Association go on from strength to strength, never looking backward, so that i t may always keep the position which it holds to-day—the finest Association in the British Army.

T.H.H.

London Branch.The meeting on December 16th last was another great success.

Captain K. Smith took the Chair, supported by the President and several Vice-Presidents. We had also the pleasure of the company of Colonel II. Findlay, C.B.E.

Minutes.—The Minutes of the November meeting were read and confirmed. Arising out of the minutes, Mr. E. Lamb explained the action taken with reference to the late Mr. G. Peacock’s grave and how the donation kindly given by Mr. Hoelebeke had been expended.

Th e Colonel oe The Bui es.—The Chairman said a letter had been received from General Sir Arthur Lyuden-Bell, K.C.B., K.C.M.G.,D.I,., wishing all members a Happy Christmas and Prosperous New Year. The.General had again emphasised the necessity of obtaming Kent lads for The Buffs and asked the Branch to help him to recruit 140 by next March. The Chairman also informed those present that General Sir Arthur and Colonel Scarlett were two of a very distinguished number of Guests recently entertained to luncheon by His Majesty, The King of Denmark.

Correspondence.—A vast number of letters were received from distant members and others unable to be present. The letters were full of congratulation and best wishes to their brother Buffs.

Decease.—The members stood in silence to the memory of Mr. (Sorrel) leaver, late 1st Battalion and brother to Mr. J. Leaver, D.C.M. The Chairman also referred to the death of Mrs. Russell, the late wife of Sergeant A. J. Russell who will be remembered in the 2nd Battalion in Kilkenny and Brighton. Our sympathy is extended to the bereaved.

Sick Members.—Captain Enright stated the following were in hospital:—Messrs. Hearne, Geersdale, Parker, and Hetherington. Mr. A. Talbot Harvey, also Mr. Wickert, were ill in their homes. To all mentioned the Branch sends its sympathy and wishes for a quick return to health. Captain Enright referred to the ease of Mr. Parker, better known under his nickname of “ Nosey ” and who was an old 2nd Battalion Buff. He recently had one leg- amputated and has gone into hospital to have the other leg off. Notwithstanding, he has written a very lovely letter to his pals.

Christmas Appeal.—The approximate result was given out to all present and Captain Enright said, in returning thanks for the way the Branch responded, that he hoped to answer the hundreds who had written to him personally.

Introductions.—The following were introduced to the President, Major R. W. Keown, M.C. and were soon with friends they knew :—

Mr. R. V. Carr, 7th Battalion; Mr. F. Hunt, 4th and 7th Battalions; Mr. C. Martin, 1st Battalion; Mr. C. Wilkinson, 1st Battalion.

Graves.—Mr. Paul Ferrnan said he was impressed by what Mr. E- Lamb had stated about the renovation of the late Mr. Peacock’s grave and he thought i t a question the Committee might go in to respecting the graves of other members. The Chairman pointed out that the late Mr. Peacock’s relatives lived in the Midlands, but i t is usual for relatives to look after graves; the Committee, however, would certainly look into Mr. Ferman’s point.

Welcome.—The Chairman gave a hearty welcome to Captain Massie Bloomfield, who visited the Branch after a sojourn of three years in Jamaica. Captain Massie Bloomfield told us he was leaving for Jamaica on the 27th December; he, as the Trade Commissioner had to push British goods. He told several amusing stories concerned with pushing down rum and spoke highly concerning the trait of the native of Jamaica and mentioned they were particularly loyal to the Crown and never ended a function without lustily singing “ God Save The King.”

Colonel F indlay.—The Chairman said i t was a real pleasure to have Colonel Findlay with us and he would like to hear him tell the members something about the Association. Colonel Findlay replied by saying he had not come up to make a speech, but they could rest assured the Association was doing very well indeed. He. wished, every­one in the London Brandi a very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year; particularly he wished that every unemployed Buff would start the New Year with a job (Applause). The Colonel men­tioned that the remarks of Captain Massie Bloomfield were of interest as the receipe for Pepper Punch was given by an officer of The Buffs in 1838 obtained from Jamaica.

Other Business.—Mr. Paul Ferrnan stated how a copy of The Dragon on his waiting-room table was instrumental in his entering into a conversation with one of his dients who was an old Buff officer named Colonel J . Horton who remembered Colond Findlay when in Hong Kong.

The Chairman now terminated the meeting to permit of the Christmas Gifts being distributed to lucky winners.

T hank You.—The Chairman, Captain E. Smith, personally thanked both Major R. T. Monier Williams, O.B.E. and Captain S. B. Donald for their great legal aid to a member in a recent case. T -p

Dover Branch.Your correspondent was unable to be present a t the December

Meeting of the Branch and Mr. Ashby, our Secretary being ill, i t has not been easy to get any account of the proceedings. But everyone was delighted with the prizes which our Chairman, in accordance with his promise already reported, produced for the games tournament which is to be held during our winter meetings, the second proof of Colonel Crookenden’s generosity we have had in the last few months. I t will be remembered that he recently presented our rifle club with a miniature rifle.

We are sorry to record that Mr. F. Scrivener has been rather seriously ill again. However, he is a little better now.

In combination with the Cadies’ Guild we gave a dance on November 27th which proved a great success both from the social and financial point of view. Colonel and Mrs. Crookenden and Colonel and Mrs. Findlay were present. Mrs. Findlay won the raffle for a basket of fruit, which prize she kindly gave to the widow of an old Buff. There was no prize for tact and discretion combined with a trace of ‘ ‘ the Nelson touch.” Had there been it would have gone to a certainN.C.O. of one of the regiments of the garrison.

As a contrast we have the incident of a member of the Branch who was in conversation with a reverend gentleman connected with one of the local churches when our friend ’’ Thomas ” happened to pass. “ Half-a-minute, padre ” cried he, “ I want to put a bit on a horse with this chap.” However, i t may be assumed that the good padre gave the transaction his blessing as the horse won, a thing horses rarely do when that particular member backs them.

Medway Branch.Minutes of a General Meeting held a t the Headquarters, Chatham,

on Saturday, 25th November, 1933.After the reading of the minutes of the previous meeting, which were

passed on the motion of Mr. A. J . Shirley, and seconded by Mr. C. E. Cooper, the Chairman read an apology for absence from the President and a letter of thanks from the British Legion.

He had also many letters of congratulation and thanks from guests at the dinner, and after reading some of these, from General Sir Arthur Eynden-Bell, Colonel and Mrs. Findlay, the Chairman of the London Branch, the Secretary of London Branch, and the Depot, he asked Mr. T. M. Wheatley to carry on with the subject of the dinner.

Mr. Wheatley, who was given a hearty welcome, said that he was glad to hear such good accounts of the show, and thanked all who had helped before the day and on the following Monday in clearing up. He read out the items of expenditure and the sources of income. The final result was a profit of £2 Os. 2d.

The 1st Battalion.

THE DRAGON 19

A S these November notes will not appear until

January we take this opportunity of wishing all Buffs a happy and really prosperous 1934.

The two outstanding events of the month were the Annual Balls given by the Sergeants and Corporals of the battalion. Although threatened until the last minute with a washout by the return of the Monsoon, both were a great success and everybody present

seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves.

P a s t an d P re s e n t A sso c ia tio n —continued.In congratulating Mr. Wheatley on the result, Captain ltartou

said how easy it was for them to go to the Town Hall and eat an excellent dinner and enjoy themselves generally, but it all meant much detailed work such as arranging with the caterers, the baud, the M.C., and for the lighting. While all had done well he would like the appreciation of the Brandi recorded in the minutes, and suggested that a spedal letter of thanks be sent to Mrs. Wheatley. Mr. Brunger seconded and said that it was the jolliest show he had ever attended.

The usual collecUon was taken and Uie sum realised was 3/10.

F o lk es to n e B ran ch .B a b i e s ’ G u i l d .

A Sodal Evening and Sale of Work for the Jiranca Benevolent Fund was held at The Regent Hall, Folkestone, on December Sth and a most enjoyable time was spent by the Members and their husbands. Our Chairman, Mrs. R. G. Wood, J.P., wdcomed ail the Members and said how pleased she was to see so many on such a bitterlv cold evening. She also said she was very pleased to extend a hearty welcome to Mrs. Crookendeu, The Hon, Mrs. Atkinson, Miss Hamilton Mrs. IHrst and Mrs. Roberts (Vice-Presidents of the Branch). The entries for the Competition were excellent and some really splendid articles were made by the Members, costing 1/- and under.

Mrs. Wood also reminded the members that Uie purpose of the Ladies’ Guild was to promote friendship among the Buffs and to help those in need or in ill-health. She hoped they would do their best to get others to join and come to our pleasant social afternoons each month. Refreshments were served and members then made their purchases from the Stalls. Those not entered for the Competition were auctioned by Mr. Francis (Secretary, Men’s Branch), with the result that a substantial sum was realized by the end of the evening. Songs by Mrs. Bennett were greatly enjoyed as were the games also, all the members joining heartily in the fun. We were very sorry our Vice- Chairman, Mrs. Coote, was unable to be present, but we were very pleased to have Captain Coote with us, also Mr. C. J. Roberts, J,ieut. A. C. Roberts and Lieut. P. L. Roberts, who helped towards the success of the evening.

Another Social Evening is being held in January.

D eal B ran ch .Our General Meeting was held on Tuesday, Sth December, 1933

at Headquarters, British Legion, Beach Street, Deal. There were present Captain J. Turk (Vice-Chairman), Messrs. Redsull, Bruce, Hare, Maxted, Graves (Hon. Treasurer), Pope (Hon. Secretary) and a good muster of members. Apologies were received from Mr. L- B. Watson (Chairman).

The Minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.There was not a great deal of business and the meeting closed

earlier than usual which enabled the members to .spend a long evening with the members of Uie British Legion. Darts and euchre formed the main part of the games tournament and a most enjoyable evening was spent. I have no doubt these tournaments will take place more often after such a pleasant evening.

Deal and Walrner Members send Mew Year’s Greetin''? to all Branches.

H.P.

Colonel Jackson has returned from his wonderful tour in the Far East and we can soon expect a whole series of articles from him for The Dragon.

“C” Company have finished training and have relieved “B” Company at Mandalay, who have returned once more to the fold to take their place at the head of the battalion as this year’s Harris Shield winners. “A” Company have, in their turn, started company training as a change from clearing rides in the jungle.

Two departures are to be recorded with regret : Captain T. H. Keble to the Staff at Ambala, and Captain H. F. G. d’A. Symonds to the 2nd Battalion. We all wish them the best of luck.

Our heartiest congratulations to CaptainE. M. S. Essell on his engagement to MissC. M. Moymhan, who many of us knew at Mingaladon. Our congratulations, too, are given to Captain C. J. Wood and Eieut. J. R. P. Williams (both of whom served some years with this battalion) on their engagements. There seems to be a glut of engagements and weddings at the moment, and its not Spring­time either; it must be that long summer they’ve had at home.

Captain P. R. H. P'ox won the Regimental race with Captain B. E. Hammond-Davies second and Eieut. J. G. Atkinson third. There were twelve starters over a distance of four furlongs. Our congratulations to Capt. P'ox on liis win. This is, by the way, the first time this race has been run since Gibraltar when Captain T. R. Reid was successful.

Our sympathy and commisseration to Captain B. E. Hammond-Davies on a broken collar bone and to Eieut. E. P. C. Bruce on a broken finger—both at Polo. ■ This is most unfortunate for our chances in the Mandalay Christmas Tournament are now considerably reduced.

The draft which Captain G. R. Howe brought out arrived safely after a pleasant voyage on the Trooper, but a somewhat trying journey from Bombay. However, they all looked well—pink and shining—and to them we extend a hearty welcome.

Rugby was not a great success during the May my o week—it seems a pity that both Rugby and Polo can’t be successful during the same wreek, but apparently they can’t.

20 THE DRAGON

It was doubtful until the evening before the first day whether Polo or Rugby should be played—the rain won and rugger was played. As we’d been expecting to play fifteen-a-side rugger we were rather put off our stride as it were, when we were asked (actually with only four hours’ notice) to produce two seven-a­side teams. We did, and we went down fight­ing hard, but I ’m sure one fifteen would have done much better. Everybody who turned out played well.

R oll of W a r r a n t O ff ic e rs , C o lo u r - S e r g e a n ts , S e rg e a n ts a n d C o rp o ra ls s e rv in g on J a n u a r y 1 s t,

1934.A rm y No. Rank and Name. Remarks.6278263 R.S.M. l i . I. E vans5328491 B andm aster W. B. Salmon6279009 C.S.M. ]. Simon6279123 R.Q.M .S. W. H all6278391 C.S.M. G. Faw cett6279941 C.S.M. T. B urt7807144 C.S.M. P. Holm an6278493 C.S.M. G. Cox6188524 C.Q.M.S. T. P ra t t6279138 C.O.M.S. R. R avenscroft6279466 C.Q.M.S. J. Sharp6278747 C.Q.M.S. H. Crum p6278295 C.Q.M.S. A. M eakin6279183 C/Sgt. S. Thom as O.R.S.6278325 Sgt. U. W aters T ran sp o rt Sergeant6279042 Sgt. A. Sm ith6279295 Sgt. E. P apw orth6280041 Sgt. H . Cham bers Sergeant Cook6279365 Sgt. E . Marsh6278215 Sgt. J . A nnan6278490 Sgt. W . ITadaway Officers’ Mess Sgt.6280990 Sgt. W. Sinclair6281811 Sgt. R. W atson6279264 Sgt. G. B rophv6278296 Sgt. C. Perry '6280239 Sgt. W. H opkins Pioneer Sergeant6337420 Sgt. A. M cN ulty S.I.M .6281713 Sgt. G. Gillett6281822 Sgt. C.. W arren6279995 Sgt. G. Glazier6278607 Sgt. S. Sclway B and Sergeant6279041 Sgt. W. Beal6282215 Sgt. A. Farrell6280189 Sgt. H . W est O.R.C.6281544 Sgt. T. D everson1668834 Sgt. T- D olbear6281971 Sgt. H . M artin P rovost Sergeant6278884 Sgt. J . Po in ter6278388 Sgt. J . H ancock6282411 Sgt. C. Sanders6281692 Sgt. J . D ixey Signal Sergeant6279178 Cpl. E . Holness S an ita tio n Corporal6279236 Cpl. T. Si vers A ppoin ted G/Sgt.6279713 Cpl. N . P riestley A ppoin ted G/Sgt.6281659 Cpl. H. B rew ard A ppointed G/Sgt.6281466 Cpl. W. Cole A ppointed G/Sgt.6282194 Cpl. A. Birch A ppoin ted G/Sgt.6283162 Cpl. J . Hogben A ppointed G/Sgt.6282902 Cpl. F. Bowyer6280922 Cpl. G. H icks A ppointed G/Sgt.6283498 Cpl. J . Campbell6282934 Cpl. R . Johnson6282811 Cpl. F. Belcher6283599 Cpl. T. G am brill6282630 Cpl. F. B rabon

A rmy No. Rank and Name. Remarks.6282488 Cpl. W . B ridgem an7339831 Cpl. A. Ivey6280472 Cpl. F. Mac Donnell A ppointed G/Sgt.6281938 Cpl. P. Deveson [A/D.M6282231 Cpl. 1'. D udm an Voc. Course, U .K.6281362 Cpl. I1'. Pliillipson6282200 Cpl. G. Ashby6282565 Cpl. J . Scullion6283480 Cpl. j . Causer771735 Cpl. G. M orris6283424 Cpl. C. Best6278863 Cpl. W. Green6284224 Cpl. C. Johnson7042793 Cpl. W. Wells6283167 Cpl. C. W est B aud Corporal6281751 Cpl. W. M aynard6284367 Cpl. P. K insella6282374 Cpl. J . E llen6282077 Cpl. W. Ing ram6283773 Cpl. IT. Sm ith

C o r p o r a ls ’ C lu b .Behold in me, my dear E d ito r, one who has darkened

your colum ns before, a t a tim e, if I rem em ber rightly , when Proficiency P a y was aw arded on a fellow's m erits and n o t on his shooting abilities. I was disguised under th e pen nam e of “ Q uarter G u ard ,” which, incidently , is G atin for " N ights ou t of B ed,” b u t th e m ention of m y real piece de resistance, nam ely “ Cookery Courses for Cum bersom e Cooks on Cursed C oncentration Cam ps ” will, no doubt, assist your m em ory to visualise th e w riter.

The solving of T .fJ.W .T .’s and G antana cleaning has k ep t me fully occupied for a num ber of years, b u t a t last I have been persuaded to record the acts of divers gentlem en who cunningly conceal th e ir m ove­m ents u nder a cloak w hich to le ra tes th e nam e of C orporals’ Club. (Pause for b reath .)

I 'o r th is m onth th e m ain item to com m ent upon appears to be th a t of th e C orporals’ A nnual Ball. D espite m any counter a ttrac tio n s du ring and around th e sam e period, a w onderful show was p u t up by a real hard-w orking Com m ittee, and I am certain th a t M aym yo h ad a real " eye-opener.” Our regim ental guests were v ery prom inen t and did justice to a first class dance program m e which h ad su itab le in te rvals for a bum per supper. The bar w ent very well, due no t a little to an over-w illing Gance-Corporal who allowed th e m em bers to h ave m ore books th an was really in tended. T hanks are due to everybody who worked so hard in connection w ith the show and I really th in k th a t th e whole evening was m ade m ore enjoyable by our R egim ental Dance Band, th a t seemed im m une to fatigue under the able care of our B andm aster and, now and again, when th e b a r was n o t too a ttrac tiv e , Corporal W est, our new “ p a te r fam ilias ” of m usic in th e Mess. Before sw itching off, I should like on behalf of th e Corporals to th an k our R.S.M . for the general assistance lie so cheerfully gave, R.Q.M .S. Hall, Sgts. Sm ith , M arsh and Cole for th e h a rd work they p u t in by running th e bar, and finally everybody who helped us in any w ay w hatsoever.

The Mess has h ad a heavy toll upon its m em bers tins trooping season, b u t i t is g ra tify ing to note th a t our fellow-m em bers from th e 2nd B a tta lio n are fairly frequen t a tten d ers and i t is th e hope of us ‘ ‘ old tim ers ’ ’ th a t th ey will eventually fill the places of such s ta lw arts as Cpl. Taylor, Griggs, Cowley, H ow ard, Wild and a few m ore of th a t type.

In add ition to th e new faces of th e d raft, we have our own people recen tly prom oted, and to these new arrivals we ex tend a h e a rty welcome. To those new

THE DRAGON 2 V

recip ients of P ay of A ppoin tm ent and th e p u k k a prom otions we again say , “ W ell done, m ine’s a beer !

To th e Sergeants we owe our th an k s for a very enjoyable social evening th a t was given to us in th e form of a series of games conducted in th e Sergean ts’ Mess, and finished up by a lte rn a te m em bers giving m usical tu rn s a t the la tte r end of the show. I am n o t certa in of th e resu lts of the games, b u t th e R.S.M. m ade some m ention of a wet w icket being against the Sergeants, b u t th e Corporals were also handicapped, because I fu lly rem em ber g e tting wet myself.

Sport has been flat th is m onth , due, no doubt, to grouse shooting s ta rtin g in E ngland, and consequently I h ave little to re la te in th a t hue.

I t m ay in te res t our form er friends to know th a t our " school ” was nearly knocked on th e head by con­d itions beyond our contro l (no nam es, no p lacards in th e Mess), b u t was saved by Lewis, M aynard, W est, Sovico and Saville w inning th e football um pteen weeks in succession. T his was saved th e s ituation , and now we only w ait for th e d ep artu re of th e d ra ft hi 1934, when we are all agreed to b o y co tt K liair M oham ed by going on th e w a ter wagon.

Before closing, I m u st answ er one or tw o queries which have arrived w ith m y weekly fan m ail :—

Bill, Whortle cum E well.— “ K itab ” is U rdu for book, b u t th e soldiers w rongly express th e m eaning as “ S tra p .”

J oe, Rangoon.—Will reply in a plain envelope. In meantime, see a doctor.

Worried, May.myo.— Gentlem en should n o tnorm ally dance together, b u t an exception m ay perhaps be ad m itted a t, say, a C orporals’ Ball. E v en then one should n o t m istake the L ancers for a H ighland F ling and fall a b o u t in th e cen tre of th e floor.

Quarter Guard.

H e a d q u a rte r W ing.1 must open our notes this month by saying farewell and the best

of luck to those of the Company who have left us for transfer to the Army Reserve and for Home Establishment. Two drafts have al­ready gone and as I write these notes they are most likely settling down in England. We wish them the best of luck, especially those who have taken the long chance and gone into “ Civvy Street.”

At the same time we wish the best of luck and a good time to Captain T. H. Kcbie, our recent Company Commander who left us about a fortnight ago to take a job on '' the Staff ” at Ambala. Our new Company Commander, Captain G. R. Howe, took over and we welcome him to the old Company.

before Captain Keble left the Company he kindly presented it with an “ Inter-Group Shield.” It is a very line Shield and 1 would take this opportunity of thanking him, on behalf of the Company, for presenting such a Shield for competition. As we all know com­petition is the best way of gaining improvement, and I feel sure that the Shield will be keenly competed for.

We have already started the Shield Competition by holding four Inter-Group Cross-Country Ruus. These were won, somewhat easily, by the Band, who arc to be congratulated on winning three of the four runs. The points are given below : —

1st. 2nd. 3rd. 4th. Total.

No. 1 Group 1 3 1 1 (5No. 2 Group No. 3 Group

23

21

24

23

811

No. 4 Group 4 4 3 4 15Ptc. W. Longman of the Baud is to be congratulated on winning

all the ruus.During the last mouth we have held several Company Football

Trials, and although the Company Team was a very rough diamond in the first game it is now shaping very well.

We welcome back to the Company Sgt. Selway, Bds. Saunders, Bds. Martin, Bds. Longman and Pie. Finch who have been on six mouths’ furlough.

R ah im Sh ih i.d .The Company entered a team in the Rahim Shield last month and

did very well by finishing up in the final where they lost to “M.G.” Company. The results are given below :—

“H.Q.” v. “A2.” Won 10—0.“H.Q.” v. “A l.” Won 3—0.“ H.Q.” v. “M.G.” Lost 0—3.

The team was :—R oss; Satterley, B ishop; Clarke, Martin, Saunders; Clarke,

McGilley, W. Longman, Allen, Eke ; Reserve : Mannering.

As runners-up the whole of the team were presented with silver medals.

The Company Team has played several friendly games with ver37 fair results. The following have been played to date :—

v. “M.G.” Won 1—0. v. “B .” Won 1—0. v. “M.G.” Lost 1—2.

The Company Hockey teams have also begun to take shape and up to the present have shown good form, the first XI. having beaten “M.G.” Company and the Second XI. having beaten the Sergeants.

Perhaps you may think that as we have had time lor so much sport we have done no work, but 1 think Die 100 per cent, classification of the Signal Section this year rather discounts that idea. Such an achievement is not gained without months of hard work. The Signals have just finished firing their Annual Course and the results were not too good, but if you concentrate on flags something else must suffer.

XXX.

T he D ru m s .This month’s notes must start with an apology for the absence

of notes in the previous issue, although the only noteworthy event last month was the promotion of Pte. Nash from “ foments ” to M. & D.

Captain G. R. Howe having taken over the Wing, has given foot­ball a rare fillip, in fact ail sports seem to have taken a turn for the better.

Our late Company Commander, Captain Keble, presented the Company with an inter-group trophy, and competition seems to be very great amongst the Groups to see whose name shall be first to be inscribed on it. The Band have started very well by annexing the Cross-Country Running and have thus gained four points.

Sport in the Drums has been rather slow this month, with the exception of a few games of football, little has been accomplished.

We are sorry to lose Dinr. Sherman who has been transferred to “A” Company. We hope he does well amongst his new friends.

In conclusion we would like to thank D/Major Duffy and Ins Drum­mers for the splendid photo of the 2nd Battalion Drums, wliich is now occupying pride of place in our Reading Room.

S e a .

S ig n a l Section .We congratulate Kennedy, Pcnfold and Bevau on their appoint­

ment as Lance-Corporal. They proved their worth on the recent classification.

Another happy member of our community is Pte. Tucker whose wife has just arrived out from England. No doubt he is not sorry to miss the two R ’s of a barrack-room soldier’s existence, namely Room- jobs and rissoles and to gain the third R, the extra Rupees Marriage Allowance. We welcome Mrs. Tucker to the fold and hope she will enjoy her sojourn amongst us.

We welcome our new Company Commander, Captain G. R. Howe, to the Wing. Already our various Sports Teams have improved under his guidance and advice.

We bade farewell to our old Company Commander, Captain Keble, the other week. He has gone “ on the Staff ” at Ambala for four years. On leaving he presented a magnificent Silver .Shield to be competed for by the Groups of the Wing, ft is easily one of the most liandsome- looking shields in the battalion and to Captain Keble we offer our heartiest thanks.

Owing to the Section being well over strength, twelve of the “ Old Hands ” have been returned to duty. We wish them the best of luck in their new spheres and we sincerely hope that we “ Young Hands ” will maintain that standard of efficiency and good work, which they possessed, during the coming Battalion Training.

We congratulate L/Cpl. Paramour on obtaining a Q .l. on his recent Signal Course at Poona. There is a very good chance of his becoming our Signal Sergeant in the years to come.

There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth at the conclusion of the recent Weapon Training Course. The markers failed to do their “ stuff,” consequently the results were poor. Several Port Blair and Mandalay Marksmen failed miserably. We offer our sincere con­dolences'to our 15 Bisley Bungs, Daniel Coates taking pride of place with a score of 24.

Lindup has taken over the duties of Signal Storeman and Reynacrt the duties of Signal Clerk. Collins has got a staff billet over in No. 3 Group.

Spouts.Owing to the extreme generosity of Lieut. Alexander we have one

of the best asphalt tenuis courts in the Barracks. Captain Howe and Lieut. Alexander opened the court by playing the first set. The married families were invited to the opening and light refreshments were provided. Sgt. Dixcy, mainly through whose efforts the club was started, is the Hon. Secretary and he is ably assisted by L/Cpl. Bevau. The club is going strong and the court is never vacant during “ Off ” hours. The members of the Club pay 4 annas a week and any “ outsider ” wishing to play pays 2 annas a set.

Lieut. Alexander has also very kindly given the Section a new set of football shirts. They are in the Signal Colours of Blue and White halves and look very “ posh.” We hope to see them victorious in tiie coming inter-group Competition.

O.S.

2‘2 nkA66tf

“ B ” Company.l a concluding last month’s notes I expressed a hope that some­

thing interesting would turn up to help me compile this month’s notes. Up to the time of writing only three things of any interest have taken place : these a re :—

(а) A Platoon to A.F.I. Camp at Meiktila.(б) Company move to Maymyo.(c) Harris Shield Events.On November 6th, a composite platoon left Mandalay for Meiktila

tor the purpose of giving demonstrations to various A.F.I. Units. These units are mostly made up of volunteers and students from various colleges throughout Burma and their annual training is usually carried out after the same style as the Territorials in England. Demonstra­tions of Guard Mounting, Weapon Training, Wiring and Drill are given by a Platoon from an active Unit and they are then practiced under the supervision of their own Officers and N.C.O.’s. The whole period of training for the various A.F.I. Units lasts about six weeks, each unit being under canvas for ten days before returning to their respective districts. Sport also plays a very important part during this period, and from what we hear the demonstration platoon from “B” Company has, literally speaking, walked off with everything. I hope to be able to give a fuller account of these events in my next month’s notes.

The next topic of interest and probably the most important, was the move of the Company from the Sun-baked Plains of Mandalay to the Arctic Climate (It seems like this to us) of Maymyo. We left Mandalay on the 14th November and after about three-and-a-half hours’ continual climbing arrived a t Maymyo. The journey itself was just like any other journey to the average person with the knowledge that there are plenty of fatigues on its completion, but anyone who is interested and has experienced Bailway travelling in the East will agree with me that rising about 3,500 feet by train is something to make one think. Climbing mountains in a train in zig-zag fashion with the plains gradually dropping away from you is a sight one cannot experience in England. I have often wondered why some enterprising dmenato- grapher has never visited Burma for the purpose of filming some of the wonderful scenery. One may read about it in books, but this cannot be compared with actually seeing it either on films or by photo­graphy.

The third and last topic is the Harris Shield Sports. Two events have been arranged to take place during December, namely Cross- Country Running and Hockey. We won both these events last Harris Shield year. We are all hoping to repeat those results again this year. I t is too early yet to give a forecast of the teams, but I know that every­body is keen that our successes of last year will be repeated. Confidence and support go a long way and “B” Company lack neither of these.

(Sd.) P.F.P.

“ C” Company.The chief item of interest in November is, of course, our move to

Mandalay for a six months’ detachment. An advance party of 30, under Dieut. Grace, departed on Monday, 6th and had a week to take over duties of all kinds. The remainder of the Company finished off Company Training and joined the advance party a week later.

We are now trying to find our way about barracks and about the town which, from all accounts, sounds a lively spot. This was borne out by the Fancy Dress Dance held the night after our arrival, at theA.F.I. Hall, and which was well attended. The variety of costumes was excellent, and, with the Regimental Dance Band in “ crackling ” form, everything went with a tremendous swing. Vve noticed various of our Officers from Maymyo, most of whom seemed to have joined the “ Senior Service ” for the evening !

Football and Hockey—especially the latter—are in full swing, and, with the close proximity of the Harris Shield Hockey Competition every effort is being made to get as strong a side as possible. We play "H.Q.” Wing on December 5th ; “M.G." Company on December 7 th ; and “B" and “A” Companies on December 9th and 10th respectively. Good luck to us !

Mr. Murphy, who lias been home on leave, rejoins us shortly. I t will be good to see him again and we hope he brings with him some new gramophone records, some golf clubs—for Mahoney’s golf course— and renewed skill a t the piano. The latter will be much in demand down here, he can be assured, especially on or about Christmas Day !

Apart from that, there seems singularly little to write about, so I fancy its time to finish off. Cheer-ho ! everybody till next month.

H.R.G.

Machine Gun Company.Here we are again, all merry and bright, after having seen no notes

in the Regimental Paper for several months. The “Q” Branch having taken up the pen will scribe for ever and ever to give the best of news to all Buffs, both Fast and Present.

To commence with, we wish all readers of The Dragon a Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year, and may all their troubles belittle ones, but not too many.

I should like to bring to the notice of the world, the fact that we have won the Coombes Cup (Swimming) from Headquarter Wing who had a queer idea that i t was a family heirloom, until the Gunners produced their Slide Rules and measured the length of the baths, and by direct methods walked away with the Cup, which the Officers kindly filled in the good old way. A photograph of our team is attached for publication.

The 2nd Battalion.“ /^D D S and sods ”-----

expressive if rather derogatory—describes con­cisely the chief activities of last month. Both can be, and were, laid in pro­fusion. Whilst some were eager to wager for and against the probabilities of our being sent either to Greenland's icy mountains or India's coral strand, others were busy preparing- ing the ground (as we described last month) for future Waterloos.

Now that we know our destination in 1934, we heartily condole with those who lost their hard-won prestige and pay on such glaring favourities as Portsmouth (2 to 1 on) and Plymouth (evens). Bet them be consoled by the fact that Bordon, if not ideal from the accommodation point of view and if some distance from Aldershot, has at least the other advantages that distance lends to one's view of that place. We hesitate to prophesy, but it seems unlikely that we will be called upon to make more than a passing acquain­tance with our old enemy Colony Bog, nor shall we often rend the dawn with efforts to caper over the Kapok at Norris Bridge.

This will be the first time that any collection of Buffs have been stationed at Bordon—and let us hope that the Dragon’s fiery breath will not cause any heath fires !

By the time we publish this issue the battalion will be finishing its annual furlough and most of us will have been reduced to threepence-halfpenny and our return ticket. We sincerely hope that the remainder was happily and profitably spent.

The 1st Battalion—continued.Not only did we excel in the swimming line, but as Footballers as

well, having won the two chief events of the year, vis.. The Rahim Shield and The M.A.A. Teague. The Cups and Medals were presented after the Match.

We welcome back again Captain J. R. Willows from leave looking quite well and fit. We should also like to welcome the Draft fromU.K. who are now settled down in their Platoons.

The Company are now in the midst of Section and Platoon Drills and the C.S.M. can be seen rushing from the Platoon to the Office with piles of books (S.A.T. 3s. Vickers Handbooks, also Sergeants’ Mess Accounts of which he is President).

Owing to the forthcoming N.C.O.’s Promotion Examination we see Tieut. R. F. Parry giving valuable information to young N.C.O.’s in the form of blackboard lectures, also C.S.M. Burt yelling himself hoarse in the preparation of the drill part of the Examination.

Before closing these notes I should like to inform “B” Company that we are all out to regain The Tord Harris Shield this year. The Harris Shield Hockey takes place in December; we are confident of full points in this event.

M.U.G.

Th e dragon 23

It will not be long before we bid “ au revoir ” to the second draft of the season. May they quickly find their feet in their new life and send us news of their doings. To Dieut. F. W. B. Parry, who will arrive just before his Dragon we send God-speed, and the earnest hope that the permanent waves of Biscay were not troublesome.

It is with great regret that we part with Capt. A. J. D. Rose, alias Duncan, alias Rosie, whose cranial contours have so captivated the reconnoisseurs of Camberley. Having scorched the tail of the Dragon with his Napier Jaga, he thinks he has made good his escape into the backwoods of Barossa, but let him beware ! We are now armed with a Spear, whose sharp stabs may hurt more than the contusions of his Gilded Staff.

Our best wishes go to Captain Griffith, who has been appointed to a post in the War Office.

At the dinner of the Association of Men of Kent and Kentish Men, Tieut.-Colonel Scarlett was a chief guest and made a speech in which he mentioned the 150th anniversary, which was actually last year, of the connection of the Regiment with East Kent. Lieuts. Spear and Tuff also attended the dinner.

Captain The Hon. W. S. Cornwallis, the President, announced that the Association was going to present to the Regiment a silver bugle ; this will be kept at the Depot and will be blown on all ceremonial occasions. It is likely that the ceremony of presentation will take place on or about Albuhera Day next.

Whilst talking of our county, we might mention that a letter was received from the Council of Folkestone, thanking the Regiment for their part in the Armistice Night parade— a recognition which still further links us to our territorial district. We hope we shall be able to carry this out next year before we move.

The Athletic Shield Competition, for which the final events have recently been completed, has been won for 1933 by “S” Company with “ 13” Company 2nd and “24” Company 3rd. The full results appended below:—R esu lt of A th le tic Sh ield C om petition , 1932-33.

Event. Winner. 2nd. 3rd.Cricket ... “ C” "A ” ” 24’Football ... ... ‘‘M .G.’ ” 13” "24”H ockey ... “ M.G.’ ” 13” ” 24’Boxing ... ‘‘M.G.’ "2 4 ” ‘‘A ” & "BRifle M eeting ... ” 13” "A ” & ” B ’ —B ayonet Fencing ... ... "2 4 ” "1 3 ” ” B ”A th letic M eeting ... ... “ M .G.’ ” 13” "C ”Cross-Country R unning ... "M .G .’ ” 13” ” B ”Tug-of-W ar ... ” B ” “M.G. ” ” 13'

Points tow ards th e A thletic Shield :—A ” Com pany ... 4 5 thB ” Com pany 7 4thC” Com pany ... 4 5 thS ” C om pany ... 17 1st13” Com pany ... ... 14 2nd24” Com pany ... 8 3rd

Shooting N otes.1933 has p roved to be one of the m ost successful

shooting years we have had for a long tim e. W e finished off our local successes by a very " la te in the season ” win.

On O ctober 24th we w ent all th e w ay to G ravesend to com pete in th e open m atch of th e 2nd B atta lion T he R oyal U lster R ifles’ Meeting. I t was a cold, dull d ay w ith a strong n o rth erly w ind blowing across the range, m aking shooting conditions p a rticu larly difficult.

There were six team s, including ourselves, th ree of which we had never com peted against before—-The R oyal M arines, C hatham , T he T rain ing B atta lion , R .E ., and The R oyal Irish Rifles. The first practice was ten rounds deliberate a t 600 yards, and m ost of us found th e aim ing m ark to be th e left edge of th e ta rg e t owing to th e w ind . A t tliis stage T he R oyal M arines were in th e lead, being no less th a n 38 po in ts ahead of us ; n ex t came th e 2nd B atta lion The R oyal Berkshire R egim ent, 12 po in ts ahead, and th en came ourselves.

The nex t practice was ten rounds rap id a t 300 yards. H ere we h ad a m agnificent shoot and by scoring 284 points regained our lost po in ts and took a five po in t lead over The R oyal M arines.

The ligh t w7as now failing an d becom ing very bad indeed. T he las t p ractice— te n rounds snap-shooting a t 300 yards—is alw ays a “ b ru te .” I t wras fired under B ritta u ia Cup conditions— one exposure for six seconds to each tw o shots fired. W e p u t up a very m oderate score here, b u t i t p roved good enough to win us the com petition. T here was a very tense m om ent when T he R oyal M arine scores came th rough over th e ’phone, b u t th ey ju s t failed to catch us by 14 points.

I t is very pleasing to note th e continuous im prove­m en t of young Pte. Benz, ju s t over a year from the D epot now. H e has sh o t well b o th in th is com petition and when we won th e Brigade Open Shoot.

T he results and scores are as follows :—

1st. 2nd B atta lion T he BuffsPoints.

7802nd. R oyal M arines, C hatham 7663rd. 2nd Bn. The R oyal B erkshire R egt. 7604th. 2nd Bn. The R oyal U lster Rifles ... 7525th. T rain ing B a tta lion R .E . 7386th. T he R oyal Irish Rifles 496

Team Scores.Practice

1. 2. 3. Total.L ieut. II. de L. W alters 29 37 38 104Sgt. Trice 33 32 32 97Sgt. Osborne ... 34 39 41 114L /Sgt. Lee ................. 39 39 25 103L /Sgt. T racey ... 40 40 33 113Cpl. B rigstock 29 34 13 76L/Cpl. Scurfield 39 30 16 85Pte . Benz 29 33 26 88

Labore.

F o o tb a ll N o tes.On T hursday , N ovem ber 16th, in th e S o u th -E ast

K en t U n ited Service League, th e b a tta lio n defeated The Q ueen’s B ays b y 5— 1 on our own ground. I t was expected th a t a m ore equal gam e would result, as the B ays h a d recen tly been sen t a d ra ft of N o rth C ountry recruits. B u t th e b a tta lio n alw ays h a d som eth ing in h an d an d proved fa irly easy winners.

24 THE'1 DRAGON

The ba tta lion side was —Ptes. Reekie, B urton, W hisking, W alton , Caden, Darling, Squire, H arris, B/M. Foster, P tes. Collins and Hollm an.

On N ovem ber 29th th e b a tta lio n p layed a m atch w ith th e 2nd B a tta lio n The R oyal B erkshire R egim ent. The resu lt was a draw 4— 4. T he w riter did no t see th is m atch , b u t from w hat lie can judge from various ex p ert opinions, we should have won. Lewi got two goals, b u t for th e m ost p a r t the team lacked stay ing power, as w itnessed by th e opponen ts’ sp u rt a t th e end of th e second half, when th ey got tw o quick goals.

The team for th is m atch was :— Pte. R eekie ; Pte. B urton , P te. W liiskin ; Pte. Cordon, P te . Tiley, Pte. H ollm an ; Pte. Squire, B/M. Foster, 2 /L ieut. Lewis, P te . H arris , Sgt. Saunders.

On th e sam e day a 2nd X I. team , on our own ground, defeated P leydell A thletic, a local civilian team , by 11— 1. This was m ore of a procession th an a game, our opponents being n e ither tog e th e r as a team , nor as sound in w ind as we were.

T he team was :— Bdm n. R atcliffe ; Bdniu. Lawson, P te . Golde ; L/Cpl. Calloway, L/Cpl. Johnson, Pte. Adcock ; P te . Burns, L /Sgt. Lee, P te . Darlow, L/Cpl. Clark, P te . Collins.

On T hursday , N ovem ber 30th, a tr ia l game, 1st X I. v. 2nd X I., was held, half an hour each way being played. T he 1st X I. only ju s t won by 3-—2, bu t, despite a very stu b b o rn resistance on the p a r t of the 2nd X L , were th e b e tte r team and deserved th e ir win. P'or “ A ” Team , Adcock, W alker (penalty) and Squire, and for " B ” Team , H arris and D arlow (penalty) scored.

The team s were :—“A ” Team.— Pte. R e e k ie ; Pte. B urton , Pte.

W hiskin ; L/Cpl. C att, L/Cpl. Bignall, L /Sgt. l id w ards ; Pte. Squire, B/M. Foster, P te. Adcock, 2 /L ieut. W alker, Sgt. Saunders.

“B ” Team.— Bdm n. Ratcliffe ; P te. Corse, Bdmn. Law son ; L ieut. Craddock, P te . Tiley, P te . C o rd e n ; L/Cpl. W inch, P te. Darlow, P te . H arris , L /Sgt. Lee, L /Sgt. Banks.

As a result of th is m atch , th e second team was picked, and on S a tu rd ay , Decem ber 2nd we p layed H y th e in the H y th e C harity Cup on th e I ly th e Ground.

The M ayor of H y th e kicked off, and the game of chasing th e ball began. T he ground was hard , and th e w ind was very strong. B u t th e cold was im m ense. W e lost 3— 0, b u t if we did n o t deserve to draw , we scarcely deserved to lo.se by so large a m argin. We h ad m ore of th e p lay th an our opponents, especially in th e second half, b u t our forw ards seem ed compelled by an invisible desire to score goals only by dribbling in to the net, w ith the n o t u n n a tu ra l rcsidt th a t we failed to score a t all. Darlow and H arris were the chief offenders. Of th e defence, R atcliffe could n o t be blam ed for th e th ree goals, as one was from a penalty , and th e second was n o t a real goal as the ball w ent ou t of play, a fact unobserved by the referee. Gorse a t left-back was qu ite ou tstand ing ; th e m anner in which he covered Craddock a t left-half was especially good. T iley played well, b u t needs to position himself bette r.

T he team was Bdm n. R a tc liffe ; L/Cpl. Bird, P te . Gorse ; P te . Corden, P te . Tiley, L ieut. Craddock (Captain) ; P te. W inch, Pte. Darlow, Pte. H arris, L /Sgt. Lee, P te . H ollm an.

On W ednesday, Decem ber 6th, our last league game before the annual leave season was p layed a t Dover against th e 1st B atta lion T he R oyal Scots. W e lost 2-—3, bu t, though i t was b itte rly cold, our team was n o t so good on th e day as the score m igh t suggest. T here was a com plete lack of com bination am ong the forwards, and our opponen ts’ forw ards were too good for our defence. Foster and W alker (the la t te r from a penalty ) were our goal-scorers.

T he team was :— Pte . Reekie ; Pte. B urton, Pte. W hiskin ; P te . Corden, B/M. Foster, Pte. Gorse ; Pte. Squire, Pte. H arris, 2 /L ieu t. Lewis, 2/L ieut. W alker, P te. H ollm an.

On S a tu rd ay , Decem ber 9th, a 2nd X I. team w ent over to B arham to p lay th e local team . The m atch was arranged by L ieut.-Colonel Crookenden, and, a fte r w atching th e game, he h ad tea w ith the team s. T he resu lt of the m atch was a v icto ry for us by 3— 2, a fte r an exceedingly good game. A fter tea th e team was en terta ined un til a la te hour by the B arham team . F veryone who w ent w ith th e team enjoyed him self enorm ously, and our th an k s are due n o t only to B arham for its hosp itality , b u t also to L ieut.-Colonel Crookenden for tak in g so m uch trouble over all th e arrangem ents. W e hope to re tu rn the h o sp ita lity early in th e New Year.

Sgts. Bills and T racey accom panied th e team , which was :— Pte. Reekie ; L/Cpl. Bird, P te . Gorse ; L/Cpl. C att, L/Cpl. Johnson , P te . C orden ; Pte. Squire, Pte. H arris, P te . Tiley, P te . Adcock, Pte. H ollm an ; R eserve : Pte. Darlow.

G ro ss-C o u n try N otes.The first half of th e season hav ing passed, one is

able to express a fairly accu rate forecast of th e positions the team should ob ta in in the more im p o rtan t events th e b a tta lio n have en tered for. T h a t the b a tta lio n has once more a m ost excellent team is beyond doubt. T he few gaps m ade by dep artin g m em bers have been filled b y very good perform ers. I t will be m ost difficult to select our fifteen for th e A rm y C ham pionship, for th ere arc some tw en ty runners capable of tak in g care of th e A rm y Cup. 1 t ru s t th ey stick to i t for ano ther th ree m onths. T he first half of th e season is alw ays the worst, alw ays tra in in g and very little com petition. Few team s will ru n a t th is tim e of th e year. For all this, the period to da te has been m ost successful. W e only need to continue to gain th e requ ired results.

The K e n t C ham pionship should come to Shorncliffe on Ja n u a ry 13th. We can find a m ost excellent six for th is race. T hey will be supported by ano ther very fine six should they be required. In th is race the opposition will come from A ylesbury P.M.S.C. and th e B lackheath H arriers. A ylesbury are collecting a very line team of ready-m ade runners from o ther clubs. T he venue of th is race will be a t Gravesend, th e s ta rting - p o in t being th e T ollgate In n , London Byepass R oad, u ravesend , a t 3 p .m . on J a n u a ry 13th, 1934.

For the South of th e T ham es on F eb ru ary 10th, our tw elve m en should be successful for the twelve to count. F'or the six to count we shall p u t up a g reat race, b u t m y experience from last year leads m e to expect the worst. T he opposition will be very strong here.

The F a s te ru Com m and C ham pionship will be held a t Shorncliffe once again on F eb ru ary 27th. The team will need some stopping from registering a fou rth successive win.

I cannot see a team b eating us in the A rm y Cham ­pionship th is season. The presen t team is th e best the ba tta lio n have ever had.

Our fix tures to da te since those last published have been :—

On N ovem ber 22ud a seven-m ile race against the 2nd B atta lion T he R oyal Berkshire R egim ent over our course. F a c h team fielded tw en ty runners so as to tra in th e reserves, tw elve being the n um ber to score. W e h a d o u t a full team , w ith th e exception of Sgt. Trinkw on, who was unable to ru n owing to a dam aged ankle. L/Cpl. F ran k h am and Pte. A lnwick were no t allowed to race owing to th em both representing the A rm y on N ovem ber 24th a t Oxford. In view of the above, P te . W a tts won ano th er fine race, his tim e

THE DRAGON 25

being 39 m ins. 48 secs. I th in k th a t w ith careful tra in in g W atts will p u t up a fine show in th e A rm y th is year. H is form to d a te has been m ost helpful. W hite cam e n e x t— a very fine effort indeed. T his is his first season, although he tra in ed w ith the team a t th e end of las t season. H is tim e of 39 mins. 55 secs, gives me g reat hopes. I f he m ain ta ins th is stan d ard , lie will do. L /Sgt. H u rley and Pte. In m an p u t in th e ir usual good run ; b o th are in fine form th is season. N ex t cam e our o ther find of th e season, P te . Swaine. Well done ! L/Cpl. Insole is ano th e r who is doing very well indeed th is season. I hope he keeps i t up. No m an has tr ie d harder for a place in th e team . I have often w ished th a t m en who are capable of doing well would t ry as m uch. T he rest of our team d id very well in th is race.

2nd Bn. The Buffs.P te . W atts ... 1P te . W hite, B. 2L /Sgt. H urley 3P te . In m an ... 4P te . Swaine ... ... 6P te . H ayde ... . .. 7P te . Skinner, W. 8L/Cpl. Insole ... 10P te . Long ... 11Sgt. Bell ... 12P te . Alnwick ... 13L/Cpl. F ran k h am ... 14

T o ta l ... 91

SpareL/Cpl. Belsou ... 15Pte. W ilson, R. ... 16Pte. Skinner, G. ... 17L/Cpl. P h ilp o tt ... 18Pte. Joynson ... 21Pte. Brigstock ... 28

2nd Bn. Royal Berks.Pte. Plobbis ... ... 5Pte. E x c e l l ................. 9Pte. B ry an t ... ... 19Pte. H e w i t t ................. 20P te . Skate ................. 22Pte. Sm ith ... ... 23P te . E dw ards ... 24P te . Daw ... ... 25Pte. W o o d ................. 26L/Cpl. Howe ... 27L/Cpl. R e a y ................. 29Pte. Jenn ings ... 30

T o ta l ... 259

Men.Pte. H orne ... ... 31Cpl. B rady ... ... 32Pte. Maine ... ... 33

34353637

On N ovem ber 24 th L/Cpl. F ran k h am and Pte. Alnwick h a d th e honour of represen ting th e A rray a t Oxford against Oxford U niversity. Alnwick, having been b rough t in to th e team as a late choice to fill a gap, d id extrem ely well for h is first effort in a race of th is k ind . The b a tta lio n were the only u n it to have tw o rep resen ta tives in th is race, and I am pleased to say th ey bo th scored for the A rm y team . T h a t the A rm y lost was n o t diie to th e ir perform ances. L/Cpl. F ran k h am finished th ird in th e tim e of 43 mins. 8 secs. Alnwick w as te n th in 44 m ins. 6 secs., being the fifth m an in th e A rm y team . Some good A rm y nm ners were b eaten b y Alnwick. A lnwick has now gained his A rm y Colours, L/Cpl. F ran k h am having already been aw arded his.

Result op the Rack.The Army.

Sgt. R. R. S u th erland (A.S. of P.T .) L/Cpl * F ran k h am (The Buffs)Pte. Reeves (The Q ueen’s) ...Cpl. W ilson (R oyal Scots)P te . A lnwick (The Buffs)L/Cpl. M cG inty (Guards)Cpl. Bloodw ortli (Lincolns) ...Sgt. C otterell (R.C.S.)

Oxford UniversityL. S. PowellB. P. K. W atts ............................P. J . A lbery .........................................W.. L. H ooker ...IP. G. E dw ardsC. I. M urphie ...A. N , O ther ..........................................A. N. O ther . . . . ...

2367

10141617

... 1H

... 8

... 9

. .. 11

... 12

... 13

On N ovem ber 29tli we proceeded to L ydd to run over a five-mile course against th e 3rd B a tta lio n R.T.C. This course gives th e team p ractice over very fiat country . T here are also a num ber of obstacles on th is course. L/Cpl. F rankham w ent aw ay on his own and won th e race in good style. Alnwick came next, also hav ing p u t in some good running. W atts then cam e in as a very good num ber three. In m an ju st kep t o u t W hite for fo u rth place. T hen Long, Swaine and L/Cpl. Belsou h ad a good tussle for th e nex t th ree places. Sgts. Bell and Trinkw on were runn ing as reserves, bo th being unfit to race. The rem ainder of the team did very well and enabled us to register ano ther win.

Result of the R ace.2nd Bn. The Buffs

L/Cpl. F rankham 13rd Bn. R.T.C.

Lt. M. PI. C. G uttcridge 9P te . Alnwick 2 P te . M ooney... 10Pte. W a t t s ................. 3 Cpl. R am sden 12P te . In m an ... 4 P te . B arnes ... 18Pte. W hite, B. 5 Pte. Sketchey 20P te . Long 6 P te . T ucker ... 21Pte. Sw aine ... 7 P te . E llis ................. 22L/Cpl. Belsou 8 P te . Collins ... 23Pte. H ayde ... 11 Capt. IP. N. W inship 24L /Sgt. H urlev 13 P te . IPolloway 25L/Cpl. P h ilp o tt 14 2/L ieut. W . M. H u tto n 26Pte. W ilson ... 15 P te . Fox 27

T otal ... 89 T otal ... 237

Pte. Skinner, G.Spare Men.

16 P te . M ayers ... 28L/Cpl. Insole 17 P te . B udd 29Pte. Skinner, W. 19 Pte. Livingstone 30Sgt. Bell J 14Sgt. T rinkw on Vequal 17 P te .Joynson .G . ) ... 20

On Decem ber 2nd th e team ran against th e R .A .F . from M anston over our seven-m ile course. This does not a t first appear a good fix ture owing to th e low s tan d ard of the opposition. T he R .A .F . seem to have gone back a good deal since la s t year. Our team ran as a pack for th is race. So, a lthough the tim e of th e first m an was a bit- slow, i t m ust be realised th a t L/Cpl. Ph ilpo tt, Ptcs. Wilson, Skinner, G., and Joynson were able, by keeping w ith th e rem ainder, to record a m uch faster tim e th an for th e la s t race over th e sam e course. Sgt. Bell’s tim e was tw o seconds faster th an for his last ru n over the course.

P tes. Alnwick, In m an and Long were aw ay for th is fixture, hav ing proceeded on leave before th e run. 'I'he rem ainder all had a good run , a fte r w hich th ey also w ent on annual furlough u n til Decem ber 27th.

On Decem ber 28th the team m eet again to get down to tra in in g for the K en t C ham pionship on Ja n u a ry 13th.

Result of R ace.2nd Bn. The Buffs.

Sgt. Bell (42 inn. 25 sc.) 1R.A.F ., Manston

A/C. Penney ... 15L/Cpl. F rankham ... 2 A/C. M acLachlan 16Pte. Swaine ... 3 A/C. Ile rrin e 17P te . H ayde ... 4 A/C. Burgess 19Pte. W h i t e ................. 5 A/C. C arter ... 20Pte. Skinner, G. 6 A/C. B urden ... 21Pte. Skinner, W. 7 A/C. Jam es ... 22Pte. W atts ... 8 A/C. Southey 23L/Cpl. P h ilp o tt 9 24L/Cpl. Insole 10 25Pte. W ilson ... 11 26L/Sgt. H urley 12 27

T otal ... 78 T otal ... 255

A.V.O.

26 THE DRAGON

Inter-Company Medley Relay.The Mile Medley Relay was run on the Battalion

Sports Ground on Tuesday, November 21st, and resulted in a very good win for “A” Company.

The 880 yards was run first, and Lieut. Foster, evidently intent on showing the spectators how the Champion of Burma could run, gave his company a useful lead which was maintained to the end, ’when Cpl. Spence, taking over some 5 yards ahead of Sgt. Good of "S” Company, retained and actually increased his lead. It was a good race and a great triumph for "A” Company, for "S” Company had, in the opinion of most, the best team, but did not make full use of it.

The winning team consisted of Lieut. Foster (880), L/Cpl. McGinley (440), L/Cpl. Dawson (220) and Cpl. Spence (220).

The order of the remaining teams was :—2nd, "S” Company; 3rd, “ 13” Company; 4th, “B” Company ; 5th, “24” Company ; 6th, “C” Company.

Hockey Notes.November has been a month of tremendous import­

ance in our hockey world, as there were only thirty-five days left in which to choose the team to represent the battalion in the second round of the Army Cup. We reached the second round by virtue of a bye, and there met the 1st Battalion The Royal Scots, who have just relieved the 2nd Battalion The Lincolnshire Regiment at Dover, on our own ground, the Le Quesne.

By the beginning of November the team was playing as a team should play and not in individual spasmodic bursts as hitherto. The very favourable results of the month shew this :—Won 6, Lost 1, Goals for 41, Goals against 8.

The positions that have taken till the last minute to fill have been the backs and the outside-left. The talent is there alright, but it is the question of fitting a man into the place that suits him best. Lieut. Dewar, who has been playing very well for the Depot and has had a lot of practice this season, has proved that he is more reliable at present than Lieut. Foster. Then there has been the question as to whether Sgt. King or Bdmn. Rayment should play right-back. The former has earned his place by virtue of being a better stick player and more reliable, although definitely slower. I fully expect to see Rayment playing when he has had more practice in the back position.

L/Cpl. Taylor has proved that age is no handicap to him yet, and that there is no one better at outside- left in the battalion. L/Cpl. Frye and Pte. Harris have both been tried in that position without success.

The three centre forwards—the spear-head of the attack—have been playing extremely well together. They are very fast and have been playing with great dash—a joy to see. Their passing is good and shooting at goal excellent. Pte. Girling wants special mention here for his quick, accurate and very hard shooting.

L/Cpl. Catt has just come home from abroad, and has fully justified himself as outside-right. He is small but fast and hits the ball hard into the centre.

L/Sgt. King has played very well at left-half practically throughout the season. He is quick on the ball, and sticks to his man, passes the ball well, however hard he is being pressed.

Lieut. Williams at right-half has also shown that he is quick on the ball and good with his stick and is a difficult man to get past.

Sgt. Edwards, our centre-half, is undoubtedly the outstanding player in the side. He gets through a seemingly impossible amount of work during a game and is a true back-bone.

Cpl. Brigstock in goal has had very little opportunity of showing us how really well he can play. We only hope he will have equally as little opportunity in the future.

Matches.On Saturday, November 11th we played Wye

College at Wye and won 6—0. A very poor game indeed against a much inferior team ; of very little use to the team as practice.

On Thursday, November 16th we played the Depot at Canterbury and won by 10—2. A much better game than the score suggests. Pte. Girling had an " on ” day and shot six goals.

On Wednesday, November 22nd we played the School of Education at home. We won fairly easily by 6—1, but the game was much harder than the previous ones. Our forwards, however, dominated their defence. Lieut. Haggard was playing against us in this match and scored their only goal, but had very little chance to do much during most of the match. A good game, but we were a shade too fast.

On Wednesday, November 29th, we played Wye College at home. I asked for a stronger team to be sent, but the result speaks for itself, and no further comment need be made. We won by 10—0.

Our thanks are due to Lieut.-Colonel Thomson for allowing Lieuts. Williams and Dewar to come over and get practice with the battalion team on days when they were badly needed to play for the Depot.

The team chosen to play for the battalion in the Army Cup was as follows :—

Cpl. Brigstock; Sgt. King, Lieut. M. P. D. Dewar; Lieut. J. R. P. Williams, Sgt. Edwards, L/Sgt. King; L/Cpl. Catt, L/Cpl. Casano, L/Cpl. Dawson, Pte. Girling, L/Cpl. Taylor. Reserve : Bdmn. Rayment.Second Round Army and Eastern Command Hockey

Cups.This match was played at home on Tuesday,

December 5th. Our opponents were the 1st Battalion The Royal Scots. It had been freezing hard all the previous night, so the ground was very hard indeed, and the ball was inclined to " bump ” a good deal, a condition that was rather strange to our team ; also the ball travelled much faster than usual. Fortunately, the weather was gloriously fine, but bitterly cold.

The referees were Captain Kimm of the Army Educational Corps and Lieut. Dickens of the 2nd Battalion The East Surrey Regiment. Our thanks are due to them for so kindly officiating at such an important match.

At 2.45 p.m. punctually we bullied-off (with Dewar still running on to the field ! !). For the first few minutes the ball was carried down to our end, but after a bully on the twenty-five a hard hit up-field by Sgt. Edwards sent the forwards racing away with the ball. A neat piece of dribbling by Casano enabled him to dodge the left-back and get into the circle. The goalkeeper left his goal to try and charge down his shot. He then did a thing that one only occasionally sees nowadays, and that amongst class players, he passed across the circle to Dawson, who stopped the ball and put it into an open goal. There are very few players who wouldn’t have had a shot themselves at the goal. Congratulations, Casano, a very fine piece of work. After this initial piece of work we pressed hard and netted the ball once more, but the goal was disallowed owing to " sticks.” The play then dropped back to mid-field till, after about twenty minutes, Dawson made a fast solo run and shot hard from the very edge of the circle, scoring a goal in the far corner of the net— a really gorgeous shot to see. During the first half there were several more opportunities to score, but somehow or other they just failed to put the ball into the net. Our opponents got away twice, but on each occasion Brigstock came out of goal and relieved pressure with terrific kicks almost to the half-way line.

THE DRAGON 27

T he second h a lf s ta rte d w ith a terrific a tta c k on T he R oyal Scots goal— we were in their circle for w hat seemed ages b u t could n o t score. I t w asn’t till afte r ab o u t a q u a rte r of an h o u r of th is half th a t Casano lifted a ball in to th e n e t for our th ird goal. P lay th en w ent in to our half and Brigstock was called on to m ake tw o saves. Pressure was even tually relieved and an o th er a tta c k was m ade on th e ir goal. A fter an exciting melee, a certain goal was saved by their righ t-back ru n n in g into the goal-m outli and stopping a h a rd sh o t w ith his “ tu m m y .” P lay w ent back to mid-field and the final w histle blew leaving The Buffs th e w inners by 3- -0.

Sgt. Pd w ards p layed a m agnificent game. Sgt. K ing and L/Cpl. T ay lor full}- justified th e ir selection. T he best tw o p layers of th e day were Sgt. E dw ards and L/Cpl. Casano. T he th ree centres p layed beau tifu lly together, and showed how really fast th ey can be when u nder pressure.

Lieut.-Colonel Thom son and all th e officers of the D epot came over for th e m atch , and th irty -five recruits hired a bus and pa id th e ir own way over— bravo ! ! I also noticed som e of th e 1st B atta lion , hom e on leave, w atching th e game.

O ur goal pontoon to d a te .shows :— M atches 13, Goals for 60, Goals against 19.

Labore.

B o x in g N o te s .'fh e finals of the In ter-C om pany Boxing were

held on N ovem ber 24th, and resulted in th e Challenge Cup being carried off by “ B ” Com pany, a fte r a m ost exciting race for po in ts w ith "A ” Com pany. Indeed, as th e resu lts show, the ac tu a l poin ts gained by both com panies are th e sam e and the cup was aw arded to th e com pany hav ing th e g reater num ber of en tran ts .

In previous years, th e com petition has been held on a knock-out system . T his year, team s consisting of th irteen fough t “ all against all ” on th e " draw ’’ system . The w inner of th e first string in each w eight th u s becomes th e B atta lion C ham pion for th is w eight for the year 1933 and holds th e Challenge Cup for one year sub ject to the rig h t of th e w inner of th e second strin g to challenge him for his title . In the b a n ta m ­w eights th is r ig h t was exercised by Dm r. Charlton, "2 4 ” Com pany, who p u t up a sp irited fight against Cpl. O ’Keefe, " S ” Com pany, th e first strin g winner.

For reasons of econom y, we did no t en te r a team in th e A rm y C ham pionship th is year. Prom th e results of th e com petition , and th e Novices’ C om petition which we in ten d holding in th e New Y ear, we feel con­fident th a t we can form th e nucleus o f’ a strong side to represen t th e R egim ent n ex t year.

The Com m anding Officer, speaking a t th e conclusion of the boxing, rem inded us of th e high s ta n d a rd we had reached in p a s t years, p a rticu la rly in 1925, under th e leadership of C aptain D. S. L ister. W e have th e ta len t and all th e facilities to tra in as good a side again. We hope th a t th e winners, whose nam es appear below, will not be con ten t to re st on th e ir laurels, b u t will get down to serious train ing . O ur first objective should be a v icto ry in th e In te r-U n it T eam Cham pionship sho rtly to be held. B oth our neighbours, the 2nd B a tta lion The R oyal Berkshire R egim ent and the 2nd B a tta lion T he E ast S u rrey R egim ent, have first- ra te sides and have a lready h ad a p re lim inary tria l of streng th .

The Com m anding Officer said he regarded the sp irit shown by th e Boys as a good om en for the fu ture. W ithou t exception these were excellent fights, " q u arte r ” being neither expected nor given.

W e w ould like to jo in w ith him in th an k in g all those who assisted us th ro u g h o u t th e m eeting, in particu la r C aptain H. Quill (Royal M arines), who refereed th e finals ; C ap ta in B. D au n t (22nd Field Brigade) ; L ieut. J . B. R eady and L ieut. F. J . Moore (2nd B a tta lio n The R oyal Berkshire R egim ent). M ajor N. D. Rice and the Officers of the D epot also gave us m ost valuable assistance.

M any of those fighting learn t th e ir first boxing in p repara tion for th e com petition versus th e D epot The Q ueen’s Own R oyal W est K ent R egim ent for the H ard y Cup. W e hope th ey will send us m any more like them .

W e were very glad to have B rigadier H e rb ert w ith us for the evening, and would like to th an k h im again for p resen ting the prizes.

Space precludes an account of m any of th e fights, b u t we append a list of th e results, to gether w ith th e poin ts gained, also sh o rt accounts of the finals.

N or would these notes be com plete if we did n o t p ay tr ib u te to th e ab ility and unfailing a tte n tio n to detail of R.S.M. V aughan.

1st String.Pte. Rix (13) Pie. Tuhill (A) Pte. Bragg (B) N il . (C)

2nd String.N il . (S)Pte. Davidson (13) N il . (C)Drmr. Charlton (24)

1st String.Pte. Lavery (B) Pte. Martin (A) Pte. Perry (S) Pte. Ahcarn (24)

2nd String.I,/Cpl. Field (S) Pte. Mitchell (B) Pte. Woodage (A) Pte. Mason (13)

ls< String.Pte. Corden (24) Pte. Wallace (C) Pte. Towner (13) N il . (S)

2nd String.Pte. Maefieavv (C) Pte. Foreman (24) Pte. Wright (A) Pte. Prandv (B)

1 si Siring.Pte. Oliver (B)Cpl. Cowley (A)

1,/Cpl. Scurfield (S) Pte. Gardner (24)

2nd String.Pte. l'aplin (C) Pte. Epps (24) L/Cpl. Potter (S) Pte. Streeter (13)

B antam W e ig h t .

Pte. Tuhill )Pte. Bragg [Tuhill

Sgt. Toms (24) Cpl. O’Keefe (S) }- O’Keefe

Davidson

CharltonJ - Charlton

Pte. Price (B) N il. (A) | Price

F e a t h e r W e ig h t .

Pte. Martin

Pte. PerryJ-Perry

Pte. Knight (C) L/Cpl. Kelly (13) j- Knight

L/Cpl. Field

Pte. Woodage| Woodage

Pte. Webb (C)Pte. Balkham (24) | Balkham

L igh t W e ig h t .

Pte. Wallace

Pte. Towner| Wallace

L/Cpl. Taylor (B) L/Cpl. Catt (A) J-Catt

Pte. MacLeavy

Pte. Prandyj- Prandy

Pte.Faulkner (13) N il . (S)

| Faulkner

W e l t e r We ig h t .

Pte. Oliver1 Scurfield

L/Cpl. Scurfield 1

L./Sgt. Lee (C) Pte. Squires (13) j- Squires

Pte. Epps

Pte. Streeterj- Epps

Cpl. Scallan (A) Pte. Hadfield (B) | Hadfield

• O’Keefe.

■ Charlton.

j Perry.

- Woodage.

- Wallace.

• Prandy.

. Squires.

Hadlield.

28 THE DRAGON

3rd String.Pte. Johnson (B) Pte. Casano (C) Pte. Bennett (13) Pte. Ward (A)

1st String.Pte. Gutteridge (A) Pte. Parry (13) L/Cpl. Delsini (C) Pte. Darlow (24)

2nd String.T/Sgt. Tracey (B) Pte. Jackman (S) Pte. Cornwall (A) Pte. Thomas (C)

) Pte. Johnson

| Pte. WardPte. Collins (S) Pte. Foster (24)

j Ward

} Collins

Middle W eight.

1/}

Pte. Gutteridge ^]■ Darlow

Pte. Darlow 'Pte. Harrison Pte. Tiley (B) (S) } Tiley

[ T/Sgt. Tracey

j- Pte. CornwallBdsm. Catt (24) Pte. Payne (13)

j Tracey

| Catt

-Ward.

1- Darlow.

Catt.

Pte. Underdown (24) T/Cpl. Good (S)Pte. Glover (B)Pte. I-Iobday (13)

Tight-Heavy Weight.

i-T/Cpl. Good4 1 HobdayJ- Pte. Hobday

Pte. Bowling (A) 1 T/Cpl. Heather (C)) Bowling

j-Hobday.

H eavy Weight.Pte.Tavlor-Smitli N il . (24)Pte. Jarrett (C) Pte. Howell (13)

(x ) | pte. Taylor-Smith

| Pte. JarrettPte. Burton (S) T/Cpl. Johnson (B)

| Taylor-Smith

| JohnsonJohnson.

W inners :—“ B” Company. The points gained by Companies are as under :—

Coy.

Ban

tam

.

Feat

her.

3tc3 W

elte

r.

Mid

dle. §

I

hT Hea

vy.

To

tal.

Poi

nts

to

Atli

. Shi

eld.

"A” ' 5 “ 9 6 10 s 5 5 46 21“B ” 6 2 9 12 10 i 6 46 25"C” — 7 9 5 2 3 3 29 _“S” 6 9 - 11 4 3 _ 33 _“ 13” 4 4 6 10 4 6 1 35 —“24” 9 6 1 9 12 1 - 38 1

The undermentioned are the Battalion Champions at their weight.Bantam Weight .................. Cpl. O’Keefe ............... “S” Coy.Feather Weight .................. Pte. P e r r y ............................ “S” Coy.Tight Weight .................. Pte. Waliaee ............... “C” Coy.W elterweight .................. Pte. .Squires........................... “ 13” Coy.Middle Weight .................. Pte. Darlow “24” Coy.Tight-Heavy Weight ... Pte. Hobday .................. “ 13” Coy.Heavy Weight .................. T/Cpl. Johnson “B” Coy.

Results Inter-Company Boxing Competition. Rinats.

Bantams.—Cpl. O’Keefe (“ S ” ) b ea t Pte. Tuhill ("A ” ) on points. An excellent fight. O’Keefe h ad th e advan tage of experience and he knows how to punch. T uhill took a lo t of pun ishm en t and stu ck to his m an m ost gam ely. 1-Ie is a n a tu ra l boxer who only requires tra in in g on correct lines to b ring him o u t a w inner in b a tta lio n events.

FEATHERS.— Pte. P erry (“ S ” ) b ea t P te . K n igh t (“ C” ) in th e second round. P e rry ’s experience m ade th is a one-sided fight. K n ig h t was only saved by th e gong in th e first round, and though "lie cam e back gam ely enough, he was out-classed and knocked-out in th e second round.

Right-weight.— Pte . W allace (“ C” ) b e a t L/Cpl. C a tt (“ A” ) in th e second round. W allace had all the advantages of height, reach and boxing experience. C a tt adopted th e b est possible tac tics and d id his best to hustle his m an, try in g to m ake him fight ra th e r th an box. W allace refused to be draw n b y these tac tics

and, bid ing his tim e, knocked-out h is m an in th e second round. W e should like to have seen m ore of W allace, who has th e m akings of a good boxer.

WetTER-weight.— Pte . Squires (“ 13” ) b ea t L/Cpl. Scurfield ("S” ) on poin ts. Scurfield is a hard h itte r who relies on a powerful r ig h t to win h im his fights. Squires boxed too well to give any chances and thoroughly deserved his v icto ry . B oth m en h a d h ad in te res tin g semi-final round fights, Squires b eating L/vSgt. Lee (“ C” ), an experienced boxer, on points, while Scurfield, a fter being o u t po in ted in tw o rounds b y P te . O liver ("B ” ), won by a knock-out in th e last round.

MiddtE-weight.— Pte. Darlow (“ 24” ) b ea t Pte. T iley (“ B ” ) in th e second round. T iley is very quick on his feet and h its hard , b u t he was up against a m ore experienced boxer and a stronger m an physically. H e should n o t be discouraged (and we are certa in lie will n o t be) by his failure against Darlow-. In any o ther com pany he could have rendered a first-rate account of himself. I t says a lo t for Darlowr’s im prove­m en t in form th a t he was able to account for T iley so easily.

Light-Heavy-weight.— Pte . H o b d ay (“ 13” ) b e a t P te . Bowling (“ A” ). T his was ra th e r a one-sided fight. H o b d ay h ad th e longer reach and can h it ha rd . W ith p ractice he m igh t m ake a good boxer, b u t he has a lo t of rin g -craft y e t to learn. A h eart in th e rig h t place and a punch like an ox are a t an v ra te more th a n half th e ba ttle .

Heavy-weight.— L/Cpl. Johnson (“ B ” ) bea t Pte. T ay lor-Sm ith (“ A” ) in th e first round. Johnson is a h a rd -h itte r and gave T aylor-Sm ith no chance.

I t was u n fo rtu n ate th a t Pte. J a r r e t t (“ C” ), a fte r w inning his fight in th e first round against P te. How ell (“ 13” ), h ad to re tire from th e com petition owing to injuries to his nose.

Bantam-weight Chat,tenge Right.As already recounted , Cpl. O’Keefe (“ S ” ) won th e

first strin g ban tam -w eigh ts and was then challenged for his cham pionship by D m r. C harlton (“ 24” ).

O’Keefe is a boxer of considerable experience, b u t Charlton p u t up a rig h t good fight and O ’Keefe had to go all o u t to secure a verdict. The referee, in giving liis decision, sa id th a t th e judges disagreed and th a t he himself m ade th e po in ts dead level. H e therefore aw arded th e fight to O’Keefe as th e m ore aggressive fighter.

R.G.C.

B ayonet Fencing .T he com petition for th e In ter-C om pany B ayonet

Rencing Shield was held on N ovem ber 27tli and 28th. Some very close con tests were w itnessed ; in two cases th e team leaders had to fight off. The following is the draw and th e resu lts :—

" B ” ob tained th ird place by defeating " S ” by 6—-4. T he winning team u 'as composed as follows :—Team L eader : L ieut. C raddock ; W .O. or Sergean t :

B/M. P o s te r ; Corporals or Lance-Corporals : Cpl.

THE DRAGON 29

Toms, E/Cpl. P an t; Privates over four years' service : Bdmn. Nelthorpe, Bdrnn. Rayment, Pte. Taber, Dmr.A. Garrett; Privates under two years’ service : Dmr. Foreman, Pte. Gardner, Pte. Balkham.

Sergeants’ Mess Notes.Seeing daily the feverish preparations for the annual

furlough, which commences on December 16th, such as the dusting of bank-books by the " Never-Seens,” the final dispositions for the evacuation of Quarters by the Hermits of the “ Moore Cantonment,” and the studying of the prices of ginger wine (at C.P.) by the ” Drys,” I feel rather loth to write about news a month old. Nevertheless duty is a stern taskmaster, and I have at least the consolation of knowing that when the ‘‘ Brick ” goes to the ceiling, I ’ll be cutting pretty capers on the floor.

On November 10th we were “ At Home ” to The Buffs Club for a return Games Tournament. About thirty members arrived and all available space was fully occupied-in playing various games. Our President of indoor entertainments, working in conjunction with the Club’s Sports Secretary, made sure that nobody was idle.

A blackboard, divisioned off most effectively in nice coloured chalk lines, presumably by our “ O.C. Intelligencia,” was repeatedly assaulted by both sides, trying to see who could put on the most dashes. “ Tiffy Brag,” as known to many, which was invented by a certain “ Scotsman ” to provide " Free Hooch ” but didn’t, provided the doubtful means of calling the final result a draw. Results (as per blackboard) were as follows :—

Billiards (1 game)Club.

..............312Mess. 400 .

Darts ... .............. 5 5Phat .............. .............. 4 1Whist ... .............. 4 3Crib .............. .............. 4 4Euchre - 3Tiffy Brag .............. 10 10

Totals ... 27 26

During the two and a half hours of games, it was noticed that the R.S.M. cast many a longing gaze at the " Euchre-Schools,” but having been inveigled into an uninteresting lecture on “ Politics ” by Mr. Francis and A. N. Other, for which he had our deepest sympathy, the score-board knew him not.

A very interesting evening. We are hoping for many more before we leave the station.

On November 16th a team from the Mess went to the Drill Hall, Folkestone, to shoot against the local Rifle Club. Our nightmare, the peep-sight, was used, although with slightly better results than previously. We lost by 681 points to 727 points, our team scores being as follows :—

R.Q.M.S. Ricketts, 79; Sgt. Field, 85 ; L/Sgt. Goodsell, 83; R/Sgt. Tracey, 93; R/Sgt. Eley, 87 ; R/Sgt. Woolf, 89; D/M. Duffy, 79; C.Q.M.S. Burvill, 86 .

