To 1755.
A NUMBER of interesting events can be compressed into a chapter,
covering the period between the end of the war in Flanders and the year
1755.
The dress and equipment of the Regiment underwent a change. In 1748, the
last year of the war, the field staffs of the gunners, their powder
horns, slings, and swords, and the muskets of the matrosses were laid
aside, and both ranks were armed with carbines and bayonets—thus paving
the way for the step taken in the year 1783, when the distinction
between the two ranks was abolished. The non-commissioned officers
retained their halberds until 1754, when they were taken from the
corporals and bombardiers, who fell into the ranks with carbines. In
1748, black spatterdashes were introduced into the Regiment, for the
first time into any British corps. In 1750, the sergeants' coats were
laced round the button-holes with gold looping, the corporals,
bombardiers, and the privates having yellow worsted looping in the same
way. The corporals and bombardiers had gold and worsted shoulder-knots;
the surtouts were laid aside, and complete suits of clothing were issued
yearly.[14]
At the end of the war, the Regiment consisted of ten companies, and for
the first time, reliefs of the companies abroad were carried out, those
at Gibraltar and Minorca being relieved by companies at Woolwich. The
strength of the Regiment remained unchanged until 1755, when six new
companies were raised, making a total of sixteen, exclusive of the Cadet
company.
The year 1751 was marked by several important Regimental events. The
father of the Regiment, old General Borgard, died; and was succeeded by
Colonel Belford. The vexed question of the Army rank of Artillery
officers was settled by the King issuing a declaration under his Sign-
Manual, retrospective in its effects, deciding "the rank of the officers
of the Royal Regiment of Artillery to be the same as that of the other
officers of his Army of the same rank, notwithstanding their commissions
having been hitherto signed by the Master-General, the Lieutenant-
General, or the principal officers of the Ordnance, which had been the
practice hitherto." From this date all commissions of Artillery officers
were signed by the sovereign, and countersigned by the Master-General of
the Ordnance.
This year also saw the abolition of an official abuse dating back before
the days of the Regiment's existence. Up to this time, all non-
commissioned officers, gunners, matrosses, and even drummers, had
warrants signed by the Master-General, and countersigned by his
secretary, for which a sergeant paid 3_l._, a matross or drummer, 1_l._
10_s._, and the intermediate grades in proportion.
This was now abolished, with great propriety, as an old MS. says, "as no
one purpose appears to have been answered by it, but picking of the
men's pockets." Doubtless, there were in the Tower officials who would
not endorse this statement; and who were of opinion that a very material
purpose was answered by it.
In February of this year, also, the officers of the Regiment entered
into an agreement for the establishment of a fund for the benefit of
their widows, no such fund having as yet existed. Each officer agreed to
subscribe three days' pay annually, and three days' pay on promotion;
but this subscription apparently was felt to be too high, or it was
considered proper that some assistance should be rendered to the fund by
the Government, for in 1762 a Royal Warrant was issued, directing one
day's pay to be stopped from each officer for the Widows' Fund, and that
one non-effective matross—in other words a _paper_ man—should be
mustered in each company, the pay of such to be credited to the fund. By
this means it was hoped that the widow of a Colonel Commandant would
obtain 50_l._ per annum; of a Lieutenant-Colonel, 40_l._; of a Major,
30_l._; of a Captain, 25_l._; of a Lieutenant, Chaplain, or Surgeon,
20_l._; and of a Lieutenant-Fireworker, 16_l._ But, either the officers
would not marry, or the married officers would not die, for in 1772
another warrant was issued, announcing that the fund was larger than was
necessary, and directing the surplus to be given as a contingent to the
Captains of companies. It is somewhat anticipating matters, but it may
here be said that a few years later the officers of the Regiment again
took the matter into their own hands, and formed a marriage society,
membership of which was nominally voluntary, but virtually compulsory,
until about the year 1850, after which it failed to receive the support
of the corps, its rules not being suited to modern ideas. On 13th May,
1872, these rules were abrogated at a public meeting of the officers at
Woolwich, and the society, with its accumulated capital of 50,000_l._,
was thrown open on terms sufficiently modern and liberal to tempt all
who had hitherto refrained from joining it. At that meeting, the
original charter of the society, signed by the officers serving in the
Regiment at the time, was submitted to their successors, and there was a
dumb eloquence in the faded parchment with its long list of signatures,
which it would be impossible to express in words.
