Aristocracy in the Victorian Army

[tracypaints]

Hi. I'm writing a book set in Victorian England and am desperately trying to find some information. The two characters I am asking about are an Earl and a Baronet. The Earl is cousin to Queen Victoria. This figures in my questions. The time period after they leave Sandhurst is early 1890s before the Indian uprising when the country is basically at peace. Specifically I need to know
a: In the 1890s did Sandhurst have a graduation ceremony, and when was it generally held? Anyone know any specifics?
b: How were officers commissioned out of Sandhurst? Were they given whatever commissions were available? What rank
did they generally start at? Captain?
c: Were newly commissioned officers sent to one place or would they have had various postings? If they did usually get posted to just one place, how would they manage to get posted to various locations?
d: in case of emergency, how difficult would it be for one of them to get leave to go home and tend to a seriously ill family member? (remembering they are aristocracy)
e: how long were they required to serve before they could become reservists? If they decided (again during peacetime) that they wanted to end their postings early and go home to serve in reserves, say in the case of the Earl's father dying and his needing to go home and take over for him, could someone in that position use his influence to get them both transferred?

Any help that anyone can give me would be greatly appreciated. I have looked everywhere for answers to these questions and have had no luck. I thank you.

[crimea1854]

Hi

When you say 'Indian uprising' do you mean the Mutiny? If so this took place in 1857, not the 1890's.

Martin

[swordcollector1]

Hi. I'm writing a book set in Victorian England and am desperately trying to find some information. The two characters I am asking about are an Earl and a Baronet. The Earl is cousin to Queen Victoria. This figures in my questions. The time period after they leave Sandhurst is early 1890s before the Indian uprising when the country is basically at peace. Specifically I need to know
a: In the 1890s did Sandhurst have a graduation ceremony, and when was it generally held? Anyone know any specifics?
b: How were officers commissioned out of Sandhurst? Were they given whatever commissions were available? What rank
did they generally start at? Captain?
c: Were newly commissioned officers sent to one place or would they have had various postings? If they did usually get posted to just one place, how would they manage to get posted to various locations?
d: in case of emergency, how difficult would it be for one of them to get leave to go home and tend to a seriously ill family member? (remembering they are aristocracy)
e: how long were they required to serve before they could become reservists? If they decided (again during peacetime) that they wanted to end their postings early and go home to serve in reserves, say in the case of the Earl's father dying and his needing to go home and take over for him, could someone in that position use his influence to get them both transferred?

Will answer the questions I can, and add some additional info at the end.

b) The junior officer rank for infantry regiments in the 1890s was 2nd Lieutenant. What happened next depends on whether they were seeking service in the British or Indian armies - newly-commissioned officers for Indian regiments were first attached to a British regiment stationed there to allow them a year to absorb the customs of the country and learn at least one of the languages (Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi etc). Those destined for British regiments would join it wherever their chosen regiment happened to be stationed.

c) Units could remain in the same place for many years or be moved around as contingencies dictated. Some British regiments spent so long in India that when they were due to return home, officers chose to transfer to another regiment in the country rather than return home. The cost and quality of living were two factors, as were the opportunities for seeing action, good hunting and local leave in India. Since officers were expected to pay for many of their expenses out of their own pockets, mess bills, laundry and uniform expenses could be significant items for junior officers, and these were often cheaper in India.

d) Once an officer had seen a certain amount of service, he was allowed "furlough" of up to one year, during which time he usually returned home (often to seek and marry a wife). Junior officers were not allowed this privilege, at least under the East India Company regime. I'm not sure whether compassionate leave was allowed in the sense that we understand it now (certainly not as a legal entitlement), although I suppose that kindly Colonels would have the authority to grant this if they wished.

e) Officers could cash in their commissions or resign at any time, and I have read of examples where this was done to allow an heir to take over the family estates on the death of a parent. Prior to the late Victorian era officers would have purchased their commissions in any case, and cashing in was equivalent to drawing your pension - you took out what you'd paid in to get to your present rank. Officers with military experience were definitely eligible to enlist in their local Militia (Infantry, Engineers or Artillery) or Yeomanry (Cavalry) units when they returned to the UK, as with any other ordinary citizen.