E/Sgt. Tracey acquired first prize- as highest in our team—quite a good performance with an unaccustomed sight; while the " Scribe ” classified as “ Bung,” excuses being (1) understudying the target per telescope, (2) overstudying " Sammy Martin.” We were well entertained after the match by our opponents, in fact amazed as well ; if you want to know a couple of " good ’uns ” for future shows, apply to the R.Q.M.S. (he stores 'em !),

The following day saw practically all members taking part in the Armistice ceremonies at Folkestone and a Torchlight Procession. It was a very impressionable show, the organisation of which again fell to the lot of

.our R.S.M. and, judging by reports, he has a lot to be proud of.

N.B.—While on the subject of November 11th, the " Scribe ” wishes to congratulate personally those two or three members of apparent Hebrew origin on the perfect way they preserved their last year’s (perhaps pre-that) poppies from the ravages of the moth. . On application to me, they can obtain several more, kept as souveniers only, thereby ensuring no further expend­iture for many years to come.

A very successful whist'drive and dance was held in the Mess on November 17th. The attendance was very good, 33| tables being occupied. Those who were really skilful and those who made up for skill by luck were as follows :—

Ladies: 1st, Mrs. Allen, 188; 2nd, Mrs. Cooper, 179 ; 3rd, Miss Power and Mrs. Withers (tie), 178; 1st half sweep, Mrs. Allen;) 98 ■ 2nd half sweep, Mrs. Timms,. 93. Gentlemen :;:dst, Sgt. Richards,. 174; 2nd, Miss Maycock, 173 ; vSrd, R:S.M. Vaughan, 172 ; 1st half sweep, Sgt. Sirett, 92 ; 2nd half sweep, C.S.M. Williams and Miss Maycock (tie), 91.

“ Scribe’s ” Comments.—I ’m sure I really do not know what is coming over our R.S.M., what with clearing the Mess Pontoon, then third prize at his favourite (ahem!) game, whist. Never been known before; age of miracles returned, I surmise. Next thing, I suppose, will be a win in the Christmas Draw (stand by, Joe, with the band !).

The dance which followed was, as usual, very lively, though we do miss Norwood doing his duty ones. He, of course, is on active service at Canterbury, wearing out his ” Heliotropes ” before he becomes due for the old age pension. The band was excellent and seemed to do its utmost to make the ” old ’uns ” forget that their bones are setting.

The third Annual Dinner of the Single Sergeants was held in the Mess on December 1st. Members and guests were as follows :— .

Guests.—Rieut.-Colonel the Hon. P. G. Scarlett,M.C., Captain and Adjutant A. J. D. Rose, Rieut. T. H. Spear, Rieut. and Quartermaster P. Dare, M.B.E., R.S.M. C. E- Vaughan, Bandmaster W. B. Foster, A.R.C.M., R.Q.M.S. G. A. Ricketts, C.S.M..E. Williams.

Members.—C.Q.M.S. R. Diamond, Sgts. L. E. Baker, G. Johnson, E. H. Watts, R/Sgts. C. Edwards, A. Yates, R. Sirett, F. Fox, C. Woolf, A. Hills, S. Bills, H. Tracey, G. Griggs, R. King, A. Banks, R. Barley (R.A.O.C.).

Before getting down to the serious article, I must point out two things:—(1) The menu was headed as follows :—“ Eat, drink and be merry, for to-morrow we may marry. (N.B. No. I).—‘ Oh, death, where is thy sting ? ’ ” (2) The photo duly exhibited withthese notes was taken before the dinner began. This, of course, is mentioned only to prevent letters of sympathy arriving about the pinched and hungry look on several faces. No, dear readers, they were just enjoying the aroma of “ goodies ” being wafted through the kitchen door. Also, those standing round were not employed as " Throwers-out ” (none were needed), they are merely just the chaps who put a dish down with one hand and snatched it back with, the other (ask Johnson!).

Guests and members were entertained at an im­provised cocktail bar, prior to dinner being announced at 7 p.m. by the lordly butler (C.S.M. Sidwell). The band played a little piece about a certain joint of antiquated English beef while guests and members were

30 TH E DRAGON

getting seated. Sgt. W atts, the very efficient Dining Caterer, presided, L/Sgt. Edwards acting as Vice.

I really “believe th a t Toby was possessed of a devil th a t evening, for his remarks when requesting members to take wine with sundry personages were really up to toast-master standard, plus a little friendly malice. Even the mention of S.O.P.'s made Sirett blush. Perhaps he was conscious, too, of the late Lord Kitchener’s famous remark.

The man who supplies the needs (Who ? why Mr. Dare himself), looked very pleased when Mr. President called on the faithful to take wine with him. The " nearly-weds,” of course, drank very earnestly, thinking no doubt of the short time to come when they would be approaching th a t august person about Married Quarters, and hoping th a t in his greatness of heart he would say : '* Go ye in peace, thou art ' one up.’ Watch thou of the inventory of thy earthly chattels, lest thou be ‘ one darn.’ ”

L/Sgt. Edwards, as Vice, looked rather abashed when his turn came to call the toast of " The King.” Nevertheless, he got over it quite well.

C.Q.M.S. Diamond rather excelled himself as a speech-maker when proposing the toast of “ Colonel

. and Mrs. Scarlett. His remarks about the keen interest the Commanding Officer takes in everything connected with the Regiment, and the way Mrs. Scarlett interested herself in the welfare of wives and children, were really old news to all th a t know them, but of course were heartily endorsed by all.

Before proposing the toast of “ The Regiment,” our Commanding Officer treated us to a very interesting and very amusing ten-minute speech. Usually he is short spoken and quick to the point, but being opposite this time was quite an eye-opener for us all. His humorous reference to the quick change of his Adjutants, and his comparision of them to a Prime Minister and his Cabinet Minister, caused much merriment. As also did his mention about the failure of Mr. Simmons in informing us of our new station. Rather teasing were his remarks about tha t station. Speculation, as a result of various clues, leading us, I believe, up North, across the water, back to Devon, then finally resting around “H:2” and “E .l” areas. His general review of the events of the last year were very precise, and, if I may say so, very flattering, especially when mention was made about good support of local functions, and th a t discipline was good in the Regiment. Our C.O., as we all know, does not cast out bouquets haphazard and. when one does come our way, i t gives the greatest satisfaction.

The toast was proposed and drunk with musical honours.

The R.S.M. had the same duty to perform as last year, th a t of bidding “ au revoir ” to Captain Rose, the Adjutant, and welcoming the Adjutant-elect. One always looks forward to seeing our “ No. 1 ” get on his hind legs and deliver the " goods,” and we have never heard an uninteresting speech yet. His remarks about the well-known cheerfulness of Captain Rose and his keen interest in the Mess in general were heartily . endorsed. Judging by his reference to a certain spot around Colchester, the first, or maybe second in Sanitorium, th a t map reference will be an old soldier’s remark of Ins when he visits the Mess as an " old ’un,” say in about the year 1954.

He extended a hearty welcome on behalf of the Mess to the Adjutant-elect, Dieut. T. H. Spear. A toast was proposed and drunk to both.

I almost forgot to scribble down notes when Captain Rose responded. After thanking all for the toast and hospitality and loyal support during his short but happy tour of Adjutancy, he went one better on the R.S.M. about th a t aforementioned map reference

a t Colchester, and mentioned about a certain Sgt. Smith and a land barge, which I wrote about in a previous issue. Since the last dinner he had noted five members who had entered into " Matrinity ” (one up on Toby) and apparently were happily so. His digs a t education and love letters (Sirett), Caterham and Yates, Edwards of Support Company supporting someone else, Woolfs and Foxes from the 1st Battalion, culminating with a hint about Musso and massed marriages in Rome were really ingenious. We hopie he may find time to attend our next one, and th a t his apparently inexhaustable store of wit will be available.

Mr. Spear was considered an unknown quantity until it was his turn to perform. His yam about certain cannibals and missionaries was very amusing and told in a very quiet, dry manner. (Sir, we would like sometime to hear your drawing-room ones.) His remarks about his confidence of future support were very gratifying to all present.

The Commanding Officer again rose to mention an omission of his, tha t of congratulating members who were making tha t " awful leap,” marriage. His few words about a place for wives in the Regiment and the help they could be in assisting members were very encouraging.

Prior to the toast of " Our Guests,” C.Q.M.S. Diamond mentioned the honour of having such dis­tinguished guests with them. He spoke about losing courage over deserting members from the single ranks ; soon he would be left alone. His joke about married members getting a good meal in the Mess a t cheap rates when the wife went out was good. He concluded by thanking the officers for the interest taken in them.

The evening was by this time well advanced, and for some time I had noticed our Quartermaster (Mr. Dare) getting fidgety with a little piece of paper on the table. As the other speeches went on, he became more so, so I guessed th a t the other speech-makers had shot his arrows for him. Nevertheless, when his time did arrive to respond to the toast of “ Our Guests,” he made a noble effort. In fact, he quite warmed up to i t when he got going, about the way the Regiment was going on just the same, comparing it to one large family, with the C.O. as the father of it.

N.B.—Had our worthy Quartermaster heard my gentle humming of “ Old soldiers never die,” etc., in all probability my pencil would have been withdrawn to stores “ immediately if not sooner.” " Yes, I think so.”

At the conclusion of the dinner, all members attended the Corporals’ Dance in the Drill Shed. An arresting incident which rather bore out a previous statement about the Regiment being one large family, took place when the prospective bridegrooms introduced their intended brides to Mrs. Scarlett. This rather pleasing little ceremony must have tended to pu t them at ease, especially to those who knew so little about the Army and its social side.

We offer our heartiest thanks to all who assisted to make the dinner the huge success i t was. Toby must have felt a t peace with all the world.

I t is said th a t a woman’s domain is the kitchen. Our kitchen was Mrs. Diamond’s on th a t night. Her great culinary effort and its subsequent popularity was greatly appreciated by all. We again express our heartiest thanks for a very noble effort.

On December 5th all available members assembled in the Mess to bid farewell and good luck to Captain Rose prior to his leaving for the Staff College. The R.S.M. mentioned th a t we were bidding farewell to an efficient officer and a gentleman (we all well and truly know it). As also we heartily endorse his other remarks. The toast was accompanied by musical

THE DRAGON 31

Halhsworth Wheeler.

honours in th e good old Mess way. T he reply by C aptain Rose m ade i t very p lain to us th a t he was really sorry to leave us ju s t when he w as g e tting to know us all. H e hoped to be back in tw o years (we hope so). W e all offer our heartie st wishes to him , and hope the R .S.M .’s words ab o u t h im being a fu tu re B atta lion C om m ander come true.

In conclusion, though these notes will n o t appear u n til early Ja n u a ry , we wish all Buffs, past and present, every success and good health in the New Year.

Touchstone.

C o rp o ra ls ’ M ess.A poet once described au tu m n as th e " Season of

m ists and m ellow fru itfu lness,” bu t, m eth inks, a more appropria te description from a soldier’s p o in t of view would be th e “ Season of courses and ex am ination .” I sim ply h a d to s ta r t on th is p a rticu la r subject, for w hat is to com pare w ith the feeling of a six weeks’ course, etc., finished, and a m o n th ’s leave in the offing ?

The p ast m onth has been choc full of events, the Prom otion E x am in atio n tak in g m ost of the stage, and by th e tim e these no tes are bared to the critical gaze of you gentle (??) readers, m any will have known th e ir fa te and have spen t th e ir leave in idle recrim in­ations or else in joyful celebration. M ay th e failures be few an d th e " D ’s” in a decided m ajority .

" Gas ” and " W .T .” Courses have also been held for the edification of som e of us, an d a t least tw o of our m em bers should be able to consum e th e ir C hristm as d inner w ith gusto, i.e., McGinley and G raver, alias “ G ravey ,” alias “ Soup .” These tw o sta lw arts were aw akened from th e ir rou tine le th a rg y early in th e m onth to a tte n d a course in " m uscle b u stin g ." " Soup ” has a lready applied for a new jacket, owing to th e fact th a t h is m uscles are exceeding all bounds. My ! you should see his biceps !

T he optim istic laddies who h ave been aw aiting the resu lts of th e 1st Class E x am inations have now h ad th e ir anx ie ty rem oved, for b e tte r or for worse, and i t is our very p leasan t d u ty to congratu la te Carmichael on gaining th e Certificate ou trigh t, and the following on surm outing one or tw o of th e obstacles se t in th e way of am bitious young Generals :—

E/Cpl. Casano, M athem atics ; Cpl. T urm aine, M ap R eading ; E/Cpl. Eacey, Map R eading ; E/Cpl. H u n t, E nglish ; L/Cpl. H am lyn, E nglish and Geography.

The P.T . Course, a t p resen t being held a t th e Com­m and Gym nasium , has b rough t a n um ber of fresh faces to th e Mess, and we hope th a t th e ir s ta y am ong us will be a p leasan t one. T hey a lready seem to have se ttled down and are qu ite acclim atised to th a t long, long w ait for sausages and chips !

E/Cpl. H u n t has been booked for an “ U plift ” Course a t th e School of E ducation , and th e New Y ear will see h im pay ing m ore a tte n tio n to h is “ p’s and q’s.”

32 THE DRAGON;

A Junior N.C.O.’s Drill Course has just commenced and, no doubt, young and healthy top notes will be wafting into the realms of that hive of industry, theB.O.R., much to the disgust and horror, no doubt, of the slumbering occupants ! ! Here's how the Orderly Corporals can get their own back.

We are''delighted to be able to congratulate Cpl. Jolley cin an addition to his family. We understand that the little chap has been named Wilfrid. Dare we hope for a little Pip and Squeak to follow ?

While on the subject of congratulations, we have noted with approbation the inclusion of E/Cpl. Frankhani in the Army cross-country team versus Oxford on November 24th, and although the Army did not win the contest, our worthy member finished third in the race. Well done !

Hello !. 1st Battalion and Depot and all ex-members of the Corporals’ Mess.' We are full of regrets at the omission of Christmas greetings in our last effort, but ask yoti to pardon this as only a temporary lapse of memory. We take this opportunity of hoping you all spent a very merry Christmas and extend a wish that the New Year may prove a happy and prosperous one.

The “ Concession railway tickets for wives of Service men are very much in demand , these days, but when a certain N.C.O. walks in and blithely asks for a " Confession ” ticket—well, I ask you ! Either conscience had been knocking at his door, or else the poor laddie was wandering through association with " jankerites.”

Early in October quite a number of our “ grizzled warriors " received additional trimmings to their attire in the shape of medals, one, India, General Service, and the Mess in consequence assumed a very “ active service ” aspect for a while. Our arrivals from the 1st Battalion have settled down fn excellent fashion, and impromptu concerts around the fire have laid bare the fact that some of them are talented artistes. I departed from the Mess one evening with'the plaintive wail of one " Moggy ’’ .ringing in my ears. The said wailing was incidentally the cause of my hurried departure !

One of our many Bills (in the nominal sense, of course) has returned t® the fold, namely Martin. He has been “ flag-bashing ” and engaged in signal exercises galore at Catterick, but we can all agree and sympathise with him in our unanimous opinion that dripping and cheese do not exactly constitute the ideal meal.

Some half dozen of our full ranks are at present enjoying the delights of furlough pending their departure overseas to join the 1st Battalion. We hope their leave will be most enjoyable, and wish them all the best of luck. The prevailing uncertainty of their dates of departure lead me to get in these good wishes while the going is good. Our late " Wizard of the Cue ” (E/Sgt. Dee) and “ Wobbler ” Fox were caught on the hop a very few days ago, for they are due to sail from Southampton on December 22nd. Two of our members are “ sweating on the top line,” as ’tis rumoured that L/Sgt.; Dee may not board the boat after all. Anyway, here’s wishing them bon voyage.

The Battalion Boxing Championships were held during the month of November. The following N.C.O.’s emerged triumphant at their weights and are to be congratulated on their success :—Cpl. O’Keefe, bantam­weight ; E/Cpl. Johnson, heavyweight.

The Quartermaster’s Stores are extremely worried by the request for large size hats from the personnel of “B” Company, who have made a most creditable come-back in the realm of sport. With all due respect to our late "M.G.” Company, it is quite refreshing to find another company carrying off the honours.

As t£e battalion has not entered the Army Football Cup this year, interest is centred on the battalion’s chances in the Hockey Competition, in which the Mess is, very well represented by Cpl. BrigstcfSk and L/Cpls... Dawson, Casano, Catt and Taylor. Con­gratulations to these on their achievements.

On December 1st we held another very successful dance. . It was attended quite as well as the previous two. Once again we were honoured by the presence of our Commanding Officer an d , many other officers. Words cannot express our thanks to the Committee and their , very able and energetic Treasurer, who makes it his business to do many other little things besides “ treasure:” One well-known face wasTmissed. Oh, Monty, where art thou ?

By the time these notes appear, Eieut. T. H: Spear will have assumed the Adjutancy of the Battalion from'. Captain A. J. D. Rose. All members : of the Corporals’ Mess join in wishing additional success to Captain Rose at Camberley, and a smooth path to Eieut. Spear as Adjutant. , ;

I almost forgot to mention tha t the Corporals from the Depot provided most worthy opposition to the Mess at football on the afternoon of December 1st, prior to the dance. The opposition was decidedly stronger than last year, and a most excellent game finished up in our favour by 4 goals to nil. The score would not have been so large, had not Eackery (Hibbs) Wood bfeen injured, which necessitated his absence from between the sticks. Hard luck, the Depot'!

And flow for just a little ” moan.” At the beginning of the;season we elected a Shooting Committee,/but so far their activities have not been .very apparent. We hope they soon will, as it appears frtftna glance at the Depot .notes that very successful and enjoyable" shoots can be held.

All .members wish everything that can be wished to E/Sgt.;Griggs (“ Fairy” ) and Miss Violet Watson on their marriage. Both are very popular personalities.

’• The Band.The past month lias been a busy one and there are quite a lot of

events to report.F irst of all—Sports.—Our representatives in the Inter-Company

Tug-of-War did not manage t o “ dig in ” and we were beaten in the 1st round by “ 24” Company. This meant that we did not get a chance to compete for 3rd place and, after the way we were pulled about by “24” Company, this did not seem to matter.

Cross-country Running does not seem to be one of our strongest points and I am afraid that several of our team were late for tea on that day.’ Young Williams iii. must be congratulated on his show. He came in 30th and the time is coming when he will be in the first ten.

After these events came the Relay Race and here again we failed. We did think that we had a chance, but the pace was too warm for our “ half ” and we were out of it before the first take-over. We missed Sgt. Smith in this. But we made up for.all these failures by our display in the Bayonet Fencing. Here was, surely, a man’s sport and we fought our way through from the first round with great calmness and skill. I,ieut. Craddock gave a good display against Tieut. Harwood and th is‘carried us into the filial: I t should be mentioned that the Bandmaster competed in the teain arid his ferocious face upset two Sergeants that certainly do not cothe under the heading of “ non- combatants.”

We are unbeaten a t Football and have a 100% record in the Half- Company Reague. Our goal average" is 23 for and 2 against. We have played four matches.Other I tems. (

We played successfully a t the British Tegion Ball at "Ashford on November 23rd. A full band was taken and we played non-stop for five hours.

Courthey has obtained his" Second and has now time to get the feel of his instrument. Perhaps this “ feel ” has come too late..

Catt put up a fine show in the Boxing and was our only representa­tive. He won his weight and won it well. ,

We are very sorry to lose Ratcliffe and he will be hard to replace. He is the Football Captain and his cheery outlook was always a wonder­ful tonic. We wish him the very best of luck in civilian life and hope that he will always keep in touch with us. Good Tuck to him.

The Band are playing a t the Kent Territorial Officers’ Ball a t Margate on January 26th.

Mobbndo.

THE DRAGON 33

The Drums.The end of November and beginning of December

gives us opportunity to record some more of our history. The Regimental Boxing Tournament being the out­standing event of November. "24” Company’s Team, which is composed of Drums and Anti-Tanks, was well to the fore again in this competition of which they were last year's winners. I t was very unfortunate that we were unable to win this year. Just one or two handi­caps reduced the strength of our team to compel us to be satisfied with a very good third place, which was very satisfactory in view of the keen competition. No doubt a full account will be given elsewhere in this grand old Journal of ours, so I will content myself with just mentioning the names of those who represented “24” Company.

Bantam Weights.—T/Sgt. Toms (D) and Dr. Charlton (D).

FEATHER weights.—Pte. Backham (D) and Pte. Shearn (A/T.)

Tight Weights.—Pte. Corden (A/T) and Dr. Foreman (D).

WEETER Weights.—Pte. Squires (A/T.) Dr. Fpps (D) and Pte. Foster (A/T.)

MlDDEE Weights.—Pte. Darlow (A/T.) and Bds. Catt (Band).

Tight-Heavy Weights.—Pte. Underdown (D).Heavy Weights.—Not able to produce one.The Team was prepared by T/Sgt. Toms.Bds. Catt had a rattling good scrap and then went

off on a dance engagement. A very plucky spirit. Good old Moggy. ;*

When the finals were completed Drm. , Charlton, who fought 2nd String Bantam, decided to try con­clusions with Cpl. O’Keefe of “S” Company for the Bantam Weight Championship. Our Ginger put up a remarkable show against a more experienced and better, trained man. The decision was so close that it was just the fact that his opponent was -the most aggressive boxer that lost the fight for Charlie.

Half Company Teague Football has been very interesting so far, our victims being :—

“ S.'T who lost to us 9—0.“H.Q.” 1 who lost to us 6—1.“H.Q.” 3 who lost to us 3—1.

Those whom we have not yet beaten, look out for squalls.Dr: Jolley has had three weeks at the Depot whilst

Percy Stone and Dolley Gray were ill. Joll. is now back and we are glad to hear that the two old salts aforementioned are O.K.

Balkey Balkham has gone on a Sanitary Stranglers’ Course to Aldershot. He will surely be able to tell us which way the wind blows when we came back.

The result of the promotion examination is now to hand and we congratulate T/Sgt. Toms on passing Corporal to Sergeant and T/Cpl. Pilcher coming out 2nd in.Tance-Corporal to Corporal. In passing we must also congratulate T/Sgt. Hills on his “D.” -He is one of our Old Tenor Drummers.

Oh. December the 4th we did our Final Retreat during Captain A. J. D. Rose’s office of Adjutant. Captain Rose, who has shown a great interest in us during his short term, came on parade and inspected the Drums for the last time in his official capacity as Adjutant. After the inspection he made a very fine speech and generally handed us the "p lum s” for our,work. In conclusion he presented to the Drums a new Drum Major’s Parade cane to be carried by the present Drum- Major and his successor. In a very few well-chosen words Drum-Major Duffy thanked Captain Rose for his very nice gift, and on behalf of the Drains wished him the best of luck at the Staff College.

Furlough is now almost upon us and we are all looking forward to Friday, 16th. Several of us will pick up ^10 a week jobs, which will melt by January 14th. Others may possibly return married, but what­ever happens, we have the consolation of knowing that Digging has ceased for a month.

Dr. Flthain and Williams have manned the Bugles during our absence.

In conclusion, we wish all Buffs a Happy and Prosperous 1934.

Yours as B.4.,H. & D.

Signal Section.The Section heartily congratulates E/Sgt. Yates on winning the

leadership Cup for 1933. I t is a very fine effort indeed and very well deserved. l e t us hope that it will not be long, before another member of the Section achieves the honour.

Our congratulations go also to E/Cpl. Kelly who passed out top in the recent promotion examination and gets a “ Distinguished,” with 286£ marks out of 300.

All the Junior N.C.O.’s of the Section are now on a short Course of Drill and P.T. and we hope to see one of them top the roll next year.

We welcome back Cpl. Martin, who has emerged successfully from that gruelling course a t Catterick and now takes his place as Signal Corporal vice E/Sgt. Griggs, whom we lost a t the annual turnover. We say “ au revoir” also to E/Cpls. Pizzey, Tong and Graver, and Ptes. Smith, Joynson, W., Enquire and Roker (to Duty); Ptes. Veaie, Mason, and Streater are on leave pending drafting to the 1st Battalion, where we hope they will have a good time and remember us. The “ old hands” remaining are, apart from those mentioned:— E/Cpls. Paine, Sutton, White, Winch and Bollen; E/Cpl. Best, whom we congratulate on his appointment, and Ptes. Allen, Fitzgerald, Joynson, G., Gifford, Parry, Medcraft, and Hobday.

Now that oiir young hands have “ come to stay ” we had better welcome them all officially. They a re :—Beale, Bennett, Costick, Davidson, Dike, Faulkner, Gosby, Holmes, Eivemore, McCracken, Mitchell, Moore 255, Moore 280, Rix, Swinbank, Tate, Williams, Woodfine, Wraight. They are shaping very well and look like main­taining the high standard of the section in work and sport. '

In the Inter-Company Boxing we had several representatives and all helped the Company score along. Pte. Hobday emerged as Battalion Eight-Heavyweight Champion. Well done, Eofty I May you go still further and we wish you success next year. Faulkner finished as runner- up of the Eight Weights (2nd String), whilst Rudolf Rix was awarded the “ best loser ” medal: a credit to the section. .

In the Inter-Company Tug-of-Wat we had E/Sgt. Yates, E/Cpl- Paine, and E/Cpl. Winch on the rope and were third after some desperate pulling. <•

In the Bayonet Fencing E/Sgt. Yates and Cpl. Martin were amongst those who got the Company up to the final, in which we lost after a close pull to our other Half Company. Next year we must try and go one better still. How about it, Young Hands ?

To our brother Signallers in Burma we send greetings and all the best for the New Year. VE GB AR.

“ Writer-down. ’ ’

Transport Section.Here we are again, right in the middle of the furlough season. _.By

now everybody is beginning to feel the result of the ten per cent.We are all pleased to know that Major Morgan, D.S.O. has found

a situation for his late groom, Pte. Towner and I am quite sure Towner appreciates this very much and will do. all in his power to settle down and put his back into it.

By the time these notes are in print our late Transport Officer will be on the high seas. Good luck to you and Mrs. F. W. B. Parry, Sir.

We have had two assistants during this last month in Ptes. Best and Wallace; we are sure they will be transferred in due course; they have worked well. The Sectioa congratulates Wallace in winning his weight in the recent Boxing Championships, also the other con­testants who did not get on quite so well.

We take this opportunity of bidding Sparkes, who leaves us. on 16-12-33 for civilian life, farewell. I hear Bullen has quit Maison Eyons and has taken over a Pea-nut vendor’s barrow; Millin and Kemp are sorry for themselves by now, but no sympathy is forth­coming. Our old man has returned from leave, also the Terror of Ashford; they soon settled in again as though it were only yesterday they left us for leave.

E/Cpl. Eonghurst, who did quite well on his veterinary course, is a t present learning the mysteries of the Drill Book and is doing quite . well, we understand.

The hunting is temporarily held up owing to the hard state of the ground, and it seems as though the frost will last for some time y e t ; we must’n t grumble though, as previous to this some very good days have been spent behind the hounds.

Our new station is Bordon. All we ask for is better country for exercise, and not so many roads; I know that would suit our farriers.

We take this opportunity of wishing our past bauds and. “ o u r” representatives in the 1st Battalion a Happy New Year.

FAOS.

34 T im DRAGON

Boys’ Notes.When the 1st and 2nd Battalion Boys and all contributors to The

Dragon read these notes we (the 2nd Battalion Boys) hope they still cherish delightful memories of their Happiest Christmas not long p a s t; may all their varied hopes and decisions fructify. At the time of writing we are discussing what we shall buy and how we shall spend the memorial festival.

Boys Hotchin, Ashdown, Jones, Horton, Crossley, Richard and Dawson are now well settled on their draft leave. Boys Horton and Rawsou are assured of a splendid leave as they returned to their school. St. Augustine’s, Sevenoaks, for the six weeks; they will both be a credit to their regiment during their stay.

No. 11 Industry Cottages will be a scene of joy indeed, as Boy Hotchin. is now home with his mother after a complete absence of eleven years: may mother and.son forget their great anxiety and heart-ache during their separation now that they are with each other.

The Boys for the 1st Battalion are eager to commence their long voyage and their questions appertaining to the trip and Burma itself are legion.

The Drummer Boys at present are watching the calendar, as they are due for their annual furlough on the 16th of December; of course a t the time of publication they will be completely settled in their in­dividual lines of luxury.

The Band Boys must be even more impatient as they must wait until the 30th of December for their 'vacation. Never mind, my lads, “ They that laugh last laugh longest.”

We frequently hear from “ Jock ” Aird, an R.A.S.C. Boy attached ; he is thoroughly enjoying his leave a t Belfast, but he always has obtained the very best out of life.

We sincerely congratulate Richardson on passing his first class examination ; our sympathy is with Birkin as he failed by two marks for his Map Reading; he “ sat ” for two subjects and passed in Geography.

We are indeed proud to boast that we all, but for two, possess a certificate. Boys Hotchin and Ashdown have not yet had the opportunity of sitting for their third class certificate.

The Boys, despite shortage of players owing to leave or hospital, have played a fair amount of matches. The fixtures and results are as u n d e r ,

The Buffs Boys v. Royal Berkshire B oys...... ............... 0—1The Buffs Boys v. Hast Surrey Boys .............. ... 5—5The Buffs Boys Replay .................................................... 1—3The Buffs Boys v. The Drums ......................................4—3The Buffs Boys Replay .......................... ... ... 4—2

Boys’ Boxing R esults for 1933.

Richardson, A. Rumble, I,. B ye :— Dawson, C.

Over 9 stone.

} Richardson, A. ') Richardson, A.

Dawson, C. /Under 9 stone and over 8 stone.

Knight, R. Rutter, H. Ashdown, J. Beale, R.

V Rutter, H. 1 Ashdown, J., /challenged b y ) - , _J- Ashdown, J. J Bead, P . . / heal, P.

Williams, A. Smith, J. Birkin, O. Crossley, J.

Under 8 stone.

| Smith, J.

Crossley, J. f Smith, J . 1Morgan, B. Williams, G. | Williams,[G.

VSmith, J .

Hotchin, F. Rickard, K. | Rickard, K.Horton, A. Jones, G. j-Jones, G. > Rickard,

Smith

Winners of Best Loser’s Medals :—Boy G. Jones, Boy J . Crossley.I am sure that I express the opinion of every onlooker a t this year’s

boxing tournament in saying that the Boys’ showed a marvellous spirit and put up a wonderful show. May I, through the mliming of The Dragon, congratulate Jones and Crossley for their determination ; the medals awarded them will be mementos of their courageous example, therefore, well worth cherishing.

J.B.

“ A ” Company.November has been a very busy and eventful month. Our firs

duty must be to offer our hearty congratulations to Rieut. Foster oi his marriage. We wish both he and his wife every happiness.

Sport has seen us particularly to the forefront, especially in th< Inter-Company Relay and Boxing events. We won the Tnf^r Company Relay Race, thanks to the splendid efforts of our Dicut. Foster (880 yds.), D/CpI. McGinley (440 yds.), CpI. Spence ancT_/fW1 TtanMnn fOO(\ xrAti \ TI-twA« ~ ____A _____ j _ 5_ . . .

“S” Company, who came second, did their hardest to wrest the victory from us, but the lead, given to our team by Dieut. Foster in the 880 yards, was too great for them, and was well maintained by the remainder of the ti»atn- I think the result was a popular one, if somewhat surprising.

In the Inter-Company Boxing Championship we must first of all congratulate "B" Company on winning the Cup. Although we managed to tie with them on points they were fortunate enough to be able to field a full team, whereas we could not muster a 2nd String in the Bantams. The team worked splendidly and were all as keen as mustard from the stmt. Pte. Tuhill reached the finals of the Bantams and put up a jolly good fight against Cpl. O’Keefe, but he was beaten by a man who was more experienced in ringcraft. Pte. Martin was our 1st string in the Feathers, but he was not fit enough to stand the pace. However, he was awarded the “ best loser’S ” prize in his weight. Woodage was our 2nd String and won his weight after three hard fights. Our Rightweights were R/Cpl. Catt and Pte. Wright, who both did well. Cpls. Cowley and Scallan were our 1st and 2nd Strings in the Welters, but neither managed to reach the Finals. “ One-Round ” Ward was our 3rd String and lived up to his reputation by winning all his fights in one round. Cuttridge, our 1st String (Middles), reached the second round where he was beaten by Darlow after a very plucky fight. Cornwell, our 2nd String was also beaten in the second round. Both Bowling, our Dight-Heavy and Taylor- Smith, our Heavyweight, were beaten after a good show, but experience told against them. The team as a whole, are to be congratulated on their splendid efforts for the Company.

We were not successful in gaining a place in the Inter-Company Cross-Country Running, but we must congratulate "B” Company on winning.

Hockey has taken a back seat this month, but we are pleased to see that D/Cpls. Catt and Dawson have been selected to play for the battalion. We shall get down to business as soon as we return from our Annual Furlough when we shall have all our team back to work.

We were also knocked out of the Bayonet Fencing Competition by “S” Company. I t was a very interesting tie,—touch and go all the way, until a t the finish of the tenth bout we were level with five wins each. The Team leaders had to fight off for the winning point, but Dieut. Scott was not quite good enough for Dieut. Harwood,

Our new arrivals have been so large that we cannot name them individually, but we know they will soon settle down to our ways and habits.

Everybody is now looking forward to their Annual Furlough and a rest for a while from their labours. At the same time we shall be getting ready for Individual Training as soon as we return. If we are not too late, we should life to take tins opportunity of wishing all our readers a very happy and prosperous New Year.

R.W.D.

“ B ” Company.I write these notes with the feeling of elation that in­

variably accompanies success, for this month I am able to chronicle yet another great achievement by the Company. This time it is the winning (with “A” Company) of the Inter-Company Boxing Com­petition, which took place on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th November.

I will not go into the details of the actual boxing as another scribe has already written a complete account of the fighting elsewhere, but I will confine myself to congratulating all N.C.O.’s and men, who comprised the team, for the splendid show they put up. A special word of praise must be extended to C.S.M. Williams for the excellent way in which he managed the team and also to the seconds, Sgt. Bell and R/Cpl, Callaway, for the hard work they put in all through the Competition.

The actual result was a tie between “A” and “B” Companies, but, as “B” Company entered a complete team, the cup was awarded to them.

However, the points of 1st and 2nd places towards the Athletic Shield were added together and divided between the two Companies concerned. At the conclusion of the Competition, the cup was pre­sented to Captain R. W. M. Webster by Brigadier W. N. Herbert,C.M.G., D.S.O. (Commanding 10th Infantry Brigade).

Our team was as under:—R/Sgt. Tracey, D/Cpls. Taylor and Johnson, Ftes. Bragg, Price,

Ravery, Mitchell, T., Brandy, Oliver, Hadfield, Johnson, A., Tiley and Mitchell, Y. Pte. Furlong was a reserve.

On the 21st November we obtained 4th position in the Inter­company Relay Race. Our team for this was :—

R/Sgt. Tracey, Cpl. Turmaine, R/Cpl. Taylor and D/Cpl. Callaway. Unfortunately for us Sgt. Triukwon was unable to run owing to the fact that he injured his foot the day before playing football, otherwise our place might have been very much higher.

On the 27th and 28th November the Inter-Company Bayonet Fencing took place and we finally succeeded in obtaining third' place.

In the 1st round on 27th November we received a bye, but were defeated by 13th Company in the second round on the same day by 3 fights to 7.

We fought “S” Company for third place on 28th November and won by 6 fights to 4.

Our team was as under:—Dieut. T. H. Spear (team leader), Sgt. Trinkwon, R/Sgt. Tracey,

R/Cpl. Philpott, Ptes. Prandy, Town, Winstanley, Tiley, Oliver, James and Johnson. This team shows plenty of promise and, if only a little more keenness is displayed and hard practice put in beforehand, it should have no difficulty in winning this competition next year.

THE DRAGON 35

Inter-Com pany Relay Race.Shorncliffe,' 1933. W inners: “ A ” Company.

LjCpl. Dawson. LjCpl. M cGinley.

The following Half-Company Football Teague matches have been played during the month :—

17th November. “B.”2 v. “H.Q.”3. Won 2— 1.7th December. “B.”2 v. “C.”l. Tost 0—3.

The results of the Inter-Platoon Football Competition for the Keble Cup are as under :—No. 5 Platoon | 20th November .

> No. 8 Platoon |No. 8 Platoon ) 3—0 I 4th December.

'-No. 7 Platoon.No. 6 Platoon 1 1st December

!• No. 7 Platoon I 2—0.No. 7 Platoon ) 4—0 '

Hearty congratulations to No. 7 Platoon on their success. Their team was :—T/Sgt. Tracey, T/Cpls. Bryan, Thompson, Austin and Wight, Ptes. Shrubb, Goodman, Rolfe, Bridger, Mitchell, T., and Hubbard.

We welcome to the Company the following :—From the 1st Battalion :—Captain H. F. G. D’A. Symonds, who

will be remembered by old members of the Company when he was in “B” Company at Aldershot; Pte. Adams from “S” Company and the following from the Regimental D epot:—

Ptes. Bone, Brown, Coggin, Gainford, Gough, McCormack, North, Roffey, Truman and Wilson.

We lose Cpl. Fox who sails for the 1st Battalion on or about 22nd December. We shall miss him very much in our various teams, especially the Cross-Country one. We extend to him our best wishes for the future and hope that he will enjoy his tour abroad.

Lieul. J . II. N . Foster. Cpl. Spence.

Pte. James is attending a three weeks’ local cycle repair course, which ends on 16th December.

We heartily congratulate T/Cpl. Carmichael on gaining his First Class Certificate of Education ; also Cpl. Turmaine on passing in Map Reading as a stage further in the gaining of this Certificate.

In conclusion we would like to congratulate all N.C.O.’s, as under, who have recently passed their promotion examination, and especially Cpl. (T/Sgt.) Hills, who obtained “ Distinguished.”

Corporal to Sergeant.—Cpl. (T/Sgt.) Hills, Cpl. (T/Sgt.) Tracey, Cpl. (T/Sgt.) Charlton, Cpl. Fox, Cpl. Turmaine.

Lance-Corporal to Corporal.—T/Cpls. Callaway, Mitchell, Philpott.

“ C ” Company.This month we have been very busy for it has been a month of

momentous happenings and also hard work.In the Inter-Company Cross-Country Running Championship

we were 3rd with 230 points which gained us a point towards the Athletic Shield and I am quite convinced that, if the Team had put in more practice, we would have won the race.

For the Tug-of-War Championship we drew “B” Company and this team must be congratulated on their fine exhibition of team work and strength, for they beat us by two pulls to nil.

The Half-Company Teague Football matches are nearly finished ^and by results our Teams, “C.l.” and “C.2.” have been putting in some Lgood work. Below is a table of matches played.

36 THR dragon

Inter-Com pany Cross Country Run.W in n e rs : “ B ” C o m p an y .

[.IJalksworth Wheeler.LfCpl. Mitchell, Pte. Collins, Cpl. Turmaine, Pie. Marsh, Pte. Brigsiock.

Pie. Goldsack, Pte. Dale, Sgt. Trinkwon, C.S.M . Williams, Capt. R. W . M . Webster, Sgt. Bell, Cpl. Fox,LjCpl. Phipott, Pte. Welfare.

1Matches Played. Result.

Teams C.l v. B.2. 3 goals to Nil.„ C.2. v. A .l. 2 goals to 1.„ C.l. v. H.Q.2. 1 goal to 3.„ C.2. v. A.2. Draw.„ C.l. v. A .l. 2 goals to Nil.

In a Friendly Company Match we played “H.Q.” Wing ; this was a hard game, wliicli resulted in a draw, the score being 2-2.

We extend hearty congratulations to the N.C.O.’s who have just passed their promotion examination, and also I must thank, on behalf of these N.C.O.’s those who have given their time up in coaching them and thus enabling them to pass through with flying colours.

We congratulate the following N.C.O.’s on passing in their subjects taken for their First Class Certificate :—1,/Cpl. Harnlyu, English and Geography, L/Cpl. Casatio ; Mathematics.

We extend a hearty welcome to the number of men we have received from the Depot and we trust they will soon settle down to their new sphere of life.

By the time these notes go to the Press a number of our N.C.O.’s and men will be sailing to the 1st Battalion at Maymyo, and we wish them a pleasant voyage.

We hear that L/Sgt. Wheeler’s tour of duty at the Depot is nearly completed, and I am sure that when he returns a pleasant welcome awaits him from his comrades of “C” Company.

It is with great regret that we say “ Good-bye ” to Captain W. B. Griffith, and we all hope that he will not stay away from us very long.

It has been heard that, on a recent Drag Hunt, Cpl. Blake was caught by the hounds, and, although we offer him our sympathies, we would like to remind him for future events, that he is to lead the hounds and not the hounds to lead him.

In closing these notes we wish all our comrades the best of wishes for Christmas and the New Year.

C.E.C. J

“ S ” Company.Training, both Young and Old Hands, is now well under way.

T.O.E.D. and the firing of Part 1 A.M.G.C. liave been completed and results seem fairly satisfactory and up to usual standard.

East month proved very disastrous to us in the realm of sports, we having to take a back seat (rather a change). Firstly, we lost the Tug-of-War Shield after having been holders since 1928. In my notes last month I mentioned that we had reached the final of this com­petition, and were due to meet “B” Company ; we had to admit defeat in this by the margin of 2 pulls to 1. “B” Company pulled us overrather easily in the first pull, and we did the same to them in the second, bixt, as each team was striving to obtain the decider the last pull proved a dour struggle, the tape on the rope hardly moving one way or the other for about two minutes ; but eventually “B” found that extra bit of “ pull ” and conquered. We must congratulate our team on the line struggle they put up, and we heartily congratulate “B” Company on their performance, being glad to sec that they were represented by a good percentage of Ex-Gunners. Our team in this event was :— Sgts. Good and Bartlett, 1,/Sgt. Bills, Cpl. Austen, L/Cpls. Good, Scur- field, Ptes. Cuttrcss and llodges, also 1,/Sgt. King and Cpl. O’Keefe. The two points that we obtained towards the Athletic Shield ensured that we had again been successful in winning this for the past year.

At Bayonet Fencing we failed to gain a place. After having got through the first round by beating “A” Company, we were conquered by “24” Company who finally went on to win the Shield. We fought “B” Company for third place and were beaten by 4 points to 6. In the match with “A” the result was finally decided by the Team Headers who had to fight. Lieut. H. C. F. Harwood vanquished 2/Lieut. Scott and thus gave us the winning point. Team leaders had to fight in the match against “24” Company, also, but unfortunately Lieut. Harwood was not so successful against the tactics of Lieut. Craddock.

Another failure to uphold our reputation was in the Inter-Company Cross Country Run. We again had to give way to “B ,” but, although it is useless making excuses, I think, had the team run as well as they

THE DRAGON 37

Beneath Bell Harry.rT''HERE are two

main thoughts this month on every­body’s mind, firstly, for how much longer are we going, to have to put up with this impossible weather and secondly, how many more days are there until the com­mencement of Christ­mas leave.

The cold weather has made it extremely difficult for the Clinton

Squad to fire their Course and the Hockey and Football Grounds have become impossible for play.

On December 5th a large party of Depot Staff and recruits went over to Shorncliffe to cheer the 2nd Battalion Hockey team on to victory in the first round of the Army Cup against The Royal Scots.

2nd B a tta lio n — continued.usually liavc done, we should still have been the winners. In any case it is hoped that now that Uicse trophies have left the Company the Young Hands will pull their weight, train and get them back in the near future. Our reputed runners came in very well, in fact we had four in out of the first ten home and we then had to wait an extra long time for the next man which let us down rather badly ; had we got one other man in sooner all would have been well, as the margin of points of defeat was 20, which really is very small in a run.

This month’s notes are all a record of defeats, but, like true sports­men, we take them in good spirit and congratulate the winners, but add that we shall be all out to avenge our defeats next year.

In the Boxing we again did rather badly, mainly because we were unable to raise a full team. I think that this is very disappointing for the ones who did enter, but the chief reason was that, because other men have a big reputation in the boxing world, certain of the others were afraid to meet them, hence our failure. It is too great a handicap to try and pull up points that have had to be forfeited owing t o non-entries, but our congratulations are extended to our competitors who did so well, especially Cpl. O’Keefe, L/Cpl. Scurfield and Pte. Perry, also not forgetting poor old Joe. Our old friend Ward walloped too hard.

I will not add further about the boxing as I know that the full results will be published elsewhere, by another scribe.

I am sure that Captain Howe will view the doings of the company with a certain amount of sorrow, but I can assure him that the fortune's of the company seem to have changed with the changing of our initial letter, but the true spirit of the company still remains.

Nothing of note has taken place in the football line this month, excepting a match versus the Gunners of the East Surreys ; we still proved at this game that we can hold our own and ran out winners by 2 goals to nil. It was a good, fast and clean game and it spells well for our concentration hopes again this year when we hope to again furnish our Sergeants’ Mess -with another piece of plate to commemorate our sojourn there.

Sgt. King has been attending a short repair course at the Military College of Science, where, I understand, he has learnt a good deal about the gun and considers he is now the armourer-in-chief.

We congratulate L/Sgt. King and L/Cpl. Lacey on being successful in passing their Map Reading for their First Class Certificates of Education ; look out, you old ’uns or they wall be getting in front!

Several of the old Gunners have recently left us for civilian life, and to them we would wish every success and’trust that work will come along quickly and plentifully.

There seems to have been a heath fire or some such “ Hair-raising ” incident, as our deepest sympathy is extended to a budding N.C.O. in the Company who has parted company with Ids locks.

Leave is th e forem ost th o u g h t now , an d so, to en joy th a t li ttle spot I leave you.

Cran kha ndle (2).

Bieut.-Colonel Guy Bee spent two nights in the Mess ; we were pleased to see him looking so well.

For months past rumours have been abroad of the re-occupation of the Cavalry Barracks. Party after party of senior officers have from time to time inspected the various buildings including the dis-used hospital, until one day a party of 4th B)ivisional Signals officers arrived in our Mess and announced that they were under definite orders to move to Canter­bury next trooping season. One week later in Army Orders was published the trooping list for next year. From this we see that a Brigade of Artillery is coming from India to Canterbury and at the same time hear that the Cavalry Barracks cannot contain both units. We remain wondering who our new neighbours will be.

S t o p P r e s s . — 4th Divisional Signals.

S e rg e a n ts ’ M ess.The C avalry Records an d P ay Office S.C. inv ited us

to a re tu rn shoot th is m onth , th is tim e w ith th e ir rifles. T he resu lt was, as we expected, a very decisive v ic to ry for th a t Club. Our com petitors d id well considering th a t some h ad n o t seen a " peep-sight ” before. Con­g ra tu la tio n s to the w inner of the spoon presen ted by our opponents to our highest scorer, Sgt. Hodges. Following th is com petition, several optim ists, headed by the S.I.M ., are to be h eard expressing th e ir in ten tion of gaining fu rth e r " lau re ls .” In fact, one indiv idual has decided to win th e News of the World Gold Cup and talks ab o u t the m ethod of disposal of th e “ akkers ” i t will bring w ith it. O thers discuss “ p riv a te p u r­chases.” L e t’s hope th e resu lt of th e shooting reaches th e s tan d ard of th e ir an tic ipa tion and enthusiasm .

A novelty snooker to u rn am en t now in progress causes a certain am oun t of m errim ent to th e spectators, if n o t alw ays to th e players. Some players, in fact, have shown rem arkable ab ility when ordered to " p lay left-handed, strike cush first, Black ball only free,” th a t even th e experts h ave looked on am azed th a t such prowess should so long have rem ained undiscovered. T he result m ust be causing some anx ie ty to th e “ A ” League.

Sgt. and Mrs. Miles left on D ecem ber 7 th to jo in the 1st B atta lion . U nfo rtunate ly , he received such sho rt notice th a t he co u ldn 't get all his " calls ” in an d we could ha rd ly say “ goody-bye ” to him properly. Bon voyage and th e best of luck.

Following our C hristm as T ree Dance, th e “ B rick ” will be hoisted , and from 23rd onw ards if anyone does “ pop in ” on any subsequen t day, th e deserted Mess m ay be a ttr ib u te d to th e furlough g ran ted by the Com m anding Officer.

On D ecem ber 15th we played som e indoor gam es against the C avalry R ecords and P ay Office Sports Club. D uring th e evening, S.S.M. W ilson w ith a few well-chosen words p resen ted to th e Mess on behalf of th e ir Sports Club a very fine silver cup. R.S.M . R ansley, on receiving th e cup, th an k ed S.S.M. W ilson and the m em bers of th e S ports Club of th e C avalry R ecords an d P ay Office for th e ir sp lendid gift, and

38 THE DRAGON

Inter-Squad Boxing, 1933. — Winners and Runners-up.

H. Wills, G. Brooks, W. Thomas, W. Fagence, S. Harris, W. K night, F. Thomas.G. Whalford, R. Johnson, E. Tiley, B t.-M ajor N . D. Rice, Q .M .S.I. Moore, S. Harrison, H . B inley, J . Jones.

On Decem ber 1st th e Corporals em bussed for Shorncliffe, where we spen t a very enjoyable day p lay ing th e Corporals of th e 2nd B a tta lion a t football in th e afternoon and being en te rta in ed a t th e ir dance in the evening. I t is th e unanim ous w ish of th e D epot Corporals to th an k th e 2nd B a tta lio n Corporals for th e ir sp lendid efforts to m ake th e whole show a success, which I can assure you i t was, and, as H en ry H all says, “ H ere ’s to th e n e x t t im e .” The only u n fo rtu n ate inciden t occurred when L/Cpl. W oods h ad to be assisted from th e field \i'ith a knee in jury . “ Sniper ” donned th e sw eater, and a lthough he h ad th e style of H ibbs— ’nuff said !

Dark TJn .

accepted i t as a gesture of goodwill th a t would ten d to fu rth e r cem ent the goodfellowship and friendly rivalry w hich now existed betw een them . The cup is for annual com petition betw een th e tw o Messes a t b o th ou tdoor and. indoor games. T he result of th e gam es p layed on th is occasion was a decided w in for ou r opponents, b u t th ey w on’t find us qu ite so easy in th e “ Cup F in a ls .” T he resu lts wrere :—

Billiards.— W on 461 to 307. T eam s of 6, 20 m inutes each pair.

Snooker.—Dost 175 to 220. Teams of 5, 20 minutes each pair.

Darts (Doubles).—Dost, 3 games to 4.Table T ennis (Singles).— Dost, 1 gam e to 7.

C o rp o ra ls ’ R oom .Since we la s t shouted th e odds, num erous th ings

have happened which ten d to m ake th ings look b rig h t these d a rk w in ter nights.

F irstly , we offer our congratu la tions to D/Cpls. W oods, Bailey, B aw nback and O 'D eary on passing for prom otion to Corporal.

We have now com pleted S tage 2 of our handicaps, w hich was won by D/Cpl. M cBride. T he tab le tenn is handicap is now in progress and J ock th in k s th a t th ere is an a r t in handicapping.

N O T I C E .

Service of Remembrance, Canterbury,

A U G U S T 1 2t h .

(provisional).

THE DRAGON' 39

The 4th Battalion.rPH E R E is an old saying :

“ When the wind is in the East ’tis good for

neither man nor beast.” I don’t think this is very far wrong. I am sure every­one will be pleased when the weather becomes a little “ softer ” as they say in Ireland.

There is nothing of a striking nature to report this month, but this does not imply that nothing is happening in the battalion. On the contrary, the usual routine drills have been

very well attended. Bounties are now being paid out, so attendances have been even greater during the past week (strange to say !)

O.C., “C” Company has started his Lecture Campaign, and very well attended these Lectures have been so far. This is not sur­prising as the subjects have been most care­fully chosen and are really well worth travelling a long way to hear.

On December 6th there was a large gather­ing of past and present members of the 4th Battalion when the sword, medals and a silver salver which the late Colonel Gosling left to the Folkestone Detachment were hung in the Club Room.

The usual seasonal wave of social activities is upon us again. During the past ten days four Prize-giving entertainments have been held, at Littlebourne, Ramsgate, Margate and Chartham. In each case we were given a really enjoyable evening.

The Drill displays at the former three places were really very good indeed : a great improve­ment on last year’s, which says a lot for the trouble taken by all concerned, as the demonstrations given last } ear were all very creditable.

At Chartham the Signalling Display took the form of sending a message from one end of the room to the other. Captain Cremer wrote it just before it was sent, so there was no question of the sender knowing anything about it beforehand.

The message, and an answer to it, were flashed across the room in an amazingly short time. The answer was the right one, so all was well!

The writer’s brain is even less fertile than usual, hence the paucity of these notes. Excuse—the East wind.

B atta lio n In te r-P la to o n S m a ll-B o re R ifle L eague.T his w in ter our B atta lion Sm all-Bore Rifle League

is to consist of four shoots, one per m onth, and is based on th e conditions as laid down for th e T.A. Sm all- Bore M atch, th a t is. Service '22 inch rifles, w ithou t slings, to be used. T he ta rg e t is the usual S.M.R.C. 5 bull ta rg e t, w ith th e possible score of 100.

Following are th e results of th e N ovem ber shoot, and in order to assist p latoon team s to reach th e s ta n d a rd required for the T.A. m atch , the com parative position is shown. T his is tak en from the 1933 results.

Tearn. Score.

Comparative Position in a

T .A . Small-Bore

C anterbury ... 630Match.71st

D over ... ... 605 105thM argate ... ... 598 121stC ranbrook ... 571 174thS ittingbourne ... ... 568 183rdH em e B ay ... 545 223rdW hitstab le ... 537 234thL ittlebourne ... 525 251stI-Iorsmonden ... ... 505 276thH aw k h u rs t ... 488 290thFolkestone ... 429 347thSandw ich ... 392 372ndR am sgate ... T arge ts n o t re tu rned

I t will be seen by th e above resu lts th a t all our team s h ave a long way to go in order to get w ith in the top ten, th e lowest score of which in 1933 was 692, and was w on by a score of 724. By keeping on pegging aw ay a t p ractice, i t is certa in th a t one of th e com panies will be able to produce a team th a t will lead th e way in the T .A. m atch in 1934, even if i t m eans a littleex tra expense in concen tra ting a team , for u n fo rtunate ly all the best sho ts do n o t belong to one detachm ent.

The ou tstan d in g scores for th e N ovem ber shoot are very few, Sgt. W yborne (C anterbury) p u ttin g up a good 92, and P te . Crouch (Herne Bay) and C.Q.M.S. T app (Cranbrook) m aking 91 each. I t is hoped th a t we will be able to m ention m ore m aking over 90 in th e o ther th ree shoots, also th a t th e team s th a t these good sho ts belong to shoo t up to th e sam e stan d ard .

In order to in te res t those of th e ba tta lion who go in for sm all-bore shooting w ith an apertu re sight, an In d iv id u a l Sw eepstake has been organised. T his consists of four m onth ly shoots an d each com petito r firing tw o ta rg e ts in each shoot. T he P erm anen t S taff are also eligible to shoot in th is m atch . T his m atch will also help those who in ten d to t r y and qualify for a position in th e T .A . Sm all-Bore T eam for th e In ter-S erv ices M atch. T he N ovem ber scores are as follows :—Sgt. Beale (“ C” Com pany) ...D m r. M arsh (“ D ” Com pany)L ieut. J . C. Jackson (“ C” Com pany) Sgt. L ark in (P.S.)C.Q.M.S. T ap p (“ C” Com pany)Sgt. W illing (P.S.) ...............................C.S.M. Clancey (“ B ” Com pany)Sgt. Davis ("B ” Com pany) ...

96 X 94 = 190 96 X 93 = 18994 X 94 = 188 91 X 91 = 18295 X 85 = 180 88 X 88 = 176 88 X 84 = 172 80 X 84 = 164

F o u r o thers d id n o t re tu rn th e ir targets.

40 ffME dragon

By the results of the first shoot, this promises to be an interesting competition, for with six more: targets to fire the " lions ” may collapse.

At the time of writing these notes, tiieie are ten of the battalion entered for the Trial Shoot for the Inter-Services Small-Bore Match. This shoot takes place between the 1st and 13th January, 1934, and a cup is given for the highest aggregate, of three targets, in the Division. We all hope that that cup finds its way into the battalion, and all our. ten entries have the honour of competing in the Inter-Services Match, for on looking at last year’s T.A. Team, it is certain, that all our entries can put up better scores than some of those who were in the team. Sgt. Beale’s score would have had a 33rd place in the team, and we all know he can do better than th a t; also Dmr. Marsh is capable of better scores. Iyieut. J. C. Jackson is a " dark horse ” and his score would have been placed 37th in the team. I t is hoped to see him making double possibles in other shoots. Of course there are others entered who are not shooting in the Battalion Individual Sweepstake ; some are renowned shots with the small­bore rifle.

“ G” (Weald) Company.I t is very difficult to be bright and breezy and all that when one is

entirely broken in spirit and practically so in pieces after some very strenuous ice-hockey, involving a .g rea t deal of quite involuntary sitting down, if some of the extremely ungraceful entanglements can be classed as sitting. But Tug Wilson must have his Notes, even if i t is only to keep him quiet for a bit.

Talking of Tug reminds us to mention another very successful dance _we had a t Cranbrook on December 6th—but we had better leave i t a t that. We have referred before now to the charms of the Weald girls. |

We have already had three most interesting lectures.On November 22nd the series was opened a t Cranbrook by Admiral

Harper, who is incidentally the author of the “ Harper Report of the Battle of Jutland ” and one of the best lecturers in the country. He gave us a most excellent picture of “ The Navy in Peace and War ” and had a very fine lot of slides. These were shown by Captain H. Wallis, R.N., who kindly lent his lantern. After this thoroughly Naval evening we are so proud of the Senior Service that we are think­ing of starting- a hornpipe class. Possibly Major W itts would give us a hand with this.

In siate of i t being Bounty Right as well, we had over 80 of the Company on parade for Admiral Harper's lecture.

On December 5 th General Drummond gave a most vivid account of “ The final stage of the Sudan Operations of 1898 and the Battle of Omdurman.” His lecture was run oi personal experiences and incidents and was admirably supplemented by several large scale maps that he had prepared from the original ones he had made on the spot and which had appeared in the Times account of the Battle which had incidentally been written by Mr. Winston cmircnill who was serving a t Omdurman as a subaltern. This was due to the fact that of the two official Times Correspondents, one was killed and the other badly wounded.

Those of us who served in Mespot were very struck by the similarity of the two Campaigns.

This was not a Concentration, but some 40 members of the Company attended the lecture, which was held a t Cranbrook.

On December 7 th Colonel Meade-Waldo thrilled us with a very detailed account of the “ Battle of Hastings.”

Though not based on personal experiences, i t bore the hall mark of very careful research, and those of us who know the locality of the battle could follow the action with considerable realizm.

I t was amazing to most of us to learn that William’s force was between fifty and sixty thousand strong, including fourteen thousand mounted troops. His entire force crossed the Channel in one night in three thousand odd ships. His equipment included wooden castles in sections for use if required. Harold’s force was some 30,000 strong.

The Weald Company of the day was apparently given the place of honour opposite the Normans and won universal praise for its bravery from friend and foe alike. We understand that Pte. Parkes was mentioned in despatches after the battle, and that he still uses his double-handed battle-axe for wood-cutting.

Hence, the origin of the “ bill-hook ’’ out of compliment to William.But we are digressing. Some thirty attended this lecture a t Hawk-

hurst.We congratulate Eieut. Jackson on passing his promotion exam .;

in fact we are rather frightened really and now take our I.T. and F.S.R. to bed with us in self-protection.

We are doing quite a lot of work in the intervals between lectures, and recruits axe beginning to trickle in. We hope they will be in full spate before long.

A.EE.H.

“ D ” (S) Company and “H.Q.” Wing.• 5 - D over Detachm ent.

In the words of the. official communiques, “ all has been quiet on the Dover Front,” during the month of November. On Sunday,. 12th November, The Drums proceeded to take part in the “Civic Parade and Service at Ramsgate. Any satisfaction that they gave was amply repaid by the exceptionally nice letters of appreciation received from His Worship the Mayor of Ramsgate and I4eut. Rose, O.C. Ramsgate Detachment, 4th Battalion The Buffs.

Dover detachment Miniature Rifee ,Ceub.The Club, during the month of November, have had. a couple of

friendly shoulder-to-shoulder matches, against our old opponents, the Tramways Rifle Club and the Co-Op. Rifle Club. ’The shooting luring the matches was quite satisfactory, and in some cases there was

room for improvement. Results are as under :— -■ -Triangular match held on our own range on 27th November:—

BUJKFS. Co-Op. R.C, Trams R.C.MacWalter ... 98 Miles .. 97 Russ ... 97Marsh ... ... 96 Binge ............. 96 Bedo 95Phillips ... ... 94 Hammond 95 Pilcher ..... 94Tripp, R. ... 94 Eewis 94 Pollard... 93Maskell... ... 92 Potter ............. 93 Cole ............. 93Osborne ... 91 Parish ............. 90 Deverson 92

565 565 564

In order to decide who won this match, the two Secretaries, of our Club and the Co-Op., fired off a deciding target. Our Secretary could not stand up to the “ barracking ” of the other members and returned a poor score against Binge of‘the Co-Op; the scores were: Binge, 98 and Marsh 93. Again, a very enjoyable evening was spent, and one that will help our members to get up to a good standard of shooting.

We again entertained the Tramways Rifle Club to another friendly shoot on our range on the 20th November. This match proved a win for us by 11 points (and pints). Eucky for us the Trams did not put up a good score, for our team, fielding two reserves, did not shoot up to form. Results as follows:—

MacWalter Marsh ... Phillips Ward, W. Osborne Abbott

Burps. Teams R.C.... 98 Bedo ... 98... 95 Russell 96

... ... 94 Pollard ... ... 92

... ... 92 Deverson ... ;.. 90

... ... 90 R u s s ............... ... ... 86

... ... 89 Garlinge ... ... 85

558 547

This month, December, we are devoting all our time to the Com­petition for the “ Bell” Medal and the various certificates given by several Daily Papers, and the contest this year looks as if i t is going to be very keen, for some of the members of the Club are returning good targets. The leading scores so far are as follows

E/Cpl. Tripp ... ... ... ... 194 out of 200C.S.M: MacWalter .......................... 191 „ „Pte. Phillips ..........................................189 „ „E/Cpl. Dixon ...................................... 189 „ „

There are still others to make a start in these competitions, some have already fired one target.

Foekestone Detachment,We thank the Weald and other Companies for their Christmas

wishes. The speed with which they located and gained contact with the yearly enemy can only be attributed to the fact that a married commander has so many energetic spies on his personal staff who simply will not let him forget the approach of that enemy; so an entirely bachelor detachment can well be excused if it was caught napping; a t all events its leaders are not in danger of being con­fronted with “ Supplementary Estimates ” to defray the expenses of the Winter Campaign. Having fought back thus bravely we can now wish our allies a very good time a t Christmas and the most prosperous of New Years.

And now for the news. Congratulations to 2/Eieut. P. E- Roberts on passing liis Captain’s promotion exam, towards the end of November, in that famous district—“ the vicinity of Woolwich.”

Congratulations also to the following N.C.O.’s and Men who have recently been promoted :—

Eance-Corporal to Corporal:—E/Cpl. Elson, W.Private to Eance-Corporal:—Privates Brown, Deane and Harman. These N.CO.’s have, for a very long time, been extraordinarily

keen and reliable and, with others, form a very strong back-bone to the Detachment.

A very impressive ceremony took place a t the “D” Company Club a t 8.15 p.m. on Wednesday, 6th December when the Commanding Officer, on behalf of the Colonel of the Regiment, formally handed over to Eieut. C. H. M. Brooke, as O.C. Detachment, the sword, medals, and silver salver of the late Colonel Graham Gosling, O.B.E. The bequeathed articles were, by the great generosity of the Club, hand­somely cased, inscribed and hung on the club w all; with, equal generosity the Club made itself responsible for the entertainment of the guests and members who attended the ceremony. The Detach-

THE BUFFS (EAST KENT REGIMENT).Home Counties Area.

The Dragou. In each of the four corners the united Red and White Rose ensigned with the Imperial Crown..“ Veteri Frondescit Honore."

Blenheim,” “ Ramillics,” “ Oudenarde,” “ Malplaouet,” “ Dettingen,” “ Guadaloupe, 1759,” “ Douro,” “ Talavera,” “ Albuhera,” “ Vittoria, “ Pyrenees,” “ Nivelle,” “ Nive,” “ Orthes.” “ Toulouse,” “ Peninsular,” “ Punr.iar,” “ Sevastopol,” “ Taku Forts,” “ South Africa, 1879," “ Cliitral," “ Relief of Kimberley,” “ Paardeberg,” “ South Africa, 1900-02.”

The Great War— 16 Battalions'—“ Aisne, 1914,” “ Armentieres, 1911,” “ Ypres, 1915, ’17," “ Gravenstafel," “ St. Julien,” “ Frezenberg,” “ Bellewaarde,” “ Hooge, 1915,” “ Loos,” “ Somme, 1916,’18,” ‘‘ Albert, 191 <3, ’18,” “ Bazeutin,” “ Delville Wood," “ Pozieres,” “ Flers- Coureelette,” “ Morval,” “ Tliiepval,” “ T,e Transloy,” “ Ancre Heights,” Ancre, 1916, ’IS,” “ Arras, ’1917,” “ Scarpe, 1917,” “ Messines, 1917,” “ Pilvkem,” “ Passchendaele,” “ Cambrai, 1917, ’ IS,” “ St. Ouentin,” “ A vre,” “ Amiens,” “ Bapaume, 1918,” “ Hindenburg Line,” “ Epehy,” ‘ St Ouentin Canal,” “ Selle,” “ Sambre,” “ France and Flanders, 1914-18,” “ Struma,” “ Doiran, 1918,” “ Macedonia, 1915-1S,” “ Gaza,”

“ Jerusalem," “ Tell ’Astir,” “ Palestine, 1917-18,” “ Aden,” “ Tigris, 1916,” “ Kut al Amara, 1917,” “ Baghdad,” “ Mesopotamia, 1915-18.’Agents—Lloyds Bank, Ltd., Cox’s & King’s Branch.

Regimental Journal—“ The Dragon," Depot, The Buffs, Canterbury.Regimental Association—The Past and Present Association of the Ruffs, Depot, The Buffs, Canterbury.

R egu la r and Militia Battal ions .U n i f o r m —Scarlet. Facings—Buff.

1st Bn. (3rd Foot; ... ... ... ... ... Maymyo. 3rd Bn. (East Kent Militia) ... ... ... ... Canterbury2 i. „ ... ... ... ... Shorncliffe.

Depot ................ ... ... Canterbury. Record and Pay O ffice ... ... Hounslow.

T err ito r ia l Army B a tta lion . 4tli Bn., Drill Hall, St. Peter’s Lane, Canterbury. A llied R eg im en t o f C anadian M ilitia.

The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada The Vancouver Regiment

Toronto, Ontario. Vancouver, B.C.

A llied B atta lio n of A u s tra lia n In fan try .3rd Battalion ...

Colonel-in-ChieJC o lo n e l............................Officer Commanding Depot

1st and 2nd B a tta lio n s (R egu lar).

Lt.-Colonels. (2)1 Jackson, J. V. R.

27/4/312 Scarlett, Hon. P. G.,

M.C., p.s.c. 1/1/32 1/1/28

Majors. (8)d. 2 Thomsou, A. B.,

M.B.E., p.s.c.1/11/26

bt. It.col. 1/1/30 2 Field, C. S., U.B.E.

27/4/27s. Allen, J. l'\ W.,

M.C.,p.s.c. 1/6/27 I Hamilton, G. l‘\ ,

M.C., 1/1/281 Morgan, H. dc R.,

D.S.O., f.s. [2] 1/6/30 1/1/29

Stronge, H. C. T.,D.S.O., M.C., c.o. p.s.c [1J 27/4/31

1 Peareth, A. J. 1/1/322 Wilkins, D. A.,

M.B.E., 13/4/32

Captains. (14)1 Howe, G. R.

30/12/15 s. Allen, E. H., p.s.c.

13/9/16d. 2 Rice, N. D., 1/1/17

bt. may. 1/7/321 Esscll, L. M. S. 14/3/22 1 Tuke.R.J. [2)22/11/241 Hammond-Davies,

B.K., M.C., 22/11/242 Webster, R. W. M.

4/5/252 Saudilands, R. B.,

M.C. 4/5/25I Keble, T. H.

p.s.c. 11/5/25s. Wood, C. J.,

M.C., p.s.c. 11/5/25 [1,1 Griffith. W. B.

11/5/25 Wale, N. G. (Adj.

Inns of Court R.)11/5/25

Homebush.His Majesty. Christian X., King ot Denmark and Iceland, K.G., G.C.B., G.C.V.O.Major General Sir A. Lynden Bell, K.C.B., K.C.M.G., ret. pay (Res. of Off.) p.s.c. [L] t.a. Bt. Lieut.-Col. A. B. Thomsou, M .B.E., The Buffs, p.s.c.

12/5/1410/12/28

17/4/31

[/J 1 Marshall, F. A. J. E., D.S.O., M.B.E., M.C.,

17/9/25 bt. maj. 20/12/32

1 Willows, J. R 21/9/25 t. Wilson, C. E., M.B.E.,

2/14/212 Reid, T. R., M.C.,

1 /5/27 Hall, E. F., M.C., p.s.c. [/J c.o. 10/2/28

d. 1 Robertson, H. P. P.30/5/30

1 Fox, P. R. H., M.C.1/6/30

c.o. Rowe, W. H. 1/8/302 Lister, D. S., M.C.

21/1/321 Symonds, H.F.G.d’A.

21 / i / a 22 Hoare, N. E. 22/1/32 2 Rose, A. J . D.

Adj. 21/1/33

Subalterns (34).

Lieutenants.1 Sankey, G. E., M.C.,

24/10/19 Milton, H. [1)25/12/19 Perylington, T. N. (Adjt.O.T.C.) 21/2/20

2 King, J. E. 21/2/20c. o. Knocker, H. S.

20/ 12/201 Oliver, G. L. B.

(Adjt.) 20/12/202 Coates D. C. 16/7/21

[I] 2 Spear, T. H. 16/7/212 Crozier, F. G. 14/7/23 2 Airv, E. A. 10/7/25 2 Haggard, C. 39/8/25 1 Boucher, V. 27/8/26

d. 1 Williams, J. R. P.27/8/26

(I) Bruce, E.P-C. 29/1/271 Nicholson, J. G.

3/9/272 Lyndeu-Bell,

P. T. G. 3/9/27 2 Walters, H. de L.

3/9/27

Dewar, M. P. D(d. Adj. 23/9/32)

4/2/291 Parry, F. W. B. [2]

4/2/292 Foster, J . H. N.4/2/29I Oliver, G. E. F.

11/2/301 Parrv, R. F. 1/9/30

| c.o. Williams, tf. P. 1/9/30 Hill, C. G.,a.m. 1/9/30

1 Connollv, J. F .2/2/311 Crain, B. U. 2/2/31

d. 2 Reeves, N. R. 2/2/312 Kemvard, C. T.

1/9/312 Tuff, C. R. 31/1/32 1 Jelf, A. G. 31/1/32 1 Murphy, R. J. 17/2/321 Alexander, Si. G. F.

29/8/322 Harwood, H. C. F.

29/8/32 2 Craddock, R. W.

28/8/33 1 Atkinson, J. G.

28/8/33

2nd Lieutenants,1 Grace, H. R. 27/8/312 Walker, G. L- 29/1/31 2 Scott, E. S. 28/1/321 Harris-St. John, B. J.

28/1/322 Lewis, P. J. 1/9/32

Adjutants. (2)1 Oliver, G. L. B.,

It. 23/8/312 Rose, A. J. D.

Capt. 21/1/33

Quarter-Masters. (3)d. Andrews,A.\V.,M.B.E.

D.C.M., 25/6/23capt. 25/6/31

2 Dare, P., M .B.E., It.9/9/26

1 Martin, H. J.,M .B.E., It. 7/5/30

3rd B a tta l ion (Militia). Hon. Colonel.

Brinckman, Sir Theo­dore F., Bt., C.B. (Hon. Lt.-Col. in Army) 28/6/08

15/7/07

Captains.

Silvertvood-Cope, A . L. M.B.E. 27/1/16

Jackson, A.R.27/1/16

4th Ba tta l ion (Territorial) .

Drill Hall, St. Peter’s Lane, Canterbury.

Hon. Colonel.Goschen, The Visct.,

P.C., G.C.S.I.,G.C.I.E., C.B.E.,V.D. 13/10/23

Lt.-Colonel. t.a. Collard, B. S.,

T.D., 20/3/31Majors.

V.C. Dean, D. J., 1/4/301/1/27

Witts, C.S.F., T.D.20/3/31

Captains.Bacon, G. I)., M.C.

13/1/24Hardcastle, A. E. L.

23/7/2629/7/20

Sherwood, J. 25/11/30 Mount, G. H. 20/3/31

Lieutenants.Brooke, C. H. M.

21/6/19 Igguldeu, D. P.

12/3/27Parish, E .G . 28/9/27 Geering, J. P. 9/3/28 Cheney, R. J . 9/6/29

Rose, H. D. 17/12/30 Rogers, F. C. 30/3/31 Jackson, J. C., 30/9/32

29/6/32 2nd Lieutenants.

Fox, C.J.F. 12/7/30 Roberts, A.C. 27/9/30 Mount,H.W. 31/12/30 Green, A. 4/2/31 Tassell, E. W. 23/5/31 J ohnson.S.E. 18/11/31 Roberts, P. L- 23/6/32 Williamson, W. E.

1/11/339/7/32

A djutant.Wilson, C .E .,M .B .£„

Capt. The Buffs14/12/31

Quarter-Master. Verlandcr, F. G.,It. 20/4/28

Uniform—Scarlet. Facings—Buff.

Cadet Units Affiliated. Ashford Grammar School

C. Corps. Sandwich C. Corps.

The Deal Depot R. Mar. C. Corps.

S u p p le m e n ta ry R eserve Category B.

Subalterns (9).

Lieutenants.Mallam, K. M. C.

28/5/32 Hallowes, M. D.(attd. O.T.C.) 1/10/32 Mount, G. P. 11/1/33

2nd Lieutenants. Mathew, M. 29/4/31 Gilford, M. 9/5/31 Fyler, A. R. 29/8/31 Gardner,R.H. 2/12/31 Bull, G. B. 13/2/32 Plumptre, F. B.

12/8/33Akers-Douglas,

A . G. 7/10/33

A rm y List, December, 1933.

. .."I

( vs .!

t

1

THE DRAGON 41

The Regimental Gazette.O ffice rs .

Reg u la r Arm y .Commands a n d St a ff .

Capt. C. J. Wood, M.C., The Buffs, from Staff Officer (G.S.O., 3rd Grade), War Office, to be Brigade Major, Palestine (temp. Nov. 13th).

I n d ia Of f ic e .Commands a n d St a ff .

The following officers have vacated appointments in India :— G.S.O.’s 3.—Captain E. H. Allen, The Buffs (Oct. lltli).The following appointment has been made in India :—Captain E. H. Allen, The Buffs (Oct. 11th) :—Brigade Major.

T er r ito r ia l Arm y .-1th B n . T h e Bu f f s .—Hon. Colonel the Viscount Goschen, P.C.,

G.C.S.I., G.C.I.E., C.B.E., V.D., vacates the appointment of Hon. Colonel on completion of tenure and retains his rank, with permission to wear the prescribed uniform (Dec. 13 th).

T h e 1 s t B a tta l io n .Stren gth— D ec r ea se .

6283130 Pte. E. Hicks, “H.Q.,” transferred to the Army Reserve under para. 369 (i) K.R., on 29-10-33 with permission to reside in Australia.

The undermentioned embarked at Bomba}7 per H.T. Nevasa for U .K .on 13-10-33For Tour of Duty at Regimental Depot.