It has already been stated that Colonel Pattison and Major Lewis had
been permitted to retire on full pay, on account of infirmity. The
source from which their income was derived, and the use to which it was
devoted after their death, can best be described in Colonel Miller's
words: "To this purpose there was appropriated the pay allowed for two
tinmen and twenty-four matrosses, the number of effective matrosses
being reduced from forty-four to forty in each company, whilst forty-
four continued to appear as the nominal strength. At the death of
Jonathan Lewis, a warrant dated 25th September, 1751, approved of the
non-effectives being still kept up, and directed the sum of 273_l._
15_s._ a year (15_s._ a day) then available to be applied thus:—173_l._
15_s._ to Colonel Belford (as colonel commandant), and 100_l._ to
Catherine Borgard, widow of Lieutenant-General Albert Borgard, towards
the support of herself and her two children, who were left unprovided
for. When Colonel Thomas Pattison died, a warrant dated 27th February,
1753, directed that the annuity to Mrs. Borgard should in future be paid
out of another source, and applied the balance of the fund derived from
the non-effective tinmen and matrosses to increasing the pay of the
fireworkers from 3_s._ to 3_s._ 8_d._ a day."
"In 1763 the increased pay of the fireworkers was entered in the
estimates, and the pay of colonel commandant was raised to 2_l._ 4_s._ a
day."
During the period to which this chapter refers, a review of the Regiment
by the King took place in the Green Park; and as it was thought worthy
of entry in General Macbean's diary, and shows the way in which the
Regiment was formed upon such an occasion, it may not be deemed out of
place in this work. There were five companies present besides the
Cadets, and the numbers were as follows:—Field officers, three;
Captains, five; Captain-Lieutenants, six; four First, and seven Second
Lieutenants; Lieutenant-Fireworkers, seventeen; one Chaplain, one
Adjutant, one Quartermaster, one Bridge-master, one Surgeon and his
Mate, fifteen Sergeants, fifteen Corporals, one Drum-Major, ten Drummers
and six Fifers, forty Bombardiers, forty-eight Cadets, ninety-eight
Gunners, and 291 Matrosses. The companies were formed up as a Battalion;
three light 6-pounders being on the flanks, and the Cadets formed up on
the right as a Battalion.
Although there was peace for England in Europe up to 1755, there was no
lack of expeditions elsewhere. Besides Jamaica and Virginia, which
demanded guns and stores, Artillery was required for the East Indies and
America. It was for service in the former country that the augmentation
of four companies with an additional Major was made in March, 1755.
They were raised and equipped in thirty days, and embarked immediately,
the Board giving permission to Major Chalmers, who was in command, to
fill up any vacancies which might occur, by promoting the senior on the
spot. These companies were in the pay of the East India Company, and
formed part of the expedition under Clive and Admiral Watson. One of the
companies was lost on the passage, only three men being saved. It was
Captain Hislop's company, but that officer had been promoted while
serving in the East Indies, and it was commanded on the voyage by the
Captain-Lieutenant, N. Jones. As soon as the disaster was known in
England, another company was raised, and on its arrival in India Captain
Hislop assumed the command. This officer had gone out with five
officers, sixty men, and twelve cadets, and a small train of Artillery,
attached to the 39th Regiment, under Colonel Aldercon. His new company
was the last of the Royal Artillery which served in Bengal, until the
outbreak of the Indian Mutiny.[15]
The expedition to America was the ill-fated one commanded by General
Braddock. The detachment of Royal Artillery was only fifty strong; it
left England under the command of Captain-Lieutenant Robert Hind, with
two Lieutenants, three Fireworkers, and one cadet; and on its arrival in
America was joined by Captain Ord, who assumed the command. This officer
had been quartered with his company at Newfoundland; but at the request
of the Duke of Cumberland he was chosen to command the Artillery on this
expedition. The guns which accompanied the train were ten in number, all
light brass guns—four being 12-pounders, and six 6-pounders. The civil
attendants of the train were twenty-one in number, including conductors
and artificers; and there were attached to the train—attendants not
generally found in such lists—"ten servants, and six necessary women."
There were also five Engineers, and practitioner Engineers.
The melancholy fate of this expedition is well known. The detachment of
Artillery was cut to pieces at Fort du Quesne, on that ghastly July day
in 1755; the whole ten guns were taken; but Captain Ord himself survived
to do good service years after, on the American continent. It will be
remembered by the reader that George Washington fought on this occasion
on the English side, and displayed the same marvellous coolness and
courage, as he did on every subsequent occasion.
But events were ripening at Woolwich for great Regimental changes. A
small subaltern's detachment left for Dublin, which was to be the parent
of the Royal Irish Artillery, a corps which will form the subject of the
next chapter. In 1756, a company of miners was formed for service in
Minorca, which, on its return to Woolwich, was incorporated into the
Regiment, and two other companies having been raised in the same year,
and four additional in 1757, there was a total, including the companies
of miners and cadets, of twenty-four companies. The largely increased
number of company officers, in proportion to the limited number of those
in the higher grades, made the prospects of promotion so dismal, that
the Regiment was divided into two Battalions, each of which will receive
notice in subsequent chapters.
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Footnote 14:
Cleaveland's MSS. Macbean's MSS.
Footnote 15:
Brown.