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UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND


by I. M. Eaden (London, 1891); Études de droit constitutionel, France, Angleterre, États-Unis (Paris, 1885; Eng. trans. by E. M. Dicey, London, 1891); Brassey, The Naval Annual (Portsmouth, 1886 onwards); Cassell's Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (London, 1899); W. L. Clowes and other writers, History of the Royal Navy (London, 18961901); W. Cunningham, Growth of English Industry and Commerce (4th ed., London, 1904); A. V. Dicey, Introduction to the Study of the Law of the Constitution (5th ed., London, 1897); R. Donald (edited by) Municipal Year-book (London, annual); S. Eardley-Wilmot, Our Fleet To-day and its Development during the Last Half Century (London, 1900); Hon. J. W. Fortescue, History of the British Army (London, 1906); R. Giffen, Essays in Finance (London, 1880 and 1886); R. von Gneist, Das englische Parlament in tausendjähringen Wandelungen (Berlin, 1885; translated into English by A. H. Keane, History of the English Parliament, London, 1889); Englische Verfassungsgeschichte (Berlin, 1882; Eng. trans. by P. A. Ashworth, London, 1891); E. Hull, The Coalfields of Great Britain (London, 1905); E. T. Rogers, Industrial and Commercial History of England (London, 1892); J. Holt Schooling, The British Trade Book (London, 1908); Sir J. R. Seeley, The Growth of British Policy (2 vols., London, 1895); H. Taylor, The Origin and Growth of the English Constitution (2 vols., London, 1889-1899); A. Todd, Parliamentary Government in England (new ed., revised by S. Walpole, 2 vols., London, 1892).

British Military Forces.

The forces of the British Crown may be classed as (a) the regular, or general service, army, together with the Indian army; and (b) the home territorial force; while there are also certain forces controlled by the governments of the various self-governing dominions. The home government raises, pays and controls the regular army, its reserves, the territorial force, and some few details such as the militia of the smaller possessions, Indian native battalions employed on imperial service out of India, &c. But the cost of that portion of the regular army which is in India is borne by the Indian government, which is not the case with the regulars serving in other colonies or in the dominions. Consequently the Indian government, unlike the colonial governments, can within limits dispose of the British paid regulars within its sphere.

Regular Army.—The duties of the regular army are to garrison India and overseas colonies, to garrison Great Britain and Ireland, and to find expeditionary forces of greater or less strength for war in Europe or elsewhere. The principles upon which the reorganization of 19051908 was based are: (a) that in peace the army at home must be maintained at such an effective standard that all necessary drafts for the army abroad shall be forthcoming, without undue depletion of the army at home; (b) the home army on mobilization for service should be brought up to war strength by the recall of reservists in sufficient, but not too great, numbers; (c) the wastage of a campaign shall be made good by drafts partly from the remaining army reserve, but above all from the militia, now converted into the special reserve; and (d) the volunteers and yeomanry, reorganized into the territorial force, shall be responsible, with little regular help, for the defence of the home country, thus freeing the regular army at home for general service. The first of these conditions entirely, the second largely, and even indirectly the third and fourth depend upon the recruiting, establishments and terms of service of the regular army. These last are a compromise between the opposite needs of short service, producing large reserves, and long service, which minimizes the sea transport of drafts; they are also influenced by the state of the labour market at any given moment, as recruiting is voluntary. To enable the authorities to deal with these conditions, the secretary of state for war may without special legislation vary the terms of enlistment, not only in general but also for the various arms and branches.

After the South African War, several different terms were tried for the line infantry and cavalry, but these experiments proved that the terms formerly prevailing, viz. 7 years with the colours and 5 in the reserve, were the most convenient. In the Horse and Field Artillery the term is 6 and 6, in the Household Cavalry and the Garrison Artillery 8 and 4, and in the Foot Guards 3 and 9. Engineers and other specialists are recruited on various terms. A certain number, again varying from year to year, almost from month to month, are allowed to engage for the full 12 years with the colours (long service). Thus in 19071908, 1551 men were serving on a 12-year colour engagement, 24,856 on a term of 7 years colours and 5 reserve, 3589 on a 6 and 6 term, 3449 on 3 and 9 engagement, 4529 for other terms, out of a total of 37,974 recruits or soldiers signing fresh engagements.