6278901 Sgt. F. Faulkner, “B” and 6278531 Sgt. T. Vale, “C.”For Discharge.

6281115 L/Cpl. PI. Steele, “A” ; 62815S8 L/Cpl. R. Dixon, “H.Q.,” and 6279990 Sig. J. Keats, “H.Q.”For Transfer to the Army Reserve.

6282974 Pte. J. Bullimore, “B” ; 2210099 Cpl. W. Groves, “B” ; 6282260 Pte. W. Jones, “H.Q.” ; 6282983 Pte. G. Bottle, “B” ; 6282984 Pte. I,. Cooper, “C” ; 6282985 Pte. T. Smith, “H.Q.” ;62S1763 Pte. A. Humphrevs, “B” ; 62S1945 Cpl I,. Pain, “B” ;6283073 Pte. A. Whitaker,' “C” ; 6283074 Pte. S. Girt, “H.Q.” ;62S3081 Pte. D. Woodgatc, “C” ; 6283078 Pte. S. Terry, “A” ;6283087 Pte. H. Curtis, “C” ; 6283092 Pte. T. Crampton, “A” ;62S3093 Pte. H. May, “B” ; 759896 Cpl. J. Griggs, “A” ; 761007 Pte. G. Hadlev, “A” ; 6283100 Cpl. E. Firrell, “B ” ; 757594 Pte.W. Pulmau, “C” ; 6283104 Pte. A. Stitson, “H.Q.” ; 6283109 Pte. R. Peacock, “H.Q.” ; 761670 Pte. S. Reader, “A” ; 6283107 Pte. F. Llovd, “H.Q.” ; 6283110 Pte. II. Files, "H.Q.” ; 6283113 Pte. S. Vaiit, “B” 6283114 Pte. T. Allen, “A” ; 6283115 Pte. H. Hollands,“B” ; 765233 Pte. E. Edwards, “C” ; 2211979 L/Cpl. W. Crouch, “ H.Q.” ; 759388 Pte. H. Lott, “C” ; 6283119 Pte. E. Sharpe, “A" ; 2216005 L/Cpl. H. Heath, “C” ; 760972 Pte. W. Moore, “B” ; 6283126 Pte. J. Warburton, “A” ; 6283131 L/Cpl. H. Smith, “H.Q.” ; 6279533 L/Cpl. R. Heard, “H.Q.” : 6907549 L/Cpl. j . Spencer, “B ” ; 6283139 Pte. J. Beach, “A” ; 6283145 Pte. A. Arnold “B ” ; 761743 Pte. S. Smith, “B ” ; 6005542 Pte. F. Moore, “B ” ; 6006189 Pte. H. Bard, “A” ; 6283161 Pte. J. Crowhurst, “B” ; 6283164 Pte. E. Vant, “B” ; 6197318 Pte. E. Bersev, “A” ; 6283166 Pte. S. Mills, “B ” ; 6283170 Cpl. J. Wild, “H.Q.” ; 6283174 Pte. E. Haines, “C" ; 62S3262 L/Cpl. W. Oakes, “B" ; 6283185 Pte. J. Kiltie, “B” ; 6283190 Pte. T. Lawlor, “B” ; 6283197 Pte. B. Tarliug, “B ” ; 6283188 Pte. J. Bowell, “A” ; 6283194 Pte. T. Hill, “B” ; 6283322 Pte. J. Pcall,• C” ; 6283331 Cpl. F. Shilling, “A” ; 6283335 Pte. C. Venes, “C” ;6283340 Pte. H. Hubbard, “ A" ; 6283339 Pte. C. Travers, “C” ;6283341 Pte. L- Harrison, "C” ; 6283343 Pte. L- Pryer, “B ” ; 62S3352 Pte. T. Taylor, “B” ; 6283355 Pte. J. Wilkinson, “C” ; 6283373 Pte. J. Tyson, “B” ; 6283362 Pte. J. Hope, “C” ; 6283363 L/Cpl. J. Teal, “B” ; 6283367 Pte. H. Vasey, “C” ; 6283372 Pte. D. Williams, “C” ; 6283368 Pte. J. Robinson, “H.O.”

T h e 4 th B a t ta l io n — continued.ment will long be indebted to the Club for its kindness in doing some­thing which we should all have liked to do, but could not possibly have afforded out of the Detachment funds.

Besides Colonel Collard we were pleased to meet Major Keeler, a former Quartermaster of the battalion, Captain Cremcr, a former Adjutant, Captain H. N. Whitfield, R.S.M. II. A. Jones and Mr. Joe Butcher, Colonel Gosling’s former Drill-Sergeant in Folkestone. The Detachment turned out in good strength, with three officers, one part- time instructor and 37 other ranks.

With the thought that bounty will be paid out on the 13th, and having re-read our notes to make quite sure that this time we have remembered that “ Christmas is coming and the geese are getting lat,” it only remains for us to extend to one another and ourselves Christmas wishes as heartv as we have already extended to our allies.

A.C.R.

Class “IS” Invalids.6284624 Pte. T. Tavlor, “A” ; 6283800 Pte. L- Turner, “A” ;

6284680 Pte. C. Martin, “A.”For Posting to Home Establishment.

6278533 Pte. E. Freelove, “H.Q.”6282965 Pte. IV. Liddle, “B,” transferred to Army Reserve under

K.R. para. 369 (i) on 11-10-33.6283183 Pte. C. Siffimonds, “B ,” embarked at Bombay in H.T.

Dorsetshire on 24-10-33.The undermentioned embarked at Bombay per H.T. Dorsetshire

on 24-10-33For Transfer to the Army Reserve.

6283121 Pte. E. Hobbs, “B ” ; 6283369 L/Cpl. R. Ather, “A” ; 6283370 Pte. T. Spencer, “A” ; 6283379 Pte. J. Taggart, “H.Q.” ; 62S3381 L/Cpl. J. Arnold, “B” ; 6283388 Pte. A. Hudson, “H.Q.” ; 6283389 Pte. J. Chandler, “A” ; 4265157 Pte. T. Cathrae. “A” ; 6283391 L/Cpl. N. Stiff, “B ” ; 6283400 Pte. H. Surridge, “B” ; 2560842 Pte. A. Phillips, “A” ; 6283402 Pte. P. Lingham, “C” ;6283403 Pte. W. Woollard, “A” ; 6283410 Pte. F. Frost, “H.Q.” ;6283404 Pte. T. Avery, “B” ; 6283405 Pte. A. Masikonis, “A.”For Posting to Home Establishment.

6283219 L/Sgl. A. Tolhurst, “C” ; 62S2987 Cpl. J. Tavlor, “C” ; 62S3422 Cpl. N. .Senior, “M.G.” ; 6282546 Cpl. F. Farmer, “M.G.” ; 6283123 Cpl. G. Gilding, “ H.Q.” ; 6283429 Cpl. W. Howe, “C” ; 6283361 Cpl. II. Cowley, “C” ; '6283148 Cpl. W. Cox, “B ” ; 6282531 Cpl. E. Watts, “A” ; 6283493 L/Cpl. A. Catt, “H.Q.” ; 62S2164 L/Cpl. C. Day, “M.G.” ; 6283472 L/Cpl. J. Wilson, “M.G.” ; 6282939 Bdn. J. Ireland, “H.Q.” ; 4442676 Pte. J. Bell, “B .”

S e r v ic e E xtensio n .6283364 Pte. T. Murdock, “H.Q.” ; 6394848 L/Col. B. Cloke,

“C” ; 3649743 Bdn. J. Rowcliffe, “H.Q.” ; 6283507 L/Cpl. C. Leggett, “C” ; 6195929 Pte. E- Wilson, “H.Q.” ; *6283361 Cpl. H. Cowley, “C” ; *6283429 Cpl. W. IIowc, “C” ; *6283472 L/Cpl. J. Wilson, “M.G.” ; *6283422 Cpl. N. Senior, “M.G.,” extended their terms of service to complete 12 years with the Colours, 11-10-33.

*Sincc posted to 2nd Battalion The Buffs, 25-10-33.P rom otions.

6279183 Sgt. (O.R.S.) S. Thomas, “H.Q.,” promoted Colour- Sergeant (Orderly Room Sergeant) under Art. 819 (i) Roval Warrant for Pay, 26-9-33.

The following were promoted Corporals :—6283167 L/Cpl. C. West, “ H.Q.,” vice Groves, 3-11-33; 6281751

L/Cpl. W. Maynard, “C” vice Pain, 3-11-33; 6284367 L/Cpl. P. Kinsella, “C” vice Griggs, 3-11-33 ; 6282351 L/Cpl. E. Watts, “A” vice Firrell, 3-11-33 ; 6282374 L/Cpl. J. Ellen, “A” vice Wild, 3-11- 33 ; 6282077 L/Cpl. W. Ingram, “A” vice Shilling, 3-11-33 ; 6283773 L/Cpl. H. Smith, “A” vice Tolhurst, 14-11-33.

Appo in tm en ts .6284721 Pte. A. Bevan, “H.Q.” ; 6283707 Pte. E. Penfold, “H.Q.” ;

6284608 Pte. W. Kennedy, “II.Q.,” appointed Unpaid Lance-Corporals with effect from 28-10-33.

6283553 Pte. S. Potter, “H.Q.,” appointed Unpaid Lance-Corporal with effect from 30-10-33.

Absorbed into establishment of Unpaid Lance-Corporals with effect from dates shown against their names

6284994 L/Cpl. T. Arnett, 1-9-32; 6284775 L/Cpl. J. Herbert. 11-3 -33; 6285163 L/Cpl. A. Lindup, 11-3-33; 6285085 L/Cpl. S Rackham, 11-3-33; 6284984 L/Cpl. A. Brice, 11-3-33; 6284348 L/Cpl. ]. Horne, 11-3-33 ; 62S4978 L/Cpl. G. Chapman, 11-3-33 ; 6284850 L/Cpl. W. Hipson, 11-3-33 ; 6285028 L/Cpl. C. Skeet, 11-3- 33 ; 6284990 L/Cpl. A. Mundav, 11-3-33 ; 2027876 L/Cpl. W. Whaley,11-3-33.

Appointed Paid Lance-Corporals :6284215 L/Cpl. J. Smith, “M.G.,” 10-6-33 ; 6284409 L/Cpl. T.

Clegg. “H.Q.,” 5-10-33; 6283895 L/Cpl. R. Rogers, “H.Q.,” 5-10- 33; 6284106 L/'Cpl. E. Grav, “M.G.,” 5-10 33; 6284203 L/Cpl. K. Edwards, “H.Q..” 5-10-33 ; 6008276 L/Cpl. O. Wood, “B” 5-10-33 ; 6284411 L/Cpl. H. Leach, “M.G..” 17 10 33; 6284698 L/Cpl. G. Barnes, “M.G.,” 17-10-33 ; 6284508 L/Cpl. L- Saver, “C,” 17-10-33 ; 2024207 L/Cpl. D. Reynolds, “B ,” 17-10-33.

Appointed Unpaid Lance-Corporals :—6284429 Pie. C. Howard, “B ” and 6284287 Pte. R. Butler, “B,”

30-10-33 ; 6283426 Pte. A. Phillips, “H.O.,” 14-5-33.B oys— Ag e .

6284982 Boy P. Lund, “H.Q.,” attained age of 18 yearson 29-10-33.Courses— R esu l t s .

6284111 Pte. H. Bryan, "A,” attended 5th British Cooks’ Course at Army School of Cookery, Poona from 21-8-33 to 30-9-33. Classification : “ good.” Authy :—School, Certificate dated 2-10-33.

6285038 L Cpl. G. Killiek, “C,” 6284725 Pte. H. Ward, “M.G.,” and 6284120 Pte. F. Glasbv, “A," attended Course in Victualling Duties under R.A.I. para. 326, at Maymyo, from 21-S-33 to 2-lfli-33 and classified “ Very Good,” “ Fair ” and “ Fair ” respectively.

6283426 L/Cpl. A. Phillips, “H.Q.” and 6273743 Pte. C,'.. Jeffery, “H.Q.,” attended a “ Pioneer Sergeants’ Course ” at Bangalore (Q.V.O. Sappers and Miners) from 1-6-33 to 14-10-33 and passed“ GOOD.”

42 THE DRAGON

6283799 L/Cpl. W. Paramour, “H.Q.,” attended the 3rd Qualify­ing Course a t the Army School of Signalling, Poona from 29-7-33 to 21-19-33 an d pa ssed “Q.I.”

E ducation Aw ards.62S4662 Ptc. J- Cater, “C” ; 6283995 Pte. L- Parley, “C” :

6284235 Pte. P. Stevens, “ C" ; 6285524 Boy E. Middleton, ‘II.Q .,” awarded 3rd Class Certificates of Education at an examination held at Mavniyo on 27-10-33. Date of Certificate is 27-10-33.

Med a l s .6278498 S/S. P. T. Beer (Seconded to I.A.O.C.), awarded Long

Service and Good Conduct Medal with Gratuity.N.C.O.s’ P romotion E xam ination .

2924207 L/Cpl. D. Reynolds, “ B,” passed an Examination for appointment to Paid Lance-Corporal at an examination held at Man­dalay during June, 1933.

T h e 2 n d B a tta l io n .P rom otions.

6282351 L/Cpl. E. Watts, “A,” promoted Corporal vice Firell, 3-11-33.

Educational Aw ards.6285635 Bov J. Crosslev, “H.Q.,” 6285637 Bov H. Horton, “PI.Q.,”

6285638 Bov G. Jones, 6285640 Bov B. Morgan. “H.Q.,\6285644 Boy J. Smith, “ H.Q.,” 6285641 Boy K. Richard, “H.Q.,” 6285642 Boy G. Williams, awarded 3rd Class Certificates ofEducation at an Examination held at Shorncliffe on 2-11-33.

R eversion s to R egim ental D u t y .6281796 Sgt. L. Baker, “C” (A.S.P.T., Eastern Command)—Since

re-posted).—-Reverted to Regimental Duty, 18-11-33, and posted to 2nd Battalion The Buffs, Shorncliffe, from which date he ceased to hold the appointment of Sergeant-Instructor.

Tran sfers to t h e Army Re se r v e .6283439 Ptc. A. Burrows, 6283420 L/Cpl. A. Tofts, “C”

(Attd. A.V.T.C., Chisledon), transferred to the Army Reserve under King’s Regulations, 1928. para. 369 (i), on 29-11-33.

6283421 Pte. II. O’Donnell, “B ” (Attd. A.V.T.C., Chisledon), 6283435 L/Cpl. G. Hunt, “S” (Attd. 1/Greiiadier Guards), transferred to the Arrnv Reserve under King’s Regulations, 1928, para. 369 (i), on 30-11-33".

6283527 Cpl. C. Pearson, “H.Q.,” transferred to the Army Reserve under King’s Regulations, 1928, para. 369 (ii) (a) (i), on 28-11-33.

6283490 L/Cpl. W. Chapman, “S,” transferred to the Army Reserve under King’s Regulations, 1928, para. 369 (i), on 7-12-33.

4445582 Pte. C. Robbins, “S” (Attd. A.V.T.C., Hounslow), trans­ferred to the Arrnv Reserve under King’s Regulations, 1928, para. 369 (i) on 2-12-33.

6283545 Pte. A. Stevens, “H.Q.,” transferred to Army Reserve, 2-12-33, under para. 369 (ii) (a) (i).

6283489 L/Cpl. J. Castle, “S” (Attd. A.V.T.C., Chisledon), trans­ferred to the Arrnv Reserve under King’s Regulations, 1928, para. 369 (i), on 10-12-33.

D isch a rg e .6283689 Pte. S. Miles, “H.Q.,” discharged confirmed for 1-12-33,

having claimed it under Section 81 of flic Army Act.

T h e D ep o t.R e c r u it s .

Attested as shown :—Recruits A. K. Stanford, 23-11-33; E. A. Spinner, 24-11-33;

R. T. W. Riehev, 24-11-33; L- E. Newman, 27-11-33; A. T. R. Relf, 29-11-33 ; R. Collins, 30-11-33 ; F. S. Revell, 11-12-33 ; E. W. Taylor, 14-12-33.

E m barkation .6278666 Sgt. II. J. Miles, embarked at Southampton, accompanied

by his wife, in il.'C. Lancashire, 7-12-33, to re-join the 1st Battalion The Buffs on completion of tour of duty.

Moves.6279990 Pte. J. Keats (I.U.L. & The Buffs), proceeded to Hounslow

11 -12- 33, to attend a Course at A.V.T. Centre and ceased to be attached to this Depot.

T h e 4 th B a tta l io n .E nlistm en ts .

The undermentioned recruits have been attested, taken oil the strength and posted to Companies as shown ;—

Pie. G. Watts, “ B” (C), attested at Canterbury, 14-11 -33; Ptc. II. Smith, “D” (D), attested at Dover, 15-11-33 (T.M. on Enlistment) ; Pte. R. Harnett. “A” (R), attested at Ramsgate, 20-11-33; Pte. J. Corcoran, “A” (R), attested at Ramsgate, 22 -11-33 ; Pte. A. Fuller, “A” (M), attested at Margate, 21-11-33; Boy F. Constable, “D” (D), attested at Dover, 24 11 33 ; Pte. J. Rose, “A” (M), attested at Margate, 21-11-33 ; Pte. F. Scott, “B ” (S), attested at Sittingbourne, 28-11-33 ; Pte. F. Clapson, “A” (S), attested at Sandwich, 29-11-33.

P rom otions.6283963 L/Cpl. G. Hall, “D” (F), promoted Corporal to complete

Establishment, 14-11 33.6284834 Ptc. W. Elson, "D” (F), promoted Corporal to complete

Establishment, 14-11-33.

D isch a rg es .6397791 Pte. A. Horne, “A” (R), discharged, having been attested,

but not Finally Approved. Para. 174 T.A. Regs. 1929, 14-11-33.6283038 Pte. C. Withev, “D ” (F), discharged on Termination of

Engagement, 20-11-33.6284316 Pte. A. Beach “C” (C) and 6284317 Pte. A. Ditton, “C”

(C), discharged on Termination of Engagement, 26-11—33.6285339 Pte. H. Craig, “A” (HB), 62S4540 Pte. R. Dickenson,

“B” (S), 6285135 Pte. S. Jczzard, “A” (IIB), discharged under Para. 199-3 (without payment), 27-11 33.

6284321 Pie. I,. Dawkins, “B ” (L) and 6284323 Pte. G. Randall, “B” (L), discharged on Termination of Engagement, 5-12-33.

6285366 Boy A. Hadden, “D" (D), joined Regular Army(Cameronians), 4-12-33.

ST. LAWRENCE LAUNDRY CO. LTD.Old Dover Road,

Canterbury.

O F FIC E R S’ WORK A SPECIALITY.INSPECTION INVITED.

SUITS DRY CLEANED & PRESSED EXPEDITIOUSLY & WELL.

P h o n e - 4 5 C A N T E R B U R Y .

halksworth WheelerPHOTOGRAPHER

Outdoor OPERATOR always available for

MILITARY GROUPS4-

STUDIO

1 2 5 SA N D G A T E R O A D - FO L K E S T O N E

FO R :: ::

ACCURACY i n DISPENSING A N D :: ::

RELIABILITY i n a l l MEDICAL a n d SURGICAL GOODS

W A L K E R & H A R R I S , L T D . Sun Street and Northgate Street,

CANTERBURY.

Printed by Gibbs and Sons, 16 Orange Street, Canterbury.

iflCCteb ~gleQxment&.Q ueen 's 'SjUfCes of {Scmctda. ^Tcwcouoer 'Sftegtmeitf.

3xb ^SctffctCion ( p e r r i w a gnfcm fr# ) JflusfraC tcm sJftU'itcm? fo rces..

No. 411, February, 1934. Price Sixpence.

Personalia.rT,HK Colonel of tlie Regiment attended the

Selection Board for entry to tlie Duke of York’s School on the 10th January ; visited the Depot with Colonel Body on the 12th and presented medals for Dong Service and Good Conduct; was present at the Kent Cross- Country Championships held at Gravesend on the 13th when the 2nd Battalion so greatly distinguished themselves ; attended the Com­mittee Meeting of the Darrick Wood Army Bands School on the 18th, the Condon Branch Meeting on the 20th, the quarterly meeting of the Duke of York’s School Commissioners on the 24th, the Kent Territorial Army Association Meeting on the 25th and inspected the Duke of York’s School on the 29th.

Our sincerest sympathy to Cady and Sir Theodore Brinckman on Lady Brinckman’s severe accident.

Whilst walking along Davies Street, May- fair she collided with a pedestrian at the corner of Grosvenor Square, fell on the kerb and fractured her thigh.

We regret to hear from Sir Theodore that it may be some three months before Cady Brinckman is able to walk.

Their many friends will wish an earlier recovery.

It will be noted with the greatest pleasure that Colonel J. Body, D.S.O. has been appointed Honorary Colonel of the 4th Battalion The Buffs.

vSo many know what Colonel Body has done for the Regiment, both in peace and war, that it appears to us unnecessary to say more than that we very heartily congratulate the 4th Battalion.

At the moment Colonel Body is en route for Costobelle for about five weeks.

Our heartiest congratulations to Brevet Lieut.-Colonel H. de R. Morgan on his recent promotion—we almost feel as if we had received a New Year's present ourselves.

Major G. Hickman is still in Trinidad—in spite of earthquakes and an unremunerative Christmas Race Meeting. We believe he did take a return ticket, so hope to see him back some day.

Captain H. H. C. and Mrs. Baird are due back from Colombo about 16tli instant.

The Regimental Spring Golf Meeting has been fixed for April 14th—16th.

Just as we go to press we have received from Mr. John Druce, Goudhurst, a complete roll of Buffs who received the Crimea Medal. We hope to produce this in later numbers of The Dragon.

We venture, on behalf of the Regiment, Past and Present, to offer Mr. Druce sincerest thanks for this further evidence of his interest and affection.

44 THE DRAGON

New Year Greetings have been received, from the Victorian Division British Ex-Service Legion of Australia.

Congratulations to Captain W. T. and Mrs. Stone on their silver wedding—January 2nd.

The following were present at the wedding of Captain E. B. Backhouse, late The Buffs, at Walmer on 3rd January, 1934 :—

Capt. and Bt. Major N. D. Rice (best man) ; Capt. and Mrs. R. W. M. Webster; Capt. and Mrs. A. F. St. A. Turner ; Capt. A. W. Andrews; Capt. J. V. Hitchcock; Mr. and Mrs. J. N. Foster ; Mr. M. P. D. Dewar;C.S.M. Farrow.

Quite a crowd in the Depot Mess about noon on January 20th to wish many happy returns of his birthday (with appropriate accompaniment) to Captain A. W. Andrews.

We congratulate Captain Lister on his appointment to the Physical Training Staff at Aldershot which he took up on January 21st.

We congratulate Captain G. F. and Mrs. Whitfield on the birth of a daughter.

We very much regret to announce the death of Mr. W. Coleman which occurred on January 8th.

Mr. Coleman joined the Buffs (Volunteers) many years ago and for the last five years has been Chairman of the Ramsgate Branch of our Association.

Many will remember Mr. Coleman’s pluck in being present at the Group Gathering of Thanet Branches last October, when he really should have been in bed.

We offer our sincerest sympathy to Mrs. Coleman.

We have news of Mr. Nicholson, working for the Staff College at Penang. We wish him every success.

We note in the Kent Messenger that Miss Vera Lynden Bell and her Company continue to help local charities with their entertainment which proved so successful at Wrotham not long ago.

Borough Green and Chatham have recently been visited with, we understand, satisfactory results.

We are glad to note that Boy Jack Bernard Hawkins has been selected for entry to the Duke of York's School in April. This lad is the son of that great Buff, Captain and Qr.-Mr. A. G. Hawkins, M.C., who died recently. Captain Hawkins was very well known to the old Brigade of the 1st and 2nd Battalions. He subsequently became R.S.M. and Qr.-Mr. of the 5th Battalion where he served with great distinction in India and Mesopotamia.

Mrs. Hawkins’ second son has also been given a vacancy in the Bisley School, Woking.

We feel sure that Mrs. Hawkins is very grateful to the Colonel of the Regiment and the Association. ‘

Very many congratulations to the 1st Battalion Polo Team on winning the Harcourt Butler Challenge Cup on December 23rd.

The team :—1. J. A. Atkinson; 2. R. F. P arry ; 3.

A. G. Jelf ; 4. P. R. H. Fox.

We offer our heartiest congratulations to the 2nd Battalion, C.S.M. Ongley, Lance- Corporal M. Frankham, Private G. Watts,P. Inman, B. White, R. Alnwick and Lance- Sergeant Hurley and the whole team on winning for the third year in succession the Kent Senior Cross-Country Championship.

A full account appears under battalion notes.A large number of officers, including the

Colonel of the Regiment, were present at Gravesend to see the run. We hope to see the team run and win the final at Windsor on March 20th.

“B” Company, 4th Battalion held a very cheery dinner in the Drill Hall, Canterbury on January 11th. The Brigade Commander, Colonel G. L- Crossman was the Guest of the evening.

We regret we cannot congratulate the organizers of the several Kent Hunts on arranging their fixture lists, in so far as Hunt Balls are concerned.

12th January—East Kent Hunt Ball, same date West Kent Hunt Ball; ditto, Blean Beagle Ball. This seems a pity.

We hear they were all most enjoyable, but it is not really practical for one to be in three places at the same time.

THE DRAGON 45

In so far as Buffs are concerned, the East Kent drew the majority, the West Kent, Mr. Williams, we cannot think why—the Blean Beagles, Colonel Findlay and Mrs. Findlay, old acquaintances. We would most respect­fully suggest that adjacent Hunt Secretaries should be empowered to collaborate. We should like to have been at all three gatherings.

LONDON BRANCH.We regret to say that Capt. E. Smith

has been confined to his bed for some time ; we trust he will soon be well.

Congratulations to Capt. Geo. Johnson,D.C.M., upon reaching the 73rd anniversary of his birthday. He looks as young as he did in Kilkenny.

He informs us that his first C.O. was Colonel Morley ; his first Adjutant, Capt. Kekewich and his first Company Officer, Capt. Hickson.

These three officers were known by the other ranks by the affectionate names of Frank, Bobby and Hickey respectively.

It would be interesting to know if there is any old Buff who saw active service with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the Regiment ? That is proceeded on service with all three.

Our deepest sympathy is extended to the relatives of the late Mr. Harry Burt, who passed away quite recently, and of Reg. No. 6280074 Pte. J. Redman who died in York­shire.

We are pleased to say that Major H. G. Janies is improving in health and we hope this progress will be continued.

What memories a London Branch meeting brings back. Fancy seeing Colonel Guy Lee, Capt. T. O. Cook, Capt. Orwin, Capt. Carter, Charley Kember, Harry Adams, Ted Lamb, Spud Austin, Donkey Warren, Dick Bush, Jock Clayson, etc., seated round the table discussing the good old times.

The same can be said of 6th, 7th and 8th Battalions. Each group of smiling faces denoting “ Here we are again, but we didn't think we would be in 1914.”

Then we notice those old jubilee wallahs throwing out 50 years or more in Hughie Borland, Reynolds, Joe Green, Arthur Brown, Harry Nicholls, Sailor Cooper, Nobby Clarke, etc.

A really happy family of young and old Buffs is this London Branch.

What pleasant recollections !

You still have time to warn in for the 8th (S) Battalion Re-Union Dinner in London at the Bedford Head Hotel, Maiden Lane, Strand, W.C., on the 10th February. Tickets, 4/6, from Mr. G. Scott, 12 Pleasance Place, S.W.15.

The 7th (S) Battalion Dinner is at the same place on February 17th ; tickets, 4/6. Particulars maj7 be obtained regarding appli­cations for tickets from 26 Doyle Road, S.W.17 or 'phone Battersea, 2657.

2/'5th Battalion Dinner on April 28th, at the Windsor Castle Hotel, Victoria, S.W.l. Tickets, 7/6 each. Write, Mr. Frank I. Stevens, Westminster Bank, 41 Lothbury, E.C.

Births, Marriages and Deaths.B ir t h s .

T urner.—6280222 Sgt. F\ Turner, a daughter, Wehdy Helena, born at Shorncliffe on 11/12/1933.

Whitfield.—On January 18th, 1934, atEddington House, Herne Bay, to Celia, wife of H. F. Whitfield—a daughter.

M a r r i a g e s .

Backhouse—Simpson.—On January 3rd, 1934, at St. Mary's Church, Walmer, Captain Ellis Brockman Backhouse, (late The Buffs), younger son of the late Rev.E. B. Backhouse, F.R.G.S., and of Mrs. Backhouse, Kingsdown, to Winifred Mary, only daughter of James Simpson, M.Inst. C.E., of the P.W.D., India, and of Mrs. Simpson, St. Clare Cottage, Walmer.

Baumback—Maine.—6284673 L/Cpl. F. Baumback, married at Canterbury on 17/12/1933 to Frances Florence Maine.

Halliwell—Williams.—6283861 Pte. W. Halliwell (2nd Bn. The Buffs), married at Canterbury on 15/12/1933 to Ethel Williams.

46 ^THB DRAGON

Kemp—Selmes.—6283830 Pte. A. Kemp, "B,” married to Kathleen Winifred Selmes, at St. Mary’s, Bishopstoke, Southampton, on 26/12/1933.

Knight—Green.—On January 6tli, 1934, at St. Lawrence, West WTycombe, by the Rev. H. Pickles, John Edmund Manning, elder son of H. Manning Knight and the late Mrs. Knight, of <f Morolin,” Hampton-on- Thames, to Ursula Catherine, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Green, of Plurst House, Chesterfield.

Obituary.The L ate R eg. N o. 8269 S g t. H . T . B u rt.

passing of H a rry B urt is ano ther sad loss tothe Association and the London B ranch. He was

a t all tim es a m ost en thusiastic and loyal Buff. Like the la te Mrs. B urt, whom he only survived fifteen m onths, he was generous and k in d -hearted and never happy unless doing som ething for our benefit.

O ur la te com rade enlisted on A pril 18tli, 1906 and joined the 1st B atta lion a t A ldershot, where he soon became p rom inent. “ He was m y Machine Gun C orporal," w rites Colonel Guy Lee, “ and I gave him th e stripe. B u rt was a m ost prom ising and keen N.C.O .” I rem em ber h im com ing to H y the ab o u t 1912 and assisted him in his stud ies and felt a t th a t tim e th a t B u rt would m ake a nam e for himself. H e was badly gassed during th e w ar and never got over the trouble. His late wife ob tained special perm ission to v isit him in hospital in France when i t was th o u g h t his end was th en near. B u rt was even tually invalided on N ovem ber 20th, 1915 and after the te rm in atio n of th e w ar ob tained em ploym ent in a tea b ro k er’s office in M incing Lane. H is health , however, was slowly declining un til ab o u t four years ago i t compelled him to give up his work. M any of his closest friends fe lt deeply sorry to see him try in g to ge t h is b rea th a t the least exertion, and I rem em ber how b ad he was even five years ago w hen the B ranch visited th e 2nd B a tta lion a t A ldershot and poor B u rt was unable to m arch and fell out.

During th e whole tim e of his illness he nursed his sick wife, and he to ld me th a t he h ad ha rd ly h ad a n ig h t’s sleep for the tw o years Mrs. B u rt was confined to her bed. He leaves beh ind tw o children, a boy, Cecil, aged^ 16, and a girl, Esm e, aged 14, also a m arried dau g h te r E d n a . H e was la id to rest on F riday , J an u ary 12th las t a t B eddington Cemetery. A goodly num ber of the London B ranch and L adies’ Guild were a t the graveside, and floral tr ib u te s were deposited from the London B ranch, th e L adies’ Guild, Mr. Gordon Lindley, M.C., Messrs. IS. Tong and C. Spears, All a t 26 Doyle R oad, C aptain and Mrs. Sm ith , M r . and Mrs. L am b, and Mr. and Mrs. A ustin.

E x tra c t f ro m C o rresp o n d en ce .R am sgate.

January 13 th, 1934.D ear Sir,

Mrs. Coleman wishes me to convey to you and the P ast and Presen t Association of Buffs how deeply she appreciates your k ind sy m p ath y and th o u g h ts w ith h e r in her irreparab le loss.

l o u r k ind expressions of her husband are deeply apprecia ted b y her.

- Yours very sincerely,• ’(P .P.) Mrs. W. Coleman.

Matters of Interest.1660. C harles II .

F irstly he h ad un d ertak en th a t the S tand ing A rm y should receive th e ir arrears of pay and be disbanded. I t was vetoed b y th e people, who h ad suffered under an appalling burden of tax a tio n for its upkeep, and Charles was quick to see how helpless he would be in face of any opposition from th is arm ed body draw n from ste rn P u ritan sources. So b y a stupendous financial effort he raised the m oney to sa tisfy th e ir dem ands, and w ith thankfu lness saw these 40,000 Ironsides lay down th e ir weapons. A t the sam e tim e th e k ing fe lt th a t a tra in ed well-arm ed sm all body of m en who were devoted to his person m igh t prove extrem ely useful in tim es of trouble. So he re ta ined M onk’s crack regim ent, th e Coldstream s, as H ousehold Troops, and a cohort of picked cavalry who becam e know n as “ T he B lues.” F u rth e r, he re-em bodied two new regim ents whose loyalty could be depended upon— T he R oyal Scots from th e Cavaliers, who in exile h ad tak en service under th e K ing of France, and T he Buffs from sim ilar adheren ts, who h ad served under the ban n er of H olland.

A bou t 1683.T he king also exercised his sm all b u t w ell-trained

Arm y, w hich he increased as m uch as his s tra iten ed circum stances w ould allow. T o th e a lready established C oldstream s, Blues, R oyal Scots, and Buffs, he h ad added The R oyal Dragoons, T he Q ueen’s R egim ent, and T he Scots Greys, and he p a rticu la rly concerned him self th a t th e ir arm s should be of the very la te s t p a tte rn s . B ayonets were inven ted , which d id aw ay w ith th e necessity for pikem en to p ro tec t the m usketeers ; clum sy old pow der horns abolished and cartridges in troduced.

Extract from “ Old Rowley,” a private life of Charles 11., by Dennis Wheatley.

D uke of Y o rk ’s School.The following Buff Boys a t th e school are qualifying,

i t is hoped, for tran sfe r in to th e B and or D rum s of th e R egim ent :—

Name. Due leave School.

Instrument Played.

R. S. N orw ood ... Ju ly , ’34 D rum .E . A. B urv ill , , , ,

E. H . E llen , , Clarionet.W. M. M artin Dec., ’34 Flu te.FI. D. P 'ollett (Prefect) Ju ly , ’35 Saxophone.J. R . H illier April, ’36 F lu te and Bugle.D. W . Keeler Ju ly , ’37 F lute.J . IF. B lackm an ... April, ’38 D rum .A. L. W oods Dec., ’38 Trom bone.

N O T I C E .

We regret that the 1st Battalion Notes have not yet been received (January 30th).

THE DRAGON 47

Some Reflections from Fort Vendeuil.P riso n e rs of W ar.

'JURIED \vc were, ill-clad, unshaven, and suddenly grown hungry an d th irs ty . R eaction h ad already

se t in and th e fu tility of th e whole business seemed to strike us ; tru e we h ad held up th e enem y’s a ttack , and there in we h a d done our du ty , b u t to have had to surrender still s truck me as an adm ission of fu tility . B u t our m inds were n o t norm al and I for one could n o t th in k properly. 1 w anted to sh u t m y eyes and forget, forget. I am sure there were m any like me. So, like a lo t of sheep we were g a thered together and m arched and m arched, God alone knows where to . A vague

•word, “ G erm any ” was hurled a t us, y e t th a t did n o t convey very m uch. G erm any is qu ite a big place ! I t was im possible to locate our position now, and even th e chance of b reak ing th rough to our line seem ed very rem ote. Occasionally our long d istance guns dropped a few shells in our m idst, b u t these d istu rbed our guards m ore th a n th ey did us. In all d irections they scattered , and once i t was calm again th ey resum ed th e ir au tho rity . A nd so we m arched, a little insp ired perhaps by th e prom ise of food. I t d id n o t tak e long for us to discover how little these prom ises m eant. Yet a t th e tim e we were prepared to believe m ost th ings. Footsore and weary we tram p ed along, our feet dragging along, our bodies m erely obeying th e ir commands." On we went, fu rth e r and fu rth e r behind th e G erm an lines, tlxrough sm all F rench villages still in h ab ited by a few harm less old peasan ts ; on we m arched, little heeding w hat we passed, on and o n .............

Suddenly we found ourselves being hurled like ca ttle in to a s tab le reeking of th e cattle and th e ir own b ra n d of smells. E x h au sted , we laid down, creeping as close as we could to one an o th er in th e hope of getting w arm by th is m eans. In a fitful way we m anaged to ge t som e sleep. A p la te of w eak vegetable soup ta s ted like th e n ec tar of th e gods. B u t th is d id n o t allay o u t hunger for very long. T he days w ent by ; we straggled, we m arched in fives, in fours, in any form ation . I t d id n ’t seem to m a tte r any more. We gathered o th er prisoners as we w ent along— French and Portuguese of all ranks, sizes an d shapes. T his weird collection of prisoners w ent wearily on th e ir way. D ressing sta tions, fines of w ounded, bodies crying ou t to be relieved of th e ir p a in — all these we passed.

T he enem y d id n o t know w h a t to do w ith a ll these people. The s itu a tio n was beyond th e ir control. T h a t d id n o t d is tu rb th em very m uch. Y et on th e ir lips w7as the phrase " N ach P a ris .” Such op tim ists ! So confident were th ey th a t one alm ost felt th a t a t any m om ent th e ir optim ism w ould be justified. Still we continued on th is in te rm inab le m arch— tram p, tram p , tram p , crunch, tram p , tram p , on and on, relieved by a bowl of soup o r a bowl of su b s titu te coffee, a respite in ano th er filthy stable , on and on th is endless m onotony, filth, shouts from th e sentries, tram p , tram p . . . . A b reak ! A b a th in huge dye v a ts filled w ith scalding w ater and carbolic. I t nearly to re your sk in off. I t was a glorious feeling to be free from verm in, if only, for a little wliile. Y our clothes were tak en from you and p u t th rough a fum igator, from which th ey emerged a few sizes too sm all. W h at a fife !

Once we were carried aw ay by the smell of new bread. T h a t was too m uch for us to bear. A few of us m anaged to s teal some, and g reat was th e an tiepation of pleasure when we to re a t th e loaves. Greedily we

devoured the bread, only to suffer awful pain as a resu lt of the new bread on an em pty stom ach. We never m et new bread again, and perhaps i t was as well.

Once m ore we se t our " best foot ” forw ard to continue th is ceaseless tram ping. N ot for long did we re ta in the m em ory of our little respite in th e dye vats. On we m arched, a s trange sigh t in our sh runken clothes, on, straggling. Once we broke aw ay from th e colum n to ra id a disused field of turn ips. T here was scarcely a roo t to be found, so back we came, am id th e sw earing of the sentries. W h at d id we care for the shouts of these sentries ? W h at d id we care for th e ir rebukes ? S purred on by hunger, we no longer h ad th e veneer of our civilisation. We were no longer sane hum an beings, b u t h u ngry anim als. On and on we straggled. Once we stru ck a fa ir sized village w ith F rench in h ab itan ts . They seem ed to p ity us. Buckets of fresh w ater and bread th ey tried to give us. Sm all were th e ir offerings, b u t you h ad b u t to look a t th e ir faces to see th e eagerness w ith which th ey w anted to help. B ut ru th lessly were they tram pled down by the sentries and th e ir horses.

On and on once more, only to be s ta rtle d to life by m ore shoutings from th e sentries. Obviously th is was n o t an o rd inary situation . T he sentries were try ing to bring us to a tten tio n . W e took little heed of them u n til we suddenly saw a fleet of m otor cars head ing in our direction. I t was th e All H ighest himself, to say notliing of his endless tra in of followers and assistants. W h a t a crowd of big noises ! The K aizer cam e forw ard and speaking in very academ ic E nglish, passed the tim e of day, and even addresses us as “ G entlem en.” W e had a lm ost fogotten tliis appellation. H e asked me where I h ad been fighting. U pon learning, his in te res t becam e intensified. He congratu la ted me upon the excellence of th e show I h a d p u t up, lam ented th e m any casualties I h a d caused, and th e check I h a d caused th e ir a tta ck . He shook me by the hand, com m enting th a t I h ad “ fought very well,” and hoping th a t we w ould be very com fortable in G erm any. The cars carried away th e ir passengers, leaving us once m ore to our inev itab le m arching.

W e now h ad a fresh th o u g h t to to y w ith. W e were to ld th a t we w ould m arch ten miles and th e n en tra in , and so to a cam p for prisoners of war. T his rem ark developed in to a so rt of joke, for we d id n ’t get any nearer a cam p or a tra in . S trange as i t seem ed to us, th is even tually d id happen, an d I wonder how m any ten m iles we tram p ed before actually ge ttin g in to th e tra in . Of th e tra in jou rney I rem em ber little except th e fact th a t i t w7as dam ned uncom fortable. Can you im agine w h a t we looked like as a collection of ind iv iduals ? Can you im agine w ha t our clothes looked like ? Can you even im agine w hat we felt like ? Our clothes were only coverings for portions of our bodies. Our faces h ad n o t been tre a te d to m any shaves. On our feet we h ad w hat h ad once been boots, b u t alas were no more. Perhaps even our hearts were a little sore, and our sp irits tired . . . A new fife lay ahead for us. Who knew w h a t i t con ta ined ? A nd so we found ourselves in R a s ta t t in B aden. G erm any a tl a s t .............and all th a t was only yesterday , b u t w h a t along y e s te rd a y .................

Harry Pin e .

December 16th, lb 33.

48 i M DRAGON

Dear Sir,

Correspondence.Duncan,

Vancouver Island,B.C.

December 3rd, 1933.

I think I and Webster, who lives very comfortably at Mussoorie, must be nearly the last of those who served with the 1st Battalion continuously from Dover in '82 to Calcutta in ’92.” r

Others you might remember me to are Tozer and Sailor Cooper.”

We had the radio on this morning and were listening to a programme which was being relayed to us here from New York. Suddenly, an announcement, like a bolt from the blue— “ The next item will be the Regimental March Past of The Buffs East Kent R egim ent- played by the Band of that Regiment.” As an old member of that regiment, 1882 to 1907, you can imagine the thrill to be sitting away out here and suddenly have my old regimental march past come to me like a message from another world. I tell you, Sir, it made me square my shoulders up and I could again fancy myself back in Phoenix Park, Dublin, or on the Maidan at Calcutta—for of course I have marched past to that dear old tune, I suppose hundreds of times and in my day, as we marched into Camp or into barracks, the Band invariably struck up the Regimental March Past, possibly you do the same now.

I just felt that I would like to say “ Thank you,” to my old regiment for the pleasure they gave me this morning and the only way I could do so would be to write to you— as I don’t know which Battalion it was who played or where they are stationed, in fact for all* I know to the contrary it may have been played from a gramophone record although they did not announce it that way.

Yours faithfully,J a s . G r e i g (443).

The 0 .Commanding,Depot The Buffs,

Canterbury.

' Near Rochester, Kent.

The Secretary,Past and Present Association.

January 2nd, 1934.

Dear Sir, .In returning the loan of ^1 8s. 9d. you made me,

I wish to express my thanks for such a splendid service rendered me. I passed my probation satisfactorily, and am now employed in the Borstal Institution here.

It is really nice to know that one belongs to an Association whose actions speak louder than words, and in closing, I hope that those Buffs who have not yet joined will follow one who is mighty glad he did.

Wishing all Buffs, past and present, a happy New Year, .

I remain, Sir,Yours sincerely.

9 Bower Road,Eastbourne,

Sussex.January 6th, 1934.

The Editor, “ The Dragon.”

Sir,Please find enclosed P.O. for 8/- for another twelve

months’ Dragon.It is very nice to hear of some of the old Buffs

occasionally, and what they are doing. Mr. T. Trevor, mentioned in this month’s Dragon, was Corporal with me in South Africa, 1904-1908. When we parted company, he left with the Regiment for Hong Kong and I returned home.

Wishing you and The Dragon every success.Yours faithfully,

S. C. W-ENHAM,Late 6479 Cpl. ”G” Coy. 2nd Bn.

Mr. J . R. P. Williams has received a long letter from Lahore from Mr. C. Grey. The following are extracts :—

*' I am sorry to hear you are still a Lieutenant.You may be interested to know that this promotion

business is getting critical in the Indian Army. My son, who has fifteen years’ service and has been Captainfor n ine............

I enclose a year's subscription to The Dragon, which I would ask you to pass on. I am very interested in those old sweats who, like myself, will not fade away. Beilby I knew quite well and last met him at Bombay in 1903.

Osborne Taylor and myself obtained 1st class certificates at the same exam, in Dum dum in *89. Would you kindly ask the Editor to remember me to Taylor ?

10 Wards Road West,Ilford,

Essex.January 5th, 1934.

The Editor, “ The Dragon.”

Dear Sir,Enclosed please find cheque for 8/- on account of

renewal of subscription to the paper.My youngest son was enlisted into the R.C. of S.,

having qualified at the educational examination for entrance. He is, therefore, the youngest (14£) member of the fourth generation of my family to follow in the footsteps of his great-grandfather.

Yours faithfully, .R obert Smith, Captain.

THE DRAGON 49

Civvy View.A Backward Glance (Continued).

By An Or,n Buff.MY sojourn a t Ypres was a sh o rt one, a germ of

some so rt in te rven ing and causing m y rem oval to a Base H osp ita l a t Le T report. The jou rney th ith e r was m ade by w ay of I-Iazebrouck and Boulogne and th e chief m em ory of i t th a t persists is an “ egg flip ” which was adm in istered to me on th e am bulance tra in . W hen T was to ld th a t th a t was all I could be p e rm itte d in the way of food I was no t dow ncast, because 1 recalled " egg flips ” m y m other had m ade me in hap p ie r tim es. I looked forw ard to a glass of w arm m ilk in which a raw egg h ad been well beaten up and to wliich would be added a dash of b randy and a little sugar. W hat I received on th e tra in , a t th e hands of a N ursing Sister whose kindliness was greater th an her culinary knowledge, a raw egg served in an egg cup and m inus even th e b a rest condim ents. I could n o t face it, and as soon as th e coast was clear I poured th e unappetising mess o u t of th e window of the train .

be T rep o rt was a p leasan t enough seaside place. A drive to E u was th e only even t of any im portance th a t occurred to me there. T his little village had achieved fam e years before as a holiday reso rt of Queen V ictoria, who had once or tw ice stayed a t its chateau .

F rom le T rep o rt I was m oved to R ouen and as soon as a b e rth was available sh ipped to S o u tham pton on th e H ospital Ship Salta. A t R ouen 1 h ad m ade th e acquain tance of a R egular su b a lte rn in th e Seaforths, A. G. Cowie, a m agnificent physical .specimen, a m an of cu ltu re and a poet. T here was no th ing aesthetic in his appearance. H e was abou t 6 ft. 3 ins. tall, m assively b u ilt and s tu rd ily handsom e. N evertheless he w rote scholarly and sensitive verse. He gave me tw o poems, w ritten in indelib le pencil on pages to m from a field service pocket book and I am glad to say I still possess th em . Cowie h a d been in th e Cam bridge cricket eleven of ab o u t 1912. H e was a " tea raw ay ” fast bowler and I believe th a t those who saw the ’V arsity m atch of th a t year still treasu re m em ories of an astonishing over bowled by him. I can never rem em ber th e full facts, b u t I believe there were th ree or four wides and a t least a couple of w ickets, clean bowled by “ fizzers ” th a t m ight have sen t T est M atch batsm en back to the pavilion.

We found ourselves m u tu a lly congenial and when on arrival a t S ou tham pton we were sen t across to Osborne H ouse in th e Isle of W ight, we saw to i t th a t we shared a room. Cowie was a “ slightly wounded ” case (a b it of bom b in th e hand) and he was chiefly concerned w ith seeing his wife and tw in daughters born while he was a t Ypres. I have th e h ap p iest recollections of m y few weeks w ith Cowie and never th in k of him w ith o u t recalling his bu lky py jam aed figure, s ittin g up in bed read ing long before b reakfast, w ith a black b ria r pipe going strong. W hen our w ays p a rted a t the end of our s ta y a t Osborne I d id n o t consider for one m om ent th e possib ility th a t I would never see him again. Such th o u g h ts seldom w orried one in those days. B u t i t was so ; he was killed n o t long afterw ards in th e Salient, which I knew he loathed b u t to which he re tu rned , I feel sure, w ith superb ou tw ard nonchalance.

Osborne was a w onderful place w ith th e atm osphere of a large co u n try house ra th e r th a n of a hospital. In 1915 i t was crowded chiefly w ith convalescent cases, a cheery collection of officers of all ranks. There is no d o u b t th a t K ing E d w ard V II. conferred a g reat boon on th e services when he devoted the place to th e purpose for which i t is still u sed . B iography and gossip

have suggested th a t during his m o th er’s lifetim e he he cause to dislike th e dullness and rem oteness of th e Q ueen’s favourite residence and th a t he gladly handed it over tow ards th e end of th e Boer W ar. Be th a t as i t m ay, all who have been th ere as p a tien ts are gra tefu l to him.

The K ing E dw ard V II. C onvalescent H om e is ano ther exam ple of the efficiency of th e A rm y (and T suppose oue should add of th e N avy and R .A .F . too). One grew so accustom ed to hearing .Service adm in istra tive m ethods com pared w ith “ Business ” m ethods to tire d e trim en t of the form er th a t one believed the critics. A fter some ten years first-hand acquain tance w ith business, I say “ give me th e A rm y w ay .” The w ar only ceased to be really costly when Big Business men re tu rn ed to th e ir pa la tia l offices to continue the g reat w ork of steering their concerns to th e g rea t crisis of 1930.

To re tu rn to Osborne. T he portions of the House devoted to th e C onvalescent H om e are th e g rea ter p a rt. T he S ta te A p artm en ts alone rem ain m ore or less as th ey were a t th e end of th e Q ueen’s reign. These ap artm en ts are opened to th e public a t certa in seasons and are disappointing . T hey appear to be m erely repositories of all m anner of " ju n k ,” gifts and the like, which R o y a lty are obliged to accept. T here is a Scotch room, qu ite sm all, which is a real m useum of fu rn itu re composed of T a rtan and antlers.

For convalescent officers, Osborne is a haven and a well-equipped one a t th a t. T he food is good (and free ). One pays only for one’s drinks and sm okes. There is a beau tifu l m usic room, tw o billiard tab les and a well- stocked lib rary , which we found a g reat boon. B u t the chief delight is the park , w ith m any ra re trees and large enough to con tain a nine-hole golf course w ithou t overcrowding. Fife there in the sum m er of 1915 was peaceful and convalescence a p leasan t and rap id process. One o u tstan d in g inciden t occurred during m y stay . Ten of us, ju n io r officers, were " told off ” to go to tea w ith H .S .II. Prince Louis of B atten b u rg (later th e first M arquess of M ilford H aven). P rince Rouis h ad a house qu ite near to Osborne. The deta iled ten were in some trep idation . O ur clothes were n o t “ p a r ty ” clothes and we were w earing grey flannel trousers w ith our S.D. jackets. B u t we w ent and thoroughly enjoyed an excellent te a w ith th e Prince and Princess in their charm ing garden. T here were “ lasliions ” of capital straw berries, which we were young enough to tu ck in to , and our host and hostess were th e m ost " easy ” couple I have ever had th e privilege to m eet. W henever th e K aiser’s nam e was m entioned i t was in te resting to hear him referred to as th e " E m peror W illiam .”

A fter tea, Prince Louis took us indoors and showed us his p ictu res and ta lked of his days in the N avy. N ever once d id he by look or by word convey any sense of resen tm en t a t the way in which he h ad been trea ted . He was a genial and charm ing E nglish sailor anxious to h ear th e experiences of young officers back from th e F ron t. One of the p a rty , less cautious th a n th e others, asked him if he would se ttle once and for all th e difficult question of who actu a lly ordered the B ritish F leet to rem ain m obilised in th e critical days before w ar was- declared and w hether i t was Mr. Churchill or himself. Prince Louis sm iled indulgen tly a t the overbold subalte rn and did n o t rebuke him as we expected. “ T h a t m ust be left to H isto ry to se ttle ,” he replied w ith a laugh. W e w ent aw ay re luc tan tly .

[To be continued.)

50 THE DRAGON

The South African War.Q N E of the most tragic events in the history of The

Buffs occurred during our occupation of the Kumati Valley. A sentry at Elanshoek one night challenged, and receiving no reply, he fired. Picture the scene when it was discovered the sentry had shot at and killed his own brother. Tragedy played an almost everyday part in this fever-stricken hole ; officers -were accidently killed by brother officers during a game shoot; men were knocked down and killed by trains, and the hospital train daily took its load of Buffs down country to the hospital. The temperature during the height of summer registered 110 degrees in the shade, which, combined with the oppressiveness created by the swamps and. rising vapour, almost made life unbearable. It was about this time that L/Cpl. Craney when walking along the line was fatally injured by a passing train. Craney was a very popular man, not only because he was a fine footballer and played full-back in the Regimental team, but he could manipulate a crown and anchor board with such extraordinary astuteness that neither Mick Brophy nor Bullock could get the better of him.

Rumours of peace being signed were prevalent and the “ cease fire ” draft which had just arrived were grousing because it would be denied the opportunity of going into action. " If I could just 'ave a scrap I'd be satisfied,” said one, which brought the re to rt: “ The only blinking scrap you'll see is a blooming scrap of bread.” The next day, June 1st, 1902, it was officially confirmed that the war was over and peace had really been signed. The subsequent jubilation was intense, but when it was known that the battalion had to pull to pieces and re-roll miles of barbed wire entanglement which had only recently been completed along the railway line, the jubilation at once ceased. The military vocabulary during the performance of this task would have caused Canterbury Cathedral to immediately collapse had it been used in the Precincts instead of the Kumati Valley.

The most envied men in the battalion were the ten selected to proceed to England under the command of Lieut. Greatwood to take part in the coronation ceremony of King Edward. I think it was because someone had received a letter from the brewer to the effect that the battalion was going to Tiinbucktoo or some other fine place. Notwithstanding the brewer’s intimation, it was obvious we were going home to “ Blighty ” if the ordinary powers of observation were used. I think I was the first to know our future destination as one morning I went into Nelspruit and I noticed the C.O. smoking his pipe and looking so pleasant that I knew' he must have some good new7s and it would be safe to approach him. I walked up smartly, saluted, stood to attention, and said : " Sir, I have come in to see the Adjutant about the Drums (I. had really done no such thing), but I am unable to find him and want to get back to my blockhouse. As the Drummers are dispersed in blockhouses and in view of the fact that you may want us to play when we move, may I have them concentrated and brought into Headquarters ? ”

The C.O. was quite nice about it and agreed, so I tactfully enquired whether he desired the Drums to play “ Oh the road to Mandalay ” or " Rolling home to dear old England ” when we eventually moved. The Colonel took his pipe from out of his mouth, pulled his beard attcl snapped out, " ' Rolling home,' of course.” The news quickly travelled, and the brewer was wrong for once.

After leaving the Kumati Valley, the battalion concentrated at Machadadorp and the first to leave was a large batch of Section “D” and T.X. men. As this happy party started on the move, someone yelled, " Three cheers for the old bear,” and three cheers were given loud enough to almost cause an earth tremor.

" Did you hear what he said ? ” said a certain officer to the C.O. ” Why, he called you an old bear ! ”

“ Yes, I heard it alright,” answered the C.O., " and if we ever have to fight again I hope I have a battalion of them ; damn fine soldiers, every one ! ” There is not the slightest doubt that Colonel J. B. Backhouse felt their leaving, and although it was only natural that these old wallahs wanted to get back home again, they too felt the parting.

Whilst at Machadadorp we spent the time cleaning up kit and getting back to ordinary peace-time routine ; all day one could hear the Drums playing " Rolling home," but the day never seemed to arrive. The Colonel and several officers had already gone home on leave and the command of the battalion had been handed over to Major Dauglish. The fact that The King’s Royal Rifles and The Manchester Regiment were also with us enabled some sport to be arranged, and so the time passed away until our train left for Capetown.' The journey, in our usual first class coal trucks,

was uneventful and took exactly six days. The time taken was fairly quick when one considers that a modem aeroplane can do the journey from London to the Cape in four and a half days. How time flies !

I expect many South African readers will recall the halt at Elandsfontein, near Johannasburg, when some vendors of a certain brand of whiskey managed to dispose of a few bottles to the troops. Fireworks ! Fireworks ! ! Fireworks ! ! ! Strange to say, this episode appeared unknown to the officers for the simple reason that the N.C.O.’s and others took the law into their own hands and tied down the most enthusiastic of tile smugglers. Arriving at Capetown, we had another setback, having to go a short distance up- country to a place called Stellenbosch, nicknamed in very quick time as “ Stinckingbosh.” At this place one could purchase from a neighbouring yeomanry unit beer at ten shillings a dixie full, and the number of dixies that found their way into our tents spoke well for the thriftiness of the battalion. I can still hear that yeomanry bugle call which when sounded would cause all manly Buffs to sing “ Bags of beer, at half a quid a dixie,” -while the men of the coffee shop variety would reply, “ When we get to Blighty we’ll buy buns, we’ll buy wads.”

J.E.

Extract from Correspondence—3 Kinsale Walk,

Knowle West,Bristol 4.

The Editor, “ The Dragon.”Dear Sir,

Herewith please find sum of 2/- for my Dragon for the next three months.

I wish you and all Buffs, past and present, the happiest of New Year wishes and kindest of thoughts for better times to come.

Yours faithfully,R. W. Summers.

THK DRAGON 51

The Past and Present Association.Donations.

D uring th e period 18/12/33 to 18/1/34 th e following donations have been gratefu lly received :—

£ s. d.Mrs. A. M. R avenhill ... 2 2 0G. E . Boon, Esq. 1 0 0A nonym ous 1 2 0

Plum Pudding Fund.I s. d.

Lt.-Col. R . Groves Raines, D.S.O. ... 1 0 0

Disbursements .D uring th e period 18/12/33 to 18/1/34 th e following

disbursem ents have been m ade :—

Dec. 20. G ran t£l

s.0

d.0

20. G ran t l 0 022. G ran t l 0 024. G ran t l 0 027. G ran t 0 2 028. G ran t i 0 028. G ran t 2 0 029. G ran t 0 12 0

Jan . 2. G ran t 0 2 03. G ran t 2 0 03. G ran t 1 0 04. G ran t 1 0 05. G ran t 0 8 08. G ran t 2 0 0

11. G ran t 2 10 012. G ran t 0 10 012. G ran t 0 10 013. G ran t 1 7 616. G ran t 2 10 016. G ran t 2 0 016. G ran t 5 0 017. G ran t 2 2 0

LifeNew

Members.— Cpl.Members.

C arr ; Dm r. S tone ; Ptes.B arnsley, B ry an t, Furlong, H ubbard , M iddleton, Price, W atson, B um s, W ebb, W inch, Thom pson, Benz, M antell, M itch e ll; Mr. T. J . Frew.

Annual Members.— C aptain S. L. H ubble ; Messrs. A. p p p s , E. Banks, A. W ood, W . H . Groom bridge, W . Pan tony , W . Keel, W . R obbins, R . V. Carr, P. H u n t, J . R edm an, H . H ogben, W. J . R am bert, F . F . H ow land, S. C. H obden, R. Ambrose, W. Sm ith , W. W arm an, S. B. Goldsack, G. Day, W . W ilson, F . Sladden, W. G. S tanden, W . M. W. Iggulden.

Associate Member.— Mr. E . K em p.

P o s ta l Shoot, P a s t an d P re s e n t A sso c ia tio n , T he B uffs.

The Secretary,Past and Present Association, The Buffs,

Canterbury. No. 73/34/80.H erew ith th e resu lts for th e N ovem ber Com petition

M iniature Rifle Shooting :—A shford ... ... ... ... 564Dover M argate Sandw ich ... 2nd B atta lion R am sgate ...

539529514465346

Scores :—Ashford.

Mr. Ram bkin ... ... 20 20 20 20 19 99Mr. E lk ing ton ... 20 20 18 19 19 96Mr. Sw innard ... ... 20 20 17 19 20 96Mr. A vies ... 18 19 20 18 19 94Mr. H arrison ... ... 17 18 18 18 20 91Mr. Ades ... 15 18

Dover.

20 17 18 88

564

C.S.M. M cW alter ... 20 19 19 20 19 97C aptain H allam ... 28 19 19 10 20* 95Mr. W arren ... . .. 18 20 18 17 18 91Mr. B arker ... 18 19 16 18 17 88Mr. Mead ... 18 16 18 18 16 86Mr. Couchman ... 15 17

Margate.

18 19 13 82

539

(♦Penalty, 1)

Mr. Ja rm an ... . .. 19 17 20 19 20 95Mr. San key ... ... 19 19 18 19 18 93Mr. K en n e tt ... . .. 17 19 19 15 17 87Mr. Crum p ... 17 16 16 18 18 85Mr. P e tte m an ... ... 15 17 18 17 18 85Mr. P h ilp o tt ... ... 17 16

Sandwich.

15 18 18 84

529

Mr. A. N ow er... ... 17 18 19 18 18 90Sgt. E lvey ... 16 20 17 17 18 88Mr. B ennett ... ... 17 19 17 17 17 87Mr. Crouch ... 17 18 19 15 16 85Mr. W est ... 17 19 17 14 15 82Mr. P lum m er ... . .. 19

2nd Batt

18

ALION

10 20 15 82

514

R/Cpl. P o u t ... ... 15 16 17 19 19 86R/Cpl. Callaway ... 16 17 15 18 17 83R/Sgt. C harlton 7 16 18 18 16 75R/Cpl. Daw ... 19 14 14 14 14 75Sgt. Bills ... 13 17 12 RT 19 74Sgt. B aker ... 17 14

R amsgate.

11 14 16 72

465

Mr. A dam s ... 15 14 17 17 10 73Mr. Moody ... 16 9 16 15 7 63Mr. Sim pson ... ... 10 16 15 0 18 59Mr. R eynolds ... ... 11 15 15 0 18 59Mr. Preble ... 13 12 14 0 11 50Mr. Birch ... 14 11 7 10 0 42

346

A. B. Thomson, Bt.-Rt.-Col.,Com m anding D epot T he Buffs.

C anterbury .January 8th, 1934. »

52 THE DRAGON

A shford B ran ch .On Saturday, January 13th the Branch Meeting was held at our

Headquarters, “ The Market Hotel.”The Chair was taken at 7 p.m. by Mr. J. E. King, supported by

the following Officers : Capt. W. E. Oakley, Vice-Chairman ; Mr. '1'.llogwood, Secretary ; Mr. A. F. Tomsett, Assistant Secretary.

The Branch was also favoured by a visit from the Secretary of the Association, Colonel H. Findlay, C.B.E.

Captain A. C. Crothall, President of the Branch, ’phoned regretting his inability to be present owing to a severe cold.

Mr. A. Alburv and Mr. Clarke were very welcome visitors from the Canterbury Branch.

After the Minutes of the previous meeting had been read and con­firmed and the Correspondence accepted the Chairman announced that Canterbury Branch had been invited to visit us for social and games.

Mr. Alburv informed the Branch that Canterbury had made no decision at that time, but he thought it most probable they would arrange to visit us on March 3rd.

Capt. Oakley proposed and Mr. W. Ward seconded that The Bering Arms Sports Club be invited to pay us a return visit for Dart Match and games on our next meeting night, February 10th.

Mr. Hopkins proposed and Mr. Ades seconded that the Branch pay a visit to the London Branch on the third Saturday in April. Members who intend going to give their names to the Secretary as soon as possible.

Colonel Findlay then told us how glad he was to be with us again and congratulated Mr. King on his being elected Chairman. He also congratulated the Rille Club on upholding its position as leaders of the Inter-Branch Shooting Competition. He explained to us the Minute passed by the Executive Committee re Bars for the Member or Members of the Branch whose services to the Branch during the previous year had been considered most worthy and said that he hoped the Ashford Branch would order the number of bars to which they were entitled. He was also very pleased to say that the Association was still flourishing and going as strong as ever.

The splendid Challenge Cup presented to the Rifle Club by Colonel H. Findlay, C.B.E., was on view during the evening and judging by the covetous glances bestowed upon it this competition should prove a very interesting event.

The remainder of the evening was then spent in playing Darts, Dominoes, Crib, etc.

Tom carried out a very intricate shunting operation on the table and then Monty showed him “ How Father did it ” to the great dis­comfiture of Tom and the enjoyment of the rest of the Members who were watching operations.

Heartiest congratulations to the splendid Cross-Country Team of the 2nd Battalion on again winning the Kent Cross-Country Running Championship. Well done, Lads !

T.H.H.

L ondon B ran ch .The meeting on the 20th ultimo w'as a very crowded one ; we had

a welcome visit from the Colonel of The RegimentE lection o f O ff ic e r s , etc—Vice-President Mr. Gordon Lindlcy,

M.C., took the chair, 'file following were electedPresident: Bt.-Major R. W. Keown, M.C. ; Chairman : Capt.

E. Smith; Vice-Chairman: Mr. E. C. Ainge; Committee:—1st Battalion, Mr. E. Warren ; 2nd Battalion, Mr. E. Tong ; 5th Battalion, Mr. F,. Bolton ; 2,/5th Battalion, Mr. W. Beall ; 6tli Battalion, Mr. J. Philpot; 7th Battalion, Mr. A. Cole ; 8th Battalion, Mr. E. W aters; 10th Battalion, Mr. Paul Herman; Sub-Committee Representative: Mr. J. Philpot; Auditors: Captain E. A. Carter, M.C., Messrs. K, C. Ainge, G. W. Brown, W. H. Beall, E. Waters and J. Philpot ; Area Representatives : Messrs. E. Waters, J. Green, C. Harman and T. F.. Ward. -

Ad d itio ns to T h e R u l e s . In view of the position of Secretary requiring an alteration in the branch rules it was porposed by Mr. Dye and seconded by Mr. Clayton that the same be carried out. C.U.

M e e t in g .The Chairman, Captain E. Smith, being unfortunately confined to

his bed, the chair was taken by our Vice-Chairman, Mr. E. C. Ainge, who said he felt sure all present would sympathise with Captain Smith and wish him a speedy recovery.

Deaths.—The Chairman announced with deep regret the passing of Mr. Harry Burt and Mr. J. Redman, 'file latter resided in York­shire and must not be confused with others of the same names or initials. All stood in silence for one minute.

T hanks. Mr. Gordon IJndley, M.C. moved that a vote of thanks be accorded to the retiring committee for the way they turned up at the meetings and for the loyal manner in which they had worked. C.U.

M in u te s ,—The Minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed.

Correspo n d en ce .—Letters were read from Vice-President Major H. G. James, Captain Smith, The Adjutant, 2nd Battalion, C.S.M./O.R.S. Ongley, 2nd Battalion, The Commissioner of Police respecting the Cenotaph March and Mrs. Lamb, conveying the thanks of the Ladies’ Guild for support given on the occasion of the Children’s Par tv and particularly to Captain Enright, Messrs. Waters, Billings, Kelly and fizzard and Mr. T. Ernest Enright for arranging (he loan of the Father Christmas costume.

Rec r u it in g Cam paign .—The Secretary explained what the Branch had done to foster recruiting for the Regiment.

Branch Statistics.—The Secretary gave the following Statistics for 1933. The last dance gave a profit of £3 6s. Od. The gross receipts of the Christmas appeal amounted to £332 18s. 2d. The detailed expenditure explained to the members amounted to £119 2s. lid . which left a balance of £213 15s. 3d. to carry on the good work of the year (applause). The cash at bank on the 31st December, 1933 was £239 9s. 3d., as shown by the balance sheet passed round. The books of the Christinas Appeal showing all receipts in detail was also available for inspection. The Branch strength of members fully paid up was :—Life, 455 ; Life Associate, 2 ; Yearly Members, 359 ; Associate, 14, making a grand total of 830. There were, however, something like 74 members who had paid in 1932, but did not do so in 1933. The Secretary said, although out of such a vast number this figure did not appear to be excessive and that it was possibly due to oversight, he hoped to obtain these outstanding amounts before the close of the financial year.

B r a n c h H e a d q u a r t e r s .—The Secretary informed the members about conversations and correspondence he had had with the manage­ment and that this meeting would be the last at tins establishment. Mr. Philpot asked if the Secretary had any other place in view ? Capt. Enright then read out a letter from the firm controlling our late Head­quarters, “ The Prince Alfred,” Tufton Street, SAY., stating how pleased the firm would be to welcome the members back (applause). Mr. Philpot proposed that our next meeting be held at the “ Prince Alfred,” and being duly seconded, was carried unanimously.

B ars to Bad g es .—The Chairman stated this matter had been before the Committee and read out correspondence that had passed between the branch and Canterbury. It was, in view of the faet the branch lmd to indent for bars, necessary to submit numbers and he felt, that as so many did such splendid work, that Captain Enright would know of those who were not very much in the limelight. He would therefore ask him to submit eight names. Captain Enright said it was an exceptionally difficult task in this branch to pick eight names ; it would be easier if it was eighty. The names he gave the meeting w ere:—Major If. G. James, Mr. Gordon Lindlcy, M.C.. Messrs. Austin, Beall, A. Talbot Harvey, Cole, Waters and Philpot. The members duly elected these members to receive the award. Some of these recipients were not generally known regarding the work they had so quictlv done and the undermentioned summary was given :—-

Mr. \V. I-I. Beall, 2/5th Battalion had been indefatigable in his work for the membership of the branch and had been the primary factor in adding over 100 new members.

Mr. A. Talbot Harvey, 2/5th Battalion, was a generous benefactor to our less fortunate comrades in many ways, the chief of which was his provision of clothing. Although ill in bed lie never forgot.

Mr. A. Cole, 7th Battalion. His work on behalf of unemployed members is unsurpassed. Not only has lie been instrumental in finding work for others, but his gifts of clothing and food to those in need proves his generous nature.

Mr. E. W aters , 8th B attalion .—For his excellent work as an area representative. By day or night he has been only too willing to investigate cases of hardship ; he has visited many homes of Buffs iu London and often members sick or in hospital.

The above four cases were typical of the work done by the remainder who had secured the award, but, as pointed out, it was impossible to award bars to all who deserved them, but their turn would come. Mr. B. Field strongly moved that a Bar should be awarded to Mr. Joe Green and Joe replied saving nothing gave him greater pleasure than to see the bars go to those whose work was not so generally known.

T h e Colonel of T im R e g im e n t , on rising, was given a rousing reception. He congratulated the London Branch most heartily upon the splendid report he had heard read out and upon its fully paid up strength. He had a great shock when, for the first time in memory, someone in the room had asked him his name (loud laughter). Speak­ing of the 2nd Battalion and Cross Country Running he mentioned a ietter he had received from C.S.M. Ongley and what struck him most in that letter was the phrase “ and when it comes our turn to lose, we shall take defeat as we now take our wins.” The Colonel of the Regiment greatly admired that true Buff spirit. He told us of his efforts to get the battalion a station not too far out of Kent and if possible nearer to London. Bordon Camp was not a second Shorn- cliffc, but he felt confident that all ranks would get used to it and like the place (laughter). Turning to the 1st Battalion, the Colonel of The Regiment gave an interesting account of what was taking place in Burma; he particularly mentioned the success of the Polo team. Speaking recently to another officer about the regiment his friend was very much struck and gave several points that went to make uj> the ideal. Amongst these he gave loyalty, tradition and guts and finished by saying “ The Buffs possess the lot.” The Colonel also told him about our Association and what it did and in doing so cited the case of the late Mr. Hawkins and how the Association had looked after the children.

The time now arrived for General Sir Arthur to leave for Victoria, and he was given a rousing send-off.

It was a splendid meeting.

L a d i e s ’ G th ld .Grand Ch il d r e n ’s P arty .

The Committee of the London Ladies’ Guild are to be congratulated upon the result of the Children’s Party which took place on Saturday, 6tli January, 1934 when over 150 sat down to a wonderful tea. The cracking of Bon-bons was soon in evidence and the wearing of different coloured hats added picturesque lustre to a charming scene. Good

THE DRAGON 53

wishes to the children were read from The Colonel of The Buffs, General Sir Arthur Bynden Bell, K.C.B., K.C.M.G., D.B-, also from Colonel Ii. Findlay, C.B.E., Mrs. Guy Bee, Sirs. Foster Hall, Sirs. Neale Dalton, Mrs. Manning, Mrs. Harris, Mrs. Wood and Mrs. Hill. The Guild President, The Hon. Body Bynden Bell, arrived with her daughter, Miss Vera Bynden Bell in good time and was given a great ovation. Her Badyship came armed with tins of sweets which were much appreciated. We were also glad to see present Mrs. Hollis from Byfleet and Mrs. King who came from Ashford. After tea, tables were cleared away and the children kept amused by a non-stop scries of parlour games. The great event, however, was the welcome given to Father Christmas who arrived by an aeroplane from the clouds after all the Fairies had gone to bed. Mr. Joe Green made the ideal impersonator of the genial old man with white whiskers and a sack of toys. Each child received a nice gift and the air was soon filled with the vibrations from dozens of trumpets, drums, mouth organs, etc. The children gave recitations, sang songs, danced and romped until Father Christmas had to leave on account, of Mrs. Father Christmas sending a Fairy from the skies to say that he was wanted home. What rousing cheers the children gave him—and he deserved it. One of the most interest­ing performances was the duets and dancing by the twins of Mr. and Mrs. Hughes. Wonderful youngsters, this pair of juvenile Buffs. The Musical Chairs resulted in Master Alf Roullier winning flic Guild President’s prize and Miss Doris Taylor was successful in securing Her Badyship’s prize for the best recitation entitled “ Poor Mrs. Somebody.” Unfortunately, time inevitably causes all good things to come to an end and space in the Dragon prevents one writing all about what took place. It was a really wonderful show and bestows great credit on all the ladies who so ably and successfully organised it. The thanks of the Guild are given to Captain Enright, Mr. Joe Green, Mr. Billings, Mr. Waters and Mr. Kelly for their kind assistance; also to Messrs. Clias. Foz & Son, Theatrical Costumiers, of Bong Acre, W.C., for so kindly supplying free of cost the Father Christmas costume.

D.E.S.

The following correspondence between Messrs. Bacey, Cooper and Tozer is published by their permission :—

B acey to Co o per , 6-11-33.6 Hawarden Way,

Mancot Royal, Queensferry,Flintshire, N. Wales,

6-11-33.My dear Cooper (Sailor),

I am chancing that the address you give on the heading of your letter (“ Sliip ahoy ”) in The Dragon No. *108, will get you and with that hope I send you a few lines.

Your letter particularly interested me, more especially in reference to that old Mile Race you speak of. Well, my old friend, there is tin old saying (I don’t know who was responsible for the said dictum, but here it is :—“ As thou art mighty be merciful.”

Now I hope you won’t think I am trying to detract in any way your great merits as a runner (sure you were one of the best and a rail good finisher). You, of course, stuck to running and made it your sole study and you beat me this year, and I well deserved the beating. You’see, Sailor, I had won the Regimental Mile and Half Mile for quite a number of seasons without being pushed and I guess 1 had come to think tliat I had no need to train specially, which is always a mistaken notion to get into one’s head. Another tiling, old boy. You know that I always considered my Company lirst and if they had a hard pull in Tug-of-war (and they were hard pulls in Uiose days when we pulled every man over), ft meant that my legs got pretty severely strained and you, I ’m sure, will be the first to appreciate that a man can't train for the two tilings (i.e., Running and Tug-of-War) success­fully ; one thing must give way to the other.

Do you remember the year before this one you speak of ? I ran the Mile and only two ran, myself and another (Anthony Collard) and the Half Mile was opened to The Peshawar Division for want of competition against me in The Regiment and I won against Sgt. Hocking of The Devons and The Devons’ Mile Runner, another Sergeant, was third. I was 1st, Sgt. Hocking 2nd and the other Sergeant of The Devons 3rd.

You said something about bets being booked. Well, Cooper, I lost no money on any race either run by Horse, Dog or Man, for I have never gambled in my life. I know, or believe I know, tliat there was money backed on me, but 1 assure you, old pard, 1 never encouraged such a tiling. I simply ran for the sport and competition, but it was of far greater interest to my nature to be in a Company or Regimental Team at Tug-of-War, or Three Miles Obstacle. Do you remember the great race The Buffs team had at Peshawar. The 20 men team which was lirst placed under Bert Dillon to train and then handed to me because the chaps in the team saw the Adjutant (Capt. Pearson) and asked that I might be in the team* I was also pulling in the Regimental Team Tug-of-War at the same sports and we pulled over The Devons, and at F.H. Hdrs. After pulling I look the 20 men and ran them and won the Obstacle Three Miles in Marching Order. I was at the same time in charge of a Transport packing and loading team (alarm team)

You must remember that Three Miles Obstacle Race. 1 had one man fall out at the last obstacle, the ten feet wall, and after lifting him over the wall 1 carried him in and so liad every man present. The A. & S. Hdrs. were 2nd with one man absent. F'our Regiments c o m p e te d T h e Buffs, A. & S. Hdrs, Devons, and West Kents. The old Buffs going simply dragged the other teams off their feet and I set the pace.

Now, old boy, I think we both would just like to live the old days over again. I would, I ’m sure. I ’d only want just those officers we had, and just those old comrades we soldiered with and none other. I ’d be perfectly happy.

I guess you will have read enough of me in my former letters to The Dragon, but I must tell you I am living retired and have a decent place here and big garden. 1 have eight sons and one daughter, two sons on The Chester Police, 3 in the Army. One is Imperial Services Middleweight Champion and is in the Army Boxing team.

My time is mostly spent in gardening or about once or twice a week I get out along with one of my sons (who is on the Chester Police) rabbit shooting. We take about half-a-dozen ferrets and visit various fanners known to my lad, now- and then we have a beat up for hares, etc., and we get some capital sport.

I still keep up some training because from early in April till about September each year 1 get up about 5.30 a.m. and set out on a good live or six miles’ fast walk before breakfast. Of course, such exercise is not very enjoyable after September so I drop it and go in for other training to keep lit, so 1 can see, old boy, you and 1 will run that Mile over again yet. Now- you should send this to The Dragon to explain old Bob Bacey’s magnilicent beating by you in the old Mile ; I wonder if you will be so magnanimous — ? Well, good luck to you, Sailor, Old Boy. Guess I’ll meet you sooner or later at Uie old Depot, Canter­bury ; if I do I promise you a good time.

Yours to a cinder,B ob B ackv

P.S.—Do you ever hear of Darkie Reeve r If so, give him my salaams. 1 met him a long time ago in Woolwich and had a good time with him. I w-as then doing all the test shooting for The Inspection Department at Woolwich Arsenal as an Examiner.

I had J. G. Smith (you know, he was Colour-Sergeant of “G” Company) up here with me for a couple of days recently. He is look­ing A .l. He is one of the best pals I had in the Regiment. Well Bye- Bye.

Cooper to Bacey , 5 -12-33.Midland Iron Works,

Aston Road,Birmingham 6,

Tuesday, 5th December.Dear Joe,

Many thanks for your letter and thanks for sending the Dragons to Miss Cooper. I am very sorry to tell you I am unable to come up for December. We are having the City Electrical Engineer on Saturday and Sunday, change over of Frequency and Pressures, so that’s another bit of bad luck. 1 wonder if 1 shall be lucky for the Annual Dinner ? There’s one thing. If all goes well, I am spending my holidays next year at Canterbury, coming up for the Remembrance Sunday. Joe, its a long while since I left the Army (28 years) nearly ; I should like to know- what you mean by A.F.B. 252, you will excuse my ignorance.

1 have had a few- letters from Bob Bacey which I have enclosed for you to read, also Billy Tozer and poor Geo. Eaton’s daughter. You need not return them. 1 thought you would be interested in Bob Bacey’s and Billy Tozer’s remarks of my Jubilee, its nearly 29 years since last 1 saw Bob. 1 have also enclosed 1 ()/- covering the Christmas Draw-. I should like you to drop me a line to say whether you got evervtiling safe. Kind regards to Mrs. Enright and hope you arc all O.Ki All the best,

Yours ever,Sailor Co o per .

P.S.- Sorry I shall not be able to see Major Monier Williams; give him my best salaams. What a pity I didn’t sec him in October. Perhaps I may one day. Bove to Hughie, and Ernie, Spud, Donkey and Billy Coveney. I expect my matches regarding Billiards are a wash-out now Cushv has left the Club.

B illy T ozer to Cooper , 6 -11-33.Sliwebo,5 Beigh Road,

New Milton,Hants.,

Monday, 6-11-33.Dear Old Sailor,

As you remark another Jubilee, and as I reach each one it brings to my mind many happy memories aud gladdens one’s heart to know there are still so many of the good old Buffs in the laud of the living.

Fancy remembering Old Mary . She was certainly a good old soul and invariably came into our Band Hut just inside the gate at Rich­mond for a warm and a cup of tea. On one very cold day we asked her in to have a meal and Bieut. R. E. Phillips who was O.O. put his monocle to his eye and asked the R.O.S. who is that person ? aud 1 shall never forget Mary’s hauteur : “ Person, indeed, go away you baby or I ’ll put you in the wrinkles of m y-— ” Oh, they were great days.

’ Now, Sailor, I ’m going to correct your query as to the Flag (wc called them then) of “G” Company (my Company for all my service) Well, it was Nicholas who took over from J. W. Cook, who w-as madeS.M. after Joey Pepper left. Joe Watts was not promoted C.S. of “G” until Nicholas became Q.M.S. in Rhaniket, when Cumber went to the DepotasQ.M. , ,

Yes, I was also pleased to hear ol Bob Bacey and wrote Inin a long letter to which he replied; also our dear old Hughie wrote me so now I must send them both a line again.

54 THE DRAGON

I would so like to have a real good old chin-wag again with all the Old Boys, but, well, of course you know I’m married again and truly the fares are too much. If the railways would just run an excursion on Saturday in place of Sunday I’d soon be there.

Oh, one item I always think of was a big parade on the Marsa in Malta and of course then you were not very big, but your grit in march­ing from Ricasda to Marsa and back kept a good few of the old hands from falling out, on a real hot day. Good old Sailor.

Do you remember oar visit to Peshawar City one Christmas to purchase geese, etc., and we brought home two Sheep ?

So now, hoping you are well, sincercst wishes and affection from your old Chum,

Billy .

Dover Branch.Christmas has come and gone, but was not allowed to pass without

our usual Yuletide activities. On Christmas Eve the old Buffs in the Public Assistance Institution received their usual present of tobacco. This year Colonel Findlay kindly gave a grant from headquarter funds towards this. Parcels and puddings were distributed to other old Buffs who were feeling the stress of hard times. The latter, of course, were provided from the Association Pudding Fund. But the money for the former came from the proceeds of our Christmas Draw, which again was a great success—the indefatigable “ Dewberry,” as usual, being the chief worker. Unfortunately we shall not be seeing quite so much of him in future. A small “ subsidiary ” job has come his way which will keep him away on our branch meeting nights. Few of those who have done their duty can afford to refuse these tilings. That is the happy state of the illustrious being who discovered in 1914 that he was “ indispensable.” But we know that our old comrade’s heart is with us and The Buffs and that we shall see him whenever opportunity offers.

There are two items of news which rather cast a shadow on our Christmas. One is that of the sudden death of the sister of two of our most loyal members, Messrs. W. and H. Frost. The other is that another loyal old Buff, Mr. F, Scrivener, is not making the progress towards recovery for which we hoped when we wrote our notes for last month.

Writing of last month the member who joined us then was Mr. F. Sladden of Barham, formerly No. 200427, l/4th Battalion.

' Two new members joined at our January meeting, both having recently left 1st Battalion. One was Mr. W. Crouch, late No. 2211979, and the other Mr. H. Tott, late No. 759388. Nothing pleases us more than to see the younger generation of Buffs rolling along and we hope the example of these two will be followed by all who settle down in Dover. The only other item of general interest concerning this meet­ing was that, business down, wc continued our games tournament for the prises kindly provided by our Chairman.

On January 17th we, in conjunction with the ladies’ Guild, held a most enjoyable function—a Social for members of both and their families. This was held in the 4th Battalion Drill Hall, which gave us the advantage of the full assistance of C.S.M. Mac Walter in addition to that of Mrs. MacWalter, who is a most energetic member of the Tadies’ Guild. May we digress here to congratulate them and their daughter Doris (if we may refer by her Christian name to a young lady who has attained the mature age of fourteen) on the latter’s success in passing Trinity College of Music (Preparatory Division) Exam, with honours.

To return to our muttons, or rather Social. A good crowd turned up and enjoyed themselves with games, dancing and listening to turns provided by Messrs. Smallwood (songs), Gisbcy and Jarvis (sketch), Shilson (bone solo and Bradish (exhibition dance). Mrs. King, ‘ ‘ Chips ” Wood and Mr. Wakefield took turns at the piano and Colonel and Mrs. Crookenden and Colonel and Mrs. Findlay gave yet another proof of their interest in us by attending, to the delight of everyone. To Mrs. Crookenden must go the credit of suggesting this enjoyable function and to the Cadies’ Guild that of doing the bulk of the work and bearing nearly all the expenses, including that of the excellent refreshments provided and the sweets and oranges with which the kiddies were presented on leaving.

Ra d ies’ Guitd .During the last two mouths we have had several Social events

with the help of the Men's Branch, which has been much appreciated. In November we held a dance at the Garden Hall—which was a great success and on January 17th we held a Social and Children’s Evening— games, competitions and dancing and all ages seemed to be having a really good time—and our best thanks are due to the combined Entertainments Committee, who all worked hard for our enjoyment. There were many gifts of groceries and meat sent at Christmas—also coal and it was a real pleasure to us all to feel we were in a position to help others. In order to be able to keep up the good work we want many new members this coming year—and how our Treasurer’s eyes will glisten when she sees the annual subscriptions increasing.

It was nice to hear from Mrs. Millington in Hong-Kong and her letter was of great interest to many of the members.' In February we are holding a small Whist Drive and March brings

our Annual Meeting.Most of our invalids are feeling better. Mrs. Brown’s little girl

and many others—and we hope next month to be able to say Mrs. Butler, Mr. Hollands, and Mr. Clark are better.

Medway Branch.Minutes of a General Meeting held at the Headquarters, Chatham,

on Saturday, 30th December, 1933.Captain Barton presided over a meeting of members.The Minutes of the November meeting were read and confirmed

on the motion of Mr. C. W. French, seconded by Mr. F. Cox.The correspondence included a letter of apology from the President,

and one from the General Secretary on the subject of grouping.The election of officers for 1934 followed, the results being:—

Chairman: Captain A. Barton; Vice-Chairman: Mr. T. M.Wheatley; Treasurer: Mr. W. King Holt.

The Committee was returned en bloc with the exception of Mr. Engtefidd, whose place was taken by Mr. W. C. French.

It was also suggested that the position of Vice-Fresident be created and on the proposal of Mr. X. M. Wheatley, seconded by Mr. A. Shirley it was unanimously decided to elect Alderman H. Hep worth to the position. Mr. Wheatley and Captain Barton spoke in glowing terms of the great help Alderman Hepworth had rendered the association and the Medway Branch in particular, and voiced the opinion of all present when it was thus decided to show the branch’s appreciation. -

Captain Barton spoke of the way he had received assistance from the committee and members during the past year.

Mr. Shirley proposed a vote of thanks to the officials for their work during the year, and this was seconded by Mr. G. Mills. The Chairman and Vice-Chairman suitably replied.

Mr. Wheatley drew attention to a proposed visit to Sittingbourne, some time when the weather improved, and asked his hearers to make one more effort to increase the membership by each member getting one new one.

Christmas greetings were received from General Sir Arthur I,ynden Bell, Colonel H. Findlay, C.B.E., 2nd Battalion, and others, and these were heartily appreciated.

A. Barton (Captain),Chairman.

Margate Branch.The General Meeting was held on Wednesday, LOth January, at the

Drill Hall. Mr. R. H. Harman (Chairman) read a letter of apology from Major Witts saying that it would not be possible for him to attend.

Before the business was commenced the members stood in silence to the memory of Messrs. —■ Falljames, Bushell and Tumber.

The Secretary presented a very favourable Balance Sheet, which, after a short discussion, on the motion of Mr. Tolhurst, seconded by Mrs. W. Jarman, was received and carried.

The award of the Merit Bar was the next item and it was decided that this be balloted for. The result was that the Bar for 1933 was awarded to Mr. R. H. Harman. This was received with much applause.

The election of officers for the New Year then took place :—Vice-President: Tieut. J. J. Cornelious; Treasurer: Major-

C. S. F. Witts, T.D.; Chairman: Mr. R. H. Harman; Vice-Chair­man : Mr. G. W. Stewart; Hon. Secretary: Mr. P. G. Kennett; Assistant Hon. Secretary: Mr. J. Sankey; Social Secretary: Mr. W. Pliilpott.

The Chairman tendered thanks on behalf of the Brandi to Mr. W. Jarmau for the generous gift of two '22 Parker Rifles which he has presented for the use of the Branch Rifle Club. Wc are also pleased to see Mr. W. Jarman back ou the Committee after a rest from com­mittee work for a year.

Our sympathy is extended to the Ramsgate Branch in the loss of their Chairman, Mr. W. Coleman. Mr. Payne and Mr. I,aslett represented the Branch at the funeral at Ramsgate on 11th January.

It was suggested that a Branch Dinner be held in the near future and this was received with enthusiasm. The committee were instructed to make arrangements for it. It is hoped that all members of the Margate Branch will attend the Dinner, the date of which will be announced later, and when doing so make a resolution to attend all the monthly meetings in 1934 and to take a. practical interest in the wonderful work which The Association is doing.

At the dose of the meeting the usual collection was taken and the sum of 6/2 was realised.

Next monthly meeting, Wednesday, 14th February.

Canterbury Branch.I must open my Notes by wishing the readers, both at Home and

Abroad “ AH Best Wishes for a Happy New Year.I, personally, have started badly, as these notes are penned on a

bed of sickness, but a good “ Buff ” never says die.The Annual General Meeting of the Branch took place at Head­

quarters, Rhodaus Town, on Friday, January 5th before quite a large gathering. Amongst those present were Colond Collard, Colond Findlay, Major Keder, Capt. Whitfield, R.S.M. Ransley.

Colonel Findlay kindly opened the meeting by a few remarks, which were, as usual, brief and to the point, the main ones being :—1. The lack of subscriptions for 1933.2. The amount of good work done by our Secretary.3. The amount of good work done by the whole of the Committee.4. A happy ending to a year of very hard finandal work on behalf

of the Branch.5. And last, but not least, a vote of thanks to our hard-working Steward

and Stewardess.

THE DRAGON 55

Our late Acting Chairman, Mr. Albury, then made a few remarks.The Secretary, Mr. Newman, opened his few remarks by referring

to the great help of the Committee without whom, he said, he could not have done the amount of work that had brought the Branch to such a successful year. He then read his Balance Sheet for the year ending 1933, which had been a very expensive one on account of the establishing of our New Headquarters, but concluded with a balance on the right side. The accounts had been audited and found correct.

The Elections for 1934 then took place, the Chair being taken by Major Keeler. Captain Whitfield of Herne Bay was unanimously elected Chairman ; Vice-Chairman, Mr. Albury, another decision of great popularity, and one also that will be most ably filled ; Secretary, Mr. Newman (a better one this branch will never get). His heart and soul is in his work for our cause only. Assistant and Sports Secretary, Mr. A. T. Coley, and one whom all the Members can rest assured that everything in the way of Sports and Social Functions for the coming year will be done in a manner that will be for the benefit of his Club. Committee :—Mr. F. Coonibes, Mr. N. Clarke, Mr. J. Ives, Mr. F. Giles, Mr. B. Fenner, R.S.M. Ransley, Mr. B. Biggs. I am of opinion that, in this Committee, will, as it should, be the backbone of the Branch. Mr. J. Ives, Mr. B. Biggs and Mr. A. T. Coley have worked for the Branch since its formation at the Drill Hall several years ago, a record for which any one may be justly proud.

So, here’s wishing our heartfelt thanks to the Committee of 1933 and better luck still for the Committee for 1934.

Our New Year Carnival Ball was an outstanding event and I can­not remember a more pleasant gathering at any Dance in (his City. Mr. Reg. Elton’s Band, I heard from all quarters, was very much appreciated. I do hope he will give us Iris great assistance when we call on him again. Our Christmas was spent witli the greatest of harmony to one and all, the Headquarters being gaily decorated by our Steward and Stewardess and to whom many thanks are given. Some of our friends from the Depot paid us a visit.

Of Events to come. A Dance is to take place at St. George’s Hall, Station Road West on Thursday, 18th. A Dart Match is to take place at Eittlebourne on Friday the 19tli and one is also being arranged with Elham at Home 28th or 27th ; Away, 2nd or 3rd February, and other Matches are also being sought with several other Clubs.

Cut P lug.

H e r n e B a y S u b -B r a n c h .'flic Annual Meeting was held at the “ Druid’s Head ” on Tuesday,

January 9tli. Captain E. H. Eloyd was in the chair and there were 25 members present.

The Hon. Secretary presented a report for the year. The strength of the sub-branch, lie said, is 37, 3 life members and 34 yearly members, of whom all had paid their subscriptions except three. Seven mem­bers had been struck off as being two years behind with their sub­scriptions. Three new members were up for election. The Annual Dinner was held on February 4tli. This was successful and just paid for itself, but we were handicapped by the prevalence of influenza at the time.

A successful sweep was held for the Benevolent Fund on an event in the Herne Bay Regatta and funds profited to the extent of £6 1 (is. 9d. The sum of £4 7s. 6d. was expended to help Buffs who were in need. Of tins £2 came from Headquarters, £1 15s. from the branch and 12/6 from private sources.

The Chairman’s Cup for small bore riile shooting was won by Mr. W. A. Ilolness.

Although we have not been socially very active, the monthly meetings have been well attended, we have increased our membership, and our resources have been augmented by over £6 and for the first time we feel in a sound financial condition. We have, therefore, some reason for self-congratulation.

The Hon. Treasurer reported the balance in hand of £8 Is. 4d., and submitted a Statement of Accounts. £4 Os. 3d. had been raised and paid to the Canterbury Branch and Eadies’ Guild. The accounts were passed by the meeting.

Captain Eloyd stated that, owing to his health, he felt that he could no longer stand for the position of Chairman.

Officers for 1934 were elected :—Mr. G. V. Hammond and Mr. R. Bryant were elected Chairman and Vice-Chairman respectively by unanimous vote. Captain H. F. Whitfield and Mr. G. N. Bamvell were re-elected Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer. Messrs. Boswell, Male, Miller and Pellett were elected on the Committee.

The Dinner Committee made their report. The Dinner to be held at the New Dolphin on February 17th. Tickets 2/6. The offer of Mr. Morriss to print tickets be accepted gratefully.

It was decided that the Chairman’s Cup be shot for in March, that only members of the Association lie allowed to compete, and that only rifles with open sights be used.

A vote of thanks was passed to Captain Eloyd for his services as Chairman during the three years that the sub-branch has been running.

F o lk esto n e B ranch .Some 300 young children were given one of the jolliest parties they

could have wished for on Wednesday evening. They were the guests of the club in connection with “D” Company, 4th Battalion The Buffs, and were entertained in the main Drill Hall, Shellons .Street.

The lofty and usually dull-looking interior of the building was completely transformed for the occasion. Bunting was festooned about the hall, the walls of which were cosily draped with green cloth. Earge Japanese lanterns hung from the ceiling, and looked most effective when lighted up from the inside. In the centre of the room stood a loll Christmas tree, most effectively lighted, and with branches weighed down with a mass of toys. The tables were arranged in the form of a square round the tree, and when the young guests sat down to a splendid tea, they also had plenty7 of bon-bons to pull. Above their heads hung many branches of coloured balloons, and it was not long before these were lowered and given to the children.

In the merry romping and games which followed tea, one of the biggest delights was to be found in “ helter-skelter,” a long slide which proved immensely popular. Some of the members of the Club, under the direction of Mr. W. Eaton, joined in the fun, attired in fancy dress costume, and did much to assist in the happiness of the occasion. By kind permission of Eieut.-Colonel the Hon. P. G. Scarlett, M.C., a band was provided by the 2nd Battalion The Buffs, and this music was greatly appreciated. The instrumentalists played under the baton of Bandmaster Foster.

Quite one of the biggest11 hits ” of the evening was a real “ talkie ” show, given by Messrs. Ha Iks worth Wheeler, Etd., under the direction of Mr. H. May7. For an hour the children cheered and laughed at a number of most amusing “ cartoon ” films, which were presented with the actual sound accompaniment as used in an ordinary cinema production.

An entertainment and community singing, led by7 Mr. Jimmy Taylor and Mr. C. Sinclair, also found immediate favour with the y7oimgsters, who joined in heartily7 in the chorus songs and left no doubt that they were enjoying themselves to the full. Throughout the evening, the guests were able to obtain a seemingly inexhaustible supply7 of light refreshments from a special bar, where Messrs. P. Philpolt and A. E- Smith superintended.

Against one wall of the room stood a great red brick chimney, the lop of which was realistically covered with snow. Towards the end of the evening, Father Christmas, in the person of Mr. A. C. Roberts, one of the ollicers of “D” Company, made his appearance from the fireplace, amid loud cheers of the big gathering. Everyone collected round the Christmas tree, which Father Christmas proceeded to strip of its presents and hand them to the delighted guests. As the party, one of the biggest and most successful organised by the Club, came to an end, the children left the hall and each received a particularly attractive bag of sweets and apples and oranges.

The arrangements for the party7, which were exceptionally good, were carried out by a Eadies Committee, under Mrs. J. Valentine, and a Men’s Committee directed by the Hon. Sports Secretary (Mr. H. Wilkinson).

Among those present were Colonel If. Findlay, C.B.E., Mrs. J. Crookeuden, Captain and Mrs. D. V. Coote, Eieut. Dare (2nd Battalion), Eieut. C. Brooke, Dr. Haywood, I,ieut. A. C. Roberts, 2nd-f,ieut. P. E- Roberts, Mr. C. J. Roberts, Mrs. C. Roberts, Miss Roberts, Reg.- Sgt.-Major C. Vaughan and Mrs. Vaughan.

At the conclusion of the party, the members of the Club and friends had a most enjoyable dance until 11 p.m., when Auld Eaug Syne and the National Anthem concluded a very jolly evening.

During the evening R.S.M. Vaughan, on behalf of Eieut.-Colonel the Hon. I’. G. Scarlett, M.C., who was unable to be present, thanked the members of the Club for entertaining the children of the 2nd Battalion The Buffs.

Folkestone Express,January 12th, 1934.

S an d w ich B ranch .

The Annual General Meeting was held at the Rifle Range, Eoop Street, on Tuesday, January 9th, at 8 p.m. Major F. W. Tomlinson presided and about 30 members were present. The Minutes of the last Annual Meeting were read and signed. Correspondence and read discussed included letters from Headquarters rc Members in arrears, Minutes of the 23rd Sub-Committee Meeting and Minutes of the Executive Meeting rc award of Bar to a Member of the Brandi.

Grooving of Bran ches.—It was unanimously agreed that we join hands with Margate, Ramsgate, and Deal, in the formation of Groups.

The Secretary reported the strength of the Branch as 82. Eife Members, 21 and Annual Members, 61. I t was regretted that several Members were in arrears for 1933.

The Statement of Accounts was before the Meeting, and adopted. Votes of thanks were accorded the Hon. Treasurer, Mr. G. Spears and the Auditors, Mr. H. C. Simmons and Mr. W. Gibbons.

E lection of Off ic e r s .—The following were elected to serve for the ensuing year :—

Chairman: Major F. W. Tomlinson; lion. Secretary: Mr. H. Taylor ; Treasurer : Mr. G. Spears ; Committee : Messrs. A. Bennett, H. Plummer, H. Phillips, G. Stroud, J. Stickels, W. West, Sgt. Elvery (Ex-Offido).

Branch S u p pe r . It was regretted that the Branch Supper and Social had had to be postponed until 18th January owing to the Hall being engaged. The Branch lias undertaken to do Us own catering and it is hoped there wijl be a good attendance.

56 Th e dragon

The 2nd Battalion.TTY/S B / / / 7 ^ S )s\ A S the pleasant (?) job

of writing the Editorial was only given to me at a day’s notice, and I myself have been on leave for the last month, I am afraid that this will only be a series of somewhat dis­connected paragraphs deal­ing with last month’s news.

First of all we have the Christmas festivities. These are duly written up by other scribes, but I must mention the very successful Annual Married Families’

Christmas Tree Party. This was held in the dining-halls and was, as usual, excellently run by our Quartermaster (Mr. Dare) and his wife.

On Christmas Eve we had a small cocktail party in the Mess for those officers and their wives who had not left the station. The Band played carols outside, which were much appreciated.

The Mess has taken on quite a new appear­ance since the arrival of the collection of Regimental prints purchased from Major F. W. Tomlinson. It is hoped that by adding gradually to these we shall one day possess the finest collection in the Army.

We welcome the advance party of the 15/19th The King's Royal Hussars, two of whom are at present living in our Mess. We also welcome Captain D’Arcy Symonds, who, I understand, looked in on the Mess the other day, but at once departed on leave till the middle of February.

P a s t an d P re s e n t A sso c ia tio n — continued

D eal B ranch .The Monthly Meeting was held on January 2nd, 1934 at the H.Q.,

British Region, Beach Street, Deal.Mr. 1,. B. Watson (Chairman) presided, supported by Captain

J. Turk, Messrs. Redsull, Newing, Hare, Maxted, Pope, Hon. Secretary, and 18 Members.

The Chairman, in his opening remarks, wished one and all a happy and prosperous New Year. The Minutes o£ the previous Meeting were read and confirmed. The correspondence was read and received.

A warm welcome was given to our New Member, Mr. E. Edwards, who, we understand, has recently come from the 1st Battalion and is now settled in Walmer.

The name of Mr. Green, late New Zealand Forces, was proposed as Associate Member and confirmed. The meeting then closed.

H.P.

We are very sorry to have to .say good-bye to Captain R. J. Tuke, who has been posted to the 1st Battalion. He is an old Sub-Editor of The Dragon and we are very grateful to him for the excellent work he did for it.

We congratulate Brevet-Dieut.-Colonel H. de R. Morgan on his Brevet in the New Year’s Honours Fist.

Our congratulations are also due to the Battalion on two very fine performances. Firstly to our hockey team on defeating the 2nd Battalion The Royal Berkshire Regiment by 4 goals to nil in the Army Hockey Competition, thus passing into the semi-final round of the Eastern Command Tournament. Secondly to the cross-country running team for winning the Kent County Championship for the third year in succession and for supplying the Individual Winner in F/Cpl. M. Frankham. It reflects great credit on the trainer, C.S.M. (O.R.S.) A. V. Ongley, who has worked so hard to bring the battalion to the front in athletics, and it must be a real pleasure to him to see his efforts so rewarded.

-------- C.H.C ro ss -C o u n try N otes.

On Decem ber 27 th th e first eighteen m em bers of the b a tta lio n team re tu rn ed from th e ir annual furlough to p repare them selves for th e K e n t C ham pionship. T rain ing com m enced on Decem ber 28th, and a good program m e was com pleted by Ja n u a ry 13th, th e da te of th e K e n t C ham pionship. T here were also a good num ber on leave locally who cam e along for tw o runs per week during th e re st period.

A seven-m ile tr ia l ru n was held on J anuary 4 th which resu lted in a very good race. N early all p u t up th e ir fa stest tim e over the course for th e season. Alnwick, Inm an and Tong could have done b e tte r, and I th in k it would have done th em m ore good to have gone o u t more a t th is stage of train ing . L/Cpl. F rankham , Ptes. W a tts and 11. W hite were all in good form.

Resuet of Triai, Run.Name. Order. Time.

T/Cpl. M. F rankham ... 1 38 mins. 20 secsP te . G. W atts ... 2 38 „ 54Ptc. B. W h i t e ................. 3 38 „ 53Pte. T. H ayde ... 4 39 „ 47Pte. J . Swaines 5 40 „ 14T/Sgt. T. H urley 6 40 „ 25Sgt. A. T rinkw on 7 40 „ 37Pte. W . Skinner 8 40 „ 45Pte. R. W ilson... 9 40 „ 50Sgt. H . Bell ................. 10 40 ,, 55T/Cpl. IT P liilpo tt ... 11 41 „ 20Pte. G. Joynsou 12 41 „ 35Pte. P. In m an ... 13 14 „ 45Pte. R. Alnwick 14 41 „ 45Pte. D. Tong ... 15 41 „ 50Pte. G. Skinner 16 42 „ 20T/Cpl. C. Insole 17 42 „ 50Pte. Dudley 18 43 „ —

Pte. Dale 19 43 „ 30

THB DRAGON 57

On Ja n u a ry 13th, 1934, th e team journeyed to th e T ollgate Inn , L ondon By-pass R oad, near Gravesend, to defend th e ir t itle of C ross-Country C ham pions of the C ounty of K en t. T he jou rney to G ravesend was m ade by bus, arriv ing a t ab o u t 2 p.m . T he changing accom m odation being lim ited , our early a rrival enabled us to select our p a r t of th a t available.

The course was a good one, being over th e country th e whole way, nearly all p loughed and arab le land, which m ade th e going exceedingly heavy. Two laps of th ree miles and one lap of one and a half miles m ade up th e course, which I should say was a good eight miles. One large lap was run first, followed by the sm all lap, finishing w ith a large lap.

T en team s h a d entered, tog e th e r w ith some tw en ty - six individuals. Som e of these d id n o t s ta rt, so the en try was sm aller th a n las t year. There appeared to be a num ber of good men in each team , b u t each were th o u g h t to be sh o rt of a good six.

A good n um ber of th e officers of the R egim ent tu rn ed up to w itness our effort to win th e cham pionship for the th ird year in succession. A m ongst o thers were th e Colonel of th e R egim ent, L ieut.-Colonel th e Hon.P. G. and Mrs. S carle tt, M ajor C. S. Field, M ajor J . F. W. Allen and Miss Allen, C aptain A. F. St. A. Turner, C aptain X. F . Ilo are , L ieut. T. FI. Spear, L ieut. P. T. G. Lynden-B ell, L ieut. H. de L. and Mrs. W alters, L ieut. G. R . Tuff and L ieut. R. W. Craddock. T hen from our London B ranch cam e Mr. J im m y Green, who was looking fit and well enough to have a go himself. R.S.M. V aughan, B andm aster F oster and a few o thers were able w ith th e help of th e officers' cars to w itness th e run.

The team g o t aw ay to a good s ta r t, w hich was slightly uphill for th e first 600 yards, so was n o t too fast. H aving found a good v iew -point abou t a mile out, I first saw th e field come in to view again a fte r th ey h ad covered ab o u t 2 | miles. F ran k h am was in t h e , lead here by ab o u t 20 yards, followed by W aters, and then a sm all group w hich included Dockerill, Gregory, Gibbs, Ibbo tson . T h en Alnwick cam e in to view, closely followed by our group, w hich included W atts , Inm an , W hite, Sgt. Flurley and Long. The rem ainder of th e team were all well-placed.

T he n ex t tim e F rankham appeared in sigh t he was fa s t opening up th e gap and a fte r ab o u t 4 | m iles was leading by a good 70 yards. W aters was still lying second and eagerly enquired a fte r th e health of F 'rankham from his supporters, as did Dockerill also a t tills poin t. W hen to ld th a t F ran k h am was very fresh, th ey appeared to give h im best a t th is stage of th e race, realising th a t i t would be fa ta l to go a fte r him. A lnwick was still our n ex t m an here, b u t n o t going too well. Our rem aining m en had kep t th e ir early places, so W atts, Inm an , W hite, L /Sgt. H urley and Long cam e by together and well in th e front. Swaine, H ayde and Sgt. T rinkw on were all well up and in th e first tw en ty places. Sgt. Bell was h av ing ano th er good day. J oynson was doing well for liis first race of th is s tandard , as also was L/Cpl. P h ilpo tt. W ilson, W . Skinner, G. Skinner and L/Cpl. Insole, although n o t so fa r up as th ey would have liked to have been, were all doing well. We m u st rem em ber th a t o ther team s are runn ing and w ant some of th e lower places.

Coming in to view again, F rankham was th is tim e leading by nearly 200 yards a fte r ab o u t 5 | miles. Dockerill an d W aters were racing for th e second place now, b u t for all th is th ey were fa s t losing d istance on F rankham , who was now cu ttin g o u t a fa st pace and rum iing like a real cham pion over th e very heavy ground. Alnwick, who h ad now gone back a few places, was feeling the effects of a p a in in h is side. T he rem ainder of our early group were going well. T he rest of th e team h ad k e p t th e ir places, so th e race was as good as ours. A t th e satne tim e, A ylesbury h ad th ree m en well up in th e first seven places b u t h ad no supporters.

D artfo rd were in m uch th e sam e position. B lackheath H arrie rs were well grouped, b u t beh ind our n in th m an. Going over to a p o in t ab o u t half a mile from th e finish, F ran k h am appeared, runn ing in g reat sty le w ith a good 400 y a rd s’ lead ; he raced hom e a good w hiner to win liis liighest honour to d a te in th e cross-country world. H e is an exceptionally good w inner ; to win th e coun ty cham pionship b y 1 min. 4 secs, from a m an w ith th e experience of Dockerill was no m ean perform ance. T he rem ainder of th e team h ad ru n well and all h ad assisted th e b a tta lio n to register th e ir th ird successive win in th e K en t C ham pionship.

This y ear we p laced our scoring six in th e first th irte en places. L ast year i t ivas in th e first six teen places. Also in th is rim we h ad a ltogether, including those runn ing as individuals, fourteen m en in th e first fo rty places. The team were p resen ted w ith th e In v ic ta Cup, also six silver m edals w ith gold centres for th e first six men. L/Cpl. F ran k h am received a gold m edal for his effort. Well done, th e whole team !

Individual Result.1. L/Cpl. M. F 'rankham , The Buffs 52 mins. 47 secs.2. C. Dockerill, D artfo rd H ar. 53 ,, 51 ,,3. J. A. W aters (Individual)

A ylesbury P.M. 53 564. H. Rogers, D artfo rd H ar. 54 ,, 1 ,,5. H. Ibbotson , A ylesbury P.M.S.C. 54 ,, 17 ,,6. II. C. F'lello, G ravesend H ar. ... 54 ,, 21 ,,7. J . Gregory, Aylesford P.M.S.C. 54 ,, 238. A. Macoy, A ylesford P.M.S.C. ... 54 ,, 259. W. L- Collins (Indiv idual),

A ldershot C om m and... 54 2710. Pte. G. W atts , 2nd Bn. The Buffs 54 ,, 57 ,,11. P te . P . In m an , 2nd Bn. T he Buffs 54 59 ,,12. P te . B. W hite, 2nd Bn. T he Buffs 55 9 -

1st.

Team Result.

2nd Bn. T he Buffs .................Points.

... 532nd D artfo rd F larriers 1003rd. B lackheath H arrie rs ... 1054th. Cam bridge H arriers ................. 2065th. G ravesend H arrie rs ... 253

No o th er club finished a scoring six. I th in k m ost found th e going far too heavy.

L ast year, in w inning th e cham pionship the b a tta lio n scored 59 points. T he year previous to tin s th e team scored 81 po in ts to win.

I ndividual Places of the Battalion Team.First and Winning Six. Second Six.

L/Cpl. M. F rankham 1 Pte . J . Sw aine 15P te . G. W atts 8 Sgt. A. T rinkw on ... 20P te . P. In m an 9 P te . L. H ayde 23P te . B. W hite 10 Sgt. H. B e ll ................. 25P te . R. Alnwick 12 Pte. R . W ilson 32L/Sgt. T. H urley ... 13 Pte. W. Skinner 38

T o ta l ... 53

Running as Individuals.Pte. D. Long, equal to 14th team place.Pte. G. Joynsou, equal to 26th team place.L/Cpl. H . P h ilp o tt was som ewhere betw een 32 and 38. Pte. G. Skinner.L/Cpl. C. Insole.

I t was a very great effort on th e p a r t of Long and a very poor one on m y p a r t to have p laced h im qs a reserve. F o rtu n a te ly i t d id n o t affect th e team in any way. I t proves th a t there is a lo t in L ong when we do succeed in g e tting i t o u t of him .

THE DRAGON58-

The South of the Thames will be our next effort. This race will take place at Cobham, Surrey, on Saturday, February 10th, 1934, at 3 p.m. I t is a difficult race to win and we shall have to be in good form to get anywhere near the front.

A.V.O.

Hockey Notes.Unfortunately the third round of the Army and

Eastern Command Hockey Tournament had to be finished by January 13th. As our opponents, the 2nd Battalion The Royal Berkshire Regiment, went on leave early in December, the match had to be played in the middle of our own leave period. This meant recalling the team a week before the match in order to enable them to get a little practice. I t was most unfortunate that the majority of the battalion were away and so unable to cheer on the team to victory.

The match took place on January 10th. The team returned on the 3rd and immediately started training— short runs and walks in the mornings and passing and shooting practice in the afternoons, together with a couple of practice games which proved sufficient for them to shake off the after-effects of Christmas and New Year festivities.

We had one great misfortune. Our outside-left, L/Cpl. Taylor, was suddenly called away on a Cook’s Course at Aldershot. He was a great loss to the .side, but fortunately we were able to fill his place with Lieut. N. R. Reeves, who although he had never played in that position before, put up a splendid performance. He is fast and can centre hard.

Our thanks are due to the Depot for so kindly arranging a match for us bn their own ground and getting together a strong team to play us, and also for bringing over part of a team to play on the Stadium ground a few days later.

On Saturday, January 6th, the full battalion side played against Major Rice's scratch team on the Depot ground at Canterbury. There was a strong cold win blowing, but it was a bright sunny day. Owing to early morning frost it had been impossible to roll the ground, with the result that it was very .slow and bumpy and ball control was difficult. We played into the wind in the first half and the hockey was deplorable. The forwards were slow, the passing by the halves was wild and inaccurate, and the defence was weak. It didn't seem possible that this was the sanie team that had been playing so well only a few weeks before. We scored two scrappy goals to lead 2—0. Then our opponents scored four times, and the whistle blew for half-time with the score 4—2 against us.

After the interval a change came over the game. Sgt. Edwards gave a glimpse of his true form, and the forwards worked much better together. The halves and backs were combining much better, with the result that our defence was safer. There was more thrust and dash about the game, which became interesting to watch, and goals were becoming the order of the day. The battalion team scored six goals in this half and so won a rather poor match by 8—4. L/Cpl. Casano showed what a useful goal-getter he is by scoring four of the goals, the last of the match being a glorious dribble right through the circle and on into the goal.

On Monday, January 8th, Major Rice brought over practically the same team to play us on the Stadium ground. Unfortunately the centre-half was unable to play for him in this game. The battalion played very well together; the backs were sound, and the halves and forwards combined well together, with the result that we were far too strong, scoring seven goals in the first half.

In the second half we changed over the goalkeepers, backs and centre-halves, and a very even game resulted. The score in this half was 3—2 to the battalion *' back division.”Third R ound Army and Eastern Command H ockey

Tournament.2nd Bn. The Buffs v. 2nd Bn. The Royal Berkshire Regt.

Played at Shomcliffe on Wednesday, January 10th, we were again very lucky in our day. I t was mild and damp, with a cold wind blowing across the ground, but it was by no means unpleasant. The ground was inclined to be muddy and rather slow) and proved difficult to stop and turn on.

Our thanks are due to the Folkestone Optimist Hockey Club for allowing their referee (the Southern Counties referee) to officiate for us in this match. It was a real treat to have such an expert. We also thank the 2nd Battalion The East Surrey Regiment, who supplied the other one.

We won the toss and Lieut. J . R. P. Williams elected to play towards the Cheriton end. In the very first. minute, owing to three mis-hits, Nelson of The Royal Berkshires ran through to our circle and the situation looked dangerous, but he mis-timed the ball and it was cleared. We immediately ran it into their circle and their goalkeeper was called upon to clear twice. This was followed by another dangerous run by Nelson, and L/Cpl. Brigstock had to clear. The sides now settled down and the play was very exciting indeed. We now started to get the upper hand and were almost continuously in their half, and had several shots at goal. Their goalkeeper played extremely well and kept us out until after about twenty minutes’ play, a melee in front of the goal-mouth resulted in L/Cpl. Casano scoring for us. On the resumption we still continued to attack. Nelson was hit on the knee-cap by a rising ball hit by his own back and had to be carried off. After about thirty minutes, Pte. Girling scored our second goal, and half-time arrived with the score 2—0 in our favour.

The team had so far played wonderfully well. L/Cpl. Brigstock was magnificent. He is fortunately gifted with the knowledge of when to come out of his goal and when to “ stay put.” Lieuts. Williams and Reeves both played the games of their lives. Sgt. Edwards was here, there, and everywhere; and our forward line was combining beautifully.

In the second half. Nelson returned to play for them. We were literally “ all over them,” but their goalkeeper was playing a fine game, and it wasn't till after twenty minutes that L/Cpl. Casano scored a good goal by flipping the ball into the net. Seven minutes later, L/Cpl. Catt scored another in the left corner of the goal. L/Cpl. Casano hurt his knee at this period and went to outside-right, L/Cpl. Catt taking his place. The forwards were following the ball up well and hustling the goalkeeper. The backs (Lieut. Dewar and Sgt. King) were playing very well together, but,I noticed, were playing very square, which is dangerous against fast forwards. L/Sgt. King was playing his usual hard game; he gets back to help the defence very quickly. There was no more score, so we have now passed into the semi-final of the Eastern Command Tournament, the winners of this game by 4—0.

As this was the battalion leave period I didn't expect to find many of our supporters present, but there was a very pleasant surprise; two bus-loads of about sixty recruits had paid their own way over to the match. A wonderful effort that was appreciated by us all and was a great factor in the final victory of the battalion team.

Colonel and Mrs. Scarlett, Colonel Thomson, Colonel Findlay, Major Rice, Captain and Mrs. Hoare, Captain and Mrs. Robertson, Mr. and Mrs. Walters, Mrs. Parry,

THE DRAGON 59

INTER-COMPANY BOXING CHAMPIONSHIP.

Shorncliffe 1933. Joint Winners with “ B” Company.

“A ” Company Team.

Pte. C uttridgc, P te . Cornwell, Cpl. Spence, P te . Taylor-Sm ith .

P te . W right, P te . Bowling, C.O.M.S. D iam ond, P te . W ard , Pte. W oodage.

Pte. Tuliill, Cpl. Scallan, Cpl. Cowley, B/c. C att,

60 THE DRAGON

C aptain A ndrews and L ieuts. K ing and H aggard were am ongst those p resen t w atching the game.

T he sem i-final has to be p layed off a t C hatham by F ebruary 3rd, and our opponents arc the T rain ing B atta lion R .E ., C hatham .

Lahore.

T he R eg im en ta l C h ris tm a s P a r ty , 1933.T he 21st Decem ber was th e d a te of th is h ap p y

and fo rtu n ate ly annual event. J udging by th e faces of th e k iddies as they s ta rte d assem bling a t abou t 3.30 p.m ., expecta tion h ad been p revalen t for some considerable tim e.

By abou t 4.15 p.m ., Mr. Dare, who had previously been filling th e role of usher, guide an d pacifier, s ta r te d th e huge g a thering of ab o u t 300 ad u lts and children off on th e p leasan t task of “ dem olishing the goodies ” from th e well-filled and tem pting ly laid out tables.

Am ong those p resen t were Colonel and Mrs. Scarle tt, M ajor F ield, M. B.E., M ajor and Mrs. Morgan and fam ily, Mrs. Crookenden, C aptain and Mrs. H oare, th e Rev. and Mrs. Jam es, Mr. and Mrs. Crozier, Mr. and Mrs. King, Mr. and Mrs. H aggard , Mr. and Mrs. W alters, Mr. Spear, Mr. Lewis, Mrs. D are and “ B ubbles.”

F or a tim e a fte r th e com m encem ent, .speech was subdued by a larm ing explosions as hundreds of crackers w ent th e way of all crackers, and the c h a tte r grew as the con ten ts were re triev ed and of course tr ie d ; the tu n in g in process would have left a p a r ty of new instrum en ta lis ts “ stone cold.”

A fter the tab les h ad been cleared i t appeared as if a cloud of locusts had se ttled and gone, and when Mr. D are h a d recovered his hearing , he announced th a t Mr. Punch and Mrs. Ju d y were w aiting p a tien tly to receive th em a t the fa r end of th e dining-hall. T he scam per of juvenile feet pronounced the fact th a t such shows never ge t sta le w ith kiddies, also ab o u t 90% of th e grown-ups appeared to have suddenly grown young again.

The n e x t item was a v isit of all the kiddies to the post-box, where m usical in stru m en ts of various descriptions were issued. For abou t ten m inutes a fte r th a t th e air seem ed alive, as ab o u t 200 excited juveniles proved th e possession of sound lungs. 1 wondered afterw ards if Mr. D are secretly chuckled to himself about his house being 200 yards from th e Q uarters. E ach cliild was th en given a balloon prio r to th e ir assem bling in th e m ain room for th e final d istribu tion of presents from th e m agnificently dressed tree.

H aving been to ld th a t a very im p o rtan t gentlem an was on his way, th e dining-room windows were cram m ed w ith eager faces. W ith a b u rst of noise and music, F a th e r C hristm as cam e trave lling ro und th e road on Ids beau tifu lly decorated sleigh, draw n by a w ldte horse, stopping outside th e windows in th e glare of headlam ps to wave his greetings and receive a g reat ovation from th e ex p ec tan t onlookers. R ound th e bend he th en disappeared, to emerge sho rtly afterw ards from a specially b u ilt fireplace r ig h t in th e th ick of a cheering crowd. Fie th en enlisted the aid of several assistan ts for th e p resen ta tion of gifts— no easy task for a venerable old gentlem an. E ven th e R.S.M ., who acted as in te rp re te r, h ad to use his b est parade voice.

The draw for the fa iry doll and a handsom e electric torch , for w hich each child h ad a ticke t, took place a fte r th e la s t p resen t h ad been d is tribu ted . The lucky w inner of th e doll was Sheila Bell, and E ric M clnnes held th e lucky tick e t for th e torch. On leaving for home, each child received fru it and a doro thy bag of sweets. I ’m sure no child needed rocking to sleep th a t n ight.

Children soon forget, b u t I ’m sure I ’m expressing the unanim ous wish of all the p a ren ts by th an k in g all those who assisted in m aking th e show the real success it was— Mrs. Scarle tt, Mrs. Dare and Mrs. V aughan, who undertook th e dressing of th e tree and dozens of o ther necessary jo b s ; the Rev. Jam es, C .F., who m ade an ideal F a th e r C hristm as ; Mr. D are and the R.Q.M .S., who sp en t m any long hours p lann ing and organising ; Sgt. Osborne, who devised th e sleigh and used his skill in m an y w a y s ; Cpl. T urm aine, who decorated the whole place so well ; and Mr. Foster and his excellent Band, who gave a real good en te rta in m en t. Those who saw th e fa iry doll. I ’m sure will agree th a t Mrs. V aughan deserves full m arks as a dressm aker.

Touchstone.

S e rg e a n ts ’ M ess.By the tim e these notes are in p rin t, all m em bers

will have forgotten ab o u t the an n u al vaca tion g ran ted by an indu lgen t G overnm ent, ap p aren tly to allow young m em bers to qualify for m arriage allowance, the “ a lready ones ” to increase it, and the d eb it sides of P.O. books to look like cross-word puzzles. However, during the leave period functions in th e Mess still went strong.

On Decem ber 15th a w hist drive and dance was held. The a ttendance was good considering th e period, 23 tables being occupied. T he prize-w inners were as follows :—

Ladies.— 1st, Miss Power, 181 ; 2nd, Mrs. Driver, 177 ; 3rd, Mrs. W hite, 174 ; first half sweep, Miss Power, 92 ; second half sweep, Mrs. M cDougal, 99.

Gents.—-1st, W .O . Spencer, 174 ; 2nd, L /Sgt. Banks, 172 ; 3rd, C.S.M. Petley , 170 ; first half sweep, -------, 93 ; second half sweep, L /Sgt. Banks, 93.

Mrs. Spencer had th e honour of receiving th e “ B ooby,” which a fte r su ndry unravelings tu rn ed out to be a pack e t of to ile t requisites, kindly supplied by Mrs. Tim m s.

The dance which followed was a very cheerful affair ; even our Pioneer Sergean t was no ticed hopping ab o u t w ith a face w reathed in smiles, backed up by th e essence of th e hop and a la te pass. The B and, a lthough reduced in num bers, were as lively and efficient as ever.

On Decem ber 21st onr A nnual C hristm as Draw was held in the Mess, a fte r th e R egim ental C hristm as Tree. T he Mess was well packed by th e tim e the little slips were ready to be draw n. T he Scribe caused m any h eart flu tterings by draw ing o u t th e num bers. C.Q.M.S. D iam ond called o u t th e prizes and th e “ B lanks ” and “ Chips ” acted as Clerk of th e Board. A bou t 420 m em bers and friends subscribed, and a very good show of prizes were arrayed on tab les—geese, fowls, cakes, chocolates, sp irits of all descriptions and boxes of cigarettes, etc.

Now, readers, an o th e r surprise for you. The R.S.M . actually won a prize, th u s b reaking a record of m any years’ stand ing , a nice fa t goose to w it. The Com m ittee were o u t of p ractice, for no t a W oodbine did th ey scrape betw een them , u n til an ex tra draw was p u t on for some spirits, w hen they nearly cleared th e board.

Mr. Dolton k ind ly p u t up a nice box of chocolates as a special prize, everybody hav ing a ticke t. This was won by L/Sgt. Blanch.

R.Q.M .S. R icke tts is to be congratu la ted on his organisation of a very good show. He is our Mess genius for any form of en terta inm en t.

The annual cerem ony of “ H oisting th e B rick ” took place on Decem ber 23rd a t 12.30 p .m . A bout tw enty-five m em bers and honorary m em bers p rio r to th e com m encem ent could be seen flexing th e ir jo in ts, m assaging th e ir th ro a ts and selecting nice soft spots.

THE DRAGON 61

INTER-COMPANY BOXING COMPETITION.

Shorncliffe, 1333. Joint Winners with “ A” Company.

Halkswortli Wheeler.

“ B ” Company Team.

Back row :—Iv/Cpl. Callaway (second), Pte. Oliver, Pte. Iladfield , P te . Johnson , Pte. V. M itchell, h ic. Johnson ,

Pte. P ran d y , Pte. Tiley, Sgt. Bell (second).Front row :—

Pte. Bragg, P te . B avery , P te . T . Michell, C.S.M. h. J . W illiam s, C ap ta in R . W. M. W ebster, h/Sg t. T racey, h jc. T aylor, P te . Price, P te . Furlong (res.)

62 THK DRAGON

Now for the benefit of the uninitiated I must explain that " Hoisting the Brick ” is an old custom of the Mess. After it has been hoisted, in a manner I will endeavour to explain, all military duties, except those of an urgent nature, cease until it is pulled down. Usually it is up for a week.

Punctually on time, the R.S.M. as M.C. called the faithful together, said a few much-appreciated words in festive greeting, then directed the Caterer to fill all left hands with a nice fat cigar, presented for the occasion by Mr. Dolton, and all rights with a hefty “ jar " of Kent’s Best “ Tonsil Tonic.” All were then bidden to assume the " Gandi ” or “ Jimmie Hamer ” position, knees well out, with the lowest centre portion firmly oii the mark, or rather, the mat.

“ No 1 ” then issued a final warning, got the rope firmly grasped in his right hand, and commenced to pull. Next came a succession of sharp orders : " Drink, smoke, drink, smoke,” all the time we having gradually to assume the position of attention. I t was really a fine sight , to witness the manly struggles, especially the lowering of a whole “ ja r ” of ginger beer on my right, and a " jar ” of weak shandy in the hand of the Bandmastef, who had slyly changed his “ straight” when C.S.M. Williams was not looking. At long last the " Brick ” reached, the ceiling, and while all were recovering, the M.C. cast his eagle optic on the Band­master, who by having a very weak one by reason of his exchange, had " Towered ” it before time. The penalty (“ Waiter, all round ”) was duly inflicted on him (money goes where money is). Having accepted his just punishment, our worthy O.C. Crochets proved his " wet status ” by ordering a genuine “ jar ” with no delution, and lowered it before the admiring gaze of all in I l f secs, withoutya halt for breath. Truly a great feat. Rumour has it that our one and only “ Tiffy ” is preparing to challenge the record, and for practice purposes ordered a “ pin ” (4£ galls.) for his quarters.

N.B.—-It has not ,yet been ascertained whether it was a free? One from the brewer or a traveller’s sample, and we would have given a lot to have seen the " cap badges ” when he manipulated the tap.

All members are desirous of thanking our Commanding Officer (Lieut.-Colonel the Hon. P. G. Scarlett, M.C.) for his generous gift at Christmas of a fine box of cigars. These were very much appreciated and although such things always disappear in smoke, as intended, we are grateful for the kind thought which prompted the, gift.

Christmas Day went off fairly quietly, for as usual in the Army it is treated as the men’s day. Members who were in the station assisted at dinner in the men’s dining-hall, the majority making efficient waiters. Sgt. Thomycroft excelled himself this year, the dinner being a real bumper. Directly dinner had been served, members returned to the Mess to welcome our Commanding Officer and officers who paid their usual visit.

In proposing the health and offering the season’s greetings to our officers and their ladies, our R.S.M. made quite a nice welcome speech, his words being heartily endorsed by a bumper toast. The Commanding Officer {Lieut.-Colonel the Hon. P. G. Scarlett, M.C.) made a very suitable reply, after which a general pow-wow was held.

A small procession was then observed passing by our windows, a drum and fife struck up, our door flew open, and about a dozen of our old friends from The R.A.S.C. burst in, in full war paint, and gave us both a welcome surprise and a ten-minute programme which included a farewell parody on our leaving Shomdiffe. This interruption, I am sorry to report, caused many faithful home-birds to arrive after dinner had been served (’Nuff said I).

During the Christmas period we were the recipients of some two hundred cards from all parts of the world, from practically all regiments, our officers and ex-officers, ex-members, and Branches of our Past and Present Association. Among them were induded cards from Sir Charles and Lady Collett, Lord and Lady Mayoress of London ; Councillor and Mrs. Frank Wood, Mayor and Mayoress of Canterbury; Councillor and Mrs. Fred Terry, Mayor and Mayoress of Faversham; Alderman and Mrs. E. E. Dye, Mayor and Mayoress of Ramsgate; Alderman and Mrs. Albert Castle, Mayor and Mayoress of Folkestone; the Warrant Officers, Staff Sergeants and Sergeants of The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada; Lieut.-Colonel the Hon. P. G. Scarlett, M.C., and Officers; Brigadier Herbert and Brigade Staff, 10th Infantry Brigade; Lieut.-Colonel J. V. R. Jackson; Colonel Trevor; Lieut.-Colonel and Mrs. Lucas ; Lieut.-Colonel and Mrs. ‘ Guy Lee ; Lieut.-Colonel Howard Smith; . R.S.M. Evans, 1st Battalion ; R.S.M. Baily, ; R.A.KG. ; " Nobby ”Clarke ; “ Sailor ” Cooper; and " Dhurgie ” Taylor. They all came as a record of a not-forgotten friendship, and were one and all deeply appreciated. •

Our usual dance was held at 8 p.m. on Boxing Day. The attendance was very good considering that a good many members had gone on leave for the Christmas week-end. Several of our honorary members, their wives and friends made up that deficiency however. The President of the Indoor Committee excelled himself, everything going off with a swing, Novelty dances were introduced and added much merriment to the show. The band entered into the spirit of the fun and it was really a treat to dance to their excellent music.

During the early part of the dance a deep conspiracy was being hatched at our neighbouring Mess, the R.A.S.C. Several of our members and their members could be seen in weird costumes putting the finishing touches to already much-distorted features. Whilst the interval was on in our Mess, this strange gathering formed up and lead by a somewhat small drum and fife band, marched Ihrough barracks into the Mess. They then gave a real march past to a surprised but very amused crowd of onlookers. Their star crooner also warbled a couple of the latest tunes, accompanied by a banjo and piano. From the interval onwards the company was very mixed, blue patrols, evening dress and fancy dress contrasting strangely. The dance continued until about 2 a.m., when I ’m sure everybody must have gone home happy, if tired.

A very good show indeed. The R.Q.M.’S. and his Committee deserved all the praise that went their way.

Two more of our fast-diminishing company of single members left the fold during the leave period, made a splash in their bank books, another in the marriage register, and took from two fathers the responsibility of their daughters. They were L/Sgts. Sirett and Griggs. To them both and their brides we offer our heartiest congratulations and wish them every success in their great venture.

The Dear Departed.Since Adam wooed and won his Eve, it’s always been

the same,How luring girls have strived with might to steal a

fellow’s name,They lead him to believe he's fine, then after prove he’s

not,Too late for him to struggle free, nine points of law she's

got.In single bliss he’d strutted forth, his fill of life he gorged. Not knowing how so soon, alas ! his shackles would be

forged;

THE DRAGON 63

Cheer up ! be b r a v e ! y o u ’re n o t a lo n e ! th e re ’s m illions on th e rack !

J u s t dream of glories th a t are p ast. H a rd luck, th ey w on’t come back !

O ur very good com rades, th e m em bers of " D ” Com pany 4 th B atta lion T he Buffs Club, held their C hristm as Tree and P a rty on Ja n u a ry 10th. As in previous years, th ey ex tended th e ir h o sp ita lity to m arried N .C.O .’s and men, th e ir wives and children. T hey will of course give an account of it in th e ir own notes, b u t being w hat th ey are, and n o t given to blowing th e ir own tru m p e t, I feel I m u st assist by blowing it for them . The whole show was all th a t could be desired ; th e te a was perfect, the tree and a tte n d a n t prizes real eye-openers, th e a fte r cinem a show and concert a m arvel of organisation, and th e dance a rio t of fun. The few words our R.S.M. spoke conveyed w ha t we all th o u g h t. W e shall never forget our s ta y in Shorncliffe. One m eets m any classes and types of m en in a period of soldiering, and I can honestly say th a t if all clubs and bodies of m en p u t th e ir h earts in to every th ing th ey a ttem p ted , like they do a t th is club, it would be a very fine world. I know th ey have an answ er to th a t by saying “ W e are Buffs ”— a very fine one too. W e th a n k them for a tip -to p show and congratu la te th e ir Com m ittees, bo th m en and women, on its huge success. Also th a t b and of willing assistan ts to whom noth ing was too m uch for th em to do.

Lastly , b u t n o t least, our h ea rtie s t congratu la tions to C.S.M. Ougley on the fine feat of his runn ing team in w inning again th e K en t Cham pionship in fine style. H is team reflects on him as tra in e r and his patience and perseverance have m et w ith ju s t rew ard.

Touchstone.

C o rp o ra ls ’ M ess.A lthough th e m ajo rity of our m em bers proceeded

on a w ell-earned m o n th ’s holiday, there are still a few sm iling faces left to carry on in th e Mess. I am afra id th a t when th ey come back, g reat will be th e argum ents as to who has claim to th e com fortable arm chairs, as th ey have been purlo ined by certain m em bers who rem ained behind, in fact these m em bers have nearly becom e R .F . F ix tu res !

U nder th e a rtis tic touch of our w orthy Roger, the Mess looked very b rig h t and cheery w ith th e help of holly and decorations. B u t we would like to know w ha t he expected w hen he w ent carolling ?

T he C om m anding Officer p resen ted a box of cigars to our m em bers who were in barracks on C hristm as Day, and we all certain ly m uch apprecia ted th is excellent gift.

Before proceeding on leave, the resu lts of the P rom otion E x am ination were published. C ongratu l­a tions to all those who overcam e the tria ls thereof, and specially to L/Cpl. Kelly, who was aw arded a “ D istinguished .” Before proceeding on leave, a S h o rt Drill Course was held for th e ju n io r m em bers, and although resu lts have n o t been published, all came o u t w ith g reat credit.

Our departu res th is m onth have no t been very heavy, b u t some d isastrous news has been received. T he one and only “ M onty ” has been g ran ted a Course in V ocational T rain ing , and will have left us before these notes are p rin ted . As th e F a th e r of th e Mess an d th e P residen t for m an y m oons, words canno t be p u t on p aper to s ta te how he will be missed from our m idst. I t only w ants T urn ia ine (Fred) to d isappear and I do n o t know w ha t would happen. B ut cheer up, we still have Lord B. T renchard am ong us.

Price has re tu rn ed from a P.T . Course and we are very pleased to know th a t he m anaged to gain a " Q .l ” Certificate.

A xford was very un fo rtu n ate , as he was detained in hosp ital during th e la tte r p a r t of the course and consequently was unable to o b ta in th a t " Q .l th a t we expected to see. “ Squeaker ” T aylor has ju s t filled a vacancy on a Cook’s Course, so we are looking forw ard to some rav ish ing dishes when he returns.

I t is hoped th a t th e scribe of these no tes has enjoyed a well-earned vacation from his heavy duties, and th a t he has visited Bordon, our nex t hom e of re st ! ! I t is rum oured th a t he was asked to assist Pom pey in th e ir quest for league points, and no d o u b t they will m iss his able su p p o rt in fu tu re cup games. B ut w ait till we get to Bordon.

WEF/roo.

T he B and .Having performed flic office of “ Band on Duty ” for the month

of December we have a few notes and events to report. It looked as if we were in for a busy time, but, after a liectie first week, tilings quietened down. On December 22nd we played carols outside the Officers’ Mess and The Commanding Officer and Mrs. Scarlett invited us to drink of the “ cup that cheers ” after. The night was so warm that it was no effort to play in the open air. There was a large party to listen to us and we do appreciate it. Christmas Day was a busy one. We played in Church in the morning and then went to the Star and Garter Home, Sandgatc to give a concert to those fine old chaps who are not allowed to forget the past war. Considering the Christmas Dinner we had, our efforts were good. Perhaps a “ sustained note ” was cut short occasionally and the opening Selection may have tasted of Turkey, etc., but the audience forgave all that. We had tea after­wards and some stayed to a whist drive. I believe that Military Hill was negotiated in various ways after.

Boys Mitchell, Hewer and Galloway have joined us and we wish them a good time and a solo stand. These lads should strengthen the Boys’ Football team and we hope to do great tilings from now on.

There has been only one football match played, but it was a very enjoyable one—between the “ Brass and Reed.” The “ Reed ” won well and we discovered a new half-back in Curran. His methods are very subtle and no one noticed him till he disappeared.

The following is a list of Baud engagements arranged to date :— We hope to be able to add to this list in our next notes.

25th February, 3 p.m. Canal Hut, Hythe.20th—22nd May. Herne Bay.24th—30th June. Hastings.12th— ISth August. Herne Bay.

L egato .

T he D ru m s .Here we are in 1934, full of New Year resolutions, Bile Beans, and

happy prospects.A Young Hand Drummers’ Course has commenced and we soon

hope to make some sound Drummers out of the raw material available.E/Sgt. Toms and Dr. Charlton are training with the Regimental

Boxing Team for the Inter-Battalion Tournament in February.Dr. Faber and Pte. Underdown are due to go on a Course to the

School of Education at the end of the month and we hope to see them have 2nd Class Certificates on completion of their course.

Dr. Baker has now recovered from his motor-cycling accident and is back at his duty.

We extend our congratulations to Dr. Charlton on his engagement and hope the wedding is not too far off. Another fair damsel to add to the beauty of Henley’s Regatta.

The £10 a week jobs mentioned in last month’s notes did not materialize so we are now once more a full Corps of Drums.

Half-Company League Football will soon commence again and we are lookihg forward to a very successful season.

And so for the present we leave you,Yours as B.4.,

H.V.D.

S igna l S ection .Owing to the fact that the Section have been more busy than usual

in other places away from barracks there is but little to write about this month. However, having returned fully recuperated we are eager to forge ahead and endeavour to obtain a 100% classification in May.

The Section wish to congratulate L/Sgt. Griggs on his exceptional pluck and heroism in diving headlong into the turbulent waters of matrimony. Good luck, and may your troubles have Glaxo.

Y. Nora.

64 THE DRAGON

“ A ” C om pany .The result of the Promotion Exam, has now been disclosed, and

we are pleased to be able to congratulate the following on passing o u t:—Cpl. Scallan, 1,/Cpls. McGinley, Pizzey and Hunt.

The Company has just returned from their Annual Furlough, and have started Individual Training which will last until the middle of February.

We must congratulate the Battalion Hookey Team on their brilliant success in the Third Round of the Army Hockey Cup, the Company members in the team being L/Cpls. Catt and Dawson. We hope that the Team will go on to further successes. It was no more than we expected to hear that C.S.M. Ongley and liis famous Running Team has once more returned with the Kent Cup. This is the third year in succession that our Battalion Team have won this even t; but more has been written concerning this elsewhere.

Very few men were left in barracks during the Christmas period, but I believe they all eujoj'ed themselves on Christmas Day.

We regret to say that Capt. Tukc has left the Company after a long spell as our Company Commander. We wish him the very best of luck in the future. His place has been taken by Capt. Hoare, who has also been with the Companv since his return from Burma.

T.C.H.

“ B ” C om pany.1933 has receded into the dim distance and before us looms 1934,

a year, so far, of promise and, might we say, expectation. For us the past year, and more especially the latter part of it, was perhaps the most momentous one that the Company has had for many a long day. We were able at last to assert ourselves and collected more points towards the Athletic Shield than we have done for a very long time. A resume of our activities will show to what extent the Company were successful :—November. Winners inter-company tug-of-war.November. Winners inter-company cross-country running.November. Joint winners with “A” Company of tire iuter-eompany

boxing.December. 3rd in the inter-company bayonet fencing.

This, after a period of “ unplaced,” was a magnificent effort and one that the Company is justly proud of.

On the Kith December the majority of the battalion proceeded on annual leave ; consequently news for this mouth is somewhat scarce. For those who remained behind everything was done to make Christmas a happy one.

The Sergeant-Master-Cook and his staff excelled themselves on Christmas Day and everyone sat down to a very fine dinner. He would indeed have to be a seasoned “ gourmet ” had he found anything to complain about.

Our gallant “ seadog,” Cpl. Banks, was to be seen during Christmas making mysterious journeys, very early in the morning to who knows where ? We hope that he contracted no colds, and that his search, though carried out so early, was successful.

That energetic young Cpl. Callaway has been employed in the Corporals' Mess during Christmas and full scope was allowed him for exhausting that energy. It was indeed a surprise to see that lie possesses so much decorative ability, for the decorations in the Mess were arranged perfectly.

1,/Cpl. Mitchell has been running around barracks a lo t ; is it to be wondered at, as he has become “ engaged ” over the holidays ? It appears to be the right season for such tilings, as many N.C.O.’s in the battalion have done the same tiring.

L/Sgt. Fox has proceeded on leave after a month as Sergeants’ Mess Caterer. It was a sight for sore eyes to see him preparing for this after an enforced stay in barracks.

Sgt. Johnson has returned from a Boxing Course in Aldershot and, though no results have appeared yet, wc hope that he was well placed in the “ honours list.”

Ty/Cpl. Taylor proceeded to Aldershot for a Cooks’ Course of five weeks on the 1st January.

The undermentioned have been selected to form part of the practice squad at the Army School of Education from the 20th January for eight weeks :—

Ptes. A. Johnson and T. Mitchell.The undermentioned have been selected to attend a six weeks’

Transport Class, commencing on the 29th January :—Ptes. Bryant, Gooddiild, Stokes, Furlong, Priddlc and Simons.

Our congratulations are extended to the following on the award of a Regimental Colour Badge for 1933 for cross-country running :— Sgts. Bell and Trinkwon and Cpl. Fox.

As we go to press we read in Battalion Orders with considerable regret that our Company Commander, Captain R. W. M. Webster, is to leave us after a period of two years. He is taking over command of “H.Q.” Wing in March. It is a case of our loss and their gain, but we sincerely hope that the good work, which has gone on, and the successes gained by the Company since he has been our Company Commander may continue.

We are also very sorry to lose Lieut. D. C. Coates, who became Second-iu-Command of “S” Company as from 15th January, and Lieut. T. H. Spear, who, by the time these notes appear, will have become Adjutant and therefore been transferred to ‘H.O.” Wing. To both these officers and their Servants, Ptes. White, F. and Good­man, who will be transferred with them, go our best wishes. Pte. Goodman will be missed very much in the Sports line, especially cricket.

“ G ” C om pany.Owing to our correspondent being on leave with the remainder of

the battalion our notes are few and far between.Nothing in the way of sport has happened, but we hope to settle

down to real training on return of the Company; the Hockey and Football Shields are to be competed for on the league system by the end of March.

Congratulations to E/Cpl. Howe on gaining an Instructor’s Certificate at the School of Education.

On the 29tli of December we send some of the Company on a Transport Course with the R.A. and hope to give a report in the next issue on the Course in general; our one and only Spud lias already been at practice in the method of attaching Putties reversed.

We welcome to the Company Sgt. Wade on his return from the Permanent Staff of the T.A. (Middlesex Regiment) and hope his stay will be long and happy ; also he should be an addition to our football team.

Congratulations to I,/Sgt. Woolf on obtaining a Certificate at the Military College of Science (Woolwich) and Pte. Beeeroft, Cycle repair ; also Pte. Tovnton on being awarded his 2nd Class Certificate of Education.

In conclusion, we heartily congratulate the Battalion Hockey Eleven on their success on January 10th in the third round of the Army Competition v. our neighbours, The 2nd Battalion The Royal Berkshire Regiment, whom they vanquished to the tunc of 4 goals to nil.

Coco.

“ S ” C om pany.As practically all the Company are at present enjoying their Annual

Furlough, my notes this month will be very short, there being very little of note to record.

Prior to the Company proceeding on furlough on the 16th December, we had completed firing Part 1. and Part T.a. and no doubt the new hands in the Company this year have now realized the importance of the Gun as a weapon for firing instead of carrying about in the form of a “ pack.”

We had an evening on the Range and it is good to report that up to the time of going to press we have had no news of casualities, or smashed lamps (unhappy thoughts no doubt) and the ricochets were very kind to us, disappearing in the opposite direction.

Nothing of note has taken place in the world of sport this month, but we are hoping that all will return from leave very fit to enable us to uphold our former prestige in future events.

We have heard that wc shall soon be losing Lieut. F. G. Crozicr, who has been successful in obtaining employment under the Colonial Office; we shall be very sorry to lose him, but would here like to wish him every success and health in the future.

Cpl. Dumont and 1,/Cpl. Price have returned from their courses at Netheravon and Aldershot respectively and, although no results are to hand j'et, we have not lost hopes of their having obtained D’s, in any case we feel sure that they have done well.

Sgt. Saunders has gone on a Course at the Military College of Science and he will be able to give us a few tips on the mechanism of the push-bike as well as the gun. (Take notice all ye that now proceed to meals on the said mounts).

We are sorry to hear that Lieut. Harwood is sick at home, and trust that he will have a quick recovery.

1933 having concluded, we must record that once again we have the honour to be the Champion Company, the Sliield having been presented to us during December by the Commanding Officer. It is going to be a very hard job to retain it this year, but “ Come on the Gunners ” and let us go all out to break the record of holding the Shield for the greatest number of consecutive years, a record which (I think) is held by “D” Company, our predecessors as a Company.

The noose tightens on our remaining single Sergeants we hear and, if rumour is correct, one more has taken the first step before the final plunge (No names, no “ Ashford ”) Pass ?

CRANKHANDLE.

Our Contemporaries.'y y iy acknowledge w ith than k s the receipt of the

following journals :—“ A ldershot Com m and News.” “ T he Jo u rn a l of The R oyal A rm y Service Corps.” “ T he C ovenan ter.” " In d ian A rm y O rdnance Corps G azette .” “ The S apper.” " The A ntelope.” “ Jo u rn a l of The H onour­able A rtillery C om pany.” " Y pres T im es.” “ The Green H ow ards' G azette .” ” T he Sprig of Shillelagh.” " The Snapper.” " O ur U m pire.” “ T he O ak T ree .” " T he Jo u rn a l of The R oyal A rm y Chaplains D ep t.” “ T he China D ragon.” " St. George’s G azette .” ” The G unner.” “ The L ondon Scottish R egim ental G aze tte .” “ Anglo-Danish Jo u rn a l.” “ T he T iger and T he R ose.” ‘‘ T he H am pshire R egim ental Jo u rn a l.” " R o y a l Fusiliers ' Chronicle.” " The B ugle.”

65"THE DRAGON

THE KEBLE GUP.

Inter-Platoon Football Competition.

Shorncliffe 1933-34. Winners'^No. 7 Platoon.

Halksworth Wheeler.

Iy/Cpl. W ight, Pte. Bridger, P te . T. M itchell, P te . H ub b ard , P te . Goodm an, Pte. Rolfe.

Iv/Cpl. T hom pson, P te . Shrubb , B /Sgt. T racey, B/Cpl. B ryan, G/Cpl. A ustin .

THE DRAGON66

Beneath Bell Harry.'T 'HK Depot re-

assembled again on January 2nd after ten days’ leave for rest and refreshment during Christinas.

Within a few days the Howard Squad was completed and the King Squad com­menced to form. Our present strength is three squads and one forming squad.

We offer our heartiest congratu­

lations to Captain Backhouse on his marriage, which took place at Walmer on January 3rd. The Depot was well represented at the wedding and Major N. D. Rice carried out the duties of best man in a manner which displayed much experience.

On January lOtli almost the entire Depot again made an expedition to Shornclilfe to give bold support to the 2nd Battalion team in the third round of the Army Hockey Cup against The Royal Berkshire Regiment. The Depot’s support was entirely successful and much appreciated by the players, who, if it had not been for this support, would have had to listen to the fans from Berkshire giving tongue to their hearts' contents, as the 2nd Battalion was still on leave.

On January 12th, the Colonel of the Regiment, who was accompanied by ColonelJ. Body, presented Dong Service and Good Conduct Medals to Q.M.S.I. Moon, A.P.F.S. Cook-Sergeant Maplesden and Sgt. Hodges,D.C.M. We offer our heartiest congratulations to the recipients of this well-deserved decoration.

On this day also Bieut. J. Williams and Bieut. N. R. Reeves attended at the Territorial Drill Hall at Canterbury for the Annual Social Party. 1 hear the evening was such a success that it was really late morning before they said farewell to their kind hosts.

M a rrie d F a m ilie s ’ C h r is tm a s P a rty .Tlie annual p a rty was held on Decem ber 21st in th e

Mess R oom block. On a rriv a l all th e guests were tak en in to tea. Crackers were a g reat success and all the young Buffs, each arm ed w ith a t least one w histle or m usical in s tru m en t and a p aper cap, were ready to w atch a m ost excellent Punch and Ju d y Show, which was as am using for th e grown-ups as for th e children.

The C hristinas Tree was the n ex t and m ost im p o rta n t p a r t of th e afternoon. F a th e r C hristm as m ade h is appearance from a large fire-place, b u t i t was n o t before the Com m anding Officer h ad shou ted a few welcoming words up th e chim ney th a t th e G rand Old M an appeared, laden w ith a large bag of sm all toys and m ore p aper ha ts . F v e ry child an d m other received a p resen t off th e tree , w hich was p resen ted by Mrs. Thomson.

A t the conclusion, C aptain A ndrew s m ade a sh o rt b u t im pressive speech in which he po in ted ou t how gratefu l everybody was for th e in te res t Mrs. Thom son had tak en in th e m arried families and th a t th is was her las t C hristm as p a r ty a t the D epot. Mrs. Thom son, in reply, th an k ed everybody for th e ir co-operation and assistance in m aking th ings so easy a t th e D epot from the social p o in t of view, and especially C aptain A ndrews for h is w ork for th e C hristm as p a rty .

T hanks for th e success of th e p a r ty are due to Mrs. Thom son, C aptain R obertson, C aptain Andrews, Mr. T u tt (F a th er C hristm as), Cook-Sergeant M aplesden and Mr. J ackson for his excellent ligh ting effects.

T he p a r ty concluded w ith th e singing of th e N ational A nthem , and on d ep artu re a bag of sw eets an d an orange was given to each child.

D epot in A rm y Rifle A ssoc ia tion C om petition .The A rm y Rifle A ssociation has only tw o

com petitions for w hich a D epot m ay enter, an d we are au to m atica lly ba rred from one as we h ave no open range. T here only rem ains M atch 33, th e 30 Y ards R ange M atch. T he conditions are so fram ed th a t th e in te res t in th is com petition is m ain ta in ed th ro u g h o u t tire year.

The team consists of 1 Sergeant, 1 Lance-Corporal or Corporal, 2 Lance-Corporals or P riva tes (all th e above to be chosen from th e D epot Staff), and 4 R ecruits. The m eth o d of selecting th e R ecru its is ingenious. Two R ecru its in each sq u ad fire th e p ractices and a t th e end of th e year th e O.C. D epot selects the four best scores to be included.

T here are th ree p ra c tic e s :— (1) G roup ing ; (2) Snap-shooting , 4 secs, exposure on a snap-shooting ta rg e t w ith a 1-inch ring ; (3) R apid , 10 sho ts in 1 m inute . H ighest possible score, 90.

T his year 36 team s en tered and th e D epot were th ird . 1st, D epot R oyal Sussex R egim ent, 633 ; 2nd, D epot K in g ’s R oyal Rifle Corps, 631 ; 3rd, D epot The Buffs, 614.

T he team th a t rep resen ted th e Depot, w ith th e irscores, was as follows :—

Sgt. J . Curliss ............................... 79Cpl. T. O’Connor ... ... ... 85L/Cpl. J . W o o d s ............................... 78L/Cpl. N. B ailey . .. . .. . .. 68R ecru it F rye ... . .. . .. 78R ecru it M itchell ... . .. . .. 76R ecru it S harpe ... ... . .. 75R ecru it G ain iord ... ... . .. 75

T he C aptain of th e team , who does n o t shoot, was B revet-M ajor N. D. Rice, and to him and Sergeant- In s tru c to r R . W ickham , who narrow ly m issed a place in th e team , our b e st th an k s are due for th e pa tience and en thusiasm th ey d isplayed th ro u g h o u t th e year, in b iting eas t winds, h o t sum m er days and days th a t were really nice, coacliing, w atching and helping.

A.B .T.

S e rg e a n ts ’ M ess.T he no tification of th e su dden dea th of th e la te

C.Q.M.S. T om P r a t t was a g reat shock to his m any com rades a t th e D epot, and th e ir deepest sy m p ath y is ex tended to Mrs. P ra t t and fam ily.

The dragon 67

C hristm as has come and gone, and to judge by th e expressions frequently heard , th a n k goodness i t only conies once a year.

T he Com m anding Officer and officers very kindly p a id a visit on D ecem ber 22nd before work finally ceased. T he “ E rick ” was du ly hoisted th a t evening, following th e C hildren’s C hristm as Tree and Tea, afte r w hich qu ite a hom ely dance w as thoroughly enjoyed b y all present. Following th is cam e a period of in ac tiv ity such as is seldom known, all going on leave excep t perhaps M aster-Cook M aplesden. T h a t w orthy ind iv idual h as served th e Mess well during th e p a s t year, u n d ertak in g th e necessary catering of all our en te rta in m en ts, an d his efforts have been thoroughly apprec ia ted by all. H e is now7 enjoying a sh o rt spell. (A.F.B.295A.)

W agering, culm inating in stakes deposited, has been p revalen t as to C.S.M. Farrow7, Sgts. H oy or P a tte rso n being th e first to be “ hooked .” P a tte rso n is a t shortest odds, the old ’im being a t qu ite a good price.

We h eartily congratu la te Sgt. and Mrs. T urner on th e b ir th of W endy H elena on Decem ber l l t l i . N um ber one in the Form ing Squad, F red ?

T he R.S.M . and Q.M.S. S h orte r h ad th e pleasure of being a t th e “ B ” Com pany 4 th B a tta lion D inner on Ja n u a ry 11th ..

The Colonel of th e R egim ent p resen ted th e Dong Service and Good C onduct Medal to Q.M .S.I. Moore, A .P.T .S ., and Sgts. Hodges, D.C.M., and M aplesden on P'riday, J a n u a ry 12th, which were duly “ w e t te d ” in th e usual m anner.

T he George P o rte r B illiards H and icap C om petition is now7 under way. To d a te tw7o gam es h ave been p layed —R.Q.M .S. M ould v. Mr. R. ID Dixon, C.S.M. Farrow’ v. Sgt. Curliss. T he R.Q.M .S. was the handicapper an d ap p aren tly d id h is job wrell (or d id n ’t he ? ?) as a fte r an exciting gam e Mr. Dixon won his gam e by 5 po in ts . T his was a needle m atch of the com petition , which caused qu ite a lo t of excitem ent. T he ta lk a tiv e powers of the R.Q.M .S. were fu tile against th e placid calm of his opponent. C.S.M. Farrow h ad a fa irly com fortable v icto ry over Sgt. Curliss.

A real live M in iature Rifle Club h as now7 been launched by Dieut.-Colonel Thom son a t the Depot, w ith very strong su p p o rt from the m em bers of th is Mess. Our ta lk is all of decim al targe ts , scoring nineties, and tw'o clicks righ t. W e hope th a t when we have se ttled down to hold our ow7ii w ith any B ranch, and perhaps n e x t m onth, th e Secretary will w rite some no tes on his own. We are sure he has a g ift of words h idden in his pen.

C o rp o ra ls ’ R oom .H ere we are, all m erry and b righ t a fte r being on

furlough for tw elve days, wdiich em braced C hristm as and th e New7 Year. T he D epot is now7 ge ttin g back to norm al and everybody is se ttling down to work again.

C ongratu lations are due to b/C pl. B aum back upon en tering in to th e s ta te of m atrim ony. W ell done, F reddie ! M ay till your troubles be little ones !

T he w inner of the th ird stage of our handicaps, nam ely ping pong, was “ T ich ” (Suzanne) O’Beary, who m anaged to show the o thers how7 easy i t is.

We have now7 to find a successor to “ Rack a ry ,” one with reinforced elbows in his coat, and we notice the w riting desk is now often occupied.

T he D epot’s la te s t ad v en tu re is sm all-bore shooting, in which the - C orporals are well represented . M ay th e club be successful and prosperous.

R/Cpl. Sim pson staggered th e w orld w ith a b reak of 113 on th e C orporals’ b illiard tab le , which w7as w itnessed and adm ired by a nu m b er of Corporals. W e have great pleasure in pred ic ting a b rillian t fu tu re for th is young N.C.O.

Cpl. O ’Connor has h ad th e m isfortune to be ad m itted to hosp ital. Is i t th e resu lt of “ Jo c k ’s ” 113, or is he w orking o u t an o th er 8— 1 chance.

Once again we hear th e fam iliar cry of is i t going to be M athem atics an d English, and th e w rinkles are beginning to appear again.

Before n ex t m on th we shall have lost Cpl. Tw yrnan to th e 1st B atta lion . H e is being replaced by Cpl. Senior (late 1st B atta lion) and u;e wish th em b o th th e best of luck. Dark 'U n .

T e rr i to r ia l A rm y .T he la te s t official re tu rn s show th a t during the

m on th of N ovem ber last, 1,376 recru its w7ere finally approved for th e T errito ria l A rm y. T he in tak e of recru its from 1st J a n u a ry la s t to 3 0 th N ovem ber, was 30,055, wdiich is an increase of 13,747 com pared w:ith th e corresponding period las t year.

The to ta l stren g th of th e T errito ria l A rm y (other ranks) on 1st D ecem ber was 126,462 ; th is is 568 less th an on 1st N ovem ber, b u t there is a n e t increase of 6,295 in th e s tren g th since 1st Ja n u a ry , 1933.

The n um ber of recru its ob ta in ed in each Com m and w7ere as follows :— E as te rn Com m and, 3 0 2 ; Rondon D istrict, 294 ; N o rth e rn Com mand, 172 ; S co ttish Com m and, 101 ; S outhern Com m and, 328, and W estern Com mand, 179.

The s tren g th s of th e 14 In fa n try Divisions on 1st Decem ber were as follows, th e corresponding figures on 1st N ovem ber being show n in b rackets :— 51st (H ighland) Division, 8,549 (8,621) ; 50th (N orth­um brian) Division, 8,538 (8,600) ; 46th (N orthM idland) Division, 8,196 (8,338) ; 53rd (Welsh)Division, 8,128 (8,195) ; 42nd (E ast Rancashire) Division, 8,016 (8,075) ; 43rd (Wessex) Division, 7,658 (7,639) ; 49 th (W est R iding) Division, 7,502(7,518) ; 52nd (Rowland) Division, 7,301 (7,366) ;48th (South M idland) Division, 7,131 (7,172); 44th (Home Counties) Division, 7,128 (7,138) ; 55th (W est Rancashire) Division, 7,103 (7,103) ; 54tli (E astAnglican) Division, 6,820 (6,826) ; 56th (1st Rondon) Division, 5,835 (5,865), and 47 th (2nd Rondon) Division, 5,412 (5,438).

G ia n ts ’ G rog .Most W est In d ian s fancy th ey can m ake a punch to

m eet all th e circum stances of life, b u t 1 d o u b t if there has ever been m ade such a m onster one for C hristm as or for any o th er season for th a t m a tte r, as was m ade a t th e cap tu re of th is island from th e Spanish.

General A bercrom bie h ad ordered The JQueen’s an d T he Buffs to d isem bark a t M ucurapo an d seize th e sugar facto ry there, w hich th e n belonged to th e D evenish fam ily. T he sp o t was b ad ly chosen and th e soldiers found them selves obliged to w ade w aist- deep in m ud to get ashore. W hen th ey got to th e facto ry they em ptied tw o barrels of sugar and th ree of ru m in to one of th e p its and proceeded to m ix the biggest punch th a t has ever been m ade in th e h isto ry of T rin idad . The old chronicles s ta te th a t i t was ladled o u t in buckets and d is trib u ted am ong the en tire expeditionary force. T he soldiers called i t “ G ian ts’ Grog.” . _ .February 18th, 1797.

68 THE DRAGON

The 4th Battalion.TT'VERYONE I have met -tD seems to have had a real good Christmas and they appear to take longer “ getting over it ” than usual; always a sign of. lots of good cheer. Now that Christmas is over and we have started a New Year we can again turn our minds to soldiering. May it be a most success­ful year for the Battalion. It certainly has every prospect of being so, with Camp early and at Arundel.

The only fly in the ointment at the moment is the surprising lack of recruits, but I am sure with a concerted effort by all ranks of the battalion we shall soon fill up the gaps. Butlet us have this effort from everybody andall will be well.

Naturally there is very little to report even in the social sphere. The Canterbury Branch of the Past and Present Association held a very successful New Year's Dance in our Drill Hall.

“B” Company held a most successful Company Dinner in conjunction with the Canterbury Platoon Prize-Giving on January 11th. This is a new departure. I hope it is the first of many. Colonel Crossman who is leaving us was the guest of the evening. Colonel Findlay, The Mayor of Canterbury and Mr. Bell also came along. I t was very good of them to turn out as they all have many calls on their time. Colonel Collard, Captain Wilson, Lieut. Verlander, Lieuts. Williams and Reeves from the Depot and Lieutenants Elgar and Harris from 385th Battery were also present. There was a good dinner and good band and entertainer. A speech by Captain Mount to liven up the proceedings— a thoroughly good evening.

We are very pleased to congratulate six members of the battalion on receiving their Efficiency Medals. They are C.Q.M.S. Tapp and Sgt. Beal, “C” Company ; Sgt. Wybourne, Pte. Chadwick, “B” Company; Sgt. Maxted, “A” Company and Drm. Jennett, “D” Company.______________________________

How to get “ The Dragon.”p o r those wishing to receive the Paper direct through the

post each month, the rates of subscription are :—1 year, 8j~. 6 months, 4j-. 3 months, 2j~.

Remittances should be sent to the Editor, Depot The Buffs, Canterbury.

Battalion Inter-Platoon Small Bore Rifle League.As I mentioned in my last notes that we hope to

see a marked improvement in the next rounds of this competition, six of the teams have returned targets showing a great improvement in their scores, the notable improvements being Horsmonden Platoon with an increase of 85 points and Heme Bay Platoon by 74. Canterbury Platoon still maintain their lead in the League, being ahead of Dover by a clear 40 points. I t looks as though the Dover men will have to cast their fishing tackle on one side and attend to their guns.

The results of the second round and the League up-to-date are as under :—

Team. Scores.1st round. 2nd round.

Total.

Canterbury... ... 630 621 1,251Dover ... 605 606 1,211Herne Bay ... ... 545 619 1,164Littlebourne ... 525 591 1,116Horsmonden ... 505 596 1,101Cranbrook ... ... 571 511 1,082Whitstable ... 537 529 1,066Ramsgate ... ... 530 ■517 1,047Hawkhurst... • • ... 488 537 1,025Folkestone ... ... 429 527 956Sandwich ... ... 392 364 756Margate ... 598 — 598Sittingboume ... ... 568 — 568

The best scores for the second round are Lieut. J. C. Jackson (Cranbrook), 92 ; L/Cpl. Butchers (Horsmon­den), 92; Lieut. D. P. Iggulden (Herne Bay), 91; Sgt. Wyborne (Canterbury), 91 ; and Pte. Dixon (Hawkhurst), 91. This shows an increase on the first round of those scoring over 90. I t is no mean effort to top 90 with the service ■ 22-inch rifle. I t is hoped that companies will go to the trouble and expense of getting all their best men together for the T.A. match coming off shortly, for, on looking over the individual scores, each company has eight real good shots who if formed into a company team would put up a creditable score, which I am sure would be far better than leaving it to one platoon to find the team. Of course they would have to use their own platoon rifles, but that little difficulty could be overcome.

The Battalion Individual Sweepstake shows promise of being a close shoot, for each competitor has still four more targets to shoot off. The results up-to-date are as follows :— Scores.

Name. Coy. ls2 round. 2nd round. Total.Lt. J. C. Jackson... "C” 188 98 X 99 = 197 385Dmr. Marsh “D” 189 98 X 96 = 194 383Sgt. Beale.............. “C” 190 94 X 95 « 189 379Sgt. Willing P.S. 176 97 X 90 = 187 363Sgt. Larkin P.S. 182 91 X 90 = 180 363C.Q.M.S. Tapp ... “C” 180 87 X 83 = 170 350C.S.M. dancey ... “B" 172 85 X 85 = 170 342Sgt. Davis.............. “B” 164 86. X 92 = 178 342

Lieut. J. C. Jackson’s shoot in the second round was a very fine performance, scoring 3 points off a possible. Perhaps he will be included on the list of Lecturers telling all how he did it. We hope he keeps up to this standard for the trial shoot to select the team to represent the Territorial Army.

Boxing Notes.The battalion looks like having a good if rather small

boxing team this year. We want a really good heavy and light-heavyweight to complete the team.

THE DRAGON 69

The K en t G roup Boxing will tak e place a t Brom ley in th e D rill H all of the 5 th Q ueen’s Own R .W .K . Regt. a t 7 p.m . on S atu rday , F eb ru a ry 3rd. T ickets are 3/- and 2/- reserved , and 1/- unreserved, while T.A. soldiers in plain clothes will be a d m itted a t 6d. if th e tick e ts are ordered th rough u n it headq u arte rs . T he b a tta lio n team will consist of an officers’ heav y and w elter, and o th er ran k s ' m iddle to flv.

A.C.R.

“ A ” C om pany .Margate Platoon .

At the Drill Hall on December 7th the Detachment held their Annual Dinner and Prize-Giving. As usual, the weather was extremely cold, and the thoughts of a cold Drill Hall were not at all encouraging. But under the supervision of C.S.M. Johnson, L/Cpl. Parnell and Pte. Keller did good work in making the Hall extraordinarily comfortable. Hr. Nash served up a very fine dinner; he is to be congratulated on the way he manages to keep the food hot. Unfortunately, Colonel Collard and Captain Wilson were unable to attend. We would like to thank .Sir Harry and Lady Eox for their interest in the Detachment, Lady Pox said in her Toast “ The Health of the Detachment,” several nice things about us ; however, I am sure they are not true. C.S.M. Johnson gave his usual witty speech on behalf of the visitors, Sir Harry and Lady Fox, Colonel Mainwaring Dunstan, T.D., Wing- Commander Halley, Major and Mrs. Witts, Major Sadler, Colonel Norton, Captain Friend, Mr. Verlander, Mr. Rose, Mr. Hewett. and R.S.M. Shoebridge. This toast was responded to by Wing-Commander Halley, c/o 500 Squad R.A.F., Manston.

At the conclusion of the speeches Lady Fox presented the Prizes and Cups. After a short break the floor was cleared for the Guard Mounting Demonstration by members of the Platoon. Wing- Commander Halley very kindly consented to inspect both Guards for the two best turned out men. L/Cpl. Connors and L/Cpl. Parnell are to be congratulated as winners, as the standard of marking was very high. The evening was finished by dancing and perhaps drinking.

Boxing is our next point of interest. Sunday morning, 14th January, Mr. Roberts, Officer i/c Boxing brought L/Cpl. Pascall and Pte. Phillips from Dover, Pte. Wills and Beer came from Herne Bay, Mr. Johnson, Pte. Keeler, Jezzard and Lee made up Margate’s number. X believe Mr. Roberts was quite satisfied with the results of the fights that took place. February 3rd will see us up at Bromley, lets hope for the best.

“ B ” C om pany.The principal event of the month has been the Company Dinner

held at the Canterbury Drill Hall on January 11th. As a first venture it may be regarded as a success and the gratitude of the Company is due to R.S.M. Shoobridge who spent a great deal of time and trouble over the arrangements. It is hoped that it will be possible to repeat the venture another year as otherwise it is so difficult to get the greater part of the Company together, except during the Annual Camp.

We were exceedingly pleased to have our Brigade Commander with us on that occasion and we also received a much-appreciated message from the Colonel of the Regiment in which he stressed the desirability of all serving Territorials joining the Past and Present Association.

Among the guests were the Mayor of Canterbury, who has always been a loyal supporter of the Canterbury Platoon, tlie Chief Constable of the City; Colonel Findlay, Lieut.-Colonel Collard, and Officers and N.C.O.’s from the Depot, “A” Company, and “H.Q.” Wing of the 4th Battalion, Officers and Sergeants of the 385th Battery R.A., making a very representative gathering for the occasion.

As was mentioned during the evening the average attendance at Drills throughout the Company was well above that laid down for the T.A. Chartham detachment headed the list with 50 drills per man, a really surprising figure as the minimum is of course 20 drills. Can­terbury' averaged 38 per man, Littlebournc, Wliitstable and Sittingbourne, 33 per man. So that every detachment put in at least 50% more drills than they are compelled to. This reflects great credit on the keenness of the men and also on the amount of interest the Platoon Commanders and P.S.T.’s get into their training, always a difficult matter where units are small.'

Now we must look ahead to the present year, hoping to beat last year’s performance and also to retain the Harris Shield.

We understand that there are three Companies in the battalion who expect to relieve us of it.

The miniature range shoot for the Brigade Cup takes place shortly. A platoon of “B ” Company once had the honour of bringing it to the battalion and it seetns almost time for it to return to us. Platoon Commanders, please take note.

“ C ” (W eald) C om pany.Someone of importance is alleged to have said at some time or

other that “ an army marches on its stomach.”

This extremely undignified and unpractical mode of progression always struck us as being very hard on the “ Jackets S.D.” of the period, but we assumed that this was only a temporary measure following some trouble with Army contractors and boots, and we were rather relieved to learn that the author of this remark was speaking metaphorically.

But even so it seems a pity, and rather lacking in imagination, that the War Office has never carried out a series of marching tests with selected units on Boxing Day and again on, say, Good Friday, after a frugal fish dinner.

Assuming that the theory is a correct one, such tests would surely result in a substantial increase in army rations, a brisk demand for, (w'e hope), British beef, the return of prosperity to farmers, followed by a considerable reduction in the income tax and the solution of all our economical troubles.

In fact we rather suggest that the Editor should send a copy of these notes to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the C.I.G.S. We ask for no reward except a peerage and a large stock farm.

As may be gathered from all this, Christmas has been rather occupying our minds, (and our stomachs), and this festive feeling has been further enhanced by the receipt of a few raspberries from the Adjutant.

But we are now re-occupying the old rut, the only difference being that owing to exceptionally dry weather we have been able to clean it out very thoroughly, and amongst other buried treasures we have discovered a well-preserved parchment bearing (in large Roman characters), the inscription “ 1)0 IT NOW.” There is also a smaller inscription which has suffered slightly from erosion, but enough remains to suggest that the author of this stirring phrase rvas named... Jotants... Pliinents. No doubt a distinguished Roman philosopher. We thank Mr. Pliment.s, and we are now acting on his advice.

Cranbrook Drill Hall and, in a lesser degree, Hawkhurst and Horsmondeti, are not only to be seats of learning, {vide, lecture pro­gramme), but athletic centres where everything from “ shove ha’penny ” to basket ball can be freely indulged in. We are told that this will draw recruits like pins to a magnet. We hope it will.

We record with deep regret the passing of a great friend—the white belt. The last relic of the glories of pre-war scarlet and one of the few remaining aids to “ flapper-drawing ” when walking out. Why we have been deprived of these harmless little bits of finery we cannot imagine and can only suggest that they arc going to be re-issued to country policemen for their better protection at night against short­sighted motor drivers. We commend this idea to Chief Constables— free.

Our lectures continue to draw satisfactory and appreciative audiences. Colonel Bums delighted the Company with a most interest­ing account of the “ Siege of Kut ” at Horsmonden on December 11th and had prepared some splendid large scale maps of Kut and of Lower Mesopotamia to illustrate his lecture.

He had also drawn a most effective sketch of the towm of Kut.His account of the siege was particularly interesting to those of us

who had tried to relieve him. Our late Brigade Commander, Brigadier- General Dick, was present at this lecture and we were delighted to see him. He only escaped sharing the siege with Colonel Bums by the skin of his teeth after the battle of Ctesiphon. The C.O. and Adjutant were also present.

Lieut.-Commander Morley, R.N., gave a most interesting account, of his “ War Experiences with Destroyers,” at Horsmonden on January 8th and at Cranbrook on January 9th.

He took us to the North Sea, Coast of Ireland, Mediterranean, Greek Islands, Gallipoli, Suez Canal, and several other places and he had some most thrilling tales about all of them. His lecture again was admirably illustrated by maps and photographs.

We are getting to know quite a lot about the Navy and several of us talk about “ bows ” instead of “ pointed ends ” now.

We congratulate Lieut.-Colonel II. Morgan on his well-deserved brevet at the New Year.

We were very sorry to read in the January Dragon of Captain Hammond-Davies’ accident at polo and we hope that by now his collar-bone is quite as it should be again.

We congratulate C.Q.M.S. Tapp and Sgt. Beale on being awarded their Territorial Efficiency Medals.

We hope that Lord Goschen will present both these medals and the one recently awarded to C.S.M. Brooks when he comes to lecture at Cranbrook on Tanuarv 24th.

a.e .l .h .

“ D ” (S) C om pany.Dover.

The month of December has passed off very quietly, the only thing of an excitable nature was the paying of bounties, this being an occasion when we renew old acquaintances, members of the Company who have not appeared since Camp. We hope they will continue to show up.

The Small-bore Rifle Club is going strong, several new members having joined during the New Year. The results of the “ Bell ” Medal Competition for 1933 are as follows :—

Winner of “ Bell ” Medal :—Pte. Phillips, with a score of 380 out of 400.

Winner of Daily Mail Certificate -Pte. Phillips.Winner of Neivs of the World Certificate :—L/Cpl. R. Tripp.Winner of the Dailv Telegraph Certificate :—L/Cpl. Tripp.Winner of Silver Spoon :—Sgt. Clark.

70 THE DRAGON

In this Competition, the Medal and Certificates can only be won once, so this put a ban on L/Cpl. Tripp, who was the winner last year. He made an excellent score of 389 out of 400, which included one target with a possible, for which he is being presented with a S.M.R.C. Record Certificate. I am not going to mention the scores made by our members in the T.A. Trial Shoot, as no doubt they will be included in the battalion notes.

In concluding these notes we take the opportunity to congratulate the 2nd Battalion on again winning the Kent Team Championship, and to L/Cpl. Frankham on being the first man home in the recent Cross-Country County Championships held at Gravesend.

F o l k e s t o n e .Our Police, we know, are wonderful; for Greta Garbo has said so.

And the Royal Marines, so they say, will go anywhere. But an “S” Company of The Buffs will do anything. What motto high-sounding enough to commemorate the deeds of the members of the detachment on the occasion of the Annual Children’s Party? Perhaps, “ Fools step in where Angels fear to tread.” At all events, as the Tatler might say, L/Cpl. Brazier was there in a striking gown of palest white organdie, and, though the splodges of grease paint on his face made it difficult to determine what his real feelings were, he appeared to be enjoying himself as much as all of us. Even Father Christmas, who had stead­fastly resolved to avoid any small child’s unfair charge that his “ breath smelt the same as Daddy’s,” gladly suffered the tortures of Tantalus as he leant against the bar in the Chib waiting for the moment for his triumphal entry, watching others do what he might not...yet. The party was held in the Drill Hall on Wednesday, 10th January and anyone should be only too glad to endure even a long white beard that reeks of petrol in order to help on a children’s party which partial and impartial observers alike declare is the biggest and brightest for miles round. We were glad to meet many old friends from the 2nd Battalion, including C.S.M. Sidwell and Sgt. Page, the late P.S.I.’s of “C” and “A” Companies respectively. Sgt.-Major MacWalter was also there. It is an unfortunate thought that we shall not have the pleasure of the company of the 2nd Battalion next year.

We have had visits this Christinas from Pte. Warne, who left us about eighteen mouths ago, and Pte. Godden, who went to the Depot about seven months ago. Their repeated visits show that they must have had a very enjoyable time with us, and we wish to encourage all old members of the detachment to look us up when in Folkestone.

The strength of the detachment has been recently reduced by the transfer of Pte. Stubberfield to the R.A.F. where his football should be found very valuable. We wish him the best of luck. The total strength is, however, increased by the enlistment of Cpl. Fuller’s brother and Pte. McGarry, the son of an old Buff. Members of the Detachment arc reminded that if they bring in recruits as soon as possible they give the battalion and the recruits themselves a chance of proving efficient in camp, while, by leaving enlistment to a later date, the value of the man’s training before camp is considerably less. Cpl. Fuller is going on a three-weeks’ course to the Royal Corps of Signals to Catterick this month, while five of the Signal Section are going on a month’s attachment for Signalling instruction to the 2nd Battalion ; such a preliminary training should give them a wonderful opportunity of success in the T.A. competitions in Camp.

The next big event to which we all look forward is the Company Prize-giving at Dover on Februarv the l ttli.

A.C.R.

The Regimental Gazette.Officers.

R egular Army R e se r v e of Off ic e r s .GENERAL LIST.

Major-General Sir Arthur I„ Lyndcn-Bcll, K.C.B., K.C.M.G., Colonel The Buffs, having attained the age limit of liability to recall, ceases to belong to the Reserve of Officers (January 2nd).

H alf-'Yearly B revets.The following promotions arc made (Januarv 1st) :—To be Bt.-Lieut.-Colonel : Major H. de R. Morgan, D.S.O., The

Buffs.

Th e Bu f f s .—Captain F. J. Tuke retires on retired pay, Jan. 17th. Captain D. S. Lister, M.C., is restored to establishment, January 17th. Captain T. H. Keble is seconded for service on Staff, January 21st. Lieutenant T. H. Spear to be Adjutant, vice Capt. A. J. D. Rose, January 21st.

4t h Battalion T h e B u f f s .—Lieut.-Colonel and Brevet Colonel J. Body, D.S.O., O.B.E., T.D., retired. Territorial Army, to be Hon. Colonel, January 27th.

The 2nd Battalion.E n listm ents—B oys.

The undermentioned Boys were attested at Canterbury for 2nd Battalion The Buffs on 27-12-1933. Terms of Service—12 years (9 with the Colours and 3 with the Reserve) as from attaining the age of 18 years (dates shown against their name). Joined 2nd Battalion on 27-12-33 and posted to “II.Q.” Wing :—

Boy A. Gallowav, 6-9-36; Bov E. T. Lewer, 15-9-36; Bov A. H. Mitchell, 24-3-36.

Boy J. Amos, “H.Q.,” attested at Canterbury on 15-1-34 for 2nd Battalion The Buffs. Joined Battalion and posted to Companv shown, 15-1-36.

E ducational Aw ards.The undermentioned of Companies shown were awarded 2nd Class

Certificates of Education at an examination held at Shorncliffe on 17-11-33 :—

6284403 Pte. F. Courtnev, “H.Q.” ; 6283736 Dmr. C. Garrett, “H.Q.” ; 6285001 Dmr. W.' Spaltman, “H.Q.” ; 5616465 Pte. E. Toynton, “C” ; 6283740 L/Cpl. M. Frankham, “S” ; 6285087 Pte. A. Hodges, “S” ; 6285236 Pie. E. Sheppard, “S” ; 62S5294 Pte. W. Williams, “S.”

Appo in tm en ts .6285206 L/Cpl. A. Bollen, “H.O.,” granted pav of appointment,

29-12-33.Stren gth— D e c r ea se .

6283776 Cpl. R. Fox, “B,” embarked at Southampton in H.T. Somersetshire on 22-12-33, accompanied by family.

Tr a n sfer to t h e Army R e se r v e .6282556 L/Cpl. G. .Sexton, “B” (Attd. A.V.T.C., Cliiseldon), trans­

ferred to the Army Reserve, under Para. 369 (i) K.R. 1928, on 2S-12- 33.

6283500 Pte. F. Catlin, “S,” transferred to the Army Reserve, under Para. 369 (i) K.R.’s, 1928, on 3-1-34.

6283501 Bdm. N. Ralcliffe, “H.O.,” transferred to the Armv Reserve under Para. 369 (i) K.R.’s 1928, on 6-1-34.

6283251 Pte. T. Towner. “H.Q.,” transferred to the Armv Reserve under Para. 369 (i) K.R.’s 1928, bn 7-1-34.

6283513 Pte. T. Pullen, “H.Q.” and 6283512 Pte. C. Sparkes, “H.Q.,” transferred to the Armv Reserve under Para. 369 (i) K.R.’s 1928. on 10-1-34.

D i s c h a r g e .6281468 Pte. A. Beale, “H.Q.,” discharged under Para. 370 (xxi)

K.R.’s 1928, on 8-1-34.62S2635 Bdm. C. Ilenricksen, “H.O.,” discharged under Para. 370

(xvi) K .R.’s 1928, on 6-1-34.

The Depot.R e c r u it s .

Attested as shown :—Recruits W. T. Wickens, 18-12-33 ; F. G. Barlow, 3-1-34 ; S. F.

Whiteman, 3-1-34 ; D. M. S. Johnson, 28-12-33 ; D. Harris, 2-1-34 ; H. T. Townend, 4-1-34 ; F. L- J. Tarring, 3-1-34 ; P. Cullen, 5 -1- 34 ; W. H. Drury, 5-1-34 ; L- C. Green, 5-1-34 ; S. C. Creed, 5 -1 - 34 ; H. E. Higgs, 5-1-34 ; J. Blower, 6-1-34 ; R. W. Maltby, 5 -1- 34 ; W.- H. Scott, 9-1-34 ; M. D. Sheppard, 9-1-34 ; A. Cordell, 9-1-34 ; F. W. Streater, 10-1-34 ; T. Gillmore, 12-1-34 ; H. Norval, 15-1-34; W. L. Wraight, 15-1-34; C. A. Bennell, 16-1-34; F. C. Horn, 16-1-34 ; S. A. Laslett, 16-1-34 ; J. W. Whitmarsh, 16-1-34.

E ducational Aw ards.The undermentioned were awarded 2nd Class Certificates of

Education at an Examination held at Canterburv on 14tli December, 1933 ;—

“ Clinton ” Squad.6285611 Pte. H. Back, 6285591 Pte. W. Cooper, 6285599 Pte. C.

Coade, 6285597 Pte. N. Delves, 6285582 Pte. S. Howsham, 6285602 Pte. J. Tones, 6285594 Pte. L. Roos, 6285605 Pte. II. Swallow, 6285590 Pte. E. Towner, 6285593 Pte. H. Ward. 6285600 Pte. F. Winter.

(2) The undermentioned were awarded 3rd Class Certificates of Education at an Examination held at Canterburv on 15th December, 1933:—

“ Clinton ” Squad.6285603 Pte. A. Chaffer, 6285565 Pte. E. Crosslev, 6285609 Pte. H.

Foord, 6285592 Pte. A. Holliday, 6285610 Pte. F. Rigden, 6285606 Pte. P. Williams.

“ Don ” Squad.6285647 Pte. A. Beanev, 2029581 Pte. V. Blewitt, 6285612 Pte.

A. Carter, 6285649 Pte. W. Claringbould, 6285617 Pte. F. Excell, 6285631 Pte. V/. Fagence, 6285632 Pte. IT. Johnson, 6285621 Pte. T. Lee. 6285613 Pte. J. Murray, 6280630 Pte. E- Newman, 62S5645 Pte.B. Powell, 6285616 Pte. W. Quigley, 6285614 Pte. C. Stew, 6280622 Pte. W. Swain, 6285628 Pte. E. Stead, 6285623 Pte. G. Wainwright, 6285626 Pte. M. Wingate.

“ Howard ” Squad.6285658 Pte. J. Fisher, 6285654 Pte. T,. Harversou, 6285663 Pte. F.

O’Connor.Arm y Specia l Cer tific a t e of E du cation .

6285663 Pte. E. O’Connor, “H,” to be regarded as holding the Army Special Certificatejof Education provided he passes in Map Reading at a future Examination.

A PAPER FOR

THE BUFFS

AND

MEN OF KENT.

? T n90/f/*3a£2§?5s

1 5 - ] jfrondesc'it

Post free— Ireland & Abroad.

8/- per annum . 4/- 6 months.2/- 3 m onths.

W rite :—Editor, Depot, The Buffs,

Canterbury.

Telephone; 313..

~t)

JU C ie fc " g t e g i m e t t f - s .Q u e e n ’s ^ l i f C e s o f ^ a n a b a . ' g T a n c o u o e r ' g l e g i m e i t i .

3rb i^aftaCtOtt (gBerritpa gnfartfrp) JUxsfrctCicm ^iCitaTi? fo rce s .

No. 412. March, 1934. Price Sixpence.

Personalia.^PH E Colonel of the Regiment attended the

8th Battalion Dinner in Dondon on February 10th ; visited the Depot on February 14th ; and was present on the 17th at the 7th Battahon Dinner and subsequently attended the meeting of the London Branch.

Major-General Sir Guy Bainbridge has sold his house (Boutherny Cottage) at Newbury, and is at present fishing in Ireland.

The death of General Sir Percy Radcliffe, G.O.C.-in-C. Southern Command, is an irreparable loss to the Army, and by his passing the Regiment has lost a very sincere admirer and friend. He was never tired of expressing his admiration for the Regiment and saying he hoped that a battalion of The Buffs would some day be under his command. When asked the reason for this, he replied : " From my earliest days I have read of The Buffs and admired their history, but what has filled me with special admiration for the Regiment in recent years is the truly marvellous work done by the Geddes Detachment in the Ypres Salient early in 1915. I think there can be no doubt that they saved the situation and saved Ypres. The gallantry of this detachment will surely be an epic in British military history.”

I t will be remembered that recently Brigadier-General R. A. Hickson was seriously ill, having broken several ribs in an accident, from this he completely recovered. Since

then the General has been very dangerously ill with acute bronchitis. As we go to press we are delighted to hear that he is “ completely out of danger.”

Brigadier-General C. and Mrs. Porter have made themselves very comfortable at Dene Hill Lodge, near Harrietsham. General Porter purposes shortly visiting some of the neighbour­ing Branches of our Association.

Brigadier Francis H. Stapleton, C.M.G., has been appointed General Secretary of the National Association for Employment of Regular Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen.

We heartily congratulate Canon Harry Blackburne, D.S.O., M.C., so well-known to us all, on his appointment as Dean of Bristol.

We are very glad to hear that the Knights of Windsor, Colonel A. C. Jackson and Brigadier-General E. H. Finch-Hatton, are well.

Colonel R. E. and Mrs. Power were at Southampton on the 16th ultimo to bid adieu to Lieut.-Colonel H. and Mrs. Morgan. Colonel Morgan was O.C. Troops, which, we understand, carries many and varied duties.

Another very interesting communication comes from Major E. Gould, giving many details of the recent trying times in France.

74 THE DRAGON

Lieut.-Colonel J. Crookenden has just returned from Kitzbiihel, where he had excellent sport.

Major George Hamilton is shortly proceeding home and proposes to travel via Canada and offer the greetings of the Regiment to our Allied Canadian Regiments—the Vancouver Regiment and the Queen’s Own Rifles.

Our congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Hodgson on the birth of a son. Mrs. Hodgson, it will be remembered was before her marriage Miss Mary Tvlden-Pattenson. We feel sure Major A. Tylden-Pattenson is a very proud grand-father.

Captain H. H. C. and Mrs. Baird have arrived home from Ceylon. We are glad to hear that the trip has done them good.

We offer our congratulations to Captain . Peter Stopford, Secretary of the Kent Territorial Army Association, on his marriage to Miss Sheila Romer, only daughter of the Adjutant- General, which took place on February 20th at the Chapel of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea.

lyieuts. J, E. King, G. L. B. Oliver, D. C. Coates, and J. G. Nicholson, are sitting for the examination for admission to the Staff College. We wish them the best of luck.

Lieut. V. Boucher is, we hear, to succeed Mr. Oliver as Adjutant of the 1st Battalion.

We congratulate Lieut. P. Lynden-Bell on having passed the preliminary examination in French.

We congratulate Lieut. H. C. F. Harwood on having qualified at the 39th Short Course held at the Army School of Education, Shorncliffe.

This month we start publishing a diary compiled by Mr. Thomson Hill, detailing his experiences during the War. We are very grateful to him, and feel sure that many of our readers will not only be reminded of facts but also of similar experiences, likely to be forgotten as time passes.

We congratulate Mr. Alan Andrews on having passed into Sandhurst. Alan Andrews is the youngest son of the late C.Q.M.S. Andrews, so well-known to many of the old 2nd Battalion and the Depot.

We offer our very heartiest congratulations to the 2nd Battalion on its further running success (See battalion notes), and would particularly congratulate Cpl. Frankham on his pluck in competing and winning in spite of a broken wrist.

We also very heartily congratulate the 4th Battalion on its boxing successes.

We are very sorry to have to report the death of Mr. J. Carpenter. We are indebted to Captain A. Andrews for the obituary notice On page 76.

We are glad to hear that Boy Carvell (Duke of York's School) is doing well after an operation for appendicitis.

Many of our readers will be glad to hear that the second volume of " The History of The Buffs ” is being written by Captain C. R. B. Knight, the period covered being 1704-1914. A further notice appears on page 77.

I t is a happy coincidence that the first volume (which was referred to by the late Hon. John Fortescue as being the model of what a regimental history should be) should have been written by the late Captain H. R. Knight, father of our present historian.

We congratulate Mr. A. J. Kennedy (late Band-Sergeant of the 2nd Battalion) and Mrs. Kennedy on being appointed Master and Matron of the St. Augustine’s Home for Band Boys at Sevenoaks.

We have cheery news of Mr. Knocker, writing from the Headquarters of the Nigeria Regiment at Kaduna. He says he is very fit and has seen quite a lot of Major and Mrs. Stronge, who are at Kano, where Major Stronge is commanding the 2nd Battalion of The Nigeria Regiment. Mr. Knocker is due in England on December 8th of this year and hopes to return to the Regiment on April 27th, 1935.

THE dragon 75

LONDON BRANCH.The Colonel of the Regiment gave a wonder­

ful address to the members on the 17th ultimo. It was the general opinion that he had never spoken better.

It shows the enthusiasm of General Sir Arthur for old Buffs. He left the 7th Battalion Dinner just before 9 p.m., was rushed by Mr. Gordon Bindley, M.C., in his car to the Dondon Meeting, stayed ten minutes, and rushed again to Victoria in time for the 9.30 p.m. train.

The 8th (S) Battalion Re-union was a great success. Nearly 100 sat down to a good dinner, and the splendid fellowship prevailing was most marked.

Major J. Vaughan, after a long sojourn abroad, was given a rousing reception. The Colonel of the Regiment was also present.

We hear that the 7th (S) Battalion Re-union was another great success.

Colonel Guy Bee and Captains T. O. Cook,E. A. Carter, R. W. Orwin and E. C. Ainge were noticed discussing regimental history with such stalwarts as Messrs. Borland, Austin, Warren, Reynolds and Joe Green. Who won ?

We regret to hear that Colonel H. Findlay is laid up with bronchitis, but trust he will have a speedy recovery.

Our sympathy is extended to the widow and family of the late Mr. Geo. Butt (7th Battalion), who recently passed away.

Mr. H. (Molly) Marshall, late No. 4415 Sgt., 1st Battalion, was forced through illness to miss his first Branch meeting. Buck up, “ Molly,” there are many more coming.

After hearing Messrs. Philpot, Dunk, Field, Tong, Whiting and others speak at the last meeting on a particular motion, we must try and have some debates on topical subjects of general interest.

With reference to a Eondon Press publication that only five men who fought in the Zulu War survived, brought spirited protest at the last meeting. The Branch is in touch with several of the old warriors. Reg. No. 828 A. Brown is only one, and he says that he is good for a long innings.

Births, Marriages and Deaths.B i r t h s .

Farrell.—6282215 Sgt. A. Farrell, “M.G.,” a son, John Anthony Gordon, born at Maymyo on 4/12/33.

M a r r i a g e s .

B e lc h e r—C h a p m a n .—6282811 Cpl. E. Belcher, “C,” married to Irene Victoria Chapman, at Edmonton on 12/7/33.

Crowley—Page.—6282090 Pte. J. Crowley, “C,” married to Alice Elizabeth Page, at Hofy Cross Church, Canterbury, Kent, on 26/12/33.

Hadfield—Pope.—6285059 Pte. F. Hadfield, “B,” married to Edith Eaura Pope at Elham, Kent, on 8/11/33.

Mannall—Wickens.—6282334 E/Cpl. C. Mannall, “M.G.,” married to Bessie Mary Wickens, at Dover, Kent on 26/8/33.

Oliver—Lock.—6284297 Pte. R. Oliver, “B," married to Alice Edith Bock at Elham, Kent, on 26/3/32.

Sirett—Hodgson.—6282943 E/Sgt. H. Sirett, “H.Q.,” married to Clara Hodgson at Elham, Kent, on 18/12/33.

E n g a g e m e n t s .

Mr. J. C. T. Crozier and Miss Huntley.The engagement is announced between

John Christopher Thomas Crozier (late The Buffs and K.A.R.), of Doromo Falls, Makuyu, Kenya, son of Major Sir Thomas Crozier (late R.A. and Home Office) and of Eady Crozier, of 12 Eccleston Square, S.W.l, and Eleanor Martha, eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. F. O. J. Huntley, of Boxwell Court, Tetbury, Gloucestershire.

Mr. G. L. Walker and Miss B. Ruttledge.The engagement is announced between

Geoffrey Eawrence Walker, The Buffs, youngest son of the late Thomas Frederick Walker, of Jersey, and Betty, youngest daughter of the late Captain John Ruttledge, The King's Own Regiment, and Mrs. Ruttledge, of Grimston Cottage, Folkestone.

S i e v e r W e d d i n g .

Stone—Doggett.—On February 2nd, 1909, at St. Mary’s Parish Church, Folkestone, by the Rev. C. S. M. Playfair, No. 4612 Sgt. William Thomas Stone to Jane Barclay Doggett.

76 THE DRAGON

Mr. H. G. L. Davidson.THIi funeral of Mr. Henry George Lindsay Davidson,

son of the late Colonel C. M. Davidson, whose death occurred on Monday, at Dover, took place at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Dover, on February 23rd. Prior to the interm ent in the fam ily grave, a service was held at the Parish Church. This was conducted by Canon W. G. Elnor, who also officiated at the committal. Those present included :—

Mrs. R. Barclay (sister), Mrs. Hicks, Lady Brooks, Major and Mrs. Norman, Captain H. Baird, Mrs. Broadfoot, Colonel T. Davidson, Mrs. H owlett, Colonel J. C. Middlemass, Mrs. Bramston Moss, Mr. and Mrs. Fell, Mr. Sturdy and Colonel W elch (representing the Saddlers’ Company), Mr. Harris (Clerk to Mr. Davidson, representing his colleagues in Chambers), Colonel and Mrs. Srnythe, Mrs. Moore, Colonel J. A. Purefoy-Robinson, Colonel F. E. G. Skey, Captain and Mrs. R. N. Thompson, Mr. J. H. Mowll, the Rev. F. Thornhill, Mrs. Munns, the Misses Hardy, Miss H eath, Dr. E. E. E lliott, Mr. C. J. W atson, Major J. R. P. Clarke, Mrs. St. John and Miss Williamson, and Major and Mrs. Hughes.

Obituary.The late Mr. (Jim) Carpenter, D.C.M.

T'HK late Mr. (Jim) Carpenter, D.C.M., enlisted during 1901 at Canterbury, for The Buffs, when

the South African war was being fought. He was only a lad of 16 years of age, and like m any a boy wanted to be a soldier and know the taste of war. After the usual recruit’s training he left England with what was well-known later to be the " Cease Fire draft,’’ to join the 2nd Battalion, who were then in the Transvaal on Block H ouse duty. After a short tim e w ith the 2nd Battalion, he was posted to the 1st Battalion who were stationed in Poona, arriving during the latter part of the Summer of 1902. In 1903 the 1st Battalion was moved to Aden and took part in the Aden Hinterland Field Force. Lance-Corporal Carpenter as he then was, being in the Company which penetrated far north of Leheg.

He arrived in England when the 1st Battalion came home in 1904 and was present at the re-union of the 1st and 2nd Battalions at Dover in December, 1904.

He again joined the 2nd Battalion in South Africa in 1906 at Harrismith, Orange River Colony, but soon left to join the 5th Mounted Infantry, quartered a t Middleburg, Transvaal, where “E ” or Captain (now Colonel) W. H. Trevor’s Company had been sent. He was a great success on the M ounted Infantry being known for his strength, knowledge of horses and ability to work. He served am ongst other places with the Mounted Infantry at Pretoria, Standerton and Germiston before returning to the battalion who were under orders for service in China. When at Hong K ong he was promoted Corporal (after seven years a Lance-Corporal) this was in 1908, and posted to “H ” or Brevet Major H. Findlay’s Company. H e was one of the members of the 110-stone Tug-of-W ar team that became famous for so m any years. H is picture can be seen this day on a poster outside the Depot Gate showing "H ” Company’s team.

He was appointed Lance-Sergeant in Singapore in 1910. No doubt members of the 2nd Battalion who were serving at this tim e will recall the incident when " Jim ” walked from the Sergeants’ Mess, Tanglin Barracks to Normanton, where “H ” Company were in Camp firing their Annual Musketry (I think they call it Weapon Training these days) courser The distance was approximately seven miles and about 200 yards

outside of Tanglin " Jim ” took off his boots and socks, threw them over his back and com pleted the journey in bare feet.

H e was next stationed at W ellington, India, where he was promoted sergeant.- After a year in this station he went to Cannanore in the South of Madras and remained there until ordered to return to England where he became one of the Instructors to the newly- formed K itchener’s Army. H e proceeded to France with the 8th Battalion being promoted Company- Sergeant-Major. H e was awarded the D.C.M. in 1916, and when wounded sent home where he recovered from his wounds. After a short period he was posted to the Special Reserve Battalion at Dover.

About th is tim e Colonel L. B. Hulke was appointed to assist in the formation of the Tank Corps and took Carpenter w ith him (1916). " Jim ” soon made himselffelt and shortly after arrival was promoted R.S.M.

On completion of his 21 years in the Army he retired and was em ployed by Mrs. Ronald at Patrixboum e, close by the village of Bekesbourne where Carpenter was bom .

He served 16 years in our Regim ent and five years with the Tanks. Known to all alike as “ Jim ” he was one of the very best type of m en who ever served in The Buffs. H e was at the last Memorial Service and indeed attended each year to pay tribute to those who paid the great sacrifice. Those who served in the Regim ent during the period above-mentioned will, I know, join me in expressing our deepest sym pathy with his young family, who not only have lost their father, but their dear mother. I t is very sad indeed and m ay “ Jim ’s ” example as a soldier and a Buff be followed by the younger generation.

The Regim ent was represented at the funeral service by Captain A. W. Andrews who had known him during his service with the regiment, R.S.M. P. W. Ransley, C.S.M. Farrow and tw o Sergeants. H e was laid to rest in that peaceful village churchyard, Bekesbourne, some four miles from Canterbury.

P .F .P .

Win or Lose ?Anyone who reads the sporting news in our papers

cannot fail to be struck by the large number of un­sportsmanlike incidents recorded. W e hear of the decisions of referees at Association Football m atches being disputed, of referees being assaulted and in a recent im portant League Association Football m atch the referee, after having given a decision unfavourable to the local side, was pelted w ith bottles and finally escorted off the ground by the police. Is this sport ? We, as a Regim ent, are known to be desperately keen on sport and games of all kinds. W e are, of course, absolutely right. The fact that a fellow is good at sports and games often means that he is a good soldier and a good Buff. The Regim ent has a number of excellent athletes and we have been very successful in the m atter of sport in all directions. W e are decidedly good winners. I hope we are good losers. I think we shall be. In this connection I should like to quote a paragraph from a letter from C.S.M. Ongley in reply to a letter I wrote him congratulating him on the success of the 2nd Battalion team in the K ent Cross Country Championships.

H e said : “ I hope that when it comes our turn to be beaten we shall take it in the sam e spirit as when we w in.” And let us not forget the following sentence in the address of the Rev. J. J. E. O'Malley at our last Remembrance Service : ‘‘ When the final whistle goes it won’t m atter whether you won or whether you lost, but how you played the gam e.”

[W e are-indebted to Tne Colonel o f The R egim ent for above—Editor].

THE DRAGON 77

Regimental History.Progress of Volume Covering 1704-1914.

Our readers will be interested to hear how Captain C. R. B. Knight is progressing with this work, on which he has been engaged for just over a year.

He may now be said almost to have broken the back of his task, as he has completed his twenty-second chapter, which brings the history down to the Crimea. The amount of research work entailed in the composition of these early chapters has been almost un­believable and much of it has been fruitless. Very little mention is made of individual regiments in most of the old records and much that has been written by Cannon and others is based on the slenderest evidence and often on surmise alone.

The chapters, as they have been written, has been reviewed by a small Committee, appointed by the Regimental Committee and consisting of Major-General John Kennedy, Major H. E. Archer Houblon and Major F. W. Tomlinson, the latter acting as Secretary. They have met Captain Knight from time to time and discussed with him questions of arrangement of the narrative, illustrations and maps.

Captain Knight hopes to hand over his completed manuscript about August, and the publishing, decision as to price and actual sale of the book will be in the hands of the Committee. I t is hoped that the book will be ready by Christmas.

NOTICE.A ,T AJOR-GENERAL, Sir Arthur Eynden-

Bell, K.C.B., K.C.M.G., Colonel of The Buffs, will inspect the 2nd Battalion on the Stadium Ground, Shorncliffe, at 3.30 pan. on Thursday, May 17th. During the parade, Captain the Hon. Stanley Cornwallis, Chairman of the Association of Men of Kent and Kentish Men, will present a silver bugle to the Regiment in token of the 150th anniversary of its association with the County of Kent. At the conclusion of the parade, the battalion will be “ At Home ” to the members of the Association.

As accommodation is limited, members of the Past and Present Association who would like to attend are asked to send their names to the Secretaries of their Branches in time for them to be forwarded to the General Secretary before May 1st.

The Buffs Golfing Society.S P R IN G M E E T IN G .

A pril 14th— 16th, 1934.rP R A N K S to the kindness of Sir II. M. M allaby-

Deeley, B art., th e Society ’s Spring M eeting will be held over P rince’s, Sandw ich, from S a tu rd ay , A pril 14th, to M onday, April 16th, the F rid a y preceding being devoted to practice.

The program m e will be as follows :—S atu rd ay , 14th A pril.— 1st and 2nd rounds of T he

B rinckm an Cup.Sunday, 15th A pril.— 3rd and 4 th rounds of The

B rinckm an Cup, an d first tw o rounds of the F o u r­somes T ournam en t.

M onday, 16tli A pril.— Semi-finals an d finals of The B rinckm an Cup and Foursom es T ournam ent.

O ther com petitions, all of which will be open daily, will be :—

(a) T he Lynden-B ell T rophy (18-holes bogey).(/;) Senior and J unior M edals.(c) E clectic C om petitions for th e B aird and T revor

Cups ; cards 1/- each, the whole of the proceeds to be handed over to the R egim ental B enevolent Fund.'

(rf) A special com petition on M onday, the n a tu re of which will be announced during the M eeting.

E n tra n c e Fee an d G reen F ees.The en trance fee to cover the cost of prizes,

g ra tu ities, etc., will be 10/-, payable in advance, bu t re tu rn ab le in case of non -a tten d an ce ; an d th e Green Fee covering p lay for th e whole period of th e M eeting inclusive of F riday , A pril 13th, will also be 10/-, th e la tte r being p a id to the S tew ard on arrival.

C losing D ate fo r E n tr ie s .T he draw for The B rinckm an Cup will be m ade on

T hursday , A pril 12th, and no en try for th is even t can be accep ted a fte r noon on th is date.

The draw for th e Foursom es T o u rn am en t will be m ade on S a tu rd ay afternoon, im m ediately on com ­pletion of th e Znd round of The B rinckm an Cup.

F ix tu re L is t— 1934.

M arch 25th.— M atch v. H y tn e Golf Club.A pril 5 th .— M atch v. H ousehold B rigade a t New

Zealand.A pril 14-16.— Spring M eeting a t P rince’s, Sandwich.M ay 4 tn .— M atch v. O ld H arro v ian Golring Society.M ay 14th.—M atch v. R oyal St. George's Golf Club.M ay 26th .— M atch v. R oyal W est K e n t R egim ent a t

Deal.Sept. 25th— 27tli.— A utum n M eeting a t R oyal S t.

George’s.Sept. 30tli.— M atch v. R ye Golf Club.

Such o th er fixtures as m ay be arranged will be announced from tim e to tim e.

is

War-Time Pen Picture of 4th Buffs’ New Colonel.

AS announced in last week’s Kent Messenger, Colonel John Body, D.S.O., O.B.E., of Wittersham Court,

Wittersham, near Tenterden, is now Hon. Colonel of the 4th Battalion The Buffs, T.A.

A contributor who served with the 5th Buffs under Colonel Body in Mesopotamia writes :—

Towards the end of 1916, the 5th Battalion The Buffs (part of the 35th Brigade, which also included the 2-4th Gurkha Rifles and the 37th Dogras— two very gallant Indian battalions), was encamped a t Taal Hills by the famous Us Sinn position before Kut-el-Amara, tha t small and wretched town on the River Tigris which had witnessed the tragic though gallant defeat of General Townshend and which was now strongly held by the Turks.

Earlier in th a t year The Buffs had lost heavily a t Sheikh Saad, though of course they had " acquitted themselves like men.”.

And here, a t the end of the year we find them at Taal Hills with Bieut.-Colonel John Body in command.

What sort of a man was he in those days ?

He was every inch of him a very human soldier, his face tanned by the merciless desert sun and his

figure somewhat emaciated by privations known only to those who served in the Mesopotamian campaign.

His eyes were stern, but they could light with wonderful kindliness, and we all felt th a t we would follow him anywhere.

Subsequent events gave us plenty of opportunity for doing so ..

A lw ays in F ro n t.Colonel Body was a real leader of his men-—and

to lead one must always be in front.

That was his position always in Mesopotamia-— in front. In any attack he was there—in front, calmly directing and encouraging.

When Colonel Body eventually led The Buffs into Baghdad, it was a proud day for him to be able to take the remnants of his battle-worn battalion into the city and to have it accepted tha t the 5th Buffs -were the first to enter it.

A few days later he was awarded a bar to. hisD.S.O. He referred to this honour at a ceremonial

parade, and said: " This honour, is the. Battalion’s ; , I am only wearing it for y o u ”.

At the end of hostilities. Colonel Body was con­fronted with the problem of keeping the loyalty of his men in tact in face of the news th a t everyone could not be got home a t once owing to the lack of transport.

Colonel Body showed his powers of leadership once more.

As he had, unfailingly led The Buffs in. battle, so he led them at play and recreation until the day came when the battalion could set sail from the '* Band of Two Rivers,” the last resting-place, alas ! of so many of its officers, N.C.O.’s an d m ea ..,...

Kent Messenger, 3-2-34.

The 8th (S) Battalion, The Buffs.TtHE Eleventh Annual Re-union Dinner w asjheld

on the 10th of .February last at the Bedford H ead Hotel, Maiden ^I^ane, Bondqn, W.C. when close upon one hundred of all ranks enjoyed a really splendid evening. The dinner was excellent, bu t finest of nil was the very marked loyalty and comradeship. I The chair was taken by Major A- J- Hamilton and amongst other officers present were The Colonel of The Regiment, also Major J. Vaughan, Major N. D; Rice, CaptainsE. A. Carter, A. Barton and J. Enright, Gordon Bindley:; Bieut. P. Dare. The other ranks turned up in force and the greatest credit is due to Q.M.S. Beonard, C.S.M. Scott and Sergeant Holding and all who comprised the dinner committee for the success of the evening. Major Rice was enthusiastic a t meeting a few of his old concert part in Shute, Ford and Bainbridge, Major Vaughan was cheered to the echo after an absence of three years abroad. During the dinner we had that magnificent spirit exemplified which meant so much during the war. Firstly,-up would jump Beonard, to call-upon “ B" to rise and drink to the health of the remainder of the battalion. After a pause, the body of Holding would assume the standing position and with uplifted glass, call upon "C” to do likewise and so the inter-company spirit of wishing the best to all others, was carried on in peace—as in war. " Do you remember ? ” ' I wOnder how inany times tha t phrase was used in so short a time ? W hat an evening for Varity; who came all the way from Beith. “ I wouldn’t have missed i t a t any price," h e . sa id ., . Speeches were very brief. The Colonel of the .Regiment spdke highly of the services the battalion had given to the regiment and was still giving in its members of the Past and Present Association. He could always rely upon them doing their b it and he would appeal to everyone, to buy the regimental paper, The Dragon, each month, as by so doing they would be helping comrades who. were down on their luck. . Mr. Gordon. Bindley, made a strenuous appeal for men.of the battalion to join up— if they had not already done so—in the ranks of the Past and Present Association. He mentioned a great number already belonged to the Association, and met each month in the Bondon Branch. Several, including Hedges, Hill, W. B arratt and B. B arratt a t once came forward and joined.

Major Vaughan told some yarns, after he had said grace, whilst Major- Hamilton; - Major Rice, Captains Carter and Enright also got up and sat down. Then came a speech from Mr. J. G. Scott, who looked the typical soldier and whose talk and mannerisms at- once struck home. He spoke about the happy days, when " Jerry ” held the high ground and the boys were up to their necks in mud in the valley. The battalion was always cheerful in those days and kept smiling. The theme running through his spoken words might be summed up in the phrase " Never get downhearted— keep smiling.” After dinner there was a first-class entertainment and one or two of the conjuring' items were really top-hole. Mr. Scott gave a splendid render­ing of a .martial song specially written by Q.M.S. Beonard for the b atta lion ; Beonard being responsible for providing the concert, is worthy of praise for the talent produced.

Midnight came and—we went — homeward ;wobbling along-the Embankment was-noticed a man standing before the statue of Boadicea muttering “ Do you remember ? ” Big Ben.had struck “ On 15.” Presently, along came a pal so underneath the statue they rested. " Do you ......... ? ” I was in a dreamabout a wonderful show, a wonderful night' and- a wonderful lot of Buffs. - ' - . - ;

Re-Union Dinner of the 8th Buffs, held at the “ Bedford Head ” Hotel, Marden Lane, London,on February 10th, 1934. [Photo: Ed. Sharp, Westminster Bridge, S.E. CO

THE D

RA

GO

N

3 R D F O O T ,List of Officers who received Gold Grosses, Medals and Bars,

• . _____________________ j

Name.A ward.

Regt. per

A .List For.________________ frCommand at

the time. Appointed. . Notes.

1 Cameron, Lt.-Col. Chas. Ml 3 Nivelle, 10 Nov., 1813 Nive, 9 Dec., 1813

a light Battalion

Lieut., 3rd Foot, 12 Apr., 1800 B.-Major, 22 Nov., 1813

Died at Chinouret.Nr. Calcutta, 14 May, 1827.

2 Roberts, Lt.-Col. Hy. M 3 Orthes, 27 Feb., 1814 not stated Major, 3rd Foot, 17 Nov., 1808

3 Stewart, Col. Wm. M 3 Albuhera, 16 May, 1811 not stated Major, 3rd Foot, 14 Mar., 1805

4 Drummond, L--Col. Arch. M 3 Talavera, 27 July, 1809 not stated Lt.-Col. 3rd Foot, 17 Aug., 1809 Wounded in this Action.

5 Muter, Lt.-Col. James M 3 Talavera, 27 July, 1809 not stated Lt.-Col. 3rd Foot, 31 Dec., 1806 Killed in this Action.

6 Bunbary, L.-Col.Wm. Hy. M 3 Talavera, 27 July, 1809 not stated Lt.-Col. 3rd Foot, 31 Dec., 1806

7 Fergusson, Capt. J as. M 3 Badajos, 17 Mar., 1842 Capt. 43rd Foot Lt.-Col. 3rd Foot, 16 May, 1814

8 Balfour, Lt.-Col. Wm. M 3 Nivelle, 10 Nov., 1813 Major 40th Foot Major 3rd Foot, 8 July, 1819

9 Bace, lit. Wm. M 3 Toulouse, 10 Apr., 1814 1 Batt. 61st Foot Half-pay 3rd Foot Adjutant 61st Foot.

10 Mein, Lt.-Col. Wm. M 3 Nive, 9 Dec., 1813 not stated Half-pay 3rd Foot With 52nd Regt. at time.

11 Clinton, Lt.-Gen. Sir Hy. +1 3 Salamanca, 22 J uly, 1812 Nivelle, 10 Nov., 1813 Nive, 9 Dec., 1818 Orthes, 27 Feb., 1814 Toulouse, 10 Apr., 1814

A DivisionColonel of The Buffs 9 Aug., 1815

1 12 Howard, Lt.-Col. K. A. Earl of Effingham

Ml 70 Vittoria, 21 June, 1813 Nive, 9 Dec., 1813 A Division

Colonel of The Buffs, 30 January, 1832

13 King, Lt.-Gen. Sir Hy. M 82 Vittoria, 21 June, 1813 82nd Foot Colonel of The Buffs 18 March, 1845.

Not the officer of this name who served with the Regt.

Note :—Nos. 1-6 were serving with the Regiment. Nos. 7-13 were away. (We are indebted to Mr. J. Druce for this Table—Editor).

THE DRAG

ON

'THE DRAGON Si

Records of Other R egim ents.

Ba ttle H o n o u r s .Borne upon the Regimental Colour :—The Castle and

Key, super-inscribed " Gibraltar, 1779/1783/' and with the motto “ Montis Insignia Calpe ” under­neath. The Sphinx, super-inscribed "E g y p t,” " Plassey,” " Martinque, 1794,” “ Marabout,”“ Albuhera,” " Vittoria,” “ Pyrenees,” " Nivelle,” “ Nive,” " Orthes,” " Peninsula,” " Ava,’” " Maharajpore,” “ Sevastopol,” " Tirah,” “ Relief of hadysm ith,” “ South Africa, 1899/1902.”

Borne upon the King’s Colour :—" Mons,” “ Marne, 1914,” ‘ Ypres, 1915, '17,” “ Sonune, 1916, T8,” “ Hindenburg Line,” " Sambre,” " Gaza,” " Shaiba,” " Ctesiphon,” “ Suvla.”

# * * *The Dorsetshire Regiment’s two Regular battalions

were formerly known as the 39th and 54th Regiments of Foot. The senior unit, the old 39th, now 1st Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment, was raised in 1702, and first saw active service in Spain and Portugal under the command of the brave, bu t eccentric Earl of Peterborough. On one occasion during these campaigns the regiment, which, according to the custom of the time, was generally spoken of by its colonel's name as “ Sankey's Regiment,” was mounted on mules to enable it to move to the scene of action more quickly. This caused the regiment to be nick­named " Sankey’s Horse.” In its early days the 39th served with the Fleet as Marines and also took part in the defence of Gibraltar, 1726/27. In 1754 the 39th went to India, being the first “ King’s regiment ” to serve in tha t coun try ; tha t is to say, although other white troops had. been sent to India at various times, they were servants of the Honourable E ast India Company, and not regular soldiers of His Majesty’s Army, as the 39th were. In memory of this fact the 39th were granted the proud motto of “ Primus in Indis ” (First in the Indies.”)

The 39th took part in the Battle of Plassey, when Clive routed the army of Suraj -ud-Dowlah, Nabob of Bengal, on June 23rd, 1757. The Dorset Regiment is the only regiment still in existence which bears the Battle Honour " Plassey ” on its Colours—a distinction which is highly prized, for this battle is generally considered to have laid the foundation of the " British Raj " in India.” In later years the 39th took part in the famous defence of Gibraltar, 1779/ 1783, and were rewarded by being allowed to wear the

Gibraltar coat-of-arms, a Castle and Key with the motto " Montis Insignia Calpe (“ Arms of the Rock of Calpe ” ) as a badge. About the same time the 39th became known as “ The East Middlesex Regim ent/’ bu t a few years later this title was dropped in favour of tha t of “ The Dorsetshire Regiment ” by which it is still known.

The present 2nd Battalion The Dorsetshire Regiment, the old 54th Foot, was first raised in 1755 at Salisbury. The 54th took part in the Egyptian campaign of 1801. All regiments taking part in that campaign were allowed to adopt “ The Sphinx super­scribed Egypt ” as their badge, bu t in consideration of the gallantry shown in the assault and capture of Fort Marabout near Alexandria, the 54th were allowed to wear the Sphinx with the inscription “ Marabout ” as a special mark of distinction.

The 54th were in reserve a t Hal when the Battle of Waterloo was fought, and they qualified for the Waterloo medal, but not for the Battle Honour on the Colours. A private of the regiment was the last British soldier to be killed in the Napoleonic Wars.

November 11th is a date of more than usual interest to all British soldiers, as the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice by which the Great War was brought to an end. To the Dorsets, however, this date has a double significance, for it was on November 11th, 1857 th a t the transport “ Sarah Sands,” conveying the 54th to India, caught fire in the Indian Ocean, eight hundred miles from Madras. The gallant behaviour of all ranks of the 54th on th a t trying occasion makes one of the proudest chapters in the story of Britain as the world's greatest sea-faring nation.

In 1881 the 39th and 54th were united as The Dorsetshire Regiment (1st and 2nd Battalions). The 1st Battalion took part in the Tirah campaign on the Indian frontier, and Corporal Vickery received a well- earned V.C. for bravery a t Dargai.

The 1st Battalion was in India and the 2nd in Ireland when the Great War started. The 1st Battalion went to France in August, 1914 with the 5th Division and was engaged in France and Belgium throughout the war. The 2nd Battalion was sent from India to Basra, in the Persian Gulf, in October, 1914, and fought with great courage at the Battle of Shaiba, the anniversary of which is now kept as a red-letter day ” by the battalion. Throughout the Mesopotamian campaign the 2nd Dorsets were well to the fro n t; the Turks gave them the name of “ The White Devils ”

82 “THE DRACtotf

Correspondence.Kirrauiirri,

Makuyu, P.O.,Kenya Colony,

February 1st, 1934.Dear Colonel,

I am so sorry I have not written before, as I intended, to wish you all everything of the best for 1934, but out here with a clear blue sky every day it is difficult to realise th a t it is Christm as; also it so happened th a t I had to go down to meet my wife a t Mombasa on her return from home ; curiously enough, I think you used to know her before the war when she was a Miss Putnam of Darlington, and you had a territorial adjutancy in those parts.

I am awfully glad to know that the coffee has made a few shillings for the Association, and unless I go broke (always a possibility in these days of bad prices, drought, and locusts) I will send a similar amount every year.

I saw ' Rowe in Nairobi a little while ago ; since then, I am sorry to say, he has had trouble with his back, but after treatm ent is better, and goes up to Meru to command in March, I think. Meru is a lovely spot close to Mount Kenya -with excellent fishing (trout) shikar and golf.

There are in this district also Mitchell, Jack Crozier who has just got engaged to be married, Haymen, Wilson, who was in the Special Reserve and stationed with us in Dublin in ’13, and Billy Trevor, who is doing splendidly now. We went over the other day and had tea at his new and very charming little house.

This is a good country to live in if not to make money in, but one can lead a very pleasant life in an excellent climate with the additional advantage of being able to get all kinds of sport far cheaper than elsewhere. Polo, shooting, fishing, golf, etc., all good and cheap. Some of the golf courses will, in time, I think, compare with Gulmerg.

I hope when the 1st Battalion get back to India some of them will try this country. I am always trying to get George Hamilton over, so far without success.

Another Buff I met a little while ago was Sgt. Cole­man who was in the 2nd Battalion and is now doing well in the Kenya Police.

I hope to get home in a year or two, bu t it depends on coffee prices, I do miss more than anything else being unable to be at any of the various regimental meetings.

I started a golf course in this district which, though compared with a course a t home, is rather like a badly- harrowed field, bu t i t has given us all a lot of amusement is improving. We inaugurated i t by having a match. Buffs v. The Rest which, although our form was distinctly bad, we won.

Yours sincerely,H a r r y J a c k so n .

Walderslade House,Near Chatham,

Dear Sir,My grateful thanks to you for conveying Mr, C.

Grey’s message to me in the February Dragon. I t is really delightful to hear from old friends and comrades after a space of nearly 45 years, which otherwise would not happen except for the valuable medium of The Dragon, so much prized by all Buffs. ‘How well I remember Mr. (then Sergeant) C. Grey and how pleased I am to learn tha t he is one of the “ Will not fade away ” old-time crow d!

Through your columns, sir, will you kindly—on my behalf—sincerely reciprocate Grey's good wishes !

Yours faithfully,Osb o r n T a y e o r .

The Editor, " The Dragon

Records of Other Regiments— continued from p. 81.

(they were the only European battalion in their brigade, the rest being Indian troops). A t one time owing to their heavy casualties, the survivors of the Dorsets and the Norfolks were amalgamated in a composite battalion known as " The Norsets.” Eater, the Dorsets were brought up to full strength again and transferred to Palestine, where they shared in the operations leading up to the capture of Damascus and the final downfall of the Turks.

The 1st/4th Dorset Regimental (Territorials) lived up to the regimental motto by being the first Territorial infantry battalion to land in India in 1914. They afterwards went to Mesopotamia. The 2nd/4 th Battalion (Territorials), after a spell of garrison duty in India, went to Palestine and assisted in the capture of Jerusalem.

56 Battle Honours bear witness to the services of The Dorsetshire Regiment’s thirteen battalions during the Great War. Since tha t campaign ended, the 2nd Battalion has seen further active service in the Moplah R ising; all ranks who took part in th a t campaign were granted the Indian General Service Medal with clasp “ Malabar, 1921/22.” In addition, one officer and four other ranks of the 2nd Dorsets were decorated with the Order of the British Empire for Gallantry.

R. Ma u ricr H m .

Broadwater Estate,Sungi Siport,

The Editor, "T h e Dragon."

Perak, F.M.S.,12/2/34.

Sir,Please find enclosed P.O. for 10/- being for the

" Duck ” for the current year. Please use the balance as you think fit.

Re the photo of The Drums of the Second Battalion in the November Dragon. The missing name is Mace.

Many thanks for your letter received a few days ago. I am looking forward to the next issue of the paper to see what Colonel Jackson has to say about our meet­ing on board the Yasukuni Marie and all th a t followed thereon.

Best of good luck to all " Buffs ” Past and Present from

Yours sincerely,T. T r ev q r ,Date 6394 “ 10”Coy„

2nd Battalion.P.S.—The Corporal's name in top centre of Drums'

photo should read Brooshooft.

THE DRAGON 83

O ur readers will rem em ber a very in te resting article published in our October, 1933 num ber, w ritten by M ajor Cam pbell Johnstone, on th e Swiss Arm y.

W e are au th o rised to publish the following le tte r w ritten by a Swiss Officer who read the article referred to above :—

75 M uristrasse,Bern,

28/1/1934.D ear M ajor,

Y ou will have noticed th a t I am a v ery bad correspondent— please forgive me for n o t w riting sooner !

F irs t of all, m ay I congratu la te you on th e splendid article in The Dragon, ab o u t our A rm y— and on your w onderful powers of observation ! N othing seems to have escaped your tra in ed eye !

W e very seldom hear ab o u t our work from officers of o th er countries so th a t articles ab o u t th e Arm y are alw ays m uch appreciated .

M ay I draw' your a tte n tio n to tw o errors ? One is, th a t only “ R egim ents ” not “ Divisions ” were near Lyss— th e 13th and 14th R egim ents.

The o ther erro r is re your rem ark th a t “ th e officers on jo in ing s ta r t w ith the ran k of D icu tenan t “ eh .”

I t ’s a pecu liarity of our A rm y, th a t all officers w i th o u t e x c e p tio n , pass th rough th e ranks. A fu ture officer, u n til he gets sent to th e Officer’s School— (on m erit only, by th e way— m oney, pro tection , family, etc., p lays no p a r t in th e selection for prom otion) does service as p riv a te and N.C.O. in exactly th e sam e way as all th e others. As p riv a te or N.C.O. he does not enjoy any special privileges as th e " One Y ear V olunteer " in th e pre-w ar Germ an A rm y used to have, the only difference, if one a t all, is th a t his superiors n a tu ra lly expect him to be a good p riv a te and N.C.O. in every respect and therefore w atch h im closely !

I t wall in te res t you to h ea r th a t we from tim e to tim e im p o rt Irish and H u n g arian horses for A rm y purposes.

A Swiss breed of good A rtille ry horses comes from th e Ju ra , b u t u n fo rtu n ate ly th ere are n o t enough of these Ju ra horses to sa tisfy th e dem ands of th e Arm y.

Since you left Lyss, th e G overnm ent has voted 100,000,000 fus for new guns, an ti- tan k guns or as we call th em — in fan try guns, m achine guns, and trench m ortars.

T his new m ate ria l will be served o u t in th e course of th e n ex t few years.

I am now in th e L audstu rm , (2nd Reserve 44 years till 52), so th a t m y Service days are— if no W ar breaks o u t in between-—practica lly a t an end.

My sons are now tak in g m y place— th e e ldest of th e tw ins is going in to service n e x t week as H eavy A rtillery (Motorised) recru it and the younger tw in (40 m in u tes’ difference in age ! !) is jo in ing in sum m er as F ield A rtillery R ecru it. T hey b o th hope to become officers one d ay !

I tru s t th a t you are enjoying a nice w in ter according to R iv iera standards.

O ur " W in ter ” is very u nsa tisfac to ry from a sp o rts­m an ’s p o in t of view'— too m uch ra in and very little snow in th e rig h t places !

The Alps have snow, enough, of course, b u t i t isn ’t good snow— too w et— and th ere is a t p resen t g reat " A valanche— danger ”— so th a t sk i-runners m ust stay a t hom e !

H oping th a t you are well,OI rem ain, w ith k ind regards,

Y ours very sincerely,Fredk. Bierx,

D epot T he Buffs, C anterbury ,

23rd February, 1934.The Editor, " The Dragon."Sir,

W ith reference to the M iniature Rifle C om petition which is tak in g place w ith M onthly Shoots during th is W inter, we a t th e D epot m uch regret th a t our Club was form ed too la te to enter.

W e are, however, su b m ittin g to you a score m ade by a team of eigh t during th e week ending 24th February .

No one in th e team fired m ore th an one ta rge t, and the effort was a genuine a tte m p t as a team .

Scores :—Sergean t W ickham ... ... 96Sergeant Curliss ... ... . .. 96R.S.M . R ansley ... ... ... 95Cpl. O ’Connor ... ... ... 95C.S.M. Farrow ............................... 94Lieut.-Colonel A. B. Thom son ... 94

570

Counted out :—L/Cpl. J . W o o d s ............................... 74L/Cpl. N. B a ile y ............................... 76

W e would be g lad to arrange postal shoots during M arch w ith any branch.

Yours faithfiilly,A. B. T iiomsox,

Bt. Lieut.-Colonel, Commanding Depot The Buffs.

7th Battalion 9th Annual Dinner.TTHIS D inner v 'as held a t “ The B edford H ead ,”

M aiden Lane, S tran d , on F eb ruary 17th, th e C hair being tak en by M ajor R. T. M onier-W illiam s,O .B .E ., and th e Colonel of th e R egim ent being presen t as a M em ber of th e D inner Club.

T he Guests were —Mr. Gordon L indley, M.C., of th e 8th B a tta lion ; Mr. Bird, M.C., Essex R egim ent (late Signals Officer, 55 th In fa n try B rigade), and Mr. A. P iper, of th e II.A .C . U nfo rtunate ly Colonel F ind lay an d R.S.M . V aughan h ad to cry off a t th e last m om ent.

Telegram s wishing us a successful evening were received from th e London B ranch and th e Sergeants' Mess, 2nd B a tta lion , and were m uch appreciated .

L ater in th e evening, Mr. W ick ing ton’s proposal to form a sep ara te 7tli B a tta lio n Association was dealt w ith. M ajor Keown spoke against th e proposal, say ing he stood for L oyalty to th e R egim ent and the Association, and th e proposal was defeated unanim ously, a fte r the C hairm an h ad sum m ed up. -

A fter th is some very good M usical Item s were given b y m em bers of th e b a tta lio n , of whom 80 were present.

Seven m em bers gave in th e ir nam es as w ishing to join th e F a s t and Presen t Association.

Am ong those p resen t were :—M ajor-General Sir A rth u r Lynden-B ell, K.C.B.,

K.C.M .G. ; Lieut.-Colonel F. Phillips, D .S.O., M.C. ; M ajors R . T. M onier-W illiam s, O .B .E., L. W ood, M.C., A. C. Nicholson, M.C., R. L. P. Birch ; Brevet-M ajor R. W. Keown, M.C. ; C aptains H. Fine, M.C., II. P. Ilo skyn , G. Neam e, F. M. Stoop, G. I'a it, R. S. W ell­m an, M.C. ; Messrs. R. C. A ttk ins, PI. B lood-Sm yth, N. D alton, J . G. Spencer, J . O. Jones, H . S. W atson.

T w enty-four copies of The Dragon were sold during th e evening.

R .W .K .

84 TH E DRAGON

T he South A frican W ar.TTHESF, short articles dealing with events during

1899 to 1902 are fast drawing to a close and I am extremely grateful to all who have written to me their appreciation. I have heen asked if I had overlooked the Zulu War Dance ? No—not quite, but being under the impression th a t only the Nelspruit Garrison was present, I did not think it would have been of general interest. This native dance was given as a kind of “ farewell ” and of all the awe-inspiring sights one ever witnessed—this was it. For days— perhaps weeks, the Zulus had been building a huge erection of timber, trees and other material. When the great night came we seated ourselves a t roughly a quarter-of-a-mile radious round the mountain of eternal fire. I t was dark—very dark and the only glimmers of light came from the many red glowing cigarettes which were in the mouths of those seated in the vast ring. Needless to say, we had not a round of ammunition ; if we had, our rifles were in camp. In the distance we heard the soft beating of Tom-Toms, weird cries and uncanny chanting; then these terrifying noises grew louder and louder as the Zulus came nearer. The moon was just beginning to appear over the hills when we observed a great impi of natives coming over the skyline, waving their shields and spears (assegaies), dancing and'running to and fro as if in a semi-state of madness. Louder and louder blazed forth the unearthly din ; nearer and nearer came the black hordes. The Buffs looked at each other with a sort of “ Good-bye ” expression ; here and there one or two. slipped out and doged to the opposite side. Some of the remarks made were of in te rest: “ Blimey, I wish I ’ad sent th a t ten quid ’ome,” one said. Another : " They is a goin’ to cut us all up, cook an’ eat us ; them blokes aint yet forgotten w hat the Buffs did to ’em in the Zulu W ar.” Well, i t did, most certainly, look an ugly situation.

With a terrific war-cry, hammering of Tom-Toms, the Zulus charged into the arena, one of their number just missing Smudger Smith’s nose with the point of an assegai. The fire was lighted and round and round the furnace danced these mad fellows. The most wonderful thing of all was to see these naked warriors dashing right through the blazing fire as easy as going into the sea on a summer’s day. This sort of thing lasted about two hours and during the time, not one Buff really felt comfortable—at least, I did not. Yet—the sight was most fascinating and the War dance a marvellous exhibition of pluck and grit. I felt that, if called upon to fight again—I would prefer anyone to a Zulu.

Another m atter th a t I should like to refer to is the fine fighting qualities, comradeship, loyalty and self- sacrifice both on and off the field, of the various volunteer companies tha t joined the battalion. The officers and other ranks were volunteers from the 1st V.B. and 2nd V.B. of the Regiment, but foremost in the mind of all was—The Buffs. Recently I have heard much boosted a song entitled ‘‘ There’s some­thing about a soldier,” bu t there is also something far greater about a Volunteer who undertakes to sacrifice his life for his King and Country when he is under no obligation to do so. The professional soldier in a voluntary army like our own is highly trained in his profession and is paid, kept and clothed by the state. His only job is to fight—and win. On the other hand those fine fellows who came from our volunteer battalibns to South Africa, gave up their civilian employment and left their Kentish homes to help their brothers serving in the regular battalion. Captain Gosling, Lieut. Slaughter, Bill Bailey, Lieut. Hills are a few names I can recall of a jolly fine lot of men.

I remember how, when the 1st Volunteer Company were returning home they halted a t Brugspruit where “B" Company was stationed. On th a t day the garrison were going out to disperse a Commando of Boers and, when the Volunteer Company heard of this, they evacuated their railway trucks and begged to be allowed to participate in the fighting. The request was granted, but two of their brave party paid the full price for their loyalty and patriotism. One could go on indefinitely with praise for the behaviour of the Kentish la d s ; the regular soldier was used to marching and was in­spired with the splendid marching qualities of the volunteers—particularly on Colonel Benson’s Column.

Another aspect of the war which m ust not be over­looked was the wpnderful work done by the Buffs' Mounted Infantry. I have listened to many thrilling adventures related to me by Such stalwarts as Bill Coveney, Benny Field, Tommy Atkins and o thers; it was not always going out for a ride and returning with a table on one’s head and a pig across the saddle. If I were asked the question as to whom the victory of South Africa was due, I should give tha t opinion un­hesitatingly to the Mounted Infantry. Always in the thickest of the fighting ; never resting ; always out in the dead of night directly a shot was heard ; and— never grousing ? ? ? Harry Cox, Titch Hawkins, Tommy Hatton, Mills, Corporal Ryan and Capt. Lnglebach are a few of our gallant M.I. whose names are recorded on the Buffs’ Memorial in the Dane John at Canterbury. Some of the wounded I recall were Capt. Gregson, Jerry Cole, Tommy O’Donnell, Russell, Cr.-Sgt. Birdie Hopps, Bales, Sammy Moon, Harry Foot, and Tommy Atkins, but the M.I. suffered vastly more than can be recollected in names.

On the 2nd October, 1902, the battalion left Stelling- bosch for Cape Town and embarked on the St. Andrew en route—at last-—-for England, Home and the Kentish Hop Fields.

T h e K i d .

Dover,1/2/34.

Dear Sir,I write to thank you for the clothes you sent me,

also the boots. I can assure you it is a great help to me to make a good clear start. You can rest assured how pleased I am and I am most thankful to you for your kind help. Again thanking you from the bottom of my heart. I am extremely obliged to you for your kind help,

I remain, dear Sir,Your Obedient Servant,

To Secretary, Past and Present Association,The Buffs.P.S.—Once a Buff, always a Buff.

W estbury Netheme, Coulsdon,

Surrey,4/2/34.

Sir,Please find enclosed P.O. for 8/- for another twelve

months’ Dragon.Wishing the Past and Present Association every

success and may the circulation of our fina old paper reach all old Buffs, and young Buffs alike.

I am, yours truly,A. F. Thornton.

THE DRAGON 85

To India with the 1887 Draft.th e above title of th is article ind icates, it is

frank ly a dip in to the past. Those who h a te the p a s t and prefer to live in th e p resen t can do the equ iva len t of sw itching off th e wireless and tu rn over a page of The Dragon. As in th e case of a previous article ab o u t old days in th e R egim ent w hich 1 was asked to write, I am w riting th is in the hope th a t o ther old Buffs will go and do likewise. I w ant a con tinuation of rem iniscences sim ilar to those so adm irab ly w ritten by M ajor Cam pbell Johnston . I am sure there is an enorm ous am oun t of stuff which th e old Brigade could produce which w ould in te res t th e p resen t generation of Buffs. W e w a n t to link up th e p ast and th e present. Now th e old Brigade— w hat ab o u t i t ? You have never failed yet.

H ere is m y second sto ry a b o u t old days.

I was a t hom e on leave in February , 1887 from the 1st B a tta lion w hich I had left a t Singapore, b u t which was to go to R an ik h e t when I received orders to proceed to In d ia w ith a d ra ft from th e 2nd B atta lion , th en s ta tio n ed a t Dover, to R an ikhet. I pass over our la s t n igh t a t Dover. I t is sufficient to say th a t the 2nd B a tta lio n trea te d us w ith th e ir usual unbounded hosp itality . N ex t m orning we m arched down the hill from the C itadel w ith 256 m en of th e b est— who were th e backbone of th e 1st B a tta lio n for m an y years. T he old Brigade know well who were in th a t draft. I rem em ber m ost of them very well indeed, b u t I will only m ention one— G unner Dee as he was called— a very tiresom e fellow in those days, b u t in reality one of th e m ost s to u t-h ea rted fellows who ever wore tire Buff uniform — as subsequent history proved. The d ra ft was com m anded by C aptain (now Brig.-General A. J . Wliitacre-AUen-—and his subalterns were myself and Dieut. B. R. X . T arte . A rrived a t Po rtsm ou th we em barked on one of the old In d ian troopers, H .M .S. Serapis. F ine sea boats, b u t, heavens, how th ey could roll. T he su b a lte rn going to In d ia now adays has no idea a t all of th e conditions u nder which a su balte rn in those days travelled . W e were consigned to a p o rtio n of the sh ip— some feet below the w a te r - l in e - know n as th e Pandem onium — where ham m ocks were slung for us. T he atm osphere was beyond description and we ju s t slept on deck or w herever we could.

Sleeping on deck was the best th in g to do, b u t i t was n o t an unm ixed blessing because you h ad the hose tu rn ed on to y our head a t 4 a.m . when " sw abbing decks ” comm enced. On the whole I am v ery g lad th a t th e old troopsh ips are a tiling of th e p a s t because I am sure th a t travelling in them w ould n o t have su ited the S ubalte rn of th e p resen t day. A good deal of dis­com fort was involved. T here were m any th in g s which by nav al rules you could n o t do, and there was a gentlem an know n as the “ Poop M arine ” who d irected your destinies— telling you where you could sit, where you could sm oke and alm ost where you could breathe. How ever, we m anaged to surv ive till we got to B om bay, an d th en we took tra in to D eolali (or as m y friends of th e ran k and file called it. Doodle ally). I t was, in those days, a place where all d ra fts were assem bled before being d ispatched up coun try . U nfortunate ly , w hen we arrived a t Deolali, Beilby was n o t presiding th ere as he did w ith such success later. I t was n o t a com fortable place then , b u t I m u st ad m it th a t being m y first experience of In d ia 1 thoroughly enjoyed myself. I loved all th e snake charm ing and the “ cobra light mongoose ” business. I am afra id tileQ.C. d raft, C ap ta in Whitacr.e Allen, was thoroughly bored, especially w hen he woke up to find th a t an

enterpris ing snake-charm er had arranged to have a cobra s ittin g up a t the end of his bed. The advanced p a r ty of the 1st B a tta lion from Singapore a rrived a t Deolali ab o u t th e sam e tim e as we did. T he O.C. 1st B a tta lion had conceived th e idea of saving the m en ’s clothing from th e d ir t of board sh ip by dyeing one of th e ir w hite su its— indigo blue. This colour was in those days th a t of th e clothing issued to H ospital pa tien ts . I rem em ber som eone saying to me “ Surely all these m en are n o t H ospital p a tie n ts .” T hey certain ly d id n ’t look i t ! !

A fter ab o u t ten days a t Deolali we w ent on by slow stages to B areilly— well-known to th e p resen tgeneration of Buffs. W e were in cam p there on the m aidan w hen one m orning I looked o u t of my ten t and saw a general in uniform accom panied by a lady rid ing close to th e cam p. They tu rn ed o u t to be B r.-G eneral S ir Jo h n H udson, Com m anding the R ohilcund D istric t and his dau g h te r— afterw ards m o th er of M ajor Jack and C ap ta in F.ric Allen.

In due course we arrived a t K athgodam where we s ta r te d our m arch to R an ikhet. I t was a wearisom e m arch, especially the la s t one in to R an ikhet. I shall never forget i t and I th o u g h t we should never reach our destination . liv e ry n a tiv e we m et we asked “ how far is i t to R an ik h e t : ” H ack of th em said " four miles m ore.” A t last we got there w ith unspeakably sore feet. N ex t day we h a d to go to Church. I was to ld to find o u t where the Church was. I h ad no t the slightest idea, b u t th e senior N.C.O. of the d ra ft said I could not do b e tte r th a n consult P riv a te Brazier who could " sling the b a r t .” P riva te Brazier dealt w ith the s ituation as follows :— A pproaching a n a tive who was passing by he sa id : “ R am sam m y juggah k itk a r h a i,” or as free tran s la tio n : “ W here is the w orship place ? ” We go t there alright.

R an ik h e t was a new place in those days.

There was a b rick h a rd p arade ground on which we drilled and where we p layed Polo, Football, Cricket— alw ays in d read of falling down the kh u d or of hope­lessly dam aging oneself on the hard ground. There was a “ stan d in g c a m p ” where were collected all the troublesom e characters in th e N orth-W est provinces. In com m and of the cam p was M ajor S tew art of the Seaforth H ighlanders, a m ost capable m an, who was fully com peten t to deal w ith any s itu a tio n which m ight arise. H e was a m usical en thusiast and inciden ta lly he stole B andm aster B irkliead from us— b u t 1 d o n 't th in k he really d id Birkliead a very good tu rn . I feel th a t he was never h appy a fte r he left the Buffs and took on a kilt.

I suppose th e old C om pany bungalow s rem ain a t R an ik h e t as before. I have a very v ivid recollection in connection w ith them . My com pany com m ander was th a t d ear fellow, George Porter. He h ad gone off on leave. One m orning I was riding up the hill to m y Com pany Bungalow when 1 m et my C olour-Sergeant— G ardener— com ing down the hill in a s ta te of g rea t excitem ent. W hen he saw me he said : ‘ I*or God s sake, Sir, do n ’t go to th e C om pany's bungalow . The C aptain has come back— and lie’s carry ing on som ething aw ful.” .

O ur stay a t R an ik h e t was a very h ap p y one. I th in k everyone enjoyed i t as m uch as I did. We got lit there, we lea rn t the e lem ents of polo and we laid the foundation of our R ugby team which won th e C alcu tta Cup. A.U.B.

86 THE DRAGON

What Daddy Did in the Great War.PAGES FROM THE DIARY OF A PRIVATE IN THE BUFFS IN 1916—18.

By W. Thomson Hill.

[The following extracts are from a diary written for private circulation during the closing months of the war. There is no glory in them, seeing that they deal only with training in Kent—within sound of the big guns overseas and in daily expectation of being much closer. But they are authentic, as written at the time and published unaltered, and may recall to old comrades in every battalion of the regiment half-forgotten memories of that time, and to younger Buffs “ what Daddy did in the Great War." Both will appreciate the ironic meaning of the heading— but that also was the sense in which the phrase was used at the time).

December, 1918.YUHILE the last flags are fluttering for the Armistice ' and the streets are still full of khaki, I have tried

to set down some of my Impressions of War*. This morning I passed a German submarine moored yester­day at Westminster Bridge. She is one of many handed over to the Fleet as a symbol and pledge of victory. The White Ensign flies above the German Eagle. It is the last chapter in which these are incidents : U-boat “ unrestricted warfare,” not many months ago, threatening the food supply of these islands and compelling the rationing of every important commodity; the same White Ensign, streaming from every spar of a gigantic fleet putting out for Ju tland; transports filled with troops, crossing ceaselessly to France for four years and over with destroyer escort; endless watch and ward of the Seven Seas; campaigns in Palestine and East Africa, in Gallipoli and ‘Samoa, on the Suez Canal, the Tigris and Euphrates, in the Isles of Greece and the Dolomite Alps, on the Murman Coast and the Siberian Steppes, on the shores of the Caspian and the Central Takes of Africa. Who can tell the " occasions ” of the Fleet ?

In this London of early December, 1918, with its muddy streets and ragged remnants of war posters, its yet half-lighted thoroughfares and its stations choked with coming and returning khaki, we have learned of the entry of the first British troops into Germany. We have torn down our war advertise­ments from the Nelson Column, the face of Big Ben is lighted, the shops have pulled up their blinds, we are trying to get up an interest in a general election. We have travelled, it seems, far from the mood as well as from the everyday sights of a month ago. But though they tell us peace is here we are not yet adjusted to her neighbourhood. London in the drab November twilight is still the London which has been the nerve-centre of a world-war.

Let us remember this London of war-time before it fades into a dim past. More depended on her than she knew. If the nerve of London had gone at any time during the four years the war would have been lost. She sustained and cherished not alone the peoples of this island and Empire. France, Italy, America looked to her. Belgium and the smaller nations leaned upon her in the twilight of their destiny. .Russia, on fire amid the ruins of her splendour, gazed not without reason wistfully thither. London showed no flags through all the varied years. Grey and prim she ” carried on ” ; her Allies carried on also, to what purpose we know. And though we come back to the. old quarrels and petty strifes of peace, to a cosmopolitan

society and a state of public opinion fearful to be told the truth, no one can take away these years of greatness from us. Deep calls to deep. Old, forgotten things well up in the memory of the race. England of 1914 and 1918 answers and completes England of Agincourt, England of the Armada, England of Blenheim and Trafalgar and Waterloo

Soon it will be unpopular to say these things. Ail who wish to glean safety for the future out of this awful past will be scorned and derided. Lord Roberts, foreseeing and warning his country of the war, became the butt of every timorous politician. I t was “ jingoism ” to want to train the youth of the country to arms lest they should be needed. I t will doubtless be jingoism again to utter the word " patriotism.” The League of Nations will make all that obsolete, as the Great Exhibition was supposed to have made war old-fashioned and to have ushered, in the perfect era of Peace, Retrenchment, Free Trade, German connexions and Reform.

Before the memory has passed away we will say boldly that we are proud of what our country has done. The millions of lives slaughtered are not sheer loss. The records of the regiments have another purpose than the blazonry of banners. Members of our own battalions, or ship’s crews, or air squadrons, will always be marked off, to those who have served, from the rest of mankind. There should be, for every regi­ment, a story of what it did.* Nobody will be able to write it, because it should be personal and intimate, and should tell us fully what happened to poor old Bill Somebody, who made jokes for his company, as of the gallant action that won the first V.C. for the regiment. Nobody will be able to give this record complete, and the official history will be—an official history.*

The pages which follow are neither the one nor the other. They are part of the personal experience of the writer in a great and famous regiment, a regiment which took its share in every important fight from the first weary march of the Old Contemptibles. But because the writer never served abroad with his battalion he had not the effrontery to couple his name with theirs. [Now, hovrever, that these reminiscences are to appear in The Dragon it goes without saying that the Regiment was “ the ” Regiment, and the battalion the Second-Fifth; old comrades would in any case, guess; others will, the writer hopes, find a picture of the sort of life led by any soldier in an infantry regiment between his joining up and march­ing on board a transport.]

Practised and widely-known writers have described war events from the outside with eloquence and imagination. Such as it is this is a narrative from the inside. It grew out of a family council where we agreed that, good, bad or indifferent, we would all try to put down something of the war at first-hand. We had an example before us. One member of the family had collected his personal recollections of events he could actually remember in his early boyhood, or such as had been narrated to him by people who actually took part in them. One of these was the personal memory of an elderly man who, when a small child,

♦This was written before the publication of the H is to r ic a l R ec o rd s o f T h e B u ffs , 1914-1918, by Colonel Moody, and would be grossly unfair as a description of that most valuable work, which all Buffs, new and old, should read.

THE DRAGON 87

lived on the East Coast of England at the time Napoleon ruled the Continent. He could remember an invasion scare, the officers of the neighbouring garrison town hurrying out from a dance in mess dress and taking charge of coast defence ; himself bundled, with women­folk and other children, into a farmer's cart and hurried inland.

How many historical " facts ” was one such personal memory worth ? If we could write the history of the war in that spirit, the hours of waiting in a butcher's queue by a desperate housewife would be worth its place; it would tell the future historian more than all the realms of all the war correspondents.

Great events were stirring in the years I write about. I did not see them. Often I heard little of them, for papers were sometimes scarce. In the background conceive millions of khaki figures moving. A proportion of them reached the centre of the stage—not knowing, often, that they were there. Others served in less splendid spheres. I t may be they had no more martial weapon than a pickaxe. To them and to all who did what was given them to do manfully, to all who aspired in vain to be in the midst of things, to all who are excluded from medals and distinctions, as well as to those who won and wear them proudly, these memories are dedicated.

On the Road to Canterbury.Early one summer morning of 1916 a column of

troops, marching in fours, was tramping steadily along the Pilgrims’ Way towards Canterbury. Six hundred years earlier the same road had been alive with the sound of horses' feet, with jingling bells on the harness of mules and sturdy little English nags, with laughter, talk, tales and scraps of song. Chaucer’s pilgrims, on a pious errand to the shrine of Thomas-a-Becket, were beguiling the way with jests not always ecclesiastical.

Nor was our talk that morning of churches and shrines. Canterbury represented the end of a three- day march. We had set out in good spirits, as soldiers always do when there is a change in prospect. But this was the third day. The first day’s march had been 17 miles, the second 18, and this was to be about 16. To start it there was a long steep hill of over a mile. There may be troops which sing going up steep Hills in full pack. I have never seen them. The edge was off the adventure on this third day. My own heels had given out on the first d ay ; and it was not until after the first halt that I was able to feel any community with the happy pilgrims of long ago. Tong before my training was over, Kent and its memories, its past and also its future, but especially Canterbury, had become an inspiration : something more than a background to Army routine. To-day I could have wished myself anywhere else.

As the personal pronoun has already crept in I will confess to have reached on the day before, only five weeks after starting my training, the condition of being (temporarily) " fed up.” Imagine a march begun without breakfast (owing to a visit to the Medical Officer for those unfortunate heels), a long hilly road without interest—I never want to see it again—and a cheerful Sergeant, continually assuring us that the camping ground was only over the next two hills. How we learned to mistrust these comfortable prophecies! My heels grew worse and worse. I began to form the opinion that I had made a ghastly mistake in joining the Army. I should never become a soldier. The end of the journey was neither over the Sergeants' hill, nor the next nor the next. I knew' we should reach the' sea if wre kept on long enough. There seemed no prospect of stopping before.

Everything does come to an end somehow. When I least expected it the head of the column' turned into a muddy field at the foot of a hill, crossed to another field, less muddy, with little clumps of reeds here and there. The greatest good had come at last. I was free to take my pack off and sit on it—in the rain. For it was part of the plan of mysterious personages at the head of things that we should bivouac that night without shelter.

Tea came, and then a blanket. I sat on that too. It was the only way to keep it dry.

The world looked very empty. Twilight was approaching. The rain looked like keeping on all night (as indeed it did). I began to think wara mistake. Still, I had some tobacco, and----- onlythe stem of a pipe. The mouthpiece had fallen out of my ammunition pouch. Smokers will appreciate the poverty of all vocabularies, Imperial Army, Canadian, bus drivers' and all others. Yes, I really was “ fed up.” I would have admitted it if anybody had asked me. Nobody did. Nobody loved me. Civilians were sitting at home under shelter, free to choose any one of their 7,899 pipes. Here wre were in the second year of the Great War. The newspapers stated that the soldier was supplied with everything that he needed, and I positively had only half a pipe.

I could narrate in horrid detail all the incidents of that evening. I won’t. There would be no volunteers in the next war. I will merely add that on my way to the village—Sunday evening, (rain still falling) I passed and envied the farmer’s pig, as the Prodigal had done in a like case. The pig had a nice, comfortable, rain-proof home, and was sleeping noisily. I did buy a pipe, the only one in the village, and what was better I eventually found a comer under a lim­bered waggon (otherwise occupied by sergeants) where I had one of the most refreshing slumbers of my life. But all night some men were walking about, like dim ghosts.

Something about Fatigues.The above is an impression of early days in the

Army. Eater on I learned to get my feet hard, and the pack grew lighter as time went on, though it was always heavy enough after the first ten miles. I will try and give some suggestion of everyday life in the Army in training. For I have no battles to describe. I have never bayonetted anything more formidable than a dummy Hun. Looking back on my Army service, I find it hard to explain why I spent over 18 months as a private without leaving the United Kingdom. I will merely ask those who read this to assume that if I did not serve overseas it was not my fault.

Early in his training the recruit learns something about fatigues. He continues this branch of his education during his whole service,. The Army Council would not like one to lose one’s knack in washing up, or that pretty twist given by the hand of the trained soldier to the scrubbing brush. There used, I think, to be an idea in the old Army that a fatigue was a punishment. In point of fact a fatigue is any kind of work not a strictly military duty. Some men look on fatigues as a welcome relief from parade. I knew one private who volunteered as a member of a permanent sanitary staff. (In private life he was a contractor on week-days and an organist on Sundays). He^told me his new profession " had its unpleasant side,” but he " got a lot of time to himself ! ”

Personally, I objected to most fatigues. They were generally hard or disagreeable or both. I am tempted to make a list of what I can remember. Take them as samples :—

88 TH E DRAGON

Past and Present A ssociation.Donations.

During the period 18/1/34 to 18/2/34 donations have been gratefully received

the

£

following

s. d.Captain R. J. Tuke 0 5 0Captain J. M. Pritchard, O.B.E. 0 5 0Mrs. Mylins 0 2 0

D isbursem ents.During the period 18/1/34 to 18/2/34 the

disbursements have been made :—I

following

s. d.Jan. 19. Grant 1 10 0

19. Grant 0 10 022. Grant 1 0 - 022. Grant ... ... ... 0 10 023. Grant 1 0 023. Grant 2 0 0

Feb. 3. Grant ........................... 3 0 05. Grant 0 4 05. Grant 2 0 06. Grant 2 0 07. Grant 1 10 07. Grant 1 0 08. Grant 2 10 08. Grant 1 0 0

10. Grant ... ............... 0 3 013. Grant 1 10 013. Grant 1 0 014. Grant ........................... 1 0 014. Grant ... ............... 1 0 016. Grant 2 0 0

What Daddy Did in the Great War—con. Description op F atigue .Washing-up (privates). Washing-up (Sergeants’

Mess).Cleaning windows of

Officers' Mess H ut orderlyConstructing rifle range on

side of torrent Coal-heavingScraping six months' grease

off cook-house stove, ready for General’s Inspection

O.C., Company’s Laundry

O.C., Beer for Sergeants' Mess

from p. 87.R e m a r k s .

Water generally lukewarm Unprintable.

Dried with old news­papers.

Male charlady for the day. Muddy, but happy.

Black and bad-tempered. Unsuitable to General's

ears.

My best day in the Army. • Long ride on a limber

on summer day to nearest town. Apples presented to Tommy and his driver by tender­hearted laundry lady.

Second best day in the Army. No apples this time ; bu t i t was not a teetotal day. (Remem­ber, it was the height of summer, and the beer was made in Kent).

But I have to confess without a reference to

ex-organist specialised, once or twice. But I was

The list is not exhaustive, that it would not be complete tha t fatigue in which the Yes, I had tha t to do also, not a volunteer.

.T o be continued.

New Mem bers.Life Members.—L/Cpls. Brown, Tiley, Johnson;

Privates Brooks, Brown, Cuttridge, Swaine, Spence, Gilbey, Harrison, Spicer, Turner, Young, James, Simmons, Goodchild, Mitchell, Stokes, Dixon, Ephgrave, Godden, Holdsworth, Riminer, Stimson, Cooper, C roft; G. Dawson, Esq. ; Messrs. H. Seal, A. H. Gray.

Annual Members.—Privates H. Swallow, E- Priechman, B. Smart, W. Lawson, W. McKay, R. Large, E. Huxley, C. Coade, R. Fagg, H. Foord, C. Cullen, J. Jones, R. Adams, W. Davis, J. Thomas,F. Towner, H. Ward, A. Holliday, P. Williams, S. Howsham, E. Crossby, J. Webster, N. Delvis, G. What- fo rd ; W. Cooper, D. Lindsey, I*. Ross, P. Winter,F. Rigden, H. Wills, H. Back, H. T ibbies; Messrs. W. F. Pearson, J. Oyler, F. Reeves, W. Wright, C. Ansell, J. D. Cork, G. H. T. Hornigold, J. Jury, C. H. Mullin, P. H. Sacre, J. Ashby, T. Bishenden, H. Taylor, J. Mathers, D. E. Harrison, C. T. Wood, C. W. Lyons, S. Burnap, V. S. Clark, F. Osmond, G. W. May.

Associate Member.—Mr. R. M. Bond.

Canterbury,31 si January, 1934.

The Secretary,Past and Present Association.

Sir,Herewith Targets and Scores for the Monthly

Competition -22 M.R. of December, 1933 :—Ashford ... ... ... ... 571Sandwich ... ... ... ... 552Dover ... ... ... ... 549Margate ... ... ... ... 5322nd Battalion ... ... ... 495Ram sgate... ... ... ... 450

Yours faithfully,A. B.. T homson,

Bt. Lieut.-Colonel, Commanding Depot The Buffs.

Ashford.Mr. Lambkin........... .... 20 20 20 20 20 100Mr. Avis................... .... 20 19 19 18 20 96Mr. Harrison...*....... ..... 19 19 20 19 18 95Mr. Elkington......... ..... 18 20 19 18 20 95Mr. Salmons............ ..... 20 20 18 16 19 93Mr. Swinnard.......... .... 19 19 18 18 18 92

571

Sandwich.Mr. Howes............... .... 19 20 18 20 20 97Mr. Bennett............. ..... 19 19 19 17 19 93Mr. W est.................. .... 18 19 18 19 19 93Mr. Plummer.......... .... 19 19 17 18 19 92Mr. Stroud............... .... 18 19 18 19 17 91Mr. Crouch.................... 17 16 19 17 17 86

552

Dover.C.S.M. McWalter.... ..... 20 19 19 20 20 98Mr. W arren.............. .... 20 19 19 19 20 97Capt. Hallam.......... .... 19 19 20 18 17 93Mr. Deal................. . .... 18 16 20 19 15 88Mr. Mead................. .........19 16 18 18 16 87Mr. Clark................. .... 15 18 18 17 18 86

• 549

THE DRAGON mMargate.

Mr. Phillpott....... ........ 19 18 19 17 19 92Mr. Nethersole.... ....... 17 17 20 18 19 91Mr. Stewart........ ........ 16 19 16 19 20 90Mr. Kennett........ ........ 18 17 18 18 17 88Mr. Jarman......... ........ 18 18 17 18 16 87Mr. Bishop.......... ........ 16 19

2nd Battalion.

18 .16 15 84

532

L/Cpl. Daw................. 16 18 20 18 17 89L/Cpl. Pout.......... ....... 18 10 18 24. 17* 86L/Sgt. Charlton.... ....... 17 20 17 14 17 85Sgt. Baker.......... ........ 16 16 16 16 17 81L/Cpl. Callaway... ....... 15 16 17 15 15 78L/Cpl. Johnson.... ........ 18 15

R am sgate.

17 9 17 76

495

Mr. Adams.......... ....... 15 19 15 15 18 82Mr. Preble........ . ....... 17 16 18 15 15 81Mr. Bdwards............... 14 16 14 16 18 78Mr. Reynolds...... ....... 14 17 18 12 16 77Mr. Simpson........ ....... 14 15 9 13 18 69Mr. Hnghes.......... ........ 17 16 6 17 7 63

450•Penalty.

Ashford Branch.The Monthly Meeting was held on February 10th a t the Market

Hotel, Mr. J. E. King presiding. Owing to the unavoidable absence of Captain W. E. Oakley, Mr. W. Manktelow kindly consented to act as Vice-Chairman for the evening.

The Chairman then asked the Secretary to read the Minutes of the last meeting. These were read and confirmed and the Correspondence read and accepted.

The Secretary then read out the Balance Sheet for the quarter ending December 31st, 1933. This showed an increase in the credit balance of the Branch funds over the previous quarter of about £5 10s. Od.

The Balance Sheet of the Christmas Prize Distribution was then read to the meeting. This was received with great applause, as it showed a credit balance of £14 16s. 6d. This, is, I believe, a record for the Ashford Branch, and it reflects great credit on the man who practically ran the whole show—Mr. A. F. Tomsett, our Assistant Secretary.

The Chairman then announced that we were expecting a visit from the Dering Arms Sports Club, Pluckley, on Saturdav, February 24th, for a dart match.

We are also looking forward to a visit from the Canterbury Branch on March 3rd, when we hope to give them as big a hiding a t darts and crib as they gave us a t bat and trap and bowls a t Canterbury last October.

The Brandi unanimously agreed that the Meritorious Bars for 1933 be awarded to our Chairman. (Mr. J. E. King) and our Rifle Club Secretary (Mr. L. Lambkin).

The Secretary announced that he had made enquiries of the Railway Company with regard to fares for the proposed visit to the London Branch in April. They offered a reduced fare of 7/6 per person providing the party numbered eight or more. The Chairman said that he hoped all members who could would take advantage of this opportunity of visiting the London Branch, as he could assure them from his personal experience that they would receive a very hearty welcome.

The remainder of the evening was spent in harmony. The following members contributed to the programme:—Mr. J. E. King, Mr. W. Barman and Mr. G. Hopkins. Our pianist (Mr. G. Dray), besides ably presiding a t the piano, rendered several excellent songs.

S.H.H.

London Branch.Another fine meeting, and all seemed glad to be back in the old

home again. Unfortunately Captain E- Smith was still unable to be present owing to sickness, but we are glad to record, although far too slow, some progress.

The Chair was taken by Mr. E. C. Ainge, supported by Colonel Guy Lee, D.S.O., M.C., Captains E. A. Carter, M.C., T. O. Cook, M.B.E., W. R. Orwin, and J. E. Enright. Looking round the room, we noticed amongst many others the following .-—Messrs, Warren, Austin, Borland,

Reynolds, Joe Green, E. Tong, Everett, Bill Coveney, Whiting, Ben Field, Dunk, J. Philpot, Williams, T. E. Ward, A. Cole, Gunner Lee, Tommy Atkins, - etc. Our Chelsea Pensioners present comprised In-Pensioners Brophy, Turner, Driscoll, Askew, Smith, Barnett and Marsh.

Decease.—The Chairman mentioned the loss sustained by the Branch in the recent death of Mr. George Butt (1st Battalion) who had just passed away. The members stood in silence for one minute in affectionate remembrance.

Minutes.—The Minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. There were no questions arising out of the Minutes.

L ife Membership Ru l e —The Chairman called upon Captain Enright to explain the proposed suggestion for consideration by the Sub-Committee of an amendment to the rule governing Life Member­ship.

Captain Enright said that it was not strictly an amendment, but an alternative addition. Briefly it was th is :—Any Buff can join the Association as a Life Member on payment of £1. Any yearly member by paying by instalments a sum of £1 in any one year, can become a Life Member. Any yearly member by paying twelve annual sub­scriptions of 2/6 consecutively, automatically became a Life Member, but in this case such member would have paid a total amount of £1 10s. Od. I t would be observed, that if a man paid eight consecutive annual subscriptions, that the total amount he would have paid would have been £1, so that by continuing to pay 2/6 for a further four years per annum, appears to be under the suggestion proposed, unnecessary to many yearly members, but at the same time necessary for meeting the convenience of others. The proposal is therefore:—

(a) “ That having completed eight annual payments of 2/6 perannum, a member may be admitted to Life Membership on the payment of 10/-, or such balance afterwards remaining to equal a total payment of £1 10s. Od.

(b) A member shall be entitled to pay any sum he likes to pay overand above his annual subscription towards Life Membership and upon payment of the required amount in accordance with the rules, he shall be admitted to Life Membership.”

I t was pointed out that such additions, if adopted, do not in any way interfere with present rules of the Association, but would be advantageous to the Association, the Branches and members. Many,- no doubt, would take advantage and become Life Members, thus placing into the funds of the Executive Committee of the Association money in a lump sum which it would otherwise have to wait four, three or two years for by instalments in annual subscriptions. _ I t is hoped the addition would benefit the Executive of Branches in relieving them of the collection of many yearly subscriptions and would benefit members generally by facilitating Life Membership.

There was a very animated and keen discussion, and amongst those who took part were Messrs. Philpot, Field, Whiting and Tong. The debate was adjourned until the next meeting to enable members to study the matter further.

Summer Outing.—The Chairman mentioned that the -proposed date of Sunday, July 8th had been selected by the Committee, after carefully considering the various dates of already fixed Branch functions. I t was for the members to approve that date. The estimates from the Southern Railway and the Charabanc Company were placed before the members, and it was proposed by Mr. Cqveney and seconded by Mr. Tong, that the date be approved and that the Brandi accept the terms of the railway. Carried unanimously.

Wrotham Sunday (June 24th).—Proposed by Captain Carter and seconded by Mr. Kelly that the estimate of the Southern Railway be accepted for conveying the party from London. Carried unanimously.

The Colonel of the Regim ent.—A surprise was caused when the Colonel of the Regiment came into the room a t about 9 p.m., escorted by Mr. Gordon Lindley, M.C., who had driven the Colonel to the meeting from the 7th Battalion Dinner. Cheers and the old refrain formed our usual welcome* Having only a few minutes to stay, the Colonel told us he had just attended the 7 th Battalion Dinner, and it was a real good show. He told the members of the London Branch that loyalty was the backbone of everything. Loyalty to one’s Regi­ment and loyalty to one’s Association and friends. We were all entitled to hold our respective views and opinions, but we must not try to enforce those opinions upon others by any means foreign to the spirit of loyalty. In all associations and organisation there must be Leaders and Executives, and we must be loyal to them. There was no room for disloyal people in this Association of Past and Present Buffs. If anyone was not satisfied with the comradeship of his brother Buffs, then we did not want him—let him dear out. (Applause.) He would stress this a t every Branch meeting he attended.

I ntroductions.—The following were introduced to the Colonel of the Regiment, who gave each a hearty handshake :—Cpl. Pearson, late 2nd Battalion; Mr. E. J. Ward, late 2nd Battalion; Captain W. R. Orwin, late 1st Battalion; In-Pensioner Askew, late 1st Battalion ; In-Pensioner Driscoll, late 1st Battalion.

Th e P rince Alfred .—Colonel Guy Lee thanked the members for their reception of him, and said he was delighted to be back once again in the old place, and he congratulated the Committee upon their quickness in making the move. He also gave us the news that Brigadier-General R. Hickson, C.B., was very ill.

Next Dances.—The Chairman drew attention to the next dance on March 10th, and the Carnival Dance on April 14th, and urged all to continue making these dances great successes. .

2nd Battalion.—Before leaving, the Colonel of the Regiment spoke about the cross-country running, and how they had the team spirit. He asked all who could to try and get to Shorncliffe on February 27th—he knew Joe Green would be there—and see the team run in the Eastern Command Championship..

THE DRAGON

Colonel Guy Lee said that in many regiments one would find the sportsman doing little duty and being well dieted. I t was not so in The Buffs—“ I t never was,” interjected several members—and as he was the P .R .I. for some time, he knew.

C orrespondence .—The Chairman read out a le tte r sent to Captain Enright from C.S.M. Ongley, which was heard with enthusiasm. Letters of regret and best wishes to all old friends were received from Colonel the Hon. P. G. Scarlett, J . Jury , S. Wenham, R.S.M. J . Vaughan,G. E. Smith, and a telegram from Major H. G. James.

O u r In v a lid s .—We regret th a t our sick members are still confined to their homes. Mr. H . (Molly) Marshall was reported ill in bed. Captain Smith, Wickert and W ard were progressing, and Major James about to take his first few minutes in the open a ir for many weeks.

J.E.E.

La d ie s ’ Gu il d .The Tea Meeting for February was held on the 10th (Wednesday),

a t the Prince Alfred R estaurant, Westminster, when 32 members sat down to tea, including Mrs. Neale Dalton (Vice-President), who was welcomed by the Chairman after her long unavoidable absence. Mrs. Crookenden (Vice-President) arrived before the meeting, and also about 30 other members, all pleased to be back in their old home.

M inutes.—The Minutes for the meeting in December were read and confirmed.

C orrespondence .—L etters were read from the Guild President (the Hon. Lady Lynden-Bell), Mrs. Guy Lee (Vice-President), Mrs. Blackburn, Mrs. W ittering, Mrs. Taylor (Pinner), Mrs. Owen South, Captain Enright and C.S.M. Ongley (2nd Battalion).

Sick.—The following members were on the sick l i s t :—Mrs. Manning, Mrs. Bean (accident), Mrs. Hill (attending hospital) ; also Captain Smith (Chairman) and Mr. Geersdale of London B randi. To all we offer our sincere wishes for a re tu rn to health.

O b itu a ry .—I t was with regret th a t the death of Mr. H arry B urt was announced, and the family returned thanks to the Guild for the floral tribute, and to members for letters of sympathy.

S ilv e r W edding.—The Silver Wedding of Captain W. I . and Mrs. Shore was received w ith much applause. Mrs. Shore being a member of the Guild, a le tter of congratulation was proposed and carried.

New Y e a r R « ity .—The Chairman thanked all who had contributed money or kind, or in any way helped the party ; also to the Committee, who had worked so hard and given so much time to make everyone happy and the party a great success.

D ance.—Members were reminded of the London Branch Dance on March 10th. Tickets 1/6, a t the Millicent Fawcett Hall.

D inner.—-The London Branch Dinner and Ladies’ Festival on May 5th a t Commercial Restaurant, Mincing Lane. Tickets 5/6, now available. Book early.

R a f f le s .—Tablecloth and serviettes given by Mrs. Taylor (Woolwich) realised 6/10, and were won by Mrs. Hickey. A sachet given by Mrs. Manning realised 3/1 and was won by Mrs. Ritchings. Our thanks to the donors.

C ross-C oun try R un.—I t was announced th a t the 2nd Battalion team were partiepating in the South of the Thames run on Saturday, February 10th, a t Cobham, Surrey. I t was requested th a t members near th a t part give their support.

P re s e n ta t io n .—The Chairman mentioned th a t she bad received a telephone message from the Colonel of the Regiment prior to the tea, to the effect th a t the Association of Men of K ent and Kentish Men were parading a t Shorncliffe on May 17th to .present the Regiment with a silver bugle in commemoration of their connexion with the Countv for 50 years.

D.E.S.

Dover Branch.Chancing to be in the vicinity of N orthboum e a week or so back,

your correspondent ran across a fine old Buff veteran in the person of Mr. G. Reed. Mr. Reed served with the Regiment in both the South African W ar and the Great War. In the former campaign he gained the Royal Humane Society’s Medal for saving a trooper of the 7th Dragoon Guards from drowning. His son fell whilst fighting in the ranks of The Buffs in the Great W ar. Despite his sixty-three years, Mr. Reed is wonderfully fit and active. Indeed, in the course of a country tram p he pu t the walking powers of your correspondent (who if not in his first youth is a much younger man and can claim to be above the average as a walker) to a pretty severe test.

Perhaps the following incident is also w orthy of record. The scene is a Dover tram car on a wet Sunday evening in January, 1934. Every seat is occupied, many of them by men, including three young soldiers of The Buffs, who apparently were returning from week-end leave. Car stops and a number of ladies get in. Of all the men occupying seats, the only ones who think of getting up and offering their seat to the ladies are the three young Buffs. A trivial incident, perhaps, but one calculated to make the old soldier, and particularly the old Buff, stick his chest out another inch or two.

Thanks to the kindness of Messrs. W. and H . Frost, we now have a notice board which is exhibited a t the Friendly Societies Club where

-we meet. I t may be consulted a t any time, as our members are honorary members of the Club. Messrs. Frost a t the same time gave us two tripods for the Rifle Club.

Our Branch has been awarded one of the new meritorious bars for 1933. We have decided to bestow this on our old friend Mr. F. Evans, than whom no more loyal Buff o r loyal member of the Branch exists.

One new member joined us a t our m onthly meeting. This was Mr. W. F . Miles, who joined the old 1st Volunteer Battalion of The Buffs in 1897. Your correspondent is still searching round for th a t bianco p o t !

Weald Branch.The Annual Meeting of the Branch was held at the

Drill Hall, Cranbrook, on January 25th.The following Officers and Committee were elected :

Chairman : Colonel. John Body, D.S.O., O.B.E., T.D. Vice-Chairman : Captain V. T. Dampier Palmer, O.B.E. Hon. Secretary and Treasurer: Captain A. E- Loyd

Hardcastle.Assistant Hon. Secretary and Treasurer: Captain E.

Boulding.Sub-Area Representatives :

C.S.M. H. Brooks................................. Horsmonden.Colonel E. B. Burns, T.D................... Yalding.Mr. P. J. Chittenden........................... Cranbrook.Mr. E. Couchman................................ Tenterden.Mr. S. E. Fuggle, D.C.M., M.M........... Benenden.Mr. A. Paine........................................ Wittersham.Mr. G. Turner...................................... Lamberhurst.Mr. A. J. Whaley................................. Sutton Valence.Mr. W. T. Wickens.............................. Hawkhurst.

Additional Members :Major E. Clarke (Cranbrook), Lieut. J. P. Geering

(Hawkhurst), Mr. H. George (Tenterden), Mr. J. Goldsmith (Hawkhurst), Lieut. J. C. Jackson (Head- corn), C.Q.M.S. E. T. Tapp (Cranbrook), and 2/Lieut. W. Tassell (Marden).

Owing to the difficulties connected with distances separating sub-areas and the expense of travelling to meetings it has been decided in future to confine Branch activities to the Remembrance Day Parade, the Branch Annual Dinner, and the Branch Annual Meeting.

In order to maintain interest in Branch affairs the Committee has been enlarged and will meet bi-monthly. I t is hoped that sub-areas will arrange socials, etc., in their own districts.

We regret to have to report the death of the follow­ing members since the last Annual Meeting, reference to which in some cases, has already appeared in The Dragon :—

Mr. A. Croft (Tenterden), Mr. E. J. F. Garnet Man (Benenden), Mr. J. Rylott (Horsmonden), and Mr.L. Standen (Beckley).

We also regret to report the death of Mr. J. Sivers which occurred in 1932, but of which we have only recently heard.

He was probably the oldest- Buff being 95 when he died. He enlisted in the Regiment in 1857 when the 2nd Battalion was formed.

He joined the Association at Cranbrook in 1929 and seemed then remarkably fit and agile for his age.

An account of his service appeared in The Dragon later.

The Branch has unanimously decided not to adopt the scheme for issuing Bars to selected members owing to the impossibility of discriminating between a great many members who in various ways and in various districts do what they can for the Regiment.

The Branch Dinner has been fixed for March 15th at the Town Hall, Tenterden, when we hope again to have the privilege of entertaining the Colonel of the Regiment and representatives of the 2nd Battalion and other Branches.

We congratulate our Chairman, Colonel Body, most heartily on his recent appointment as Hon. Colonel of the 4th Battalion.

DRAGON 91

W e also congratu la te th e 4 th B a tta lion on having him. Those of us who know Colonel Body know w hat a g reat privilege has been bestow ed on th e batta lion .

We are very glad to hear th a t our Vice-Chairm an, C aptain D am pier Palm er, is well on the w ay to recovery from his serious illness.

A .K .L.H .

M e d w a y B ra n c h .Six Y k a r s o f P r o g r e s s .

A m eeting of th e M edway Branch of th e Buffs P as t and P resen t A ssociation was held a t th e U nity Club, C hatham , last S a tu rd ay . Capt. A. B arton presided, and was supported by Mr. W. K ing-H olt (Hon. T reasurer), Mr. T. W heatley (Vice-Chairm an), m em bers of th e C om m ittee and ab o u t fifty m em bers from th e M edway Towns. T ette rs of apology for absence were read from A lderm an O sborn T aylor (President), A lderm an H . H epw orth , J .P . (Vice- P resident), Colonel IT. F indlay , C.B.R., and M ajor- G eneral Sir A. Lynden-B ell (Colonel of th e Regim ent).

In reply to a le tte r of congratu la tion to th e 2nd B atta lion from th e B ranch on th e ir success in th e K ent Cross-Country Cham pionship, R.S.M. V aughan said th a t the cross-country team was very fit, and hoped to win the A rm y C ham pionship a t A ldershot for th e th ird tim e in succession, also th e South of th e Tham es for the fourth tim e in succession.

Capt. B arton announced th e result of the election of officers for 1934 as follows Patron , M ajor-General .Sir A. Lynden-Bell, K .C.B., K.C.M .G., J .P . ; President, A lderm an O. T aylor ; V ice-President, A lderm an H. H epw orth ; C hairm an, Capt. A. B arton ; V ice-Chair­m an, Mr. '1'. W heatley ; Hon. T reasurer, Mr. W. King- I lo lt ; Officer-in-Charge of R egim ental Journals, Mr. H. B arns ; Com m ittee, Messrs. W ard, R ichards, French, S treet, G illiard and Barns.

T he C hairm an than k ed th e m em bers for th e ir loyal su p p o rt during his y ear of office, and also th e Com m ittee for the valuable services th ey had given to the A ssociation. F o r th e ir earnestness and self-sacrificing labours, he said, no praise could be too high. In spite of the op tim istic s ta tem en ts m ade b y responsible m em bers of th e G overnm ent, th e p a s t year h ad been a b ad one so fa r as th e ir m em bers in the M edway Towns were concerned, and they hoped for a b righ ter outlook in 1934. Irrespective of assistance given to d istressed m em bers from th e reg im ental benevolen t funds, the branch h ad recen tly relieved m em bers to th e ex ten t of £’16. Splendid w ork was being done by th e A ssociation in finding em ploym ent and assisting less fo rtu n ate com rades, b u t th ere was still am ple room and pressing need for p riv a te generosity and personal service.

T he C hairm an rem inded th e m em bers who were still unem ployed, and could n o t m eet th e ir dues and dem ands, th a t th ey would alw ays receive a warm welcome a t th e ir m eetings, and th a t every genuine case of distress would receive consideration. All th e ir com rades were received w ith u nderstand ing and sy m pathy , as th e first d u ty of a Buff is to be th e helpful friend of every m an who h ad served in th e regim ent.

T here was very keen com petition for th e b a r of honour w hich is given annually to the m em ber who renders th e best service to th e b ranch during th e year. T his was aw arded to th a t very popu lar m em ber, Mr. H. Barnes, who proved alw ays willing and ready to ex tend a welcome h and to the ad van tage of his com ­rades, and also in in troducing new m em bers.

Mr. W heatley spoke of th e g reat en thusiasm which was show n by th e m em bers. I t d id no t m a tte r w hat th e w eather was like, he said, there was alw ays a good m u ster a t the m eetings, and th a t proved th a t although th ey had to trav e l from th e principal tow ns and villages

in the M edway d is tric t th ey still possessed th a t Buff sp irit w hich had m ade the regim ent so fam ous during the p a s t th ree centuries, a lthough th e M edway b ranch had been in existence for six years, th a t sp irit of com ­radesh ip h ad been streng thened . The n ex t m eeting, which will be held a t th e U n ity Club, on F eb ru ary 24th, will be followed by a re-union concert, a t which all m em bers and th e ir wives will be heartily welcome, and also anyone who h ad served in any b a tta lio n of The Buffs, especially those who had no t ye t joined the P ast and P resen t Association.

Mr. W. K ing-H olt gave a brief resum e of th e branch finances. The branch was solvent, he said, b u t th ey could do w ith a little m ore generosity to m eet the needs of less fo rtu n a te comrades. He also thanked th e m em bers for once again electing him as honorary treasurer. H e paid a warm tr ib u te to Mr. Barns for w inning the badge of honour. Mr. Barnes, he said, had in troduced several new m em bers during the year, and th e ir con tribu tions certain ly helped the funds. He hoped th a t o ther m em bers would m ake an effort to bring in new mem bers. I t was surprising, he said, th a t a lthough th e A ssociation was one of th e largest in the country , there were still a n um ber of ex-Buffs who had n o t y e t joined up. The co n tribu tion was very sm a ll- less th an threepence a m onth— and if they were n o t in a position to pay, nobody worried them , and th ey were alw ays m ade welcome a t the m eetings.

O ther m em bers showed g rea t enthusiasm by th e ir constructive criticism , and th e m eeting was brough t to a close a fte r the C hairm an had given a h e a rty welcome to new and v isiting mem bers.

Minutes of a General Meeting held on 27tli January, 1934.The Minutes of the previous meeting were read and passed as

correct on the motion of Mr. G. H. Mills, seconded by Mr. W. Brunger.At the commencement of the proceedings the Chairman welcomed

Mr. Sinclair from Sittingbourne Branch as a guest ; and a new member, Mr. P. Blackman.

The Chairman then read a letter from the Colonel of the Regiment which contained many amusing and interesting items. He also reported that Alderman Osborn Taylor was confined to bed, but he sent his greetings to the meeting and a donation to the Branch funds. It was unanimously decided that a letter expressing the sympathy and thanks of the Branch be sent.

It was also reported that a letter to the 2nd Battalion had been sent congratulating them on their success in the cross-country run, and that a reply had been received.

The Chairman announced that it was his pleasure to inform the members that a bar had been instituted for wear with the Association Badge. It was to be granted to the member who had done most for the Branch. This led to discussion, and the Hon. Treasurer said that in his opinion the man who helped the Branch most was the one who introduced the largest number of new members. It was not. often that the Branch was able to show its appreciation of the work done for it, but now that the opportunity did occur he would like to put forward the name of Mr. Harry Barnes. Mr. Brunger seconded, saying that the bar could not have been put in a better place. The award met with the unanimous approval of the meeting.

Mr. Wheatley said he would like to arrange a concert after the February meeting. It would be held in the hall below them and it was intended to provide entertainment for the wives of members as well as themselves. It was agreed Uiat the concert take place and that the arrangements be left in the hands of Mr. Wheatley.

A. Barton .

Ramsgate Branch.A Record Party.

T he kiddies’ annual p a r ty given by th e Past and P resen t Association, T he Buffs, R am sgate B ranch, a t th e W illson’s R oad Drill Hall, on S a tu rd ay , was th e biggest ever organised, and if the volum e of noise m ade by 170 lu sty young th ro a ts is any criterion , it was certain ly th e best.

The n um ber of children presen t was a record, being 50 m ore th a n a t last y e a r’s p a rty , which was itself one of th e biggest ever held. The organisation w hich was carried th rough w ith o u t a hitch, reflected g rea t c redit on th e energetic Vice-Chairm an (Mr. 1£. J . B irch) and th e Com m ittee.

$2 tHiS DRAGOisr

The room was gaily decorated with bunting, and the long tables themselves presented a colourful sight. A plentiful meal was served by a willing band of ladies, and after the serious business of eating was over, the room was cleared for games and races. An entertain­ment by the Ramsgate Banjo Band, under Mr. Alan Young, completed the programme of amusements, and the young audience showed their appreciation of the various items in no uncertain manner.

Among those who came to see the fun were the Mayor (Alderman E. E. Dye), Major and Mrs. C. S. R. Witts and Lieut. H. D. Rose.

On leaving the party, every child received a gift of a toy, twopence, two oranges and a bag of sweets.

During the latter part of the evening a large number of parents and friends attended an enjoyable dance at the hall.

Thanet Advertiser.

Canterbury Branch.T.a d ie s’ Guild .

The usual monthly meeting was held on Wednesday, February 21st, a t the Headquarters, Rhodaus Town, at 3 p.m. Present:— Mrs. Howard Smith (Chairman), Mrs. Andrews (Vice-Chairman), Mrs. Albury (Secretary), and about twenty members.

The Minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed.Mrs. Rausley (Chairman, Entertainment Committee) submitted

the balance sheet for the dance held at the County Hall on February 5tli (which was a very enjoyable evening for all, and at which we had the pleasure of seeing Colonel and Mrs. H. Findlay, Colonel and Mrs. Thomson, Colonel and Mrs. Howard Smith and Captain and Mrs. Robertson). The balance sheet showed a profit of £ I 5s. 6d., so wc gained a little financially in addition to enjoying ourselves. Great credit is due to Mrs. Ransley and our newly-formed Entertainment Committee, and to Sergeant-Major Farrow, who was our capable M.C.

Another dance will be held on Thursday, March 15th, a t St. George’s Hall, Station Road West, at 7.30 p.m. Tickets 1/-.

After the business was concluded, a Dart Competition was held. The winners were Mrs. Albury and Mrs. Marsh, prizes being given by Mrs. Howard Smith and Mrs. Thomson. We next enjoyed two recitations ably given by Mrs. Eden, a visitor. Our Chairman in a few words expressed the thanks and appreciation of us all for the splendid performance.

I t is hoped that as many members as possible will attend our next meeting, when the watch held by Colonel Findlay in connection with our Stop Watch Competition will be unsealed. We sincerely hope Colonel Findlay will be well enough' to attend and open it himself, and we close by wishing him a speedy recovery from his illness.

H.M.A.

H k k n e B a y S u b -B r a n c h .Fifty-three sat down to the third Annual Supper

of the Sub-Branch on Saturday, 17th of February at the New Dolphin Hotel, and everyone appeared to enjoy themselves very much. After the disposal of the excellent food, the remainder of the evening was devoted to harmony and humour of different kinds and the fact that there was not a dull moment for three hours is a credit to Dusty Miller who was responsible for the programme and to the skill of the entertainers. We are very grateful to them all.

The only two toasts were the King and the Guests and there was a minimum of speech making.

A message was read from the Colonel of the Regi­ment who regretted that he could not be present and sent us his best wishes and congratulations on the aliveness of the Sub-Branch.

Two regimental events deprived us of guests. The 7th Battalion Dinner made it impossible for Colonel Findlay to come and Colonel Collard and Major Witts were supprting the 4th Battalion Boxing Team at Chelsea.

As guests we had the Vice-Chairman and the Honorary Secretaries of the Canterbury Branch, Mr. Pitt, the Chairman of the Urban District Council, and Mr. Cursons. Ten other members of the .Canterbury Branch attended and we were very glad to seethem..

Folkestone Branch.

The Annual General Meeting of the Folkestone Branch was held at “D” Company’s Club, on Tuesday, February 13th, at 8.30.

Lieut. C. Brooke, Vice-Chairman, took the Chair in the absence of the Chairman, Major G. L. Meakin, J.P., supported by 2/Lieut. A. C. Roberts, 2/Lieut.P. L. Roberts, C. J. Roberts, Esq., W. H. Francis, Hon. Secretary ; A. Orchard, Hon. Treasurer and some 40 Members.

The Chairman welcomed Capt. D. V. Coote, Chair­man of Hythe Branch (Vice-President) and Lieut. P. T. G. Lynden-Bell (2nd Battalion) wrho also attended.

Regrets for absence were received from Major G. Meakin, J.P., Colonel PI. Findlay, C.B.E., Alderman.R. G. Wood, J.P., W. Wayland, Esq. The Minutes of the previous Annual Meeting were read and con­firmed. The Hon. Secretary read his Report on the past year. Among other items he emphasised the amount of help that had been obtained for Members from the Association during 1933 and asked that every endeavour should be made to obtain new members and to prevent old members from dropping out of the Branch. The Committee had worked very hard to provide amusements for the Branch and the Games Nights and Trips into the country had been very successful. The Secretary also thanked C.S.M. M. Martin, for his work as Assistant Hon. Secretary and his great assistance in arrangements for the Games Nights and Meetings.

Mr. Orchard (Hon. Treasurer) read the Financial Statement which shows a balance in hand. The Treasurer said that he wished he had more work to do in connection with the accounts.

Major G. H. Meakin, J.P., having expressed his desire to give up the Chairmanship as lie was unable to attend meetings, Lieut. C. Brooke was unanimously elected Chairman. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded Major Meakin for his past services together with regrets at losing him. It was then unanimously decided that Major G. H. Meakin, J.P., be elected Vice- President of the Branch.

I t was proposed, seconded and carried that 2/Lieut. A. C. Roberts be elected Vice-Chairman. . .

Lieuts. Brooke 'and Roberts thanked the Meeting. Mr. W. H. Francis was unanimously re-elected Hon. Secretary and C.S.M. M. Martin as Assistant Hon. Secretary. Mr. A. Orchard was also re-elected Hon. Treasurer, unanimously.

Eight nominations were received for the Committee and the following were elected :—Capt. A. G. Nugent, A. Smith, 2/Lieut. P. L. Roberts, H. Wilkinson and W. Page.

It was proposed, seconded and carried that C. J. Roberts, Esq., be elected a Vice-President of the Branch. Mr. Roberts thanked the Members for the honour.

A vote of thanks to the Chairman (Lieut. C. Brooke) was also carried. The Chairman in reply, thanked the Members and expressed the pleasure they all felt in having Lieut. Lynden-Bell with them. Capt. A. G. Nugent also associated himself with .the remarks of the Chairman in regard to Lieut. Lynden-Bell. I t was proposed that a letter of congratulation be sent to the 2nd Battalion on their splendid recent victories. Lieut. Lynden-Bell thanked all present for their kind wishes and said that he hoped that those who could would be at Shorndiffe Camp on February 27th. The Meeting closed at 9.45. r

THE DRAGON 93

Ladies’ Guild.Tlie Ladies’ Guild held a most successful New Year’s Parly at the

Regent Hall, Folkestone, on Wednesday, January 24th, some 70 members and their husbands being present, including Mrs. J. Crookenden and Mrs. Hirst. C.Q.M.S. Diamond presided at the piano and contributed considerably towards the success of the evening. During the evening various games and competitions were held, while Mrs. F. Haiscll’s singing was greatly appreciated. Thanks are due to various members for gifts of prizes and commodities for the refreshments. The evening finished up with “ Sir Roger de Coverley,” “ Auld Lang Syne ” and the National Anthem.

The usual Monthly Meeting was held at the Drill Hall on Wednesday, February I4tli, fifty members being present. After tea the usual whist drive took place. Members were notified that a supper in connection with the men’s Branch was to be held at the Queen’s Hotel, Folkestone, on Friday, March 9tli.

S andw ich B ran ch .S u p p e r a n d S o c ia l .

T he A nnual Supper and Social of th e Sandw ich P a st and P resen t A ssociation of T he Buffs, was held on T h ursday last, when 70 m em bers of th e B ranch and Rifle Club and friends sp en t a very enjoyable evening. M ajor F . W. Tom linson (B ranch Chairm an) presided and am ong the guests were M ajor W. M. K . M arshall (O.C. Sandw ich C adets), L ieu t. W illiam son, (O.C. Sandw ich Buffs T ), Mr. H . G. Pope (Secretary JDeal P. an d P.A .), Mrs. H . G. Pope (Secretary, Deal Buffs L adies’ Guild), Mrs. Jackson, R.S.M . M axted, M.C., Mr. and Mrs. H . C. Sim mons.

The C hairm an th an k ed the ladies responsible for th e excellent supper and proposed “ The G uests,” to which L ieut. W illiam son responded.

T he " Bell ” m edal for th e best aggregate score in a shooting com petition , for Rifle Club m em bers was p resen ted to Mr. J . R . Taylor.

Mr. A. D. Mowers was M.C. for the social program m e which included enjoyable dancing and com petitions, and songs by B ert Perk ins (double gold m edallist), Mrs. C. B oum er, Mrs. G. Id very and Mr. H . Sim mons.

Apologies for absence were received from L ord and L ad y N orthbourne, Colonel an d Mrs. H. F indlay , the M ayor and M ayoress of Sandw ich (Councillor J . J . and Mrs. Caspell), the Rev. and Mrs. M. M. Vischer, and Messrs. R o lan d Staff L td ., th e land lo rds of the B ranch H eadquarters , who expressed p leasure a t being of som e service to th e A ssociation.

From the Kentish Express.5113.

D eal B ran ch .Our Monthly Meeting was held at the British Legion Headquarters,

Heal, on February fitli, 1934. In the absence of our Chairman, Captain J. Turk presided, supported by Messrs. Redsull, Graves, Hare, Maxted and Pope (lion. Secretary) of the Committee, and a good muster of members.

The Minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.The main business of the evening was to fix a date for our annual

dinner, and after a lengthy discussion it was agreed that March 22nd, 1934 be fixed for this. The meeting then adjourned.

H.G.P.

Ladies' Guild.Our first Social Evening was held on Thursday, February 1st, at

Archer’s Bakery, Mill Road. We could not have chosen a worse evening, as there was a terrific gale blowing, but in spite of the weather about 40 members and friends spent a very enjoyable time in games, dancing and competitions, Mr. W. Redsull kindly acting as M.C. We would liave liked to have seen a few more of the men present, but evidently they were too shy of the Ladies’ Guild.

Our usual Monthly Meeting was held on Wednesday, February 14th, Mrs. I-Iulke kindly entertaining us at her house. We were pleased to welcome Miss Hulkc and to see her looking so well after her recent illness. Miss Backhouse read some amusing tales from Mr. Beususan’s “ Country Idylls,” and after community singing wc all enjoyed our tea. Mrs. Hill proposed a special vote of thanks to Mrs. llulke, and after singing “ The King ” we wended our wav homewards.

E.P.

The 1st Battalion.( 1HRISTM ASSES come ^ and go, but this one seems to have come and gone like the wind. Perhaps it is being abroad that accounts for it or it may be that it holds so many good things that we enjoy them so much and like all good things they come to an end all too quickly.

In chronological order we must very heartily con­gratulate “ The Sunshiners 1933 ” Concert Party. All the talent was from the Sergeants’ Mess. (This

may account for their lack of notes last month.Ed.) ; and it only shows how they were appreciated to say the}' had to do their stuff one extra night. We are already lookingforward to their 1934 Edition—may it appear soon.

"A” Company finished their training in time to get down to it for Christmas and “B” Company will no doubt have shaken that festive feeling off by the time they start early in the New Year.

All Christmas Day’s activities will, no doubt be fully reported elsewhere, but in case they’re not I ’d better say “B” Company provided a ,Grand Finale to the day by making a bonfire of their dining-room decorations.

The Band gave an excellent dance on Christmas night—I almost wrote “ Ball ”— but the whole affair was far too homely and nice for a Ball. Well done, the Band.

On the 27th the Married Families had their annual tea and Christmas Tree. Every­thing went like clockwork and everybody thoroughly enjoyed themselves and it was a great pleasure to see Mr. Milton doing Father Christmas again. I think he did it firs* as long ago as 1923.

Congratulations to “A” Company on winning the Harris Shield Hockey and to Headquarter Wing on winning Cross-Country Running.

Cricket is soon starting ; nobody can be certain of any results yet.

Our distinguished invalids are about again, Captain Hammond Davies almost doing full duty with an arm in a sling and Mr. Bruce no doubt will be by the time training starts.

THE DRAGON

Obituary.It is with a note of sadness we close—

having to report the death of C.Q.M.-Sergeant Pratt. He met with a serious bicycle accident on 26th December and injured his spine very badly and passed away during the afternoon of 28tli December.

Liked and respected by all since he joined this Battalion in 1923 on transfer from the Middlesex Regiment, he was a fine type of hardworking Non-Commissioned Officer. His passing is most pathetic, as lie was to have actually sailed to England to pension in a few days.

Our deepest sympathy to his widow and family.

P o lo .The year 1933 ended well for the 1st B atta lion

w ith regard to polo b y th e ir winning th e H arcourt B utler Challenge Cup a t M andalay during C hristm as week ; th e first tim e th is cup has been won by a B ritish R egim ent since it was inau g u ra ted in 1926— a fine effort considering th a t tw o of the regim ental team , Ilam m ond-D avies and Bruce, b o th crocked them selves before the T o u rn am en t : th e form erbreaking his collar-bone by his horse falling during a chukker and th e la tte r had his centre knuckle sp lit by a blow from a polo stick : very painful and extrem ely hard luck for them both. We all offer th em our sincerest sym path ies and hope to see them on the polo ground in the near fu ture.

R. F. P a rry and A tkinson took th e ir places and p layed m agnificently, especially P a rry who won th e gam e in the final in th e 1st chukker. The team won on th e ir handicap , nevertheless, i t was a s to u t effort considering th a t tw o of th e players, P a rry and A tk in ­son h ad only s ta rte d p laying polo for a few m onths tliis year. Jelf, as usual, was a tow er of s tren g th th ro u g h o u t the to u rn am en t.

In th e first round th e team drew a bye : in th e second th ey b ea t Lashio M ilitary Police team on h an d i­cap by 5 goals to 3. A good game. U nfo rtunate ly our opponents were handicapped by one of th e ir B ritish Officers falling and break ing h is collar-bone. H is place was tak en by a sam e-handicapped In d ian , Officer b u t the team appeared to lose heart.

In th e th ird round th ey m et R angoon M ilitary Police— the holders— and again won on handicap b y 4 goals to 3.

In th e final th ey b ea t the S o u thern Shan S ta tes a fte r a m ost exciting and fa st gam e. We scored in the first tw o m inutes from th e throw -in, which decidedly shook our opponents who h ad a handicap of 41 goals to wipe off. A fine, clean game : m ost th rilling to w atch. P arry fell tw ice, b u t in sp ite of a bruised back and shoulder carried on m agnificently and saved us th e m atch in th e last m inute by clearing th e ball from th e goal-m outh by a fine back-hander. T he bugle blew, leaving T he Buffs w inners by half a goal.

Prospects for th e 1934 season are very good although th e absence of Ilill is a g rea t loss to the team . W e have great hopes of P a rry tak in g his place ; a t his p resen t fa te of im provem ent i t looks as if he will.

1933 saw th e R egim ent tak in g p a r t in th ree to u rn am en ts of which th e R egim ent won two. P layers

G ordon S m ythe W on. 1. Fox.2. Jelf.3! Hill.4. H am m ond-D avies.

Swebo Lost. 1. Craig.2. Bruce.3. D ’A rcy Sym onds4. H am m ond-D avies.

H arco u rt B utler ... W on. 1. A tkinson.2. Fox.3. Jelf.4. P arry .

The s tan d ard of ponies is im proving and the num bers of players, which is a fte r all th e m ain consideration, are being m ain tained .P layers :— Colonel Jackson , H am m ond-D avies, Fox,

A tkinson, P arry , Jelf, Craig, S t. John , A lexander, Bruce, Boucher, M urphy, Nicholson, Grace, and Connolly.

S e rg e a n ts ’ M ess.T he first event of im portance for th is m o n th ’s edition

was our Annual Ball which was held on th e 25th O ctober on the T ennis Court, which was very well decorated , considering th e difficulties th a t vrere m et with. T he Ball was a great success, th an k s to th e Com m ittee and helpers, n o t fo rgetting th e ladies who cam e to help p u t up the decorations.

The n e x t even t th a t affected us was the Poppy D ay Concert, a t which some of our m em bers were gripped to perforin behind th e b a r ; a job a t which we are g e tting qu ite a lo t of p ractice lately .

T hen cam e the C orporals’ A nnual Ball a t which I th in k all of our m em bers were p resen t, and, I believe, h ad a very good evening’s enjoym ent.

On the first S unday in th e m on th we held a Social in the Mess and th e a tten d an ce was, I th ink , a record ; everyone was on th e go, doing som ething or other, and I m ight say everyone had a very enjoyable evening. Mrs. Salm on won th e Goose which was raffled, and of course she had to catch th e prize, b u t she m u st have h ad some p ractice for i t did n o t tak e long to land th e goose.

Sm udger Sm ith is a g reat asset to our Mess, being called upon no less th an four tim es to render songs, w ith o u t counting encores.

O ur Footba ll T eam have still been jogging along doing th e ir stuff, losing m atches, and we hope to be able to b e a t a few team s up when we get “ B” C om pany w ith us, and our in jured p layers back again.

W e h ave also s ta rte d H ockey in th e Mess now th a t the ra ins have stopped and have p layed up to th e p resen t two m atches.

O ur team s are im proving and w ith a little m ore practice we should have a few rep resen ting th e B atta lion T eam before long.

On F riday last, 18th, we m et th e Corporals on our B illiard T able and were beaten , only tw o of our team of e igh t w inning th e ir games, those being C.S.M. Sim on and Sgt. M cNulty.

E veryone is now looking forw ard to C hristm as and th e prospects of a b e tte r New Year, and on behalf of th e m em bers of th e Sergean ts’ Mess, 1st B atta lion , I would like to wish all readers of The Dragon and all B u f f s a very h appy C hristm as and a Prosperous New Year.

O ur th an k s are due to R.S.M . V aughan and th e m em bers of the S ergean ts’ Mess, 2nd B a tta lio n for th e ir p resen ta tio n of th e pho to of the Q ueen’s Own Rifles of C anada and also of th e skin which was presen ted to th em ; we apprec ia te th e ir gift very m uch.

Y o u n g s t e r .

THE DRAGON 95

Winners—Harcourt-Butler Polo Tournament.

L ieut. J . G. A tkinson.Capt. P. R. H. Fox, M.C.

C o r p o r a ls ’ C lu b .W hen the B a tta lion S u b -E d ito r told me th a t I was

of th e “ Bull-D og D rum m ond ” ty p e of fellow I n a tu ra lly concluded th a t it was his queer way of expressing his apprecia tion of m y notes for last m onth, b u t on perusal of th a t “ D rum m ond ” g en tlem an’s ch arac te r I find him to be strong ly add icted to d rink ­ing beer a t all hours of the day and m y g reatest worry now, is to determ ine m y connection w ith th a t w orthy indiv idual. Am I really crea ting a “ ch arac te r ” in lite ra tu re or have I been cau g h t in the act of hav ing a sm all one a t in te rv a ls of th e day.

All th e above, I know, is “ p u k k a ” sob-stuff, bu t it is th e only w ay of break ing th e ice as i t were, especially when news is sh o rt and very little sp o rt has been played by th e m em bers of th e Mess.

M entioning th e ice business rem inds me th a t it is regu lar chilly here a t n igh t now and th e in te rio r of the Mess certain ly does look and feel more cosier w ith a decent wood fire on th e go. I t would be good to see some of th e s tran g er faces in th e Mess in stead of the p roverb ia l dozen and no doub t w ith an increase in the num bers, th e E n te rta in m e n t C om m ittee would feel justified in organising a few m ore social events.

D uring th is m o n th ” C” C om pany have changed over w ith th e M andalay D etachm en t and we now have the N .C .O .’s of “ B” Com pany again w ith B a tta lion H ead ­quarters.

[Mehta Bros., Maymyo.L ieut. R. F . P a rry .

L ieut. A. G. Jelf.

Prom otions and the connected exam inations are keeping a lm ost everyone busy now, and n o t u n n a tu ra lly a certain am o u n t "of “ shop ” creeps in th e general conversation of the Mess. In stead of th e usual com m ents upon th e ripe old age of a p a rticu la r cow whose tongue you happen to be eating for supper, one hears betw een the soup and the entree such rem arks as “ T hey are in Column of P la toons facing th is w ay ” (Borrows 4 m ore m atches to dem onstra te th is form ation) or “ The Com pany is in line facing a flank ” and then m eekly from your hum ble, " Go easy w ith m y m atches. M ate .” How ever, we tru s t th a t those concerned p u t up a good show and are successful on th e p roper day.

Several H arris Shield even ts are head ing the Bill la te ly , and th a t I th in k accounts for th e sporting a c tiv ity of th e Mess dropping off to a certa in ex ten t la te ly and leaving me b u t little to record.

L/Cpl. Southw ell generously presen ted to the Mess a sm all cup for B illiards and despite th e shortage of com petitors, some excellent games were witnessed, b u t on one occasion B atem an th e a r tis t m ight have created a p ic tu re by draw ing th e M arker who ad m itted “ th a t he w asn’t looking a t th e stroke in qu estio n .” T he honours for th e final gam e were shared by Cpl. B rabon and Cpl. Johnson of “ A ” Com pany and to th e la t te r gentlem an we ex tend our heartie st congratu la tions upon w inning th e Cup.

96 THE DRAGON

Mrs. Salm on. Mrs. P ap w orth. C onductor Pope. Mrs. Pope. Miss Pope.

This ab o u t concludes m y proper no tes for th e m onth and now we will go on w ith m y Free Advice Column which is increasing in popu larity as can be seen by the addresses which are com ing in from all four corners of th e earth .

“ Very Depressed,” M aym yo.— You are n o t the only one. T ry th e V ienna, i t m ight cheer you up a b it.

“ Incognito,” M aym yo.— 1 can find no trace of M aym yo ever hav ing had th e nam e of ” H ell’s H ead ­q u a rte rs ,” b u t i t is w orth considering as a suggestion.

“ First-Nighter,” Cpls'. Mess.— I am not con­v ersan t myself, b u t I u n d e rstan d th a t a " STRAIGHT ” is Beer flooded w ith w ater and th a t a “ Top ” is Beer flooded w ith w ater and lem onade added to help the w a ter down. (Bang goes m y C hristm as Box from K.M. Bros.)

Needed Work,” Maymyo.-—-W hy do so m uch hom ew ork and k n ittin g when some really good ready m ade Pullovers are ob tainab le for the sake of m ere song. T he fashion seem s to verge on the “ Sav ill,” " Sm ith ” or “ B arnes ” type.

Bungalow Owner,” M aym yo.— D on’t blam e the Police. T he newly-rich have se t a fashion to be burgled once a m onth a t Maymyo.

" Quarter-Guard . ’ ’

l,ieut. Alexander Pte. \V. Longman Pte. Fiunis Pte. Steward Pte. Mitchell Pte. Luseonibe Pte. Bassett Pte. Seymour Pte. Brett

I,/Cpl. Sovico Pte. Potter Pte. Smith (365) Pte. Wilkins Pte. Samuels Pte. Holloway Pte. Jeffrey Pte. Histed Pie. Foster

L/Cpl. Pickering Pte. Griffiths Pte. Huntley I’tc. Walsh Pte. Thompson Pic. Wood Pte. McDonald Pte. Mansbridge Boy Butler

Reserves : L-'Cpl. Bean and Pte. King.In the hockey we did not do so well, having to be content with fourth

place, but all our opponents admitted that we played the better hockey.We have played a few friendly games of cricket, and 1 append some

of the results. The Harris Shield will be similar to last year with perhaps two new faces.Results :—

W in g v . W. O. S k k lly ’s XI.—Wing 92 (Lieut. Alexander 37 retired), W. O. Skcllv’s XI. 63 (Revan 5 for 20).

W ing v . “M.G.” Com pany.—Wing 19, Gunners 65.W in g v. “A” Com pany .— Wing. 151 (Butler 24, Lieut. Alexander

20 retired, Ross 25), “A” Company 46 (Butler 7 for 21, Saunders 3 for 7).

W ing v . M.E.S.—Wing 212 (Longman 76, Eke 28, Bevan 19, Rose 18), M.E.S. 71 (Saunders 4 for 11, Mannering 4 for 23).

O.S.

H e a d q u a rte r W ing.We would like to thank the C.S.M. and the C.Q.M.S. for the hard

work they put in to make the Christmas festivities the undoubted success they wore, and last but not least our thanks are due to the Cooks and Mess Orderlies for the part they played in a very good show.

The C.O., Second-in-command, Adjutant and the Quartermaster visited us at dinner, and the C.O. in his speech said that he hoped to see us the winners of the Harris Shield, as our right place is at the head of the battalion, and we had made a very good start in winning the cross-country run.

Spo rt .—The great event in the sport line in December was undoubtedly the cross-country run, which was won by the Wing by a very large margin of points in spite of the handicap that was thrust upon us. Our percentage was 25-5 and the second team 37%. Pte. Laugman put up a very fine show in winning the race in 18 minutes 57 seconds, which is good time over a stiff course of 4 miles. The performance of the whole team throws great credit on the trainer (L/Cpl. Sovico), who is fast becoming a veteran at the game. In all he has been in the winning team upon five occasions, including the years he spent in “A” Company. The team was as follows ;—

S u n sh in e rs of 1933.

(Key to photo graph on page 97-

Standing :■Mrs. H adaw ay, A /S/Sgt. H ub b ard , Mrs. Pope, Sgt. Marsh, Miss Pope, B andm aster Salm on, R.S.M. livans, Sgt. W est, Mrs. Salm on, Sgt. M cN ulty, Mrs. Papw ortli, Sgt. Sm ith , Mrs. Meakin.

Sitting :Sgt. Cole, Sgt. B irch Sgt. Cham bers, C.S.M. Sim on, C.Q.M.S. M eakin, Sgt. Sivers, Sgt. P apw orth , Sgt. Deverson, Sgt. H opkins.C onductor Pope. (Producer).

Sunshiners of 1933

IIBlgg

'• -

1

1 5

THE D

RAG

ON

98 THE DRAGON

T he D ru m s .Christmas comes but once a year, and with it— (Oh, my fat head !).Now that the Christinas festivities are over and fatheads are the

order of the day', we may get settled down to some serious work, commencing with the Silver Bugle Competition on December 31st. This would probably have been held earlier but “ Our Director ” has been down to Mandalay teaching The Burma Rifles Buglers how to do things in style, and lie was presented with a handsome silver cigarette case for his pains.

The Wing Shield Hockey took place during the month, but from a Drummer’s point of view the less said about tiiis the better. Result : Played 3, Cost 3. Still, we are hoping for better luck at football.

The Harris Shield Cross-country Run took place on the 13th, and resulted in a splendid win for the Wing, the percentage being 25'5.

(loll has started again and the play off for the cup will take place on the 31st. “ Do lger ” savs that there is onlv one man in it.

Ska.

S igna l Section .Spout . In the realms of sport we have surpassed ourselves.

Much to the surprise of everyone, including ourselves, we managed to draw with the Band in the Keble Shield Hockey Tournament. At the start things looked black, as the Band ran through and scored in the first five minutes. Just before half-time, Nobby Clarke scored an equalising goal. During the second half the Band scored a second goal, and a short while afterwards Lieut. Alexander made a splendid run through and scored. The Band pressed hard, but we managed to keep them out and the finttl score was 2 2. The Baud broughtrattles and megaphones, but they were only heard at the beginning of the game. Our supporters, ably sponsored by Basil Stocken, did their stuff, and with many suitable remarks helped to liven up the proceedings.

Our next match was with the Drums, whom we beat 1 0. AllieKing scored our goal and turned a somersault over the goalie in doing it.

We hope to beat No. 3 Group, despite the fact that they have such old stalwarts as W.O. Skelly, R.S.M. Hyatts and Sgt. Martin. They have practically as good a team as the Band, who have about eight company players. When we played the Band, we were unfortunate in having our two backs absent b/Cpl. Bean on Guard and L/Cpl. Paramour on the sick list with a broken wrist.

Our team is as follows:—L/Cpl. Bevan ; Mat tin and Beau; Ltadup, Steward and Tugleby ; Lieut. Alexander, King, Clarke, Kennedy and Misted.

At cricket we expect to win. Our stilfest proposition will be the Band again, but with the assistance of Lieut. Alexander we should pull it off. We have had several games against the Drums and “B” Company and have beaten the Drums and “ B” Company once each and were beaten by “B” Company in the return game, but on this occasion Lieut. Alexander was not playing.

Our probable team in the Keble Shield Cricket will be:—Lieut. .Alexander, L/Cpl. Bevan, L/Cpl. Penfold, L/Cpl. Kennedy, l’tes. Maunering, Seymour, Spelman, King, Steward, Clarke and L/Cpl. Lovett.

O utin g .—Our Company Commander (Captain G. R. Howe) and our Signalling Officer gave us a picnic on Thursday, December 21st to Wetwyn Caves. We went on “ bikes ’’ for about nine miles and then tracked for about another two and a half miles. We went paddling in the cave and then tracked back to an excellent lunch of ham sand­wiches, pork pies, mince pies, cake, beer and lemonade provided by the Company Commander. About 2.30 p.m. we rode back after a very enjoyable day, and our grateful thanks are due to our Company Commander.

O.S.

“ A ” C o m p a n y .My first duty, I’m afraid, is to apologise for the non-appearance

of notes from “A” Company in last month’s Dragon. This was due to some mishap to the notes (perhaps I should say to the mysterious disappearance), which were already awaiting departure to the Dragon Correspondent. However, there was very little of interest to record for last mouth, so there was very little missed.

My most interesting item this month is the winning of the Harris Shield Hockey by “A” Company. No doubt to the other companies this came as a bit of a shock, but I think I am right in saving that to "A” Company itself this was no more than what we expected and hoped for. I must say some very fine games were witnessed, and having umpires from outside the battalion gave every team a fair chance.

“A” Company’s team was as follows Goal: i*te. Henderson; Hacks : Ptes. Nolan and Ford ; Half-backs : Ptes. Davidson, Spice and Wyatt ; Forwards: Cpl. Scullion, L/Cpls. Hill and Seymour, Ptes. Cunningham and Buxton.

On Saturday, December 2nd we played “B" Company. This was a very fast and clean game with “A" Company losing the toss and having to face the sun for the first half. However, during the first half we managed to score two goals, which rather upset “B” Company for a time, and half-time was reached with “A” Company being two goals to the good. The second half proved to be not so fast, “B ” Company scoring just after the bully off. The game, finished, however, as X have already said, with a win for “A” Company by 2— 1. The goal-scorers were :—“A” Company : Cpl. Scullion and L/Cpl. H ill; “B” Company : Pte. Smith,

Our second match was with “M.G.” Company on December 6th. This was also a very fast and dean game, resulting in a win for the Gunners, the winning goal being scored by Captain Willows in the second half.

Our third battle was against “H.Q.” Wing oil Friday, December 8th. This was no doubt our hardest game, which happily resulted in a last minute goal for us. Throughout this game both sides were inclined to play a little rough, which ended in “ A” Company having the award of a penalty bully, which was, as one might expect, a real moment of suspense. However, the incident resulted in a goal in otir favour, thus bringing us another two points. L/Cpl. Hill scored for “A" Company.

Our last struggle was against “C” Company on Sunday, December lOlli. This match was quite fast, but bullying off at 3.30 p:hi„ I think, proved a little early, I lit* result being that after running about for about twenty minutes one was wishing the game finished. I might say that in this match we were lucky to come off best, an amusing incident arising when “C” Company were awarded a penalty bully against our left back, who (lucky for us) kicked out what seemed to be a certain goal. However, this tussle did not proved of any advantage to “C” Company, for after a severe struggle our back managed to clear the ball, the game resulting in a win for us, the score being “A” Company 1 (L/Cpl. Hill), “C” Company 0.

There is no doubt that the standard of hockey this year was good, some quick, clean games being played, and it was really a last minute guess as to who were really to be the. winners. However, the result was in our favour, and I take this opportunity to congratulate the co npanv team Someone said “ It only goes to prove what training can do ! ” Of course they must have been referring to Company Training on our (they must be ours by now) Golf Tanks.

On the 13th instant the Harris Shield Cross-Country Run took place. In this I’m afraid the company did not shine. However, the company runners did their best (angels couldn't do better), so we offer congratulations to “ II.Q." Wing on being the winners, and to Bdmn. Longman on being first home. In this event “A” Company took fourth place.

I suppose Christmas will soon be with us (by the time these notes appear no doubt it will be gone), and at present the “ war cry ” is alone for the ears of the C.Q.M.S., but then who else would one expect to see (I should sav hope to see !), and no doubt it is a lucky thing for some that, our worthy Quarter Bloke has more patience than the majority.

Before bringing these notes to a close, I would like to take this opportunity of wishing evervone a happv and prosperous New Year.

R.T.II.

“ B ” C om pany.In introducing this month’s notes, I would like on behalf of the

Harris Shield Company to wish all readers of our Regimental Journal a merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year. One can hardly realise how quickly time flies. Before the memory of one Christmas fades away, we find another on top of us.

Probably the most noticeable thing during the year is the change of faces. One can never quite forget the friends who have left us for a different life. Their departure leaves a blank which is very hard to till at Cliristmas-time, and many of us wonder if they too think of their last Christmas in the Army.

One can hardly compare the festive season at home with that spent abroad, but everybody out here tries to make it as much like a good old English Christmas as possible. Conditions do uot always favour this, but. I think the men of “B” Company had a very enjoyable time indeed. Decorations go a long way to improve the spirit of the time, and L/Cpls. Colley and Harrington, Ptes. Thomas, Hubbard, McVay, Roberts and others whose names have for the lime being slipped my memory, made an excellent show in our dining-hall. Although rather a small place, it looked very pleasing to the eye and we could see at a glance that the money spent on decoration was not wasted.

Kliair Mohamed, our Regimental Contractor, did the catering for the day, and he also put up a very fine show in the way of food. Breakfast "consisted of ham and eggs, bread and butter, H.P. Sauce and tea ; Dinner : roast duck, roast pork, roast potatoes, peas and cauliflower, Christmas pudding and custard, fruit, nuts, cigarettes and beer ; Tea : cake, mince-pies, bread and butter and tea ; Supper : ham sandwiches, cigarettes and beer. Last, but not least, there was an impromptu concert which lasted until 8.30 p.m.

Colonel J. V. R. Jackson visited the company at dinner, and although his speech didn’t last long, he left no doubt in our minds as to his feeling about his old company which he joined thirty-two years ago, a long time before the majority of us were born. T am sure we all feel the same way. The company in which we start our Army career always takes first place, no matter how we finish up. In concluding, the C.O. reminded us that the Harris Shield events had started and that we would have to fight very' hard indeed to remain leaders in the. battalion. These words were indeed true when we sum up the results of the two events that have already been decided, namely hockey and cross-country running. I venture to suggest that we were very unlucky in the hockey.

Our first game was against “A” Company. From the start the game was veryr fast, and the surprise attacks made by' our opponents resulted in us being two goals down at half-time. In the second half our team tried very hard to level the score, and at times looked very much like beating” “A” Company, but the best we could do was to net the ball only’ once. Pte. Lawson made a very fine run through from the 25 yards bully and scored a very good goal indeed. After

"THE DRAGON 99

“ A” Coy. Winners Harris Shield. Hockey, 1933-34.

Mehtabros, M aym yo.

this "A” Company simply crowded round their own goal so that we should not score the equaliser. The tactics proved successful and the final whistle sounded with “B” Company the losers by 2— 1.

“ B ” Company v. Com pany . As was anticipated, thisgame proved to be one of the best in the league. Both teams were very evenly matched and the result seemed a foregone conclusion until Lawson managed to slip through and score. This greatly delighted our supporters, whose vocal efforts drowned the umpire’s whistle several times. However, our lead was short-lived, for during the second half the Gunners scored a good goal, putting them level with us. After this it was a determined fight between the two teams to get the odd goal, but as I have already stated, the teams were loo evenly matched and the game resulted in a draw.

“B" Comapny v. “H.Q.” Wing .—Once again spectators were to witness a good game. “H.Q.” Wing’s team was greatly fancied as winners of the league, but during the first half “B” Companv team used the same tactics as “A” Company had done, with the result that at half-time we were two goals' up. During the second half we scored again, but after this the game was carried into our own half and after many determined efforts our opponents scored their only goal in the match. “H.Q.” Wing played a very good game and were unlucky in not scoring more than they did, but I think our successful attempts early in the game upset their play. A very good match indeed.

“B” C om pany v . “C" C om pany.—This was our last game in the league, and although we won by the only goal scored, our team did not seem to play up to the same standard that they did in other matches. Lawson was again our scorer, and although “C” Company tried very hard to equalise, their attempts lacked the finish necessary to score.

In all matches, we turned out the following team Goal: Pte. Lloyd; Hacks: Sgt. Sivers and Pte. Harris; Half-backs: Lieut. A. J. Jelf, Sgt. Deverson and Pte. Fowler; Forwards: L/Cpl. Edwards, Ptes. A. C. Smith, Lawson, Mangleshot and Newman.

Wc finished by sharing second place in the league with the Gunners, each getting 31 points towards the Harris Shield. “A” Company are to be congratulated on winning the Hockey' Shield, and we hope to reverse the result next year.

In the cross-country run, “ B” Company suffered a very heavy defeat. Our team was fancied by' a great number, but although every man of the team tried his utmost, it seemed as though the men of other teams had a little more reserve stamina to fall back upon. Companies who had in previous y'cars to be satisfied with fourth and fifth places showed the remainder of the battalion how to win, and it only goes to show what training can do. “A”,’ “B ” and “C” Companies were allowed to run 18, 12 of which counted towards points. “M.G.” Company' entered 24 with 16 to count, and “H.Q.” Wing 27 with 18 to count. The run resulted in :—1st, “H.Q.” Wing; 2nd, “C” Company; 3rd, “M.G.” Company; 4th, “A” Company; 5th, “B” Company. Compare this with last year’s results :— 1st, “B” Company ; 2nd, “M.G.” Company; 3rd, "A” Company ; 4th, “H.Q.” Wing ; 5th, “C” Company. What a surprise ! Even the Gunners dropped back a place. However, I would like to congratulate “H.Q.” Wing and especially L/Cpl. Sovico, the trainer of the winning team. “C” Company must also be mentioned for their fine effort in getting second place compared with the usual fifth place which they held for several years. But although we are at present bottom on points, .1 would like to point out that the difference between the leaders and us only amounts to 21 points, and with six events still to be decided, I rather fancy' that “B” Company will make the leaders feel uneasy when the final totalling takes place.

The Upper Burma Boxing Championships took place during the month and the company' was represented by' :—

P te . Newman v . W. A l le n o f M aym yo.—In this tight Newman was up against a stiff proposition, his opponent being a one-time Welterweight Champion of Burma. In spite of heavy punishment he did very' well to lose on points, and deserved the good loser’s prize presented to him.

P ie . P a lm ek v . W. K . R o d eriq u es o f M a n d a la y .—In this fight, Palmer was very unfortunate. Apart from being more aggressive during the rounds, he showed considerable skill and technique, but the verdict went to the other man, which must have been by the narrowest of margins.

100 THE DRAGON

P ic . McNamara o. G. Davidson.—In the eliminating bouts,j McNamara had knccked-out Matuig Ba Maw, and met the above- mentioned in the final. McNamara went all out in the first round, but bis opponent was too good for him. In the second round our man injured his hand but carried on until knocked-out towards the end of the round.

F te . Wood ». P i e . Blake (special contest).—This was Wood’s first appearance in the ring since coming out of hospital, but he proved to his opponent that he hadn’t forgotten how to box, shaking Blake up in the second round with a right to the jaw. Much to the surprise of everybody. Wood lost the decision, which I am sure was a great disappointment to him.

In my next month’s notes I . hope to give a full account of the Harris Shield Cricket, and I feel dating enough to say that “B” Company won’t share bottom place, as they did last year. In fact, our team think they should get a t least second place.

P.F.P.

“ C” Company.We welcome to the Company the Draft and sincerely

hope that we have a few Sportsmen among them to replace the N.C.O.’s and Men that have left us for the United Kingdom.

We offer our heartiest congratulations to Cpl. Maynard and Kinsella on promotion to full rank and to E/Cpl. Sayer on obtaining his pay of appointment. We regret that these congratulations and welcomes are late, but owing to the move from Maymyo they were overlooked in the last month’s Notes.

At present we at Mandalay are getting down to. strict training for the forthcoming Eord Harris-Shield Sports, the first event being Hockey, which commences on December 4th, followed by the Cross Country Run which takes place on the 13th December. We hope to do well in these two early events, so as to give the Sportsmen a little extra encouragement, who are representing the Company later. The Eewis Gunners are now preparing for the plus or minus Proficiency Pay in the Pay and Mess Book, We would very much like to see it plus for all of them, but sometimes the Fates decree otherwise.

By the time that these notes are published Sgt. Glazier will have returned from his course; we sincerely hope he got the coveted “D.”

We wish all our N.C.O.’s the very best of luck in the forthcoming Promotion Examination. Now then, P a t : dive deep for that Field Marshall’s Baton in your Haversack.

I will now endeavour to give you all a little idea of Mandalay and the various landmarks round about.

The Barracks are situated at the foot of Mandalay Hill on top of which lives the Phongyi* Hermit. To get to this Hermitage one has to climb one thousand steps, which have a corrugated iron roof to keep off the effects of the Sun. At various intervals one meets Phongyi Alms men holding out their Almsdishes in which visitors are expected to put two pice, so when one makes up one’s mind to attempt the climb they had best make sure that they have plenty of small change. There are three flights of steps leading to the top of the hill, one from the North, West, and South. Man­dalay is to the Buddhist what Mecca is to the Mohammedan. On the North-East End of Mandalay Hill is what is known as the Thousand Pagodas. Each Pagoda is reputed to hold the remains of some prominent Phongyi. South of these Pagodas one finds the Slave Market, which consists of a long row of buildings, without any sides, all decorated with pictures of some Patriotic Phongyi doing some heroic deed. One has to be thankful that at the present time these buildings are only used when there are any Bullock Races on, and not for what they were originally built for.

The next place of interest one comes to is Fort Dufieiin, which is surrounded by a wall of about a mile- and-a-quarter long, and is about three feet thick. This is also surrounded by a Moat which is about a hundred yards wide, at each side of the wall is a bridge and Gate known as the North, South, Bast and W est Gate.

At 10 p.m. at night three of the four gates are locked. In the centre of the Fort is the Palace last used by King Mindon. In next month’s notes I will try to give you a little idea of the beauty of this Palace.

On the South-West comer of the Palace one comes to The Fort Dufferin Magazine Guard, which is supplied by the British Infantry Detachment, and consists of one senior N.C.O. and three men, with a Native Cook and Guard Orderly. The Guard Room and Magazine are on a small island of about six hundred square yards, surrounded by a moat and access is only available by a small footbridge on the East Side of the Island. We unfortunates who have to go on Guard on a sweltering hot day have a little compensation in watching the Eurasians swimming and having picnics on the opposite side to the Guard Room. The Guard is about three miles from our Barracks, and as we have to march the whole way at the slope with fixed bayonets, one is always glad to reach the Guard Room.

On December 3rd The Company are sending the following to Maymyo to represent the Company in the Harris Shield Hockey Mr. Grace, Sgt. Perry, Sgt. Gillett, Cpl. Maynard, Ptes. Eamburth Heathfield, Holloway, Haley, Mahoney, Morecroft, Kettell, Sales, Byrne.

Then, on the 9th December, we send the Cross Country Running Team up to Maymyo for the run on the 13th. May they both live up to our expectations.

The Company is well represented in the Upper Burma Boxing Association Championships, in the form of the following:—Cpl. Wells, Holloway, Hotchkiss, Burgess, Barratt, Parker, Eamburth, Cottle and Nash, which take place on the 15th and 16th December.

Our best wishes go with E/Cpl. Pattenden as he proceeds to Ambala on a Physical Training Course; may he do well.

We congratulate No. 9 Platoon on winning the Inter-Platoon Hockey Cup, also Nos. 10 and 12 on being Runners-up ; better luck, next time. No. 11.

During the month we have played the following friendly games of Hockey :—

v. The Sappers and Miners' “B” Team.—-Result: Dost 3—1, our goal-scorer being Sgt. Gillett.

v. I.M.H.—Won 5—2. Goal Scorers : Mr. Grace, 2 ; Sgt. Gillett, 1 ; Sales, 1 and Kettell, 1.

v. The Sappers and Miners. Dost 4—3. Goal Scorers : Sales, 2 and Holloway, 1.

We hope that these matches have given our team some practice for the matches at Maymyo.

W.BE.B.W.

We most heartily congratulate the Cross Country Running Team on the splendid performance of obtain­ing runners-up in the Harris Shield Cross Country Run, especially as we were running at a disadvantage. The team under Cpl. Wells, left Mandalay for Maymyo on Sunday, the 9th December. Owing to duties we could not leave before, and although we have only been away from Maymyo about a month it is surprising the difference in the air. Maymyo is 3,581 feet above sea-level and Mandalay about 300 feet above sea level. Personally speaking, it is the hardest course I have ever run since 1928. I feel confident that with the same team next year we will win the cup instead of being runners-up. We congratulate Headquarter Wing, the winners and Bdmns. Eongman, the individual winner. Our team was •

Cpl. Wells (Team Captain and Trainer), E/Cpl. Pattenden, E/Cpl. Sayer, E/Cpl. Twyman, E/Cpl. Cox, Ptes. Hoyle, Upton, Hotchkiss, Potter, Pulman, Brookman, Hoare, Blake, Punnett and Biggs.

We congratulate Pte. Parker on winning his weight in the Upper Burma Amateur Boxing Open Champion­ships.

THE" DRAGON 101

Colour Party . Maymyo Proclamation Parade, 1st January , 1934.

Sgt. G. Bropliy. L ieu t. II. M ilton. (K i n g 's Co l o u r )

Sgt. F. Papw orth . L ieut. J . G. A tkinson. Sgt. C. W arren. (R e g im e n t a l Co l o u r )

As th e Boxing N otes are sure to appear in B a tta lion Notes i t is unnecessary for me to duplicate them .

Before bringing these notes to a close, on behalf of th e runn ing team I would like to th a n k Sgts. P ap w orth and W arren for so k ind ly acting as recorders for “ C” C om pany on th e run and to " B ” C om pany for accom m odation and messing.

W .H .B .W .H e a r d o n T r a i n i n g .

" Come on, shake yourselves o u t in to B ush D iam ond. W e will now go over th a t crest in M ountain A rrow ­head. W h a t will tlie n e x t Form ation be ? Subm arine S quare .”

H e a r d w h il e p a s s in g a Ma t e r n it y W a r d o f THE Civ il H o s p it a l AT M a y m y o .— (A N urse was seen holding a very young baby) : " T h a t A in’t hers. She is a N urse in th e H t e r n it y W ard .” N ever m ind, D oo G o n g , she m ay be some day.

B rigadier C. C. Foss, V.C., D.S.O., Rangoon Brigade Area presenting the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal to S.S.I. X. H. Larkin, I.U .L., (late The Buffs) a t Moulmein,

Lower B urm a, 17th November, 1933. W .L L.B .W .

frfcA G O Nm

.Machine Gun Company.Well, readers, here we are again, all merry and bright after the

Christmas holidays, and hoping tha t all readers, past and present, have had a verydiappy' Christmas;

The first thing to speak about must, of course, be sport. Well then, here we go.

Ill the Harris Shield Hockey we finished second with “B” Company, sharing 31 points to the Harris Shield, “A” Company being a t the top. Our first match was against “B” Company, the holders of the Hockey Shield and also the Harris Shield. After a great game we managed to make a draw, 0—0. Our second match was against “A” Company. A very fast game indeed, and after a very hard struggle we won by one goal to nil, therefore gaining two points. Our third match, against “C” Company, proved an easy and slow game which we won by 1—0. “C” Company’s team was not playing up to themark and we should have won by a larger margin than we did. Onr last match was against “H.Q.” Wing and was the best match of the competition, being very fast and both sides going all out for the win. There was much depending on the result of this match. If we had won we should have been a t the top of the table, but fate was against us and we lost 2—1. This was the only game which was lost by the team. Our team was as follows A -B/Cpl. Fowler ; Sgts. Hogben and Cole; fiieuts. J. F. Connolly and R. F. Parry, and Pte. Coote; Ptc. Jack, CpI. Gambrill, Capt. J. R. Willows, Ptc. A. Nash and Capt. P. R. H. Fox.

The next event of importance was the Battalion Harris Shield Cross-country Run, the annual cross-country run for tire Battalion Championship. The course was very short but over very difficult country, and the time returned by the first man home (Bdmn. I.ongman) was exceptionally fast. Our company was placed third, which was very good considering that C.S.M. T. Burt had to train practically a new team as very few were left of the previous year’s team, but we mean to improve our position next year as we hope to have near enough the same team. After the run the team adjourned to the canteen for a nice feed provided by the Contractor, which they enjoyed much better than-the run.

I must now say just a few words about the Company Rifle Shoot held on December 21st and 22nd, 1933. This is the first year that this company has held a Company Rifle Shoot, so as a new broom sweeps wdl, all went smoothly. The shoot consisted of three rifle matches and two revolver matches. The following is the list of prize-winners :—

5 R o u n ds Slow a t 300 Y a r d s .—1st, Pte. Reeve; 2nd, Pte. Watcham.

10 R o u n ds Ra pid a t 300 Ya r d s .— 1st, B/Cpl. Cole; 2nd, P te. Watcham.

5 R o u n ds S low at 600 Y a r d s .—1st, Cpl. Causer ; 2nd, B/Cpl. Austin. .

Revolver Match I.—1st, Sgt. Dolbear ; 2nd, Pte. Clark.'R evolver Match II.—1st, I,ieut. J. F. Connolly ; 2nd, I,/Cpl.

Beach. .......................Company Cham pionship.— 1st, Pte. Batcher ; 2nd, Pte. Watcham ;

3rd, B/Cpl. Cole.Revolver Championship.—1st, Sgt. Dolbear; 2nd, Pte. Clark :

3rd, Bieut. J. F. Connelly.The total of the prize list was Rs. 100, with two Silver Spoons.

A Tote was run on the Championship of the Company, under the able hands of Bieut. R. F. Parry and the C.Q.M.S., which worked out at Rs. 4-7 per share.

Christmas spent in Maymyo was carried out in the good old-fashioned way by the Mhchine Gun Company. The barrack-room reserved for the spread was wonderfully decorated by Pte. Waple, ably assisted by Ftes. Norris, Norton, O’Shea and Bawler, and it was very gratifying to hear that they were awarded first prize for their efforts by the Battalion Judging Committee. The menu for the day was as follows :— Breakfast; Ham and eggs, bread and butter, H.P. Sauce, tea and coffee; Dinner: Roast duck or chicken and roast pork, roast potatoes, green peas, cauliflower, Christmas pudding and sauce, apples, oranges, nuts, lemon and beer; T ea : Christmas cake, mince-pies, bread and butter, tea, e tc .; Supiper: Sandwiches, patter, songs, monologues, yarns and beer till disposed of, or persons concerned ditto.

Just before the dinner our Company Commander (Captain J. R. Willows) gave a short speech, wishing the company all they wished themselves, and very kindly presented to the company a beautiful cup (given by Captain J. R. Willows and Captain P. R. H. Fox, M.C.), which will be competed for yearly a t camp by sections for Fire Control, and will be known as the Fire Control Cup.* While the Gunners were getting into the legs of ducks and wings of chickens, etc., the Com­manding Officer paid his usual visit, and said some very nice things about us, and wished us all the nice things of life, and the company replied with three lusty cheers which nearly sent him deaf, and our “ tiger ” I ’m sure he will not forget. After the departure of the Commanding Officer, the company really took the strain and tug-of-war in real earnest started, and I am sure the boys Teally enjoyed their dinner judging by the mess which was cleared up after. At about 2.30 p.m. the lads adjourned for a rest to their virtuous couches to let the duck, etc., digest. The evening was spent with plenty of gusto. Songs, etc., were rendered by C.S.M. Burt, C.Q.M.S. Meakin, B/Cpl. Smith, Pte. Waterton, etc., and many others too numerous to mention, and a t about 9.30 a.m. a most wonderful Christmas Day came to a perfect end. We must thank Ptes. Brittain and Stokes for the radio gramophone music during dinner and also in the evening, and above all for their valued services during the way.

The 2nd Battalion.St/y/T^Sl* 1STOT often, if ever, since

the memorable May 1st, from which we date ourselves, has a draft of soldiers of The Buffs “ proceeded overseas ” under the command of a Morgan. We therefore mark the occasion in bidding bon voyage to that little com­pany of our “ best and fittest men,” who have em­barked under the command of Brevet Lieut.-Colonel H. de R. Morgan, D.S.O., for service abroad. To Lieut.-

Colonel and Mrs. Morgan, whom we shall miss very much, we extend the wish that they may find the life in Burma will make up for the sad wrench of leaving their home at Enbrook.

February is always a month of many changes ; the annual turnover becomes a regular upheaval and one is never quite certain of some people’s whereabouts. It came as a shock, therefore, to find that Captain Tuke liad retired from the Regiment. We send him and Mrs. Tuke our best wishes for the future and the hope that we shall see them .sometimes.

On January 29th the Divisional - Com­mander, Major-General - J. - S .' Brind, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., began his inspection of the Brigade by making a tour of the battalion in the afternoon. During the week he attended a T.E.W.T. and gave two very interesting lectures on the period of the Battle of Le Cateau. On Thursday, February 1st we had the honour of entertaining him to dinner.

The events of the past month are fully recorded in the notes of our special corres­pondents, but we must once again congratulate C.S.M. Ongley and his cross-country team on their really fine performance in winning the South of the Thames Championship and several other trophies. L/Cpl. Frankham’s individual win (with a broken wrist) is outstanding.

Amongst the unimportant happenings there was the light comedy touch provided, by “ actors ” of the battalion in a " Demonstration Court-Martial ” held for the benefit of officers from the Shorncliffe, Dover and other garrisons. Lieut.-Colonel Morgan acted the part of a civilian doctor full of medical phraseology, and other witnesses were Lieut. Tuff as Lord Hersham, a most “ wealistic ” specimen of the “ landed gwentwy ” ; Lieut. Lynden-Beb as M. Pipon, a most excitable and voluble

THE DRAGON 103

witness; and several notable performances were put up by N.C.O.’s and men, who contrived to defeat the ends of “ justice ” in one way or another.

G ro ss-C o u n try N otes.Before g iving a deta iled account of the efforts

of the B a tta lio n C ross-Country Team during th e p ast m onth , I should like to be allow ed to express th e th an k s of th e team and m yself for th e k ind m essages th a t we have received on th e resu lt of th e K en t Cham pionship. I t is very g ratify ing to know th a t our efforts to keep the R egim ent to th e fron t in the realm of spo rt are so widely appreciated .

T he team were none th e worse for th e ir effort, so, a fte r a few days train ing , were again com peting in a five-mile race against the R .A .P . a t M anston, on 24th J anuary .

A lthough we succeeded in g e ttin g th e first tw elve m en home, th e team had a good race. L/Cpl. F ra n k - ham se t a very fast pace and was a good w inner. Ptes. Alnwick, W atts an d W hite also had a good run . The course was very flat and enab led the team to have a good speeding up.

R e s u e t o f R u n .

2nd Battalion The Buffs. R .A .F . Manston.E/Cpl. F rankham 1 A/C. H orne ... 13Pte. Alnwick 2 A/C D raper ... 17Pte. W atts ... !!! 5 A/C. S tockdale 18Pte. W hite ... 4 A/C. M cLoughton 19E/Sgt. H urley ... 5 A/C. P en tney 20Pte. In m an ... ... 6 A/'C. Coomber 21Sgt. T r ink won 7 A/C. S u tto n ... 22P te . Long ... 8 23P te . Swaine ... ... 9 24Sgt. Bell ... 10 25Pte. Joynsou ... 11 26Pte. Skinner, W. ... 12 27

T ota l ... 78 T otal 255

N ot Co u n t e d i n .

L/Cpl. P h ilp o tt ... 14Pte. W ilson ... ... 15P te . H ayde ... . .. 16(L/Cpl. Belson equal 12)

On th e 31st Ja n u a ry we had a hom e fixture against th e 2nd B a tta lion The P a s t Surrey R egim ent. This run was held over our five-mile course. L/Cpl. F rank- ham was n o t runn ing on th is occasion, so A lnwick set th e pace th ro u g h o u t and cam e in first in 28 mins. 35 secs., very good tim e for th e course. W hite was nex t in 29 mins. 20 secs. T he team succeeded in g e tting th e first nine m en hom e a fte r an o th e r very fa s t run. P te. W. Skinner ran very well on th is occasion. H ayde was still feeling th e effects of a cold, otherw ise all was well.

R e s u e t o f R u n .2nd Bn. The Buffs. 2nd Bn. East Surrey Regt.

Pte. Alnwick... 1 28 mins. 35 secs. Pte. Perry 10Pte. White ... 2 29 ,, 20 Pte. Finnis 16E/Sgt. Hurley 3 29 „ 45 E/Cpl. Piper 17Pte. Watts ... 4 30 ,, 5 Pte. Hoole 18Pte. W. Skinner 5 30 » 13 Pte. Pratt 19Sgt. Trinkwon 6 30 „ 16 Pte. Rogers 20Pte. Swaine ... 7 30 „ 18 Pte. Norton 21Pte. Inman ... 8 30 „ 30 Pte. Pooley 22Pte. Eong ... 9 30 „ 35 Sgt. Knee 23Sgt. Bell ... 11 30 „ 45 Pte. Vaughan 25Pte. Joynson ... 12 30 „ 48 Pte. Dunne 26E/Cpl. Philpott ... 13 30 „ 53 Pte. Petitt 27

Total Points ... 81 Total Points 244

Not counted inPte. Wilson ... ... 14 Pte. Comsdale ... 28E/Cpl. Belson ... 15 29Pte. Hayde ... ... 24 30

On th e 5 th F eb ru a ry th e re tu rn fixture was held against th e 2nd B atta lion The E as t S u rrey R egim ent. The run was held over th e ir course, w hich was ju s t sh o rt of five miles. I t was decided n o t to do any unnecessary racing on th is run owing to the team com peting in th e South of th e T ham es C ham pionship on S a tu rd ay , 10th February . F o r all this, th e Surreys only suc­ceeded in placing one m an in th e first six teen places ; th is was a t fifth place. All our te a m appeared v e ry fit and in excellent form for th e ir race on S a tu rd ay . A lthough E/Cpl. F ran k h am was n o t com peting, a rran g e­m ents were m ade to enable him to re ta in his form. As far as one could tell, he appeared to be in excellent condition, except for one m inor defect.

R e s u i .t o f R u n .2nd Battalion The Buffs. 2nd Battalion The

Surrey Regiment.East

Pte. W a t t s ................. I P te . P erry 5Pte. Alnwick 2 Pte. P ra t t ................. 17Pte, W h i t e ................. 3 Pte. Hoole 18P te . Sw aine ... 4 Pte. F inn is 19L/Sgt. H urley 6 Pte. R ogers ... 20P te . H ayde ... 7 Pte. Miles 21Pte. W. Skinner 8 Pte. G ilbert ... 22Sgt. Bell ................. 9 Pte. Spencer ... 23L/Cpl. Belson 10 2/Lieut. Edwrards 24Pte . In m an ... 11 Pte. B irch 25L/Cpl. P h ilp o tt 12 Sgt. K nee 26Pte. Joynson 13 Pte. D unne ... 27

T otal Points ... 86 T otal 247

N ot Co u n t e d i n .Pte . Long 14 Pte. P e t it t 28Pte. W ilson ... 15 Pte. Comsdale 29Sgt. T rinkw on 16 Pte. Pooley ... 30

H aving com pleted a fu rth e r m o n th ’s tra in in g since w inning th e K e n t C ham pionship, th e team were th o u g h t fit to m ake a good effort to w in the S o u th of th e Tham es C ham pionship ; so, w ith th is ob ject in view, we journeyed b y bus to Cobham , Surrey , on S a tu rd ay , 10th February . H av ing left Sliorncliffe a t 10 a.m . we arrived a t 1.30 p.m ., a fte r a th ree-and-a-half-hour’s journey.

The race is open to all team s Sou th of th e T ham es. A t th e sam e tim e there are several clauses, which debar m en from com peting. T he princip le is th a t no m em ­ber of th e scoring six of th e w inning team can com pete again. Twelve men per team run, of which the first six coun t for th e cham pionship. A t th e sam e tim e a Cup is aw arded for th e team w ith th e low est score for all tw elve men. bast year we were fo u rth in th e cham ­pionship and second in th e tw elve to count.

Owing to th e distance, our supporters were few. Capt. Rose, our late A d ju tan t, was p resen t, also Mr. K enw ard, our running officer. One saw several p a s t m em bers of th e R egim ent a t the run. Mr. Pooley, a p a s t m em ber of th e team , cam e over to su p p o rt us. Mr. W. R. F ind lay (late 2nd B atta lion) was also an in te rested supp o rte r an d no d o u b t derived g reat sa tisfaction a t th e result of th e run.

The course was one of seven miles consisting of tw o laps of th ree-and-a-half miles each. I t was very flat, m ostly grassland except for the ploughed field a t the beginning of th e race. T his field had also to be run over a t the half d istance an d a t th e end of th e race. I t was su ited for very fast racing, and F ra n k h a m ’s tim e of 38 mins. 52 secs, represents very good going.

A fter a couple of false sta rts , th e field was away. T he first 600 yards was around the p loughed field

104 THE DRAGON

and was a good scram ble by all to rem ain som ewhere in th e lead.

A fter abou t th ree miles, F ran k h am appeared in sight, leading E dw ards of th e R .N . & R.M.C.C.C. by abou t 50 yards. J u s t beh ind came th e nex t runners which included L. S. Powell, H. W. Townsend, M archant, Page, Janies, th en cam e Inm an, our second m an in th e race, who was runn ing very well. A fter a few odd m en of o ther team s, Alnwick, W a tts and W hite appeared, all runn ing together and going well. A slight gap, then cam e our s ix th m an, being none o ther th an th a t very fine runner of ours, Sgt. Bell. W h at an effort for a m an of Iris service and age. One cannot help rem ark ing th a t some of th e grousers w ould do well to follow his exam ple ; it is ju s t possible th a t they m ay get m ore o u t of life.

A nother b it of a gap, th en we get Sgt. T rinkw on, L /Sgt. H urley , Pte. Swaine all well up and qu ite handy to our s ix th m an. All these were in th e first fifty places. A t ab o u t th e nineties, came Long, H ayde and W . Skinner. So all we h ad to do was to re ta in these positions over th e last lap.

A fter covering abou t six miles, L/Cpl. F ran k h am cam e in to view running in g rea t style, hav ing opened up a gap of ab o u t 90 yards over th e second m an. L. S. Powell of th e T ham es H are and H ounds h ad now come up in to second place ; th is ru n n er m ade a new record over the O xford U niversity course a b o u t tw o weeks back. W hen th e A rm y T eam ran Oxford la s t N ovem ­ber, L. S. Powell was first home, Sgt. S u therland , The A rm y Cham pion being second and L/Cpl. F rankham th ird . F rankham beat Powell b y 23 secs., so his was ano th er very g rea t effort, h is best to date. L/Cpl. F ran k h am is now th e S o u th of the T ham es C ham pion as well as th e K en t Champion.

In m an continued to ru n extrem ely well over th e second lap and finished in th e very good position of s ix th in the race. A fter a few m ore places, all of which were occupied b y very good runners, cam e th ree m ore of our team . Pte. A lnwick h ad done well for his 14th place, as h ad W atts and W hite for their 15th and 16th place ; these tw o finished together in g reat style. J u s t behind, Sgt. Bell was hav ing th e race of his life, being our s ix th m an ; he was r ig h t in betw een four m en of th e W estbury team , th e team th a t was m aking an a tte m p t to keep us out. In the end Sgt. Bell finished 21st, a very g rea t effort. *

T he field was now becom ing fairly packed, so ju s t beh ind we had L /Sgt. H urley a t 37tli Place, followed by Sgt. T rinkw on and Pte. Swaine a t 42nd and 44th place respectively. T hen th ere was a considerable gap before our last th ree m en appeared ; for all th is th ey h ad run very well to get their positions. H ayde was nex t a t 92nd, th en Long a t 94th, followed by Skinner a t 116tli. As there were 23 team s, representing some 276 runners, in th e race, one could ha rd ly expect our tw e lfth m an in before 116th.

2nd.(Winner of the South of the Thames Championship)

E. S. Powell, Thames & Hare & Hounds ... 39 ,, 15 „3rd. J. Edwards, R.N. and R.M.C.C.C., Portsmouth 39 32 „4th. T. Marchant, Horsham Blue Star Harriers... 39 45 „5 th. A. C. Stansbury, Ranelagh Harriers

Pte. P. Inman, 2nd Bn. The Buffs ...39 47 „

6th. 39 49 „7th. C. Dockcrill, Dartford Harriers 39 51 ,,8th. IT. W. Townsend, Westburv Harriers 39 57 „9 th. E- A. W. James, R.N. and R.M.C.C.C.,

Portsmouth............................ 40 2 „10th. Sig. W. Page, 3rd Div. Royal Corps Signals ... 40 ,, 6 „Uth. R. F. J. Nicholls, Reading A.C. 40 712th. N. B. Palmer, Ranelagh Harriers ............... 40 16 „13th. H. W. Shields, Belgrave Harriers ... 40 21 „14th. Pte. R. Alnwick, 2nd Bn. The Buffs 40 25 „15th. Pte. G. Watts, 2nd Bn. The B u f f s ............... 40 )f 27 „16th. Pte. B. White, 2nd Bn. The B u f f s ................ 40 27 „17th. A. E. Taylor, Belgrave Harriers ............... 40 fy 28 „18th. H. IT. Black, Westbury Harriers 40 34 „19 th. A. E. Taylor, Thames Hare and Hounds ... 40 40 „20th. R. Fox, Westbury Harriers ... 40 yy 40 „21st. Sgt. H. Bell, 2nd Bn. The Buffs ................ 40 |> 41 „

Ottr Second Six Me n fin ish e d as tinder .

37th. 1,/Sgt. T. Hurley.42nd. Sgt. A. Trinkwon.44tb. Pte. J. Swaine.92nd. Pte. I,. Hayde.94th. Pte. D. Bong.

116th. Pte. W. Skinner.

1st.2nd.

P KSUi.T of 12 to Co u n t .Points.

2nd Bn. The Buffs, Winners of the Sir Jeremiah Colman Cup 498Belgrave Harriers ............................. 813

1st. 2nd. 3rd. 4th. 5tli. 6th. 7th. 8th. 9th.

10th. 11th. 12 th. 13th. 14 th. loth. 16th. 17th. 18th. 19th. 20th. 21st. 22nd.

R e su lt of t h e So u th of t h e Tha m es Ch a m pio n sh ip .Points.

2nd Bn. The Buffs, Winners of the .Sir Thomas Dewar ShieldWestbury H a rr iers........................... . ... .............. .Belgrave Harriers ... ................ ... ................Royal Naval and Royal Marines C.C.C., PortsmouthRanelagh Harriers ... ... ... ... ................Reading Athletic Club ............................South goudon Harriers ................Dartford Harriers ... ................ ............................Horsham Blue Star Harriers ... ............................Thames Hare and H oun ds......................................................1st Bn. The York and Canes. Regt. ............................Mitcham Athletic Club ................ ... ................Epsom Harriers ... ................Herne Hill Harriers..................................................................2nd Bn. The Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regt.Cambridge Harriers ... ... ... ... ................Ashcombe A.C. ......................................... ................Cobliam A.C.................. ............................ ................Surrey A.C....................................................................................Kent A.C.S...................................................................................

73116203227276300329342377381454463486598638750829843896

1,016

The Shield and Cups w ere placed on view’ to th e public on Sunday, 11th February .

W e have a few fix tures to com plete before the E aste rn Com m and C ham pionship w hich is being run a t Shorucliffe on th e 27th February . I hope to be able to forw ard a w inning account of th is ev en t for th e n ex t issue of The Dragon.

Then we shall tra in in earnest for the A rm y C ham pionship which is to be held on th e 20th M arch. T he exact venue is n o t y e t known, b u t m ay be available before th is issue goes to p rin t. I t is to be organised bv th e London D istrict, so m ay be a t W indsor.

A.V.O.

Football Notes.T he b a tta lio n has p layed four m atches since the

end of th e leave period and of these tw o have been won and tw o lost, though all four were good games.

On 30tli J a n u a ry th e b a tta lio n b e a t th e 1st B a tta lio n The H ighland L igh t In fa n try in th e S.E . K en t U.S. Senior League m atch a t hom e by 2 goals to 1. The m atch calls for little com m ent, save th a t th e shooting of th e forw ards was v ery m ediocre, or th e goals scored bv us m ight well have been doubled and redoubled. T he team as a whole p layed well considering th e fact th a t th is w’as our first m atch a fte r leave, b u t the forw ards were too inclined to indulge in sho rt passing in th e p en alty area w ith th e usual and inev itab le result. This m atch was in th e S ou th -E ast K en t U nited Service League.

T he team was P te . R eckit, Pte. B urton , P te . W histling, P te . W alton, P te . Corden, P te . Corse ; Pte. Squire, L/Cpl. H arris , B/M. Foster, P te . B ry an t and Pte. Adcock. Foster and Squire scored our goals.

On 3rd F eb ru ary we p layed th e C an terbury A m ateurs in th e first round of th e Dover, Deal and D istric t C harity Cup Com petition a t C anterbury and lost 2-3. T he ground was very sticky on to p and equally h a rd undernea th , bu t, despite this, th e p lay was fast and com paratively good. Our opponents scored first, b u t F o ste r soon equalised from a centre from Craddock. Then, a good m ovem ent on th e righ t resulted in a goal being scored b y us, b u t th is was disallowed

THE DRAGON 105

as Squires was ruled offside. W e eventually crossed over a goal down. M idway th rough th e second half Corden equalised after a good run th rough and we should have tak en the lead, b u t Foster and Craddock b o th m issed goals when well clear of th e defence.

Some m inu tes before th e end our opponents scored a th ird goal, which proved to be th e w inning one, despite g reat efforts on th e p a rt of th e forwards, of whom Squires p layed very well.

W e were very pleased to see M ajor Rice an d C aptain Andrews and o ther Buffs and cx-Buffs am ong the specta tors.

The team was :— Pte. Reekie ; Pte. B urton , L/Cpl. T iley ; Pte. W alton, Pte. Corden, L/Cpl. C a tt ; Pte. Squire, L/Cpl. H arris , R/M. Foster, P te . B ryan t, L ieut. Craddock.

On 7th February our League m atch against the 2nd B atta lion T he R oyal Berkshire R egim ent was p layed, th is tim e on th e ir ground. T his was by way of being w h a t is know n in Soccer as a “ local D erby ” and a good m any spec ta to rs tu rn ed out to w atch.

W e lost 0— 3, b u t I have seen us p lay fa r worse and ye t win. I th in k i t fa ir to say th a t th e run of the ball was against us. O ur opponents m ade very few a tta c k ­ing m ovem ents in th e first half, b u t scored 2 goals. Again, our forw ards were n o t shooting too well, and a p en alty was missed.

In th e second half, p lay ing uphill and up-wind, we h ad a t least as m uch of th e p lay as our opponents. T hey scored once when a sh o t from the rig h t wing, m eant, T th in k , to be a centre, w ent over R eekie’s head in to th e goal.

O ur com bination was excellent and it was difficult to p ick o u t anyone from a team which p u t up such a good and p lucky perform ance. T he team was :— P te . R eekie ; P te. B urton , L/Cpl. T iley ; Pte. W alton, P te . Corden, L ieut. C raddock ; Pte. Darlow, Pte. Squire, B/M. Foster, L/Cpl. C att, Sgt. Edwards.

On 10th F ebruary we b ea t th e 2nd B a tta lion The F a s t Surrey R egim ent in our th ird League m atch on our own ground by 3— 1. T he score ha rd ly reflects our superiority , as in the m atch v. The H .L .L

W e s ta rte d off by scoring 3 goals in the first q u arte r- of-an-hour. F o ste r sh o t th e first a fte r a good run th rough , C raddock the second, a high dropping shot, and no one was m ore surprised th a n lie, and F oster the th ird a fte r a good passing m ovem ent betw een him and Squire.

For the rest of th e gam e we were in th e ir half nearly all th e tim e despite th e loss of Tiley who, un til then , h a d played an exceedingly good game, b u t we could not score. Again th e com bination betw een halves and forw ards was good and th e backs, B urton and Tiley, kicked and tack led well. I t was R eekie’s last m atch for th e b a tta lio n and I should like to ta k e th is o p p o rtu n ity of saying “ well done and good luck ” to a very popu lar and keen m em ber of the team .

T he team was :— Pte. Reekie ; Pte. B urton , L/Cpl. T iley ; Pte. W alton , Pte. Corden, L ieut. Craddock ; L/Cpl. P o tte r, P te . Squire, B/M. Foster, L/Cpl. H arris, L/Cpl. Catt.

Some in ter-C om pany m atches have been p layed to decide which Com pany shall represen t th e b a tta lio n in th e Ile llam P a rr Shield C om petition. “ IL Q .” W ing m ay p lay as one team and th e resu lts to d a te have been as follows :—

“ S ” Cov. V 'S” Coy. 1“ C” Coy. / 1— 0 L 'S ” Coy. \

“ B” Coy. J 3 -1

“ A ” Coy. \ “ H .Q ." W ing |"H .Q .” W ing / ' 8— 1 )

Hockey Notes.Ja n u a ry has proved to be th e " v e r y d e v i l ’’ of a

m onth from the organization p o in t of view, because, for some reason, no fix tures were arranged for the m onth when the fix ture list was originally compiled. Owing to th e team ge ttin g so fa r in th e A rm y Cup, i t was n a tu ra lly of v ita l im portance for th e team to get p ractice games, and good games, too, and, as nearly every club had a fix ture list for Ja n u a ry already, good gam es were " h a rd to come b y ."

On 17tli Ja n u a ry we h a d an in te r-b a tta lio n game- - the backs and goal-keeper of the team being on one side and th e forw ards and halves on the o ther. I t was a good game and served its purpose in giving the team a real “ loosening o u t ” and also showed up one or tw o prom ising p layers th a t s ta n d a good chance for places in th e team n e x t year. P tes. G ainford and R im m er were p a rticu la rly noticeable and possibly L/Cpl. F rye will tu rn ou t to be a " back —h e can h it hard, and wffien he has le a rn t to stop th e ball w ith his hand , to be quick, and to use his head in em ergency ; he should do well in th a t position.

On 20th Ja n u a ry we should have played th e 2nd B a tta lion T he D orsetshire R egim ent from Dover, b u t un fo rtu n ate ly a heavy rainfall occurred abou t lunch­tim e and p u t th e ground o u t of action.

On M onday, 22nd Ja n u a ry , we p layed T he 2nd B a tta lion T he R oyal B erkshire R egim ent and lost a good game b y 1— 2. G ainford p layed a really good gam e in his unaccustom ed place a t cen tre-half—h e is shaping very well an d should tu rn o u t to be a very good p lay er w ith more practice.

W ednesday, 24th Ja n u a ry was a gorgeous d ay a t Shorncliffe, b u t there was a dense fog a t C hatham and th e A rm y Cup m atch h ad to be postponed for a week. This w as a keen d isappo in tm en t for th e team , who were all " keyed up ” and ready (probably th e o ther side were, to o ) .

On 29th J anu ary we played a very strong scratch side consisting of five R oyal Scots from Dover, tw o F a s t Surreys, one R oyal Berkshire, an d th ree of our own players. W e won a v ery good gam e by five goals to two, b u t were very definitely th e stronger team th roughout.

T hanks are due to Sergeant W a tts and C.S.M. Ongley for help ing to arrange these gam es for the team — it involved an im m ense am oun t of telephoning and troub le to them both .

Army Cup Match. Semt-finai, Eastern Command Hockey Tournament.

The Buffs v. Training Battalion, Royal Engineers.— T his m atch was p layed on th e R oyal E ngineers’ Corps ground, C hatham , on W ednesday, 31st Ja n u a ry . I t proved to be a perfect day for th e gam e— cold, b u t very little wind. T he ground itself was ra th e r dam p and slippery, b u t was in perfect condition. The reg im ent was represen ted in force, as ab o u t a h u ndred and seven ty m en cam e over from th e b a tta lio n to w atch th is game.

W e were fo r tu n a te in hav ing tw o Southern- Counties referees to um pire th e game, w ith th e resu lt th a t th e um piring was b o th s tr ic t and scrupulously fair. A t 2.40 p.m . th e sides bullied-off, th e Buffs hav ing th e ad van tage of a sligh t slope. T he s ta r t was disastrous, as no-one was tim in g th e ball correctly and our halves and backs seemed to be " all a t sea .” Before th ey could recover them selves th e R .F . forw ards h ad go t in to onr circle and scored. W ith in ano ther th ree m inutes th ey were in th e circle again, drew o u t B rigstock and scored again. A no ther blow fell a few m inutes la te r ; th e ir inside-left sh o t a m ost perfect goal, th e ball going in to th e n e t w aist high. Brigstock

106 THE DRAGON

was slightly h u r t here. T he R .E . were now three gqals to th e good, a seem ingly im possible position for us. However, th e team fought back well and a ru n th rough by Casano nearly resu lted in a score. T he pressure was still in our half though— however, ten m inutes to half-tim e we got in to th e ir circle and Casano scored. F ive m inutes la te r D awson scored a second goal from a corner. H alf-tim e came w ith th e score 3— 2 against us.

In th e second ha lf we a ttack ed strongly for th e first ten m inutes, and Casano sho t and m issed equalising b y inches— bad luck indeed. T he game from th is po in t onw ards was very spasm odic and ra th e r un in teresting . W ith in ten m inutes of th e end B rigstock lay on th e ball an d a p en alty bully was aw arded from which th ey scored, p u ttin g th e issue beyond doubt. Brigstock cam e ou t of goal too m uch in th is m atch , leaving his goal open. I t was ra th e r a d isappoin ting game— Dawson and C a tt definitely h ad an “ off ” day. Tim e cam e w ith th e T .B .R .K . th e w inners by four goals to two.

A m ongst those p resen t I noticed B t. L ieut.-Colonel A. B. Thom son, M ajor Rice, C aptains Ban dilands, Andrews, R obertson and H oarc, L ieu ten an ts K ing and Spear, Mr. and Mrs. W alters, Miss Vera L ynden- Bell. I apologise if I have left anyone o u t who was there , b u t i t was im possible to spo t everyone.

R.S.M . V aughan is to be co n gratu la ted on his bus a rrangem ents for th e spectators.

O ur th an k s are due to th e R oyal E ngineers for so k ind ly inv iting us b o th to lunch before th e game and th en to te a afterw ards.

L a b o r E.

S e r g e a n t s ’ M e ss .A t las t th e post-C hristm as slum p is over, m any

of th e lost sheep are re tu rn in g to th e fold, g reat is th e joy of th e circle of the F a ith fu l and C aterer Bills has a lready developed w ha t is com m only called “ Itch ipal- m itu s,” due to overloading th e “ A d ju ta n t’s H orse.’’

On Ja n u a ry 26th, a re tu rn shoot versus the Folke­stone Rifle Club, was held in our m in ia tu re range. L as t tim e th ey properly p u t i t across us w ith th e ir peep-sighted guns, th is tim e weapons were reversed, and all fired w ith our -22 service guns. W ith th e help of a nice h a rd firing-point, unaccustom ed lighting, a very low tem p era tu re and nice wide “ U ” backsights, we m anaged to scram ble th rough as w inners by 37 points.

T eam s consisted of ten each, nine highest to coim t.F inal resu lts of th e Shoot were :— MESS, 603 ;

F.R .C ., 566.Scribe’s Comments.—1. Hard luck on our opening

three. Had they managed to coax one more chunk of lead on the seven ring, they would have scored one whole possible between them.

2. " N ever m in d ,” th e P residen t of our Shooting Com m ittee, C.Q.M.S. Burville, has prescribed a d iet of " F igh ting B eer,” so th a t, n ex t tim e th e bulls-eyes become elusive, aggrieved m em bers will be able to ob lite rate th e offending spo ts w ith the tru s ty bayonet.

On th e com pletion of the shoot b o th team s adjourned to th e Mess where a very sociable h our was spent.

The R .S.M ., on behalf of our m em bers, presen ted Mr. B lacklock w ith a crested silver spoon as a little souvenir of his effort in ob ta in ing highest score in his team . H e also accepted, as the un fo rtu n ate one of the evening, a m ysterious parcel, w ell-padded and roped up, afterw ards found to con tain a genuine pop­gun. A very enjoyable evening and we are now look­ing forw ard to a little tr ip to H aw kinge where, I believe, ou r opponents have som eth ing up th e ir sleeves ab o u t revenge on an open range.

On the evening of Ja n u a ry 29th, all m em bers m et in th e Mess to bid farewell to C.S.M. Beasley who, by th e tim e these notes are handed in, will be a civilian m em ber of th e R egim ent. H e has com pleted 21 years w ith the Colours, serv ing w ith b o th 1st and 2nd B atta lions ; during th e G reat W ar he served in F rance and Belgium w ith the 1st B atta lion .

The R.S.M ., p resented , on behalf of the m em bers, C.S.M. Beasley w ith a cu tle ry se t and a silver cruet, su itab ly inscribed. H e also m ade a sho rt, b u t very encouraging speech em phasising th a t, a lthough th e C.S.M. was going in to civilian life, th ere would alw ays be a place in th e mess for him .

C.S.M. Beasley replied th a t, a p a r t from being g ra te ­ful for the p resen ta tion , he was very pleased a t having all m em bers p resen t to see him off.

W e all w ish him , Mrs. Beasley an d fam ily, everysuccess in th e ir new ven ture .

A bout 30 m em bers w ent to C hatham on th e 31st of Ja n u a ry to w itness th e 4 th round of the A rm y H ockey Cham pionship. W e were lucky in hav ing a fine d ay for travelling, if n o t so lucky on th e hockey field. Mrs. V aughan and Mrs. D iam ond m ade the jou rney w ith us and appeared to be as keen and vociferous as any of th e v isiting party .

A fter our hopes of being A rm y Cham pions h a d been rudely sh a tte red , our opponents, the T rain ing B a tta lio n R .E ., took us to th e ir very fine Mess where th ey regaled us w ith h igh-tea, th is being g reatly apprec ia ted by all. I also noticed R.S.M . R ansley and R.Q.M .S. Mould from th e D epot ‘‘ doing th e ir b i t ” i n su p p o rtin g our team .

A very successful W hist D rive and Dance was held in th e Mess on th e 2nd of F ebruary . H aving 29 'tab les in p lay was very gratify ing , considering th a t th ere were several outside fm ictions on th a t n ight.

The prize-winners were as follows :L adies’ 1st Prize

„ 2nd „„ 3rd „

,, 1st H alf Sweep ,, 2nd H alf Sweep

G ents.' 1st Prize „ 2nd „„ 3rd,, 1st H alf Sweep ,, 2nd ,,

Mrs. W atts Mrs. Goldsack Mrs. D river Mrs. W ren Mrs. W ren Mrs. H odges Mrs. Jones Mr. H astings Sgt. M organ vSgt. Y ates Mrs. Jones

169163

^ S h a re d 16291 89

172 171164 88 86

Mrs. V aughan k ind ly presen ted th e prizes.D ancing th en con tinued u n til ab o u t 1.30 a.m ., very

little tim e being w asted in in tervals, and encores were well p layed up to b y th e band who, as usual, p u t p len ty of pep in to it. I ra th e r believe th ey tak e the tim e from “ Jo e ’s ” face, for th e m uscular con tortions of th a t p a r t of his august an a to m y seem to be th e only p a r t of him keeping perfect rh y th m .

A good m any of our new ly-joined m em bers tu rn ed up, th is being very gratify ing , for such shows en ta il a good deal of hard w ork by th e E n te r ta in m e n ts ’ Com m ittee.

A Mess team opposed the E a s t K en t Social Club a t a football m atch , w hich was p layed off on our ground on W ednesday, 7tli F eb ru ary . Our team was as follows :—

Sgt. Cross ; L /Sgt. Griggs ; L /Sgt. Barley ; Sgt. W ade, Sgt. K ing, L /Sgt. C harlton ; Sgt. Field, Sgt. W atts, L /Sgt. Banks, Sgt. Saunders, Sgt. B a rtle tt. Referee : L /Sgt. Ingram .

F o r a s ta r t th e gam e was fa irly evenly-contested, then i t appeared th a t our team gradually wore down the opposition. Sgt. Saunders scored a fte r th e first ten m inutes w ith {good drive from abou t 30 yards.

T hen our custodian , Cross, was called upon to m ake som e b rillian t saves and came th ro u g h th e ordeal w ith colours flying.

THK DRAGON 167

The final result was a win for us by 5 goals to 3, our scorers being :—Sgt. Saunders, 1 ; Sgt. W atts, 1 ; Sgt. Bartlett, 1 ; L/Sgt. Banks, 1 and Sgt. King, 1.

A very sporty game, on the conclusion of which, both teams adjourned to the mess where a very substantial and appetizing tea awaited them, due to the energy of our dining caterer Sgt. W atts.

Sgt. Vale has rejoined from the Depot and Sgt. Wade from the “ Terriers,” they are acting in the capacity of " Q Blokes ” of “C” Company and “H.Q.” Wing respectivelv. We welcome them both into the fold.

In apologizing for these notes not being up to their usual standard, I m ust point out th a t I have recently received a severe shock.

Our energetic Caterer reported to me, as President, th a t a certain member had sent to the Mess for two- pennyworth of m ilk . “ Shades of Mickey Dowse and George B arrell! ” No wonder the good old- fashioned " Ja r ” is fast becoming a mess antique.

Perhaps he was only keeping the Woolfe from the door.

In conclusion, I feel I must mention th a t there is great jubilation a t our local Post Office on the return of our “ Chain-Gang,” for was not business very slack during the time they had hied away to distant places.

T o u c h s t o n e .

Corporals’ Notes.The commencement of these notes has occupied our

idle thoughts for many days now and, in spite of the prevailing uncertainty still existent . in our minds, a stem and unbending Notice to Battalion Orders demands tha t we must *' get a move on.” So here we go, and firstly a few random remarks upon certain personnel (Past and Present) of the Mess. ” Monty,” our revered ex-President, having departed for a Course of Destruction, a new President has been elected, namely Cpl. Dumont. I t is hoped th a t his period of office will be a long and successful one, and we are sure tha t all members of the Mess will combine to make his task a pleasant and easy one. So we cry ” The President is dead ” (but he won’t lie down),—“ Dong live the President! ” Rumours have reached us th a t “ Monty ” has attem pted to get his Blue Patrol Suit “ turned ” and converted into “ plus fours,” bu t this is only put down to the vindictive prattlings of professional rivals. Such is “ civvy life ” these days ! !

On 31st January, a party of very optimistic Buffs proceeded to Chatham in order to give the battalion hockey team as much vocal support as possible. The Mess was well represented in the party, and we hope made their presence " heard ” during the course of the game. Sad to relate, we returned beaten, but not disgraced, to fight another year. Something seemed lacking in the first ten minutes of the game, and the match was won and lost during tha t fateful period. However, it is something to have reached the Semi­final of the Eastern Command, and all praise to the team for its efforts. Four of our members are to be congratulated on their prowess a t the game during the present season, to wit Cpl. Brigstock and L/Cpls. Dawson, Catt and Casano. Perhaps next year.......

L/Cpl. Field left us very soon after the return of the battalion from Annual heave. He has gone to Hilsea on probation to the R.A.P.C., and we extend to him our best wishes for the future. By the way, another aspirant to a Paymastership, i.e., " Doughy ” Baker, turned up in true filial fashion to see the hockey a t Chatham. Poor “ Doughy ” remarked with indignation th a t he rarely finishes work before eight a t night, a t which a chorus of dubious ” Oh ! Yeahs ” resounded from the throats of certain lusty Buffs.

However, i t was good to see an old face, and we hope we have not seen the last of our comely “ Doughy ” by any means.

Yet again have we to extend the congratulations of the whole Mess to L/Cpl. Frankham. This time he has " run away ” with the Kent County Cross-Country and South of the Thames Championships. Con­gratulations to the team also on their splendid displays and we all look forward with confidence to the Eastern Command and Army Rims, which are due within a few weeks. The very best of luck to the whole team for these runs.

At certain times during the past month, the Mess has assumed quite a social and convivial atmosphere— usually about 7.30 p.m. Demi-semiquavers and crochets (and other implements of offence) come- well to the fore as the causes of this jollity, in fact some­times our " Mai Vice Kwire ” under the able direction of “ Paddy Scallan " has bid fair to rival the B.B.C. Wireless Singers. " The Last Round Up,” by Charley Kelly (with effects) was sung with much emotion—and b ee r! ” Our Rum Cove,” Pizzey, has now gone " onthe wagon,”—we should like to know whether he means a brewer’s dray or a water-cart. “ Raconteur ” Best has just been admitted, and discharged, from hospital. We hear th a t he was pu t in isolation ; we don’t doubt it if he tried some of his choicest on the Matron. The Lethal Chamber should have been his fate. I t was heard the other day th a t a certain member, whose name was, in the past, well to the fore in these literary gems (!!!!!), has escaped notice. We hasten to inform him that it is not possible for us to have a resident Reporter in " The Clarendon Hotel,” or he would undoubtedly be again well to the fore. One item of news, however, has come to our notice. The female population of Netheravqn will be charmed with his presence during the merry month of June. As a “ Champ,” he will of course be a great asset to the "M.G.” School. We only hope they won't like him too much and keep him—don’t we, Joe ?

No doubt our friends of the 1st Battalion will be anxious to know how their lately-departed comrades are getting on with us. This is the news to date. All returned looking fit and fine from leave, with the exception of Mick Cowley and Moggy Catt, who were so pleased with their reception th a t they could not tear themselves away from u s ! “ Durzy ” Taylor,Harry Fanner, and all the rest have had th a t Orderly Sergeant feeling, whilst Gilding thinks Staff Parades are just THE thing for Young Soldiers—but not Old Sweats. ” Lizzy ” Wilson is upholding Roosevelt and his gold policy—his flashing teeth are the envy of all th a t see him. Every time th a t Radio Normandie is tuned-in on the wireless, he positively blushes as the announcer commences " Spink and Son will buyall............... C urtain! I t is whispered th a t a certainmember of the Band is thinking of cutting him out and having a complete set of gold teeth, when his contract with Henry Hall has been approved.

Having commented upon those who have come home, just a few words about their reliefs. Fore-warned is fore-armed. Firstly, Tom Twyman—a name not unknown to the 1st Battalion, and he is sure to settle down very quickly. Next, the Great H arry (the One and Only Spence). Yes, the Postman b loke! We do hope Harry did not forget to pack his running shoes and football togs. The 1st Battalion will be able to give the 2nd Battalion miles in Cross-Country Running after the team has been built round 'ar ’arold, and as for football,—well, just wait I Next on the list comes Wilf (Jolley) complete with families one. You'll all soon know him, so there is no need to say much. And then Jonah—AAAAh. Do not be deceived by his apparent quiet manner. Give him two “ t o t s " and you’ll see him dance the finest Tango-cum-

d r a g o n108

Rum ba-cum-P'ox-Trot-cuin-I'allover you’d ever seen in your life. Next, B rother Port, a candidate for "M .G.” Company, so we hear, seeing th a t we have been informed th a t good looks are acceptable in th a t Company. ” Lastly, and six feet of it, comes our “ M ystery M an,” -who has sampled the delights of the E ast before and, i t is rumoured, m et an old friend of the Corporals of the 1st Battalion, nam ely l'.B . His name,— Oh, y e s ! Jim Davis. This completes the list, and we hope th a t their company is as accept­able to the 1st Battalion as i t has been to us. So a t last we can definitely say Au Revoir and Bon Voyage to these N.C.O.’s, who, by the tim e these notes appear, should have made the acquaintance of all the nicest girls on the boat (if any). The very best of luck to them all, no t forgetting their wives and families, where applicable, in their sojourn abroad.

The Billiards Tournam ent has been completed. L/Cpl. Bryan was the successful “ Cueist,” as he very cunningly hid himself in the Brigade L ibrary until after the handicapping had been completed (no wonder he wears four Good Conduct Badges). The “ runner- up ,” (L/Cpl. Thompson), leaves us very shortly, and we are very glad th a t we are given the opportunity to present him with a souvenir as a result of his own skill " on the tab le .” L/Cpl. Bryan also “ bagged ” the Cue for the H ighest Break, and L/Cpl. McCorkell was the winner of the Cue for the second highest break. Congratulations to these three budding “ L indrum s.”

We have been asked to s ta te very definitely in these columns th a t all offers for the now celebrated h a t (?), the property of our old School Chum, H am lyn, is n o t for sale. Any offers in fu ture will be treated w ith the contem pt they deserve. To continue, th is unique specimen of sartorial affection (speaking in English, love of clothes) will doubtless find a final resting-place in one of th e National Museums, or perhaps be set up as a rival to the Codex Bible !

We are pleased to report activity on the p a rt of our Shooting Committee in the form of a Shoot which was held a t the end of Jan u a ry in the M iniature Range. I t is understood the Shoot was highly successful and thanks are accorded to the Committee, S.I.M. Baker and the W.T. Storem an for the ir efforts in this direction. Cpl. Jolley was the winner of the Silver Spoon, bu t we were given to understand by the modest (!) victor th a t his score would have been much more had he no t been inoculated. Oh ! W ilf! How could you ! The doubtful honour of being presented w ith th e Wooden Spoon fell to Cpl. W atte,—b u t why blame M onty ? You can’t blame him for e v e r y t h in g , you know.

W e have ju s t heard (the way things are heard) th a t m any of our victim s are threatening to p u t us “ on the spo t,” especially one known as “ Lackery ” (not to be confused w ith one of the gargoyles on Canterbury Cathedral), whose visit to the Regal, accompanied by th a t famous sister regiment, did not escape our " eagle eye.” The willing donor of such inform ation is now aboard H .T. Nevasa (probably seasick), and far from the m adding crowd and, if he wants to lynch the other partner in this conspiracy to besmirch his name, apply B.O.R., 2/Buffs, Shorncliffe (office hours only).

W e e t o o .

The D rum s.We welcome to the Drums Ptes. Griffiths, Terry, Young and Cooper,

and sincerely hope that they will settle down in their new abode.At present, Individual Training is the chief item, and with the

N.C.O.’s on Cadre, it is little or no practice at all.Drum-Major DuSy and L/Cpl. Stockbridge are on the hong Cadre

Course being held at the time of sending in these notes.

Congratulations to L/Cpl. Sedgwick on his recent appointment. We also congratulate him on winning the C.O.’s Silver Bugle, and Boy P. Beale the Young Hands’ Bugle at the competition held on January 25th.

Little time has been found for sport, but auyhow we managed to squeeze in two matches. These were against the Drums of the 2nd Battalion The Royal Berkshire Regiment, whom wc beat 3— 1, and against “A”2. The latter was our first Half-Company League match since returning from leave, and having to field a team rather hurriedly, we were beaten 1—3.

L/Sgt. Toms and Dmr. Charlton are busy with training for the Garrison boxing that comes off in flic near future.

L/Cpl. Pout lias his right hand in plaster of Paris, and Dmr. A. Garratt lias gone to hospital for an operation on his right wrist. We hear that the cause of the above was that they tried to lift their bank books with one hand !

A .J.B,

The Band.The month has been very quiet. We have recovered from leave

and have been spending the time in getting ourselves in trim again.F o o tb a m ..—There have been no Half-Company matches, but

Williams and the Bandmaster have played for the Wing.We have seven boys going to the 1st Battalion on February 14th.

They are :—J. Ashdown, J. Crossley, A. Horton, C. Lawson, K. Rickard, A. Hotchin and G. Jones. We wish them a good voyage and a happy time in their new life.

Next month we will publish in full a list of the engagements and hope that we shall meet some old Buffs in our wauderings.

The Stretcher Course is now over and Escott seems to like the R.A.M.C.

Our best wishes to the 1st Battalion Band. We hope their new dance drum arrived safely. Bulgin cast longing eyes at it.

Quavkr .

Signal Section.During the past month we have been concentrating on our job

as young Signallers, and consequently not much in the way of sport lias taken place. Nevertheless, we played a game or two of football and managed to beat the 2nd Battalion The East Surrey Regiment Signal Section 4—0 ; also a team from “C” Company by 7—0.

The call of the “ sick, lame and lazy ” has been answered of late by members of the section, notable among whom was our “ Moe,” who, although being well in mind and body, was placed in isolation and nearly died of fright lest he should catch some horrible complaint.

Plain clothes have been prominent in the section since Christmas, most of the boys having completed twelve months’ service. I t is a pleasing sight to see them “ tofnng up ” in order to attract the attention of the fair sex. It is suggested that Percy should give a lecture on this point.

The reading results of late have been very satisfactory, but a little more interest is required to obtain classification standard. On the whole, however, we are doing very well.

Our notorious storeman, “ Jeff,” is now a member of the battalion running team, and considering its high standard, membership is no mean achievement.

Cpl. Martin and Pte. Hobday are in training in order to represent the battalion at boxing next month. Two good men,* and we wish them luck.

Y . N o t t .

T ranspo rt Notes.Here we arc again, after dodging it for a month. Very little has

happened of importance. We keep having a few strangers arriving and disappearing.

A few more “ old sweats ” have left us, namely, Pte. Smith on a Vocational Course; Pte. Heaver, our renowned warbler; Pte. Reekie, onr “ burly ” blacksmith and a staunch Union m an; Pte. Goodall, our late saddler, who has just finished his Vocational Course in the shoemaker’s shop—no doubt he will go straight to Nottingham with his knowledge. We all hope that these men will obtain a suitable job and soon settle down. Good luck to them !

There is a course in progress with the 22nd Field Brigade which we hope will produce a few to fill our vacancies. The remainder will no doubt be useful at later dates on Brigade Training and near hunting season.

Stamp collecting is the latest hobby of the section—not of the antique sort, but the ones that grocers give away. A book full entitles the holder to anything from a tooth-brush to a tea-pot. This must

Employed Group.We must apologise for the omission of our notes in jprevious issues,

but the departure of our scribe to “ d w ie Street ” and the consequent lack of editorially-minded fellows, necessitated the withdrawal of our usual monthly contributions. We hope, however, to give a resume of our doings in. the future.

THE DRAGON 109

Football and (raining have been to the fore during the past month, and we must congratulate our football team on their success in the Hallain Parr Shield, i .e . , entering the final against the Gunners after an easy victory against “A” Company.

We have been drawn against “B” Company in the first match for the Inter-Company Hockey Shield, and judging by the team (which I am given to understand is well above the average) ;it is hoped to put up as good a show at hockey as we did at football.

Individual Training seems to have drawn all our resources into the field, braving like hardened soldiers the biting winds over the plain, in a vain (?) endeavour to capture that glorious prize, the Crossed guns. “ Jinks,” especially, seems to have taken his training seriously, as he now suffers from that elusive complaint known as “ Various Veins,” and can oftimes be seen painfully limping his way across the square. He still manages, however, to wander down town of a night, and we want to know how he does it.

Another question which seems to perplex our worthy “ Squibbs,” is why our “ Lodger ” frequently takes unto himself a week-end and disappears from human ken during this brief space into the unknown and sliady lanes of Raynes Park. His namesake also seems to have found some attraction in the region of Hythe, and his bosom pal, J.G., wants to know how long it will last, and whether any matrimonial results are anticipated.

We extend our hearty congratulations to Sgt. Cronin on having gained three parts of his 1st Class Certificate of Education, and hope he will succeed in getting the Certificate in the March examination. We trust that he will devote the brains thus accumulated to some worthy object instead of pulling out his watch at the ungodly hour of Reveille and giving the poor Employed Room “ just ten seconds to put their feet on the floor.” What an Orderly Sergeant!

We welcome to our fold another Armourer in the person of Pte. Barnes, who recently joined the battalion from Colchester, and trust that his stay in our midst will be a long and happy one. It is gratifying to note that he has already found his way about Folkestone, the many attractions of which he intends availing himself in the very near future.

In concluding our notes for this month, we take the opportunity of congratulating C.S.M. Ongley and the battalion cross-country team on their recent magnificent successes in the Kent County and South of the Thames Championships.

Skiver.

“ A ” Company.The company has now completed Individual Training, and although

towards the end the squads were rather depleted in numbers, I think quite a useful amount of knowledge was gained by the men.

At present we are trying to complete our Physical Efficiency Tests, and I think it would be wise to watch these tests carefully in preparation for the annual sports, because last year, it will be remembered, our failure was due to tack of training. So I might remind those concerned to start training their teams as early as possible.

Football has been going with a swing, but it appears that our team is not playing together enough and lack of combination is the reason for our losses in the Company League match against “C” Company, in which we were defeated on January 25th by 1 goal to* 3, and also in the Hallam Parr Shield match, which resulted in an easy victory for “H.Q.” Wing. Nevertheless, I hope those concerned will still keep trying to put our company colours at the top.

Our overseas draft will have sailed by the time these notes appear. In this draft we include Cpls. Jolly, Port and Spence and 15 men. To them all we wish b on v o y a g e and the best of luck in their new surroundings.

Most of our N.C.O.’s are at present engaged with a Regimental Long Cadre Course, either as instructors or pupils. We hope that the result for all will be just what they would wish for themselves.

T.C.H.

“ B ” Company.After a month’s holiday at Government expense, the company

returned in time to commence Individual Training on January 15th. After a long period of leisure, it must be confessed that this training came as rather a shock, and although realising how necessary it is, it is a pity that this had to take place so soon after the leave period.

For the past month our Company Commander (Captain R. W. M. Webster) has been on leave, skiing at St. Cergue in French Switzerland, and Lieut. Haggard has been commanding the company in his absence.

In our last notes we omitted to congratulate Lieut. T. H. Spear on being appointed Adjutant. We hasten to do so now most heartily.

Our congratulations are also extended to Sgt. Johnson on the award of a “Q” for the Boxing Course he completed recently. Also to L/Cpls. Bridger, Brown, Tiley and B. Johnson on their first appointments.

We welcome to the company from our neighbours, “C” Company, Pte. Noake’s, Lieut. Haggard’s servant; also Ftes. Back, Fagg, Foord, Goade, Howsham, Lawson, Ward, Webster and Whatford from the Regimental Depot.

L/Sgt. Fox proceeded on January 20th on a course for eight weeks at the School of Education, Shorncliffe, and we wish him every success.

Our best wishes go to L/Cpl. Grater, who was discharged on January 26th, and to Pte. Caudlish, who will be transferred to the Army Reserve on March 3rd, and we hope sincerely that they will find employment soon. Also to Cpl. Davis, and Ptes. Chidwick, Davidson,. Eccles,

Filmer, Finch, Morris, Proctor, Ward and Wilson, who sailed with the draft to Burma on February 16th on H M . T . Nevasaixom Southampton to join the 1st Battalion.

Sgt. Trice has also left us on promotion to W.O. Class II. and appointment of C.S.M., for “C” Company. May we say not only how much we shall miss him, especially at hockey and tug-of-war, but also how delighted we are at his well-deserved advancement.

The following have been or are attending courses as shown :—February 19th—28th. Messing N.C.O.'s. L/Cpl. Calloway.February 19th—March 3rd. Battalion Intelligence. Ptes. J.

Brown and T. Coggin.February 5th—March 17tli. Long W.T. Cadre Course for

Instructors. Sgt. Trinkwon (Instructor), Sgt. Johnson, L/Sgt. Hills, L/Sgt. Tracey, Cpl. Farmer, L/Cpl. J. Mitchell, L/Cpl. Day, L/Cpl. Carmichael.

Our activities in the sporting line have been few and the results of the football matches that we have taken part in are as under:— Jan. 23. “B" Company v . "C” Company (Half-Company League),

won 4—1.25. “B” Company v . “H.Q.” Wing, lost 1—8.

Feb. 8. “B” Company v . “S” Company (semi-final Hallam Parr), lost 0--4.

The last match was undoubtedly the best of the three. Our team was a good one, but lacked speed, which was one of the main features of the opposing side. Sgt. Charlton and Ptes. Caudlish and Hadfteld were outstanding for us and did much to prevent the score against us being much higher.

“ C ” Company.Now that the leave period has finished, everyone is looking forward

to work, and as this is our last year in the station, we have every hope of the company having everything to its credit. We intend training hard for all field events, and it is anticipated that our points for the Athletic Shield will result in double figures. Amongst new-comers to the company are some “ dark ’uns ” in whom we have every confidence.

By the time these notes appear a number of our N.C.O.’s and men will have sailed for the 1st Battalion, and we wish them a good voyage and trust that they will make their new sphere of life a successful one.

We have started Individual Training, and with the qualified instructors we have, our shooting percentage at Hythe this year should be very high.

Captain R. B. Sandilands, M.C., is back with us once again after having been to Netheravon for a Small Arms Course.

Sgt. Hoskins has left us for a course at the Small Arms School at Hythe, and from what he has told me he is confident of a “D.” We hope so, anyway.

It is rumoured that L/Cpl. Gurney is going on a P.T. Course. Now we know why he is up at 5 a.tn. every morning making funny noises.

We have noticed that L/Cpl. F. Baumback, late of our company, has entered into the matrimonial life, and we all wish him and his bride the best of success.

Very shortly we are to lose C.Q.M.S. McNeil, who goes for a tour of duty at the Depot. All of us will miss him very much, for we regard him as the father of the company, and we all hope “ perhaps ” for big pay days.

We extend a hearty welcome to the number of N.C.O.’s and men who have joined us from the 1st Battalion, and we hope their stay with us will be a happy one.

We have played a number of interesting soccer games for the Half-Company League, and below is the table of results :—

“C”l v . “B”l, lost 1—4.“C”2 v . “S”3, lost 0—6.“C”l v . “H.Q.’T, lost 0—6.“C”2 v . “H.Q.”3, won 5—3.

It will no doubt appear that we are all lost at soccer, but nearly every N.C.O. and man must turn out for these games, otherwise we must expect the above results.

The Company Shield matches played to date are as follows :—January 25th. “C” Company v . “A” Company, won 3—1.“C” Company v . “S” Company, lost 0—1.The latter game was played on a very cold day, and a strong wind

was blowing from goal to goal. After a fairly even start, "C” Company pressed hard and had not " Lofty ” O’Keefe thought he was still at boxing practice, we should have been leading at half-time. However, L/Sgt. Lee did not show how it should have been done from the spot- kick. ' “S” Company had slightly more of the play during the second half with the wind, and during the last minute they scored through Collins. We were beaten but not disgraced by the result.

Coco,

“ S ” Company.Annual furlough for 1933 is now a thing of the past, and all are

settled in again for a prolonged spell of training, firing, sports, etc.Range-taking and Revolver Training is now under way and those

unfortunates who do not come under these categories are doing various duties.

“ Surveyor-in-Chief” (“ Leslie King”) and his party of men are doing their best to finish off straightening the curves on Sir John Moore's Plain, and of course Ashford does not suffer in consequence, as A.F.B. 295 is still available.

110 THE DRAGON

The Inter-Company Football competition is now in full swing and also the Knock-out Competition to decide ■who shall represent the battalion this year in the Hallam Parr Shield. The draw for this competition brought us “C” Company as our opponents in the first round, and we were successful by one goal to nil. Weather conditions were all against good football, it being intensely cold with a very high wind blowing, the ground more like concrete, and the ball something like a feather. Against the wind in the first half we played well enough to promise an avalanche of goals later, but the second half w'as mostly taken up in retrieving the ball from nearby fields, etc., and most of the time was spent in throwing the ball in from touch, the main idea of the defenders of “C” being to play anywhere but on the alloted space of 120 by 100. During one of the very few times the ball was on the field, we scored the all-important goal. Good work by Crooknorth on the wing led to a perfect pass to Collins, who scored with a very well-placed shot. Our team on this occasion was :—Pte. f.otiglcy ; Pte. Burton, C.S.M. Sidwell; Cpl. O’Keefe, Sgt. King, Pte. Sheppard ; Pte. Crooknorth, Sgt. .Saunders, b/Cpl. Potter, Pte. Collins, Sgt. Bartlett.

The second round saw us opposed to “B” Company. Conditions were very much better than for the previous match, a slight breeze favouring the team kicking towards the Plain. Being favoured with this advantage in the first half, wre ought to have tuken more advantage of it and instead of only being one goal up we should have been at least three. (Just a passing word: we didn’t see our old right-half, “ Matey ” Johnson,” in the opposing team. What’s up, have you lost your prowess on the field since fisticuffs have taken precedence ?) The second half of the above match saw us more together and playing with plenty of vigour we managed to score two more goals, thus winning by three clear goals. The “ old ’uns ” stuck it well and truly, copying the Arsenal tactics, and the younger ones were really up to the standard of our usual play. Our scorers were 1,/Cpl. Potter, Pte. Collins and Sgt. Saunders. The second goal, I should like to mention, was the result of a fine piece of combination between Potter and Collins, Potter making a fine run down the wing and finishing with a perfect centre for Collins, once again, to round off the effort. Congratulations to Potter on obtaining his promotion to the battalion first team on the show he made in this match. Our C.S.M. came up to centre-half from back, as Sgt. King was partially crocked, and gave quite one of his old- time displays, and much credit is due to Sgt. King for putting up a good show with a “ gammy ” leg. Burton was also in the same boat, as he had not fully recovered from a recent injury received with the battalion team. Our team for this match w as:—Pie. Tongley; Pte. Burton, Sgt. King ; Cpl. O’Keefe, C.S.M. Sidwell, Pie. Sheppard ; 1,/Cpl. Potter, Sgt. Saunders, Sgt. Edwards, Pte. Collins, Sgt. Bartlett.

Next month I hope to be able to give you further results of this competition.

Dan leaves us shortly for the D epot; our dead loss again, as it is on the running track that he will be most missed. Our best wishes go with him, and may the Depot not damp his ardour.That now leaves foreigner Price to deal with and we are now learning

his “ jargon.”Congratulations to Cpl. Dumont and T,/Cpl. Price on their obtaining

a “ Q” l and 1st Class respectively on their Machine Gun and P.T. Courses.

Our fat boy (Peachy) is proceeding on a Cookery Course shortly. We hope that he will not lose any of his weight or colour ! !

The time of the sailing of the draft for Burma is drawing close, and the lads are no doubt looking forward to meeting old faces in the other battalion. (No doubt one particular brother will be anxiously awaiting the arrival of his next-of-kin.)

We welcome Ificut. D. C. Coates to the company and trust that his stay will be long and pleasant. We shall need his help on the liockev field in the near future.

1,/Sgt. Bills is at present going “ great guns ” in the position of “ Mine Host ” in the Sergeants’ Mess. I believe that the peace offerings are being more sought after now that such a host is in office.

Crankhandle.

Our Contemporaries.acknowledge w ith th an k s th e receip t of th e

following journals :—“ Journal of th e N igeria R eg im en t.” “ A ldershot C om m and N ew s.” " Jo u rn a l of th e H onourable A rtillery Co.” “ T he T,ion and The R ose.” “ The D ie-H ards.” " The L ondon Scottish R egim ental G azette ." “ The T iger and R ose.” “ K .S .L .I. R egim ental Jo u rn a l.” " T h e Iro n D uke.” " T h e Green H ow ards’ G azette .” “ R egim ental Chronicle of the P rince of W ales’s V olunteers'.” " In d ian A rm y O rdnance Corps G aze tte .” " T he S apper.” " The G unner.” “ T he H am pshire R egim ental Jo u rn a l.” “ The L ancashire L ad .” " Jo u rn a l of th e R oyal A rm y Service C orps.” “ St. George’s G azette .” “ Our U m pire.” “ T he S n apper,”

B e n e a t h B e l l H a r r y .TpEBRUARY at the

Depot has been pleasant compared to other years. We have had nice sunny days which have enabled us to carry out the normal programme of work and games with less interference than usual. Although our numbers are well up to strength, there has been little sickness amongst the recruits this winter, and up

to the present we have not found it necessary to hold those incessant gargling parades which were the daily routine last winter.

The Thorn Squad is about to commence training. This brings our total numbers up to four squads, the others being Dow, Howard and King. It is interesting to note that by next winter we shall have exhausted the names of Colonels of the Regiment for squads. There are eleven more to bring us to the present Colonel of the Regiment.

We were sorry to lose the Clinton Squad, who remained here for an extra three weeks owing to lack of accommodation at Shorncliffe. Most men in this squad must have left with at least one medal for shooting, swimming or physical training.

The Colonel of the Regiment brought Mr. Jackson and his son over to lunch in the Mess on February 14th. We understand that Mr. Jackson, Jun. hopes shortly to be gazetted into the Supplementary Reserve. He is a nephew of Captain Harry Jackson, late The Buffs.

Mr. Dewar is in Switzerland having his first lessons on “ the planks.” We under­stand that he is thoroughly enjoying himself, and that he has passed the stage of tying himself in knots. He is also grateful to the local inhabitants, who have become hardened to being charged in the back and knocked flat by the visitors.

A Boxing Tournament has been held and a good team was selected to represent the Depot in the Eastern Command Inter-Depot Competition, which by now has grown to such

T im DRAC03ST 111

proportions that those who knew it eight years ago would not recognise it. The Depot Royal Artillery can raise such a team from their 1,000 recruits that our teams from Infantry Depots of 100 strong can barely show their faces, and certainly not after the bouts.

The Depot M iniature Rifle Club.L ast m o n th i t was h in ted th a t th e S ecretary lxad a

“ gift of words ” in his p en : he has------ in his pen !Proof of th e C hib’s p o p u la rity is prov ided by th e

fact th a t a lthough only ju s t over a m on th old, we m uster th irty -sev en m em bers, all of whom are very keen to im prove th e ir shooting, so th a t very soon the Club will be able to p u t up a cred itab le perform ance in com ­p e titio n w ith others. (Ashford B ranch, look o u t !)

W e usually ru n a sm all sweep a t each shoot when each firer nom inates his handicap (i.e., th e num ber he expects to requ ire to b ring his score up to 100). If his score, plus handicap , exceeds 100, 2 po in ts are deducted from 100 for every p o in t over 100. The n earest score to 100 is th e winner.

A lthough, as ye t, no com petitions have tak en place, i t m ay be in te res tin g to read th ro u g h the figures below :

Name. No. of Total Average. HighestShoots. to Date. Score.

Bt.-Lieut.-Colonel Thomson ... 5 442 88 91Bt.-Major N. D. Rice ... ... 3 239 80 81Lieut. N. R. Reeves ... 3 254 - 84 87Lieut. J. R. P. Williams ... 1 90 90 90C.S.M. A. Farrow ... 7 644 92 98Q.M.S. H. Shorter ... 5 432 86 91Sgt. R. Wickham ... 6 545 91 96Sgt. J. Curliss ... ... 6 532 88’6 97Sgt. H. Jones (A.E.C.) ... ... 7 605 86 95Sgt. T. Maplesden ... 1 7S 78 78Sgt. D. Hoy ................ ... 6 503 84 90Sgt. T. Vale ................ ... 5 438 87-6 95Cpl. T. O’Connor ... 2 117 88-5 91Dmr. P. Stone ... ... 1 56 56 56Pte. H. K n ig h t................ ... 2 165 82-5 90Cpl. J. Honeybunn ... 3 269 90 91Pte. H. Surridge ... 4 270 67-5 75Cpl. C. S o lw a y ................ ... 5 436 87 93Sgt. F. Faulkner ... 6 501 83-5 90R.S.M. P. Ransley ... 6 549 91 96R.Q.M.S. G. Mould ... 5 391 78 88Q.M.S.I. J. Moore (A.P.T.S.) ... 4 316 79 87L/Sgt. W. Wheeler ... 2 172 86 87L/Sgt. F. Hobson ... 6 497 83 90L/Sgt. G. Patterson ... 6 512 85 92L/Sgt. L- Crouch ... 5 430 86 92L/Cpl. W. McBride ... 6 515 88 89L/Cpl. H. O’Leary ... 5 426 85 S9L/Cpl. F. Rackley ... 5 386 77 83L/Cpl. J. Woods................ ... 6 526 87-6 93L/Cpl. J. Simpson ... 6 490 8P6 88L/Cpl. N. Bailey ... 6 515 86 97Pte. A. Brooks ... ... 3 227 76 82Pte. A. Cooke ... ... 4 215 54 63Mr. S. Follett ................ ... 5 421 84 89Sgt. F. H o d g es ................ ... 3 256 85 86

Football.F o o tba ll a t the D epot is alw ays ra th e r a perplexing

problem . F ix tu res for th e W in ter have to be m ade in th e Sum m er and i t is qu ite im possible to say in May or J une w ha t k ind of a side we shall have in th e follow­ing December.

T he D epot Staff canno t now produce a s tro n g enough team to en te r for th e various C harity Cups p layed for in and around C an terbury— although in days gone by when m ore of th e younger N .C .O .’s did p lay Football we won th e C anterbury H ospita l C harity Cup w ith only one recru it in th e team .

T im es are changed, however, now and we have to rely upon a certain num ber of recru its to bu ild up th e D epot side.

In view of this, and to th e im portance of giving every rec ru it an o p p o rtu n ity of p laying Foo tba ll w hilst a t th e Depot, i t w as considered unwise to em bark upon a too am bitious program m e th is j'ear. In stead of th is i t was decided to confine our a tte n tio n th is year to Football w ith in the D epot, w ith an occasional 1st X I. m atch against o th er team s to stim u la te in te res t in th e gam e an d to encourage younger p layers to im prove th e ir football in order to o b ta in a place in th e D epot side.

W ith th is end in view an In te r-S q u ad League was s ta r te d th is y ear div ided in to tw o Divisions, "A ” League and “ B ” League.

F a c h Squad selects i ts own 1st and 2nd X I . 's to p lay in th e respective Leagues, and in add ition to th is the D epot Staff, less th e X .C .O .’s w ith th e Squads also enters a team in each League.

By tliis m eans everyone a t th e D epot h as th e o p p o rtu n ity of p laying football regu larly during th e W inter— in te res t in th e gam e is m ain ta ined , and new ta len t is found am ongst th e recru its for fu tu re b a tta lio n team s.

The s ta n d a rd of foo tball possibly does n o t alw ays reach In te rn a tio n a l s tan d ard , b u t there is no do u b t ab o u t th e en th u siasm . T he touch-line is alw ays packed during these m atches— p articu la rly w hen th e D epot Staff 2nd X I. is p laying— an d he is a fearless m an who— stan d in g on th e touch-line— dares to tak e his eye off th e ball for one m om ent during a m atch . Two senior m em bers of th e Sergean ts’ Mess d id tliis on twro separa te occasions and each lost his h a t, and, for the m om ent, his self-com posure in consequence.

I t m u st n o t be assum ed from tliis, however, th a t new ta le n t is n o t being unearthed . A ny recru it who shows ab ility is no ted and his nam e forw arded to th e 2nd B a tta lion and we are pleased to see th a t Tiley, H arris , G ainford and several o thers who wrere here only a few' m o n th s ago are being given tria ls hi the 2nd B a tta lio n team . If th is w ere the only resu lt of th is new League our efforts would have been w orth while, b u t th is is n o t th e case, by any m eans. In add ition to p roducing fu tu re R egim ental p layers— m en who have never p layed before have an o p p o rtu n ity of learn ing th e gam e, and those w ith lim ited experience can im prove.

Sergeants’ Mess.Sgt. Vale has jo ined th e 2nd B a tta lio n a fte r a very

brief so journ am ongst us and we wish h im well.Sgt. T u rn er w ith Mrs. T urner and b ab y left on

15tli F eb ru a ry to rejo in th e 1st B a tta lio n and once again " B o n voyage and good luck .”

R egard ing th e w agering referred to in our la s t m o n th 's notes, th e " book ” h as now been closed to P a tte rso n who killed h is price by applying for reg is tra ­tio n on th e M arried Q uarters roll.

On T hursday , 8 th F eb ru a ry th e final of th e " George P o rte r ” B illiard h and icap for th e Challenge Cup p resen ted by M ajor George P o rte r w as held. T he con testan ts , we are p leased to relate , were b o th ex- m em bers, nam ely Sid F o lle tt and “ D rum m y ” Dixon. T hroughou t th e to u rn am en t b o th these p layers left no d o u b t in our m inds th a t th ey in ten d ed to show us th ey are n o t y e t back num bers, and we looked forw ard to an in te res ting final. W e were no t d isappoin ted and in a gam e of 200 up, a t no tim e was th e difference in scores m ore th a n 20 and Mr. F o lle tt even tually won a w ell-fought gam e a fte r liis opponent h ad tw ice m issed easy chances in th e la te r stages. T he h ighest b reak was 25 by Mr. Dixon.

C ongratu la tions to th em b o th — to Mr. F o lle tt on w inning and to Mr. D ixon on again being a finalist and also com plim ents to th e R.Q.M .S. on his exceptionally good handicapping.

112 T H £ DRAGON

On Friday, the 10th February we commenced our series of games in our Mess against the Cavalry Record and Pay Offices Sports Club, in connection with the Cup they recently presented for competition. The results were :—Biijja rd s 150 up.

R.S.M. Ransley (150) beatC.S.M. Farrow Sgt. Faulkner Sgt, Wickham L/S. Hobson L/S. Wheeler

(150)(150)(150)(150)

Sgt. Lytligoe Bamshaw Sgt. Chantler Cpl. Soper Cpl. Targett

(73)(83)(94)

( 111)(46)

(150)(111) lost to Sgt. Barling A very comfortable win, but now comes a very sorry

tale :—Tabee Tennis.

C.S.M. Farrow lost to Sgt. Barnshaw.L/Sgt. Wheeler lost to Sgt. Plunkett.L/Sgt. Hobson lost to Sgt. Chantler.Q.M.S. Shorter lost to Cpl. Targett.Sgt. Wickham lost to Sgt. Barling.L/Sgt. Patterson lost to S.S.M. Wilson.

(extra instruction needed and more practice).Darts.

Sgt. Hodges \ . . / Sgt. Chantler.Sgt. Wickham / Deat \ Mr. Wills.C.S.M. Farrow \ . . / Sgt. Lythgoe.Sgt. Curliss / Deat \ Cpl. Soper.Mr. Argrave \ . , r S.S.M. Wilson.Sgt. Curliss / Deax \ Sgt. Bamshaw.Q.M.S. Shorter \ lo s t / Mr. Burton.Sgt. Maplesden / to \M r . Brett.

Cards.Q. M.S. Dong and Sgt. Lythgoe beat Sgts. Faulkner

and Patterson.S.S.M. Wilson and Q.M.S. Crowther beat Sgts.

Maplesden and Wheeler.On Monday, 12th February the Officers of the Depot

visited us for a team billiard match on our table, which resulted in a win for each of our contestants. This was not surprising as we have had an immense amount of practice lately and the Officers have no table to practice on. The general play of most of our members has greatly improved of late and it is very difficult to ascertain who are really the best.

The result of this match was :—R. S.M. Ransley beat Bt. Lt.-Col. A. B. Thomson.C.S.M. Farrow beat Colonel H. Findlay.Sgt. Faulkner beat Lieut. N. R. Reeves.Sgt. Wickham beat Capt. H. P. P. Robertson.L/Sgt. Hobson beat Bt. Major N. D. Rice.Colonel Findlay very kindly presented a cue to the

member of the Mess compiling the highest break. This was won by R.S.M. Ransley with a 22. The absence of breaks of any note by the remainder of the team was the surprising part of a very interesting match.

Sgt. Maplesden was again our representative a t the Annual Dinner of the Bridge Branch of the British Legion and once again thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality extended to him.

We regret the passing of another ex-member of the Regiment, the late ex-R.S.M. J . Carpenter who was transferred from the Regiment dining the war as a C.S.M. to the Royal Tank Corps where he was promoted W.O.l. The funeral took place a t Bekesboume on Saturday, 10th February. R.S.M. Ransley, C.S.M. Farrow, Sgt. Hoye and L/Sgt. Crouch attended.

Keenness is still exhibited among our members in the Depot Miniature Rifle Club. C.S.M. Farrow is a t present a t the top of the roll. T hat of course may be considered his usual place, but as i t was only recorded yesterday and others are after his blood perhaps it won’t hold long.

In conclusion, congratulations to the whole of the 2nd Battalion Cross-Country Running Team (and particularly to L/Cpl. Frankham) for their splendid display in annexing yet another honour on the 10th February.

Corporals’ Room.Once again we come out of the dark to let everybody

know we are still living, and doing our share towards keeping the Depot alive.

During the last month we have taken part in two social functions, the first being as guests to the Sergeants in whose Mess we spent a very enjoyable night. After the total up of points, I think on the whole we were about 50/50. We would like to thank the members of the Sergeants’ Mess for the trouble they took to ensure th a t the Corporals enjoyed themselves. The R.S.M. and the C.S.M. being outstanding as match­makers.

On Friday, February the 2nd, we entertained the Corporals of the West Kents, a t football in the afternoon and a series of games in the evening. We lost a t football by 6 goals to 3. The scores for the Corporals were Cpl. Honeybunn (1) ; L/Cpl. McBride (2).

During the evening we showed our talent a t billiards and snooker, being the winners of every game.

By this time next month I doubt if any of the members a t present in the Corporals’ Room will be here. Perhaps we shall see them all in Hollywood; a t least, I think so, by the filmlike expressions on the photograph the members have just had taken.

By next month we shall have lost two of our mem­bers, namely, Cpl. Twyman who proceeds to join the 1st Battalion, and L/Cpl. McBride, who joins the 2nd Battalion. Both these N.C.O.'s will be a loss to our football team. We wish them the best of luck.

Is it true tha t " Chess ” wants to charge entertain­ment tax when he is caught unawares, or does he think it is N.A.A.F.I. rebate.

Since our last notes Tom has come back to the fold and seems pleased; always ready to make a F our up, or take 8— 1. He is an im portant part of the club.

" Wickey ” now has to wear “ Bullets ” tunics since he has had command of the “ Thom ” Squad, for a while.

" J o c k ” does not make any 113 breaks now. Instead he looks worried. I wonder if the word tins has anything to do with it.

We would like to congratulate Cpl. King on the birth of a son. May all his troubles be little ones.

(Signed) “ INKEY.”

R ecruits’ Inter-Squad and Individual Boxing Championships.

As each Recruits’ Boxing Tournament draws near one hears the gloomy prophets saying “ I ’m afraid there will not be anything like the talent there was at the last meeting ” or “ W hat a pity So-and-So is not here now ” and many similar rem arks; and every time when the Tournament is over the pessimists are proved to be wrong.

The last meeting, held on January 29th and 30th and February 1st was no exception.

Possibly there were not as many boxers as a t the last meeting, capable of taking their places straight away in the Battalion Team, bu t for really hard clean fighting, close finishes, and surprises this meeting was well up to the standard of the last or any other meeting.

In the m atter of hard, clean fighting Cordell, Spicer and Collins, all showed th a t they did not know when they were beaten and a determination th a t as long .as they could get to their feet, they would go on fighting.

THE DRAGON 113

Standing :Ptes. Scott, H ague, R obinson, Pagence, E/Cpl. O ’Peary , Cpl. Cowell, P tes. T liurley, H uckstep, Collins.

Second Row :—Ptes. Johnson, Green, R ichey, T erry , M ajor N. D. Rice, Q .M .S.l. Moore, P tes. P o tte r, C arter, P ickering, Pullen.

Sitting :— Ptes. Spicer, Sheppard , Cordell.

They were all more th an good value for th e “ p lucky loser ” m edals which th e C om m anding Officer aw arded to th em a t the end of th e m e e tin g ; and Coppin, W right, Excell, M anser and Church, to m ention only a few others, m u st have ru n th em very close when the C.O. h ad to m ake his final selection. All show ed th a t th ey were m ade of th e righ t stuff.

In th e m a tte r of close finishes th e fights betw een N ew m an and Sheppard , Sw ain and R ichey, M urray and Collins, and W hitehead an d D rury were all very close affairs w ith very few po in ts betw een th e w inner and loser.

P'or surprises we need only m ention the defeat in th e final of th e Featherw eigh ts of “ the favourite ” Pickering by S heppard and th e v e ry close fight which Dingle gave Green, th e u ltim ate w inner in th e Sem i­final of th e E igh t weights.

S heppard is to be co n gratu la ted on being aw arded th e B a rre tt Cup for th e m ost prom ising boxer a t the D epot. He h ad a long and difficult road to follow as he h ad to dispose of M arsh, W right, N ew m an and P ickering— all bigger m en th a n him self— in th ree n igh ts to win th e Cup, and he show ed th ro u g h o u t th a t he has a very s to u t h eart in a very sm all body.

Pullen fought well in th e 2nd R ound of th e In te r ­m ediate W eights against th e u ltim ate winner, C arter, and was aw arded th e B est E oser’s Medal.

A fter a very close struggle th e H ow ard of Effingham Squad won th e In ter-S quad Shield from th e K ing Squad.

Once again we should like to express our th an k s to Mr. Jackson for th e excellent lighting arrangem ents.

Results over-leaf:—

Territorial Army.The la te st official re tu rn s show th a t during th e m onth

of Decem ber, 1933, 1,152 recru its were finally approved for th e T errito ria l Arm y. The in tak e of recru its from 1st Ja n u a ry , 1933, to 31st Decem ber, was 31,207, w hich is an increase of 13,302 com pared w ith th e corres­ponding period in 1932.

T he to ta l s tren g th of th e T errito ria l A rm y (other ranks) on 1st Ja n u a ry , 1934, was 125,721 ; th is is 741 less th an on 1st Decem ber, 1933, b u t there is a n e t increase of 5,554 in th e s tren g th since Ja n u a ry , 1933.

THE DRAGON

Inter-Squad Boxing Competition, Depot The Buffs, 29th and 30th January and 1st February.

Bantam WeightScott (K) bye—Scott

CreedFord (H)Creed (K)Whitmarsh (K)-i Miles (K) / MUes Johnson (H) J . Joh„son

I

{Att. C.) Blake (H)

Byes

Scott

Johnson

- J ohnson

- Feather Weight

Pickering (II) \ Pickeri Manser (D) / f l e e r in g

^■Cordell*

(Att. C.)

Cordell (K) Powell (D)

Coppin (D) Barlow7 (H)

Munn (H) Norval (K)

Newmian (H) Easlett (K)

Spinner (H) Campbell (K) Sheppard (K) Marsh (H) Bailey (K) Wright (H)

Pickering

J-Barlow

}M unn (B)

J»Newman

Pickering

Barlow7

1

Harverson (II) Dingle (D)

Sage (D) Stanford (H) Excell (D) Higgs (K)

Green (K) Hurley (H) Revell (H) Maltby (K) Streater (K) Gilmore (K) Hague (K) Potter (K) Alehin (K) Taylor (K)

Spicer (H) bye Beaney (D) Bourne (H)

Whitehead (H) Drury (K)

Pullen (D) Blower (K)

Carter (D) Bennell (K) Horn (K)

(Att. C.) Dyer (K)

Spinner

J* Sheppard

^W right

Light Weight

Newman

j-Sheppard

^Sheppard

“Sheppard

^■Dingle )

^Stanford

} Excel! .

r Dingle*

Green ,

^ Green

^ Re veil

^ Streater

- Green

r Re veil .

^ Hague 11 1

Hague

^■Alehin ['Hague !

In te rm e d ia te W eight—Spicer*

Bourne • Bourne

^W hitehead \'Huckstep

IHuckstepj-Il ucks tep

y Pullen )

Carter

|H o m

r Carter

'Carter

Green

.Carter

Hollbrook (K) Cullen (K) ^Cullen

Cullen

DRAGOif n s

Welter Weight- .......... Swain. (D)

Wickens (H) ^Swain )J-Swain

Claringbold (D) Kelsey (H) ^Claringbold '

Richey (D) W raight (K) ^Richey

1 RicheyChurch (H)

(Sick) Blewitt, D. Church*gj (Att . C)

Murray (D) Collins (H)* j»Murray

RobinsonH arris (H) Robinson (K) ^Robinson JRelf (H) . Townend (H) ^Townend

}■ TownendTaylor (H) Lee (D) }Lee J

Middle WeightBy es :—

Potter (H) Denny (K) ^ P o tte r

(Sick on Leave) O’Connor, H. }(Sick A tt. C.) Butcher (K)

(Sick)H. Tliurley Roots, K. j-Tliurley ^Thurley

.Richey

Robinson

>-Richey

Potter

Fagence (D) bye Fisher (II)Terry (H)

Light HeavyweightFagence ^ Terry J

Placings ,

Squads :— "D ” = Don Squad.*'H” = Howard Squad. “ K ” = King Squad.

1 s t: Howard ; 2nd ; King ; 3rd : Don.

The 4thpO D O N ED Body

ATvnninteH Hon

Battalion.was

appointed Honorary Colonel of the Battalion on January 27th. Lord Goschen relinquished this appointment after holding it for the past ten years. We wish to thank him for all he has done for us during this period, and trust that he will do us the honour of visiting us in camp and on other occasions as he has done in the past. We feel it a great honour

that Colonel Body should succeed Lord Goschen as our Honorary Colonel. He is very closely connected with the battalion, as everyone is aware. He commanded the 5th Battalion (which, is now represented by <‘C” Company) in Mesopotamia from, early in

1916 till the end of the War. All ranks of the battalion respectfully wish to give him a very hearty welcome.

On Saturday, February 3rd, the battalion boxing team fought in the Kent Group Boxing Championship at Bromley. We wish to con­gratulate 2/Eieut. A. C. Roberts and his team on winning this. We scored 10 points and the 5th Battalion The Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment were second with 9 points. We wish to congratulate 2/Iyieut. Johnson in particular, as he put up a very fine fight on his first appearance in the ring.

On Saturday, February 17th, six members of our team went to Chelsea to compete in the 44th Divisional Finals. We were placed second, the 9th Middlesex Regiment, who had a very strong team, being easily the, winners. A detailed report on the battalion boxing is given below.

116 TBE DRAGOH

Captain Mount went up for his “C” Promotion Examination (to Major) on Saturday, February 10th. He passed, of course. We say “ of course" because we know Captain Mount, not because the exam­ination was easy. On the contrary, Captain Mount is much to be congratulated, as this examination is the stiffest which a Territorial officer has to pass.

During the past month, we are sorry to say, our numbers dropped by seven. I t is true eight men joined the Regular Army (seven of these went into The Buffs) and we are only too pleased to pass men on to the Regulars, particularly to our Depot, but we want to make up the wastage and more. So everyone must keep at it. I t is during the next two months that we want recruits, not just before camp.

Several courses have taken place this month. Cpl. Fuller of Folkestone went to Catterick on a Signalling Course where he distinguished himself and I hope enjoyed himself too.

C.S.M. Brooks of “C” Company went to the 2nd Battalion at Shorncliffe for a fortnight, where he did very good work, and I know he enjoyed himself a lot.

Four junior N.C.O.'s are at present doing a Weapon Training and Drill Course with the 2nd Battalion ; and eight Signallers are going on a course in the near future.

We are very grateful indeed to Colonel Scarlett for allowing us to send all these N.C.O.’s and men to the 2nd Battalion. These courses do untold good.

On the first of the month, Bieut. Iggulden held his Prize-giving Dinner and Dance at Herne Bay. It was a very good evening. Mr. Cursons, Colonel Collard, Major Witts and Captain Wilson were present.

The platoons at Cranbrook and Wliitstable both held a dance on February 7th, but it was impossible to be in two places at once. At Whitstable, Eieut. Parish had a very successful evening, and I am sure they did too at Cranbrook. It is to be hoped that these functions will not clash in future; it does not give the Adjutant a chance !

Battalion Inter-Platoon Sm all-Bore Rifle League.I think my few words of praise at the improvement

of teams in our league in my last notes must have given them swollen heads, for the third round shows a had drop in majority of team’s scores, with the exception of Cranbrook who increased their scores by 133 points and Sandwich by 66 points. This will not do if Companies hope to register a success in the T.A, Match.

The examination of the targets looks as if some teams are relying on the new form of ammunition to keep their rifles in good order; I t may prevent rust, but it does not stop the barrel from being coated with a compound which aifects the accuracy of the barrel, for there are very few new barrels in the battalion.

The results up-to-date are as follows :—Team. Isf and 2nd 3rd round. 'Total,

rounds.

Canterbury ... 1251 589 1840Dover ... 1211 607 1818Sittingboume 1161 596 1757Cranbrook 1082 644 1726Heme Bay 1164 558 1722Horsmonden ... 1101 571 1672Littlebourne ... 1116 496 1612Folkestone 956 522 1478Hawkhurst 1025 436 1461Ramsgate 1047 382 1429Sandwich 756 430 1186Whitstable 1066 .— — 1066Margate 598 — 598

Very few firers managed to get 90 or more in this round, the only ones reaching it being :—Lieut. J . C. Jackson (Cranbrook, 90; C.y.M.S. Tapp (Cranbrook), 93 ; and Sgt. Beale (Cranbrook) with 92.

In the Battalion Individual Sweepstake the scoring also showed a drop and we are sure the last round will be very interesting, for the leaders are very close to one another. Sgt. Beale was prevented through illness in firing his targets, but is going to pull it up this month and C.S.M. Clancey’s targets must have gone astray in the post. He is also going to pull that round up this month.

Results are as follows :—Name. Coy. 1st

Rd.2ndRd.

3rd Round. Total.

I<ieut. J. C. Jackson ... “C” 183 197 96 X 93 — 189 574Dmr, Marsh ... “D” 189 194 94 X 91 — 185 568Sgt. Willing ... P.S. 176 187 92 x 88 — 180

90 X 95 — 185543

C.Q.M.S. Tapp ... ... “C” 130 170 535Sgt. I^arkin ... P.S. 182 181 89 X 83 — 172 535Sgt. D avis................ ... “B ” 164 178 90 X 79 — 169 511Sgt. C o o k ................ ... P.S. 129 111 72 x 74 — 146 386Sgt. B ea le ................ ... “C” 190 189 379IJeu t. H . D. Rose ... “A” 128 143 5 4 X 2 3 — 77 348C.S.M. Clancey ... ... “ B” 172 170 342

I t is noted that the Depot have formed a Small-bore Rifle Club. We wish them luck, for small-bore shoot­ing with the proper rifle for indoor shooting is a very fine form of sport. We are sure that the Dover Detachment of "D” Company will only be too pleased to arrange a postal match with them.

Boxing Notes.The Officer-in-Charge of Boxing visited the Margate

Drill Hall on Sunday, 14th January in company with L/Cpl. Pascall and Pte. Phillips. 2/Lieut. S. B. John­son had assembled about eight other men from “A” Company, and it was anticipated that the team, though small, would be effective. Some very useful work was got through, Mr. Johnson, Pte. Keller and Pte. Beal, who are new to the team shaping very well. Pte. Beal showing that, though possibly not the best man at his weight in the battalion, he has the sporting spirit and the tenacity which we require in the team.

The next visit was to Dover, on Monday, 22nd January where Pte. Phillips was busy training a crowd of boys from the Band who, in a few years—for most of them seem to weigh about 6£ stone and be aged about 16—should strengthen the lighter weights in the Battalion Team considerably. Pte. Phillips is even fitter than last year, and though, at a heavier weight.

117T im DRAGoisr

should, barring accidents, go even. further in the Championships. The Dover Team should be well- nigh invincible in the Garrison Cup Competition on March 15th. Pte. Euckhurst is boxing very well and Ptes. Cornish and Sheppard are back at Heavy and Feather respectively.

As regards the Battalion Team as a whole, the absence of a tournament made an estimation of the strength of our team very difficult, and had the news of the availability of Ptes. Meakins, Cornish and Sheppard been obtained earlier we should have had an even stronger team. We have a team of 14 Officers and Other Ranks who could be safely backed against any regiment now at Shomcliffe and Dover, and our hopes of success against the 10th or 12th Brigade teams would not be negligible. These remarks are not of idle praise, but based on observation.

The Battalion Team for the Kent Group Tournament at Bromley at the Drill Hall of the 5th Battalion The Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment on Saturday, 3rd February was as follows :—

Officers 7—Welter : 2/Bieut. S. E. Johnson.Heavy : 2/Eieut. A. C. Roberts.

Other Ranks :—Fly : Pte. Morford. Bantam : Pte. Jezzard. Feather: Pte. Beal. E ight: Pte. Keller. W elter: Pte. Phillips. Middle : Pte. Wells. Eight- Heavy : Pte. Euckhurst. Heavy: None available.

The Kent Group Tournam ent.Bromley, 3rd F ebruary, 1934.

The Team as above written, travelled from its various stations on the Saturday afternoon with E/Cpl. Pascall as Trainer as second and Trainer. Though delayed by the fog we -were in good time for the “ Weigh- in and Medical.” A message from the Colonel of the Regiment was read to the team. The fog unfortunately prevented the C.O. and Adjutant from turning up, and the Bromley roads must have been covered with angry intending spectators, for we only saw one of the 4th R.W. Kents, and many of the usual people were absent. Nevertheless, there was a good crowd present. The 5th R.W. Kents were as cheery and hospitable as ever and gave us a very good time ; we are definitely a " most favoured nation ” with them. Captain Durtnell had found some excellent lodgings for the team and we left Bromley at peace with everybody.

As to the programme, and giving special'attention only to our own fights, though without exception all the others were dean and hard :—

Fly .—Pte. Morford ("D”) (S.) Company, Folke­stone. Semi-Final. Having obtained a bye in the first round Morford met Spr. Earning of the Kent Fortress R.E. who had knocked out his opponent in the first round of his first bout. The second round of this fight was rather foolish in that neither man appeared to do anything but change from one stance to another, but in the first and third round Morford established a definite superiority and won the fight.

Final.—Morford lost to Pte. Smith of the 5th R.W.K.’s on points in a good hard fight in which the crowd was in doubt as to the result until the verdict was given. Smith had previously beaten Pte. Millward of the 4th R.W.K.’s in a very hard fight, the latter being awarded the best loser’s cup.

Bantam.—Pte. Jezzard ("A” Coy., Margate).— Semi-Final.—Jezzard was knocked out in the first round by one of half-a-dozen blind punches which he and his opponent had given one another. The result might have gone either way. Jezzard need not be discouraged, but must pay more attention to defence. Pte. Tucker of the 5th R.W.K.’s eventually won this weight. ■

Feather.—Pte. Beal ("A” Company, Herne Bay). Semi-Final.—Pte.. Beal showed that as he gains experience he will become a dangerous opponent.

He, too, must concentrate on improving his defence. He put up a very plucky show indeed against E/Cpl. Kenward of the 4th R.W.K.’s and lost on points. He was one of those whose name was considered for the best loser's cup. The weight was finally won by Bdr. Cook of the 52nd Kent (Medium) Bde. R.A.

Eight.—Pte. Keller (“A” Company, Margate).— First Round : Bye (Keller had changed places with Beal as the former could not, while tire latter luckily could, make featherweight). Semi-Final: Keller out­pointed E/Cpl. Budd of the 5th R.W.K.'s who had also had a bye. Final: Keller had no difficulty in beating on points Spr/ Fox of the R.E. who wore a smile and a woollen vest, adopted a musical comedy crouch and treated the whole matter with great indifference ; when Keller had finished with him this indifference was extended to the world in general. Though he put in a few good hard punches Fox was not in the same class as Keller.

WELTER.—Pte. Phillips (“D” (S) Company, Dover). First Round.—Phillips beat Pte. Peters of the 5th R.W.K.’s on points. I t is not since the T.A. Finals last year that anyone has withstood Phillips so courageously, and, as Peters, who is every inch a sportsman and a very fast and able boxer, having last year only lost on a casting vote to Saunders of the Middlesex Regiment, the T.A. Holder, in the Divisional Finals, the fact that' Phillips beat him, though not easily, augurs well for his probable success at ms new weight. Phillips obtained a bye in the semi-final. E/Cpl. Doust of the R.E. having scratched; Cpl. Richardson of the 4th R.W.K.'s was disqualified for hitting low against Gnr. Batstone of the R.A. in the other semi-final, and, in the final, though Batstone started the first round by giving Phillips some very heavy punches, Phillips’ terrible right hook soon began to take effect and, after going down twice, Batstone was finally knocked out in the first round by a model right hook.

The fight between Phillips and Peters was one of the best seen for a long time, and it is a pity that Peters will not be able to go to Chelsea with us. Peters was a candidate for the best loser's prize.

Middle.—Pte. Wells (“A” Company, Herne Bay). Wells is the veteran of the team and has improved beyond measure. He has lost the habit of butting with his head which formerly so annoyed referees and has not abated in courage and strength. Semi-Finals : Wells easily beat Spr. Benyon of the R.E. by a knock­out in the second round. Final: Wells, though having to undergo a good deal of punishment, fairly conclusively beat the much larger Gnr. Britt of the R.A. Wells is to be congratulated as he has three times won a Kent Group title, the welter in 1931, the Middle (when only a welter) in 1933 and the middle in 1934.

Eight-Heavy.—Pte. Euckhurst (“D” S. Company, Dover). Semi-Final: Euckhurst overbore Pte.Percival of the 5th R.W.K.’s with fine, forceful boxing for 2£ rounds, and was running out a clear winner when he had the misfortunate to be disqualified for hitting low. Euckhurst, however, need not be troubled over the decision, as his opponent admitted that he had, in defence, deflected the blow on to himself. I t must be remembered that, in army boxing, a foul, though un­intentional, is nevertheless a foul, and though one’s opponent will often sportingly continue, one is not entitled to this as of right. Luckhurst is to be con­gratulated on the way he took a hard though perfectly fair decision. It is a very probable that, in spite of his loss, he will represent the County at Chelsea.

The weight was ultimately won by Percival who beat Pte. Gibbons of the 4th R.W.K.’s.

Heavyweight.—(Buffs: No entry).—Spr.. Brown of the R.E. (Walk-over).

THE DRAGONn$

OFFICER’S Weeter.—2/Lieut. S. E. Johnson ("A” Company) beat Lieut. Combe of the 5th R.W.K.’s (an ex-boxing captain of Dover College) in one of the toughest and most blood-curdling bouts of the meeting. The crowd was delighted and gave both boxers a great ovation. At the end of the first round J ohnson knocked out Combe, who was saved by the Gong. In the 2nd round both were so tired that for some seconds neither could do anything but roar with helpless laughter at the other before renewing a furious offensive. In the third round, Combe, after losing his shoe, which was put on again by the referee, made a wonderful rally, but Johnson was awarded the verdict and is to be congratulated on the result of his first appearance in the ting.

Officers’ Heavy.—2/Lieut. A. C. Roberts, "D” S. Company met 2/Lieut. G. B. Courtney, the Officer i/c Boxing of the 5th R.W.K.’s and brother of Lieut. A. L. Courtney, R.N. the old naval and Imperial Services Heavyweight Champion. Roberts found the family tradition too strong for him, and was knocked out in the second round. At the end of the first he had, apparently, sufficiently staggered his opponent with three tremendous right hooks to make the fight his own, but was so tired with the shower of blows which his faster opponent had rained on him that he was unable to make use of his opportunity. Courtney put him down with a splendid right hook to the jaw towards the end of the second round. As Mr. Courtney will fight Light-Heavy at Chelsea, Mr. Roberts will represent the Kent Group at Heavy.

The Kent Group Team for the 44th (H.C.) Divisional Finals at the Gymnasium, Chelsea Barracks, at 7.30 p.m., on Saturday, 17th February will be as follows :—Officers :

Welter :—2/Lieut. S. E. Johnson. 4th The Buffs.Light-Heavy :—2/Lt. G. B. Courtney, 5th R.W.K.’s.

-2/Lt. A. C. Roberts. 4th The Buffs.Heavy Other Ranks

Fly Pte. Smith.Bantam :—Pte. Tucker.Feather :—Bdr. Cook.Light:—Pte. Keller.Welter :—Pte. Phillips.Middle :—Pte. Wells.Light-Heavy :—Pte. Percival.Heavy Spr. Brown.I t is quite probable that the other ranks light-

heavy may be Pte. Luckhurst of the 4th Buffs.The points scored for the County Team Champion­

ship were as follows :—

5th R.W.K.'s. 5th R.W.K.’s. 52nd Bde.R.A. 4th The Buffs. 4th The Buffs. 4th The Buffs. 5th R.W.K.’s. Kent R.E.

Points.1st. 4th Battalion The Buffs ... ... ... 102nd. 5th Bn. The Queen’s Own R.W.K. Regt.............93rd. 4th Bn. The Queen’s Own R.W.K.Re^. A.E.Q. 4 3rd. Kent (Fortress) Royal Engineers ... A.E.Q. 45th. 52ndKent (Medium) Bde. R.A. ... ... 3

The Buffs points were scored as follows :—(Final only: Win: 2 ; Runner-up: I). Morford, 1; Keller, 2 ; Phillips, 2 ; Wells, 2 ; Johnson, 2; Roberts, 1.

Though these notes may appear unduly long, it must be remembered that for the following reasons the battalion has every reason to be proud of itself and is entitled to a full report. We have never had so full a team, before, nor such a good and reliable one ; we have never before scored so many points in the Kent Championship though we won the title four seasons ago ; we are sending 5 and possibly 6 of the 11 men in the Kent team to Chelsea and have therefore a good chance of winning the Divisional Cup, for but few Regiments are so strongly represented in the Divisional Finals ; 5 or 6 points is all that is necessary to get the Cup,, and with so large a Buff entry the matter is more than a possibility.

Lastly, the team would wish to thank Captain Durtnell and the 5th Royal West Kents, for their hospitality and care of us, and Lance-Corporal Pascall for his unfailing good work for the team.

A.C.R.

44th H.C. Divisional Finals.The Gymnasium, Chelsea B arracks, 17th February,

1934.Those who, having read the preceding notes, thought

that we were counting our chickens before they were hatched, will be gratified to learn that such was the fact. But they were such a promising clutch of eggs.If ever a regiment, on known form, past programmes, and the law of averages, had a chance of winning the Divisional Cup, we had it a fortnight ago. But we met opposition that was rather too good for us, and had, into the bargain our fair share of ill-fortune.

We can, however, console ourselves with two thoughts : that we ran out second, if rather a poor second to the amazing performance of the 9th Battalion The Middlesex Regiment; and that the standard of Territorial boxing, even in the early stages, is improving beyond measure every year.

The 9th Middlesex won the Competition with the wonderful total of 13 points, double the score of any other regiment in the last 4 years ; they had a group champion in all weights except middle, and of these 7,6 were Divisional Champions and one was the runner- up. Everyone of their men is a member of a civilian club and knows the game from A to Z.

We secured 4 points, three other regiments getting ' 3 points, two 2 points, four 1 point and three 0. points.

Our lightweight, Pte. Keller, who had boxed three days previously at 2 lbs. under weight, could not make the weight on the scales and was so fit that two hours work could not sweat the requisite four pounds off him.

Pte. Phillips, tile welter, won his first fight against pretty tough opposition from Dvr. Crossfield of the 44th Divisional R.E. In the finals he met a good and experienced boxer in Pte. Gaitt of the 9th Middlesex, who had had an easier first round. Phillips was unlucky enough again to cut his eye, and though lie put up his usual courageous fight, he was working under too great a handicap to beat a man of Gaitt’s stamp. Never­theless, he made a very close thing indeed of winning.

Pte. Wells, at Middle, put up one of the best fights of the evening. In the first fight he just lost to a very much taller opponent in Pte. Cooper of the 5th Queen's Royals. Wells landed a number of very heavy body punches, and though he received a good deal of punish­ment always looked like winning. Now that he has conquered his early habit of charging with his head which was rather inclined to prejudice referees against him he is a very convincing boxer. The weight was ultimately won by L/Cpl. Desborough of the 7th Middle­sex.

2/Lieut. Johnson met Lieut. Palmer of the 6th East Surreys, the T.A. Champion who fought so well last year, and found the opposition too much for him, being knocked out in the first round and suffering a slight fracture of the nose. Palmer is obviously taking the competition seriously this year, and is no longer the untrained scrapper that he was last year. In a short while he showed that someone .has been teaching him a lot about the game, and fully deserves any success that may come to him later.

2/Lieut. Roberts met a comparative veteran in 2/Lieut. Angell of the 44th Divisional Signals. His name belied him, for he weighed 17£ stone and was, apparently, at one time- amateur wrestling champion of Great Britain. Here again the opposition whs far

THE DRAGON 119

too m uch for R oberts who was knocked o u t in the first round, and found h is opponent fa r m ore sociable outside th an inside any ring.

P te . L uckhurst, our la s t C om petitor, also u n ­fo rtu n ate ly w ent o u t in th e 1st round of th e b ig h t- heavies.

Spr. Brown of the K en t R .E . did n o t appear to be up to form in th e heavyw eights, and was ra th e r lucky to win bo th fights and the t itle again. T hree well- know n M iddlesex m en won th e ir weights, W eaterton , Broom, who was very polished, and C arney w inning th e light-heavy, fea th er and flyweight titles respectively. W eaterton p u t up a m agnificent fight a t th e R oyal A lbert H all in 1933 and deserves b e tte r luck th is year.

In th e finals of th e B antam s Dvr. Vinall of th e 44th D ivisional R .E ., a v e te ran of m an y seasons, who was th is y ear ou t of th e running, b u t cam e in as a sub stitu te , only ju s t lost to P te . Sm ith of th e 9 th M iddlesex (one grows a lm ost tire d of the word, b u t for th e fac t th a t th ey obviously tak e th e gam e so seriously and are such p leasan t sportsm en th a t th ey fully deserve to win).

P tes. H itch in g and Carney, bo th of th e 9 th M iddle­sex, won th e ligh t and flyweights, Sgt. T urner, the 5 th E a s t Surreys’ R ight-H eavyw eight, fully deserved his best loser’s cup.

In th e o th er officers’ weights, 2/L ieut. C ourtney of th e 5 th W est K en ts got a walk-over, as L ieut. H a tto n of th e 5 th E as t Surreys failed to appear. In th e m iddle and lightw eights L ieut. N ash of th e 6 th E a s t Surreys and C apt. M ayer of th e 8 th M iddlesex h ad no opponents. In th e w elters L ieut. P alm er again knocked o u t L ieut. H ayes of th e 44 th D ivisional Signals.

The whole m eeting appeared to p rovide m uch b e tte r boxing th a n usual, and was also m ore sociable. We were g lad to see C aptain Sum m ers of th e R.A.M.C. again (he w as th e G unners’ doctor in cam p) and also C.S.M ./Allen of th e Buffs who is a P .S .I. w ith the M iddlesex R egim ent,

W ith th e exception of th e G arrison fights a t Dover on th e 15th M arch we m ust now rest co n ten t w ith w hat we have done for th e season.

A.C.R.

“ A ” Company.If ‘ ‘A’’ Company were to write all they did in a month and what they

thought of “C” Company, there would be no room for any other notes.T e r rito ria l Of f ic e r s ' Ba l l .—Once again this was the social

success of the Tlianet season, some 430 attending, which is a record. Among those present were Major Dean, V.C., and Mrs. Dean and,party, Captain and Mrs. Mount and party, Lieut. and Mrs. Geering, I.ieut. and Miss Tassell, Lieut. Rogers and Rady Cyprus, Lieut. and Mrs. Douglas Igguldeu and party, Lieut. and Mrs. Rose, Lieut. Williamson, Lieut. Johnson, Lieut, and Mrs. Parish, Lieut. Tony Green and party, Colonel Mainwaring Dunstan, T.D., and Major and Mrs. Witts. The 59tli Brigade Royal Artillery under Lieut.-Colonel Tapp, M.C., were present en masse; also Lieut.-Colonel Browning and officers of the Dover Defence Brigade Royal Artillery. Group Captain Manning aud officers of the Royal Air Force, Mansion Station, again gave their support, together with Wing-Commander Halley, A.F.C., D.F.C., and officers of the 500 County of Kent Bombing Squadron R.A.F.

Sandw ich P latoon .—The annual dinner took place at the Ship Inn and a very matey evening was spent, and we congratulate 2/Lieut. Williamson on his first prize show, which all concerned enjoyed.

A party of some 16 Margate Buffs travelled over to Sandwich to play them at billiards, darts, ping pong, boxing and beer-drinking competitions. The arrangements were in the hands of Sgt. Elvery and L/Sgt. Rowley, who were assisted by their wives. A most enjoyable evening was spent, and the party who came from Margate have no recollection of returning home.

H e r n e Bay P latoon.—-The annual dinner took place on Thursday last, when the Colonel and the Adjutant honoured us with their presence. Mr. Cursons presided over the gathering, which lie has done, some say, for the last fifty years, and we all hope he will continue the motion. He is a tower of strength to us and we all love him. We can approach him on any matter as our Member of the K.T.A.A. and lie will do all in his power to satisfy our request.

The skipper has been very busy lately and has not had his hand on the recruiting telegraph, with tile result that we are slipping back, and we have reminded him it is time he rang down “ Full steam ahead.”

Good-night all. “ Camel ” calling.

Margate P latoon .- The chief topic of news this mouth is, of course, the battalion boxing team and their noble efforts. On Saturday, January 17th the team travelled up to Bromley to fight in the Kent Group. From “ A” Company, 2/Lieut. S. K. Johnson and Ptes. Wells, Keller, Jezzard and Beal helped to win for the battalion the first round of the Territorial Army Boxing. Lieut. S. E. Johnson and Ptes. Wells and Keeler were successful and are going up to Chelsea Barracks on Saturday, 17Ui instant for the Divisional Finals. We all hope they will win their various fights and keep very free from “ black eyes.”

In preparation for the tactical exercise this month, we have had the sand table in great demand. C.S.M. Johnson, with the help of a very useful handbook, has given several interesting lectures.

Pte. Ralph has gone down to the 2nd Battalion at Shorncliffe for a two weeks’ course prior to his promotion.

Sgt. Maxted is to be congratulated on his obtaining his Territorial Efficiency Medal.

On Monday, February 12th a bus load of the platoon went down to Sandwich for an inter-platoon games evening. Billiards, darts, boxing and ping-pong were the games played. We should like to thank Sandwich for a most enjoyable evening. The attendance on both sides was exceptionally good.

“ C ” (Weald) Company.Whilst congratulating Colonel Body most warmly on his appoint­

ment as our Hon. Colonel, we congratulate ourselves even more so on having him. Those of as who have had the privilege—and it is a privilege—to serve under him, know what a splendid soldier and friend he is, and we can imagine no more popular choice than his in the Weald. We look forward with even greater enthusiasm now to his lecture to us at Hawkhurst on March 22nd on “ The War History of the 1 /5th Battalion,” when, as direct descendants of his own old battalion, we shall be the first to welcome him as Hon. Colonel of our adopted one.

In saying farewell to Lord Gosclien, we should like to express our appreciation of the many ways in which he has shown his interest in the Weald during the ten years that he has been our Hon. Colonel. As recently as January 24th he gave us an extremely interesting lecture on “ The North-West Frontier of India,” a subject which, as an ex-Vicerov of India, he was more than ordinarily qualified to speak. He too, of course, was very closely connected with the 5th Battalion and lives amongst us.

At the moment we seem to be more successful in providing Hon. Colonels than recruits, but as “ John Body ” is a name to conjure with in this part of the world, we hope with its aid to produce not rabbits out of hats, but Buffs out of farmers’ boys.

It is not quite clearly laid down who is entitled to the “ bringing in ” money for Hon. Colonels, but we feel that our claim is as good as anybody’s, and would respectfully point out that not only is the money on Colonel Body now due, but that that on Lord Gosclien is ten years overdue, plus interest. Assuming that 1/6 for a private soldier should be increased to at least £5 for an Hon. Colonel, we look forward to a nice little cheque in the near future ! Failing that, we shall add it to our next month’s postage, please !

Since our last notes we have had, in addition to Lord Goschen’s lecture, two most interesting lectures from Mr. Druce on “ The Medals and Decorations to tiie Buffs.” Not only is lie the greatest authority on the Regiment’s medals and their history, but he lias a remarkably fine collection of them, several eases of which lie brought with him to illustrate his lectures. In his second lecture, he also traced the history of our Defence Forces from Alfred the Great’s “ Militia ” to the Territorial Army of to-day, with a wealth of local military history thrown in. This was extremely interesting.

Major Dean came over to Hawkhurst and gave a most popular and entertaining talk on some of his experiences in France. He brought a mysterious box of “ properties ” with him and graphically impersonated a German prisoner, a gentleman in a gas mask, and a bomber.

We are again most grateful to all these gentlemen for coming to talk to us.

The Cranbrook Detachment Prize-giving arranged for February 7tli had unfortunately to be postponed owing to the illness of C.Q.M.S. Tapp and Sgt. Beale, who were to have received their T.E. Medals from General Drummond, but the dance was held as arranged and proved very successful. The Prize-giving will be held at a later date. Hawkhurst and Horsmonden Detachments are also holding tlicir Prize-giving Dances at an early date.

We had a great battle with the Cranbrook Division Police when wc had our annual shoot against them on the Cranbrook Miniature Range. Firing ten a side and shooting alternately with our open sights and the Police match rifles with peep sights, we beat them by 28 in spite of several of their team scoring over 95. Last year they beat us by 15. Pte. Chapman, firing for the first time with peep sights, scored 95 for us, which was a very creditable effort.

Amongst those who have attended our lectures we have been delighted to sec Colonel and Mrs. Findlay, Colonel Burns, the C.O. and Adjutant, Mr. II. Alexander and Captain A F. St. A. Turner.

We congratulate the battalion boxing team on their splendid success at Bromley. A very stout effort. We also congratulate the 2nd Battalion running team on their bewildering succession of wins at Gravesend and Cobliam. We wish them the best of luck in future events.

A.E-L.H.

120 THE DRAGON

" D ” (S) Company and “ H .Q .” Wing.The month of January has passed very quietly a t Dover. This

seems to be the month when all social functions are carried out, when everyone is working off the Christmas feeling.

Our hearty congratulations to the battalion boxing team on winning the Kent Group Boxing, especially to the representatives of this company :—2/Lieut. A. C. Roberts, Ptes. Phillips, I/uekhurst and Moreford. We also thank L/Cpl. Pascall for his sterling work as trainer and second. The best of luck to all taking part in the 44th Divisional Finals at Chelsea.

The Miniature Rifle Club is still going strong, although they did uot do so well in the Folkestone and Dover Rifle Deague. Having a good start two two scores of 98, the tail failed to wag. We are afraid that this poor total of 551 will spoil our chances in the First Division, so we shall have to fire in the Second Division next year. The Club made a start a t firing in competitions open to all clubs in the British Isles by entering the National Team Match, which is a knock-out tournament. The results of the first round are not yet to hand, but we have every hope of getting past that round, for all our team fired well up to their handicaps, and according to our recockoning we have two possible and four at 99. This is subject to the gauge being used at S.M.R.C. Headquarters.

Our congratulations to the 2nd Battalion cross-country running team on their success in the South of the Thames Run. The best wishes to them on all future runs. I am sure that there are many who would like a fixture list to appear in The Dragon so that we may follow their runs.

I t was with the greatest of pleasure that the company heard that Colonel J. Body, D.S.O., O.B.E., T.D., has been appointed Hon. Colonel of the battalion, and we hope to have the pleasure of his company at our Dinner and Prize-giving on February 21st.

The Small-Bore Rifle Club entered the S.M.R.C. National Team Handicap Competition, which is open to all Rifle Clubs in the British Isles, and were drawn in the first round against the Southdown Motor Services Rifle Club “A” Team (Portslade). The results, which have just been received from the Secretary, S.M.R.C., are as follows :—

“D” Company 4th Bn . Th e Buffs (Dover) R.C.Gun Score. Handicap. Total.

L/Cpl. R. Tripp . . 96 4 100C.S.M. J . R. MacWaiter .. 96 4 100Pte. A. Phillips .. 95 5 100Dmr. F. Osborne .. 95 4 99Dmr. W. Marsh .. 93 6 99C.S.M. W. Maskell ... .. 90 9 99

Total ... 597

Southdown Motor Services R.C. “A” Team 594A very close win, but this is what is expected in a handicap shoot.

Apparently we have drawn a bye in the second round, for we meet the Tunbridge Wells and District Rifle Club “B” Team in the third round. This competition is for the “R” Challenge Cup.

F olkestone Detachment.The high spot of the month has been a rifle match against our

neighbours, the 234tli (Field) Battery R.A., which was fired on the Rifle Club night, Thursday, February 1st. The results were as follows :

Highest possible score, 600.4th Bn . The Buffs R.C. 234th (Fie l d ) Battery R.A.

J?te. T u v e y .............. ... 72 Sgt. Edwards .............. 73Sgt. H arthill.............. ... 66 Bdr. Hunt ... .............. 60L/Cpl. Tappenden ... ... 64 Bdr. Godden .............. 60Pte. Baker .............. ... 57 Bdr. Elliott ... .............. 602/Lieut. A. C. Roberts ... 56 Major Donald .............. 51C.Q.M.S. Ranson ... 38 Gnr. Goldfinch .............. 29

Total ... 353 Total ... 333

R esult:—Win for The Buffs by 20 points.The match was fired in our Drill Hall with service rifles without

Slings, but telescopes were allowed. The targets were Roberts 5-bull targets, ten rounds and two sighters being allowed per man. On the whole the scores were particularly disappointing on both sides. All our team are normally capable of between 10 and 20 points more apiece. More practice will, however, make us more nearly perfect. I t is also hoped soon to buy a B.S.A. rifle out of the Club funds. This will give us more chances in the civilian club competitions.

In the Rowland Rouse Shoot on Wednesday, February 7th, the team put up a score that was 50 points better than the score in the previous round. If we can keep up that rate of improvement there is hope for us yet. The rest of the evening of February 1st was spent in a Sweepstake Competition a t small 500-yards targets, the results being as follows:—1st, Sgt. Harthill, The Buffs, 20 (H .P.S.); 2nd, Bdr. Godden, R.A. (an old Buff), 17 ; 3rd, 2/Lieut. A. C. Roberts, The Buffs, 16, C.Q.M.S. Ranson, The Buffs, 16, L/Bdr. Elliott, R.A., 16, Gnr. Saunders, R.A., 16. Sgt. Harthill is to be congratulated on an excellent score and, on the whole, after a bit of refreshment, the scores seemed to improve wonderfully throughout the sixteen shots who took part in the second competition. Perhaps this was due to the appearance of a double selection of targets ! The Signallers must have done themselves proud, for two of them put all their shots except one into the “ Mirage ’’ target. We hope to be able to have some more of these competitions, including one against the Past and Present from Hythe.

Cpl. Fuller is back from his three weeks’ course at Catterick and as usual appears to have done very well there, as it is known that he has passed out, though the marks are not yet to hand. His store of knowledge should be very valuable in helping to train the Signal Section for their After-care—I mean Post-Classifieation—Course.

2/Lieut. W. A. P. Court of the 5th (Hunts.) Battalion The North­amptonshire Regiment is attached to us for drills, and we were very pleased to make his acquaintance on Monday, February 5th. We hope we shall see a lot of him and that he will enjoy his time with us. _ He is Signalling Officer to his battalion and is doing his drills with 2/Lieut. P. D- Roberts.

Congratulations to Pte. Morford on winning his first fight a t Bromley so well, and missing a Kent Group title by so narrow a margin. He is a much improved boxer and fought very pluckily.

We are all looking forward to the Company Dinner at Dover on the 21st. There will be plenty to write about in next month’s Dragon with this and the T.E.W.T. a t Boughton on the 24th.

The “D" Company Club Dinner will be held on March 9th, and it is hoped that all members of the Detachment will remember that they are members of the Club and try and turn up if possible.

A very energetic little Committee consisting of L/Cpls. Harman and Brazier and Pte. C. Douglit is busily engaged in fixing up a series of after-parade tournaments for the detachment. All games will be played and members of the detachment are asked to remember that they will greatly assist the running of the tournament by telling the members of the Committee, definitely and accurately, what they want to play, fixing up a definite date with their partners and opponents for any particular match or round, seeing that their draw in each round is played off by the due date, and that the results of each match are duly entered on the Tournament Sheets. A door in the Drill Hall will be set aside as a notice board for indoor games only. I t is hoped that if we can get enthusiastic volunteers to come forward, we shall be able, in the coming year, to make great advances on the social side of the detachment, including, perhaps, dances and a Football Club.

Lastly (and this idea may not be so popular), we are the only detach­ment in the battalion whose members do not pay a subscription to their dub. Would it be possible for the 2/- to be paid to a Detachment Treasurer in instalments out of pay on days out on the ranges, bounty, etc., so that the sum received can be applied to buying newspapers and periodicals for the small room a t the back of the Club, and perhaps also a wireless set similar to that now installed in the dub a t Dover ?

But what is wanted is someone energetic to run each of- these things when they are started. If anybody has any other good idea, let him get i t going a t once.

The Regimental Gazette.Officers.

Regular Army.Establishments.

The follg. appts. are made :—Capt. D. S. Lister, M.C., The Buffs, to be Instr. (a. FF), Army Sch. of Phys. Trg. (January 21st).

The Buffs.—Capt. A. J. D. Rose is restd. to the estabt. (January 21st).

The follg. officer from Supp. Res. of Off., to be Sec. Lt. (February 2nd):—

R.W.K.—Sec. L t. A. R. Fyler, The Buffs.Th e .Buffs.—Lt. H . Milton is restd. to the estabt. (January 21st).T he Buffs.—Capt. D. S. Lister, M.C., is seed, for serv. as Instr.

Army Sch. of Phys. Trng. (January 21st); Lt. G. E. Sankey, .M.C., to be Capt. (January 21st).

R egular Army Reserve of Officers.Th e Buffs.—Lt. C. H . A. Reay resigns his commn. (January 27th),

and retains the rank of Lt.Territorial army .

4th Bn . Th e Buffs .—Lt.-Col. and Bt. Col. J. Body, D.S.O., O.B.E., T.D., ret. T.A., to be Hon. Col. (January 27th).

The 1st Battalion.The undermentioned were awarded 1st Class Certificates of

Education a t an examination held at Maymyo in October, 1933. Date of award is 11-10-33 :—

6285039 Pte. D. Wilkinson, “A” ; 6281811 Sgt. R. Watson, “M.G.* ; 2024207 L/Cpl. D. Reynolds, “B.”

*“ Distinguished ” in Mathematics.The undermentioned “ Passed ” in subjects shown for the Army

1st Class Certificate a t the examination h dd a t Maymyo in October, 1933 *_

6285038 L/Cpl. C. Killick, “C,” Mathematics, Geography and Map Reading; 6280041 Sgt. H. Chambers, “H.Q.,” Geography ; 6281544 Sgt. T. Deverson, “B,” Map Reading; 1668834 Sgt. W. Dolbear, “M.G.,” Geography; 6284439 Pte. G. Cox, “H.Q.,” Mathematics and Geography; 6284250 Dmr. T. Atkinson, “H.Q.,” Mathematics; 6284166 Pte. H. Heath,. “M.G.,” Mathematics; f 283618 Pte. J. Spelman, “H.Q.,” Geography and Map Reading.