In more general terms, you need to decide when your book is being set - as someone else noted, the Indian Mutiny was in 1857, not the 1890s. There was constant military action on the North West Frontier throughout the Victorian era, however, with the biggest "flare ups" being in the late 1890s. Regarding your two protagonists, I think it very unlikely that an Earl and a Baronet would have ended up serving with an Indian Army regiment - they just didn't have the social cachet of the better British regiments, and class was a huge factor in the relatively small officer cadre of the Victorian era. If they did join up for military service, I think it most likely it would be in one of the better British Cavalry regiments or one of the regiments of Foot Guards (Guards regiments, however, were never stationed in India). In many cases they ended up serving in the same regiments as their fathers or other family members had before them. The Engineers and Artillery required specialist training and a more formal technical education and were not the natural home of the aristocracy!

Hope this lot helps,

John

[FROGSMILE]

Tracy, John has given you some very good advice and what follows is merely intended to be my own thoughts and contribution based on personal study over the years and the small, associated library that I have built up.

First and foremost I earnestly recommend that you purchase the following two books, as they will be invaluable for your purposes and can be dipped into as and when necessary:

1. Scarlet Into Khaki by Lt Col James Moncrieff Grierson (first printed 1899) ISBN 0-947898-81-6 (if you buy only one book it should be this one)
2. For Queen and Country by Byron Farwell (first printed 1981) ISBN 0 7139 1241 3 (this gives hugely useful social detail)

These two books will add immeasurably to your understanding of the period and make your characters far more credible in terms of historical accuracy. My comments upon your queries, as shown below, are largely (but not wholly) based upon the information that they contain. You should be able to get them from somewhere like abebooks.com

a. Graduation Ceremony. Yes the Royal Military Colledge Sandhurst (RMC - as it was then called) had a graduation ceremony in the 1890s. Then, as now, it took the form of a military parade. Over the years the length of curriculum has varied between a year, eighteen months and, for a short time, two years. In 1899 it was eighteen months. In all cases the course, of whatever length, was divided into three equal terms and there was a graduation (in military parlance "passing out or Commissioning") parade, when the "senior term" (i.e. those completing the last term of training) would depart and the other terms celebrate the respective 'milestones' that they had reached. The terms were arranged as per the scholastic year (Spring, Autumn etc), just as they have been since the initial Education Acts, which in turn followed earlier, public school schedules.

Today the parade is referred to as the Sovereigns Parade, but other than in the style of drill and the modernity of rifles carried, the parade has changed very little at all and, like all "dismounted parades", is based upon the format known as "The Battalion Parade". In simple terms the parade takes the following sequence, just as it has for over 300 years:

1. The unit on parade is formed up by the (College) Sergeant Major "in Line" formation (most commmonly) by companies, usually four, stretching from left to right across the frontage of the parade ground, facing a saluting dias and with the units band in the rear. Each company was formed in three ranks from cadets at the same stage of training. The men will have been 'sized' beforehand so that (most commonly) the tallest men are on the right of each company and the shortest on the left. Cadets were between 17 and 19 years old and their were 360 of them in total.

2. The Adjutant (the units senior staff officer) takes over the parade from the Sergeant Major, "dresses" (i.e. aligns) the ranks into "open order" (i.e. 2 full paces between each rank so as to create an aisle) and then orders "fix bayonets".

3. The Adjutant hands over the parade to the unit's Second-in-Command, who orders the remainder of the units officers to "Fall in the Officers" and take their assigned positions on the parade (usually in front of each of the companies). The Second-in-Command then orders the unit to "Shoulder (its) Arms" and then hands over the parade (at last) to the commanding officer.

4. The Commanding Officer gives the order to "March on the Colours" (regimental flags - which Sandhurst has had since they were first presented by Queen Victoria) and then orders the whole unit to "Present Arms" in salute. With the whole parade now present the unit "Orders (its) Arms" (i.e. returns them to rest on the ground) and awaits the inspecting officer, who is always a dignitary, either Royal, Civil, or Military.

5. The inspecting officer arrives and the parade carries out a "General Salute" by (again) "Presenting its Arms" and the dignitary is then led forward by an accompanying guide to inspect the parade by walking along its ranks. At the conclusion of this "inspection" he or she returns to the central saluting dias. After an initial musical salute, throughout this stage the band plays various musical airs, not all of them military.

6. The unit now performs a movement so that it is positioned in its companies but now at right angles to, instead of facing, the saluting dias, with the commanding officer and the Colours at the front. It then completes two circum navigations of the parade ground, the first in "Slow Time" (an elegant, flowing but sedate cadence) and then "Quick Time" (a brisk marching pace), with suitable accompanying music. On each occasion that they pass the saluting dias, the companies, by turn, perform a (head and) "Eyes Right", looking the dignitary in the eye. When the