The following figures show the inflow of recruits:—

Year.  Recruits 
 offering. 
 Recruits 
 approved. 
 Percentage 
 approved. 
 Percentage 
 of Recruits 
 to Strength 
 of Army. 
 Oct. 1903-Oct. 1904  89,824 42,041 46·8 14·6
 Oct. 1904-Oct. 1905  81,045 35,551 43·9 13·05
 Oct. 1905-Oct. 1906  83,155 36,380 43·5 14
 Oct. 1906-Oct. 1907  72,855 34,710 47·6 14·25
 Oct. 1907-Oct. 1908  77,526 37,222 47·9 14·05
 Oct. 1908-Oct. 1909  75,630 33,766 44·7 13·6

The army consists of about 250,000 officers and men of the regular forces on full pay, distributed (October 1909) as follows:—

  Strength.  Establishment. 
 Staff and departments, &c. 3,293 3,392
 On regimental strength:—    
Home..... 128,412 130,714
India..... 77,866 76,009
Colonies  ..... 47,127 44,981
Total  .... 253,004 253,405

By units, it is composed of 3 regiments of Household Cavalry, 7 regiments of Dragoon Guards, 3 of Dragoons, 6 of Lancers and 12 of Hussars (total cavalrv, 31 regiments); 4 regiments of Foot Guards of battalions, 51 English and Welsh, 10 Scottish and 8 Irish line infantry and rifle regiments (total infantry, 149 battalions); the Royal Regiment of Artillery, divided into Royal Horse and Field Artillery, and Royal Garrison Artillery—the R.H.A. consisting of 28 batteries, the R.F.A. of 150 batteries, the R.G.A. of 100 companies (told off to garrisons, siege train and heavy field batteries) and 8 batteries mountain guns; the Corps of Royal Engineers, organized into mounted field troops, field companies, fortress, telegraph, railway, searchlight, balloon, wireless companies and bridging train; the Army Service Corps, divided into transport, supply, mechanical transport and other companies and sections; the Royal Army Medical Corps of 35 companies; the Army Ordnance Corps; the Army Veterinary Corps; Army Post Office Corps (formed on mobilization only) and Army Pay Corps.

In addition, there are the following colonial troops under the home government:—West India Regiment, 2 battalions; Royal Malta Artillery, 2 garrison companies; West African Frontier Force, 2 batteries, 1 garrison company, 1 battalion M.I., 6 battalions infantry; and King's African Rifles (East Africa), 5 battalions, besides the Indian troops in imperial services.

The army reserve, formed of men who have served with the colours, consists of four classes. Sections A, B and C consist of men who are fulfilling the reserve portion of their original twelve years' liability. Section A, which receives extra allowances, is liable to be called up in a minor emergency; section B is the general reserve; section C, also part of the general reserve, consists of men who have been sent to the reserve prematurely; section D (which is often suspended) consists of men who at the expiry of their twelve years engagement undertake a further four years' reserve liability.

Strength and Ages of the Army Reserve (Oct. 1, 1909).

Section. A.  B & C.  D.  Total. 
 Infantry... 4,051 70,998 9,608 84,657
 Cavalry 8,894 1,229 10,123
 R.H. & F.A. 604 13,849 1,571 16,024
 R.G.A. 7,748 642 3,139
 R.E. 415 4,200 406 5,021
 Others 427 9,356 553 10,341
  5,496 115,045 14,014 134,556
 Under 30 93,146 201 93,347
 3035 21,730 10,758 32,438
 Over 35 666 3,055 3,721
  120,542 14,014 134,556

The special reserve, converted from the militia, consists of infantry, field and garrison artillery, the Irish Horse (late Yeomanry), engineers, and a few A.S.C. and R.A.M.C. Its object is to make good on mobilization deficiencies (so far as they may exist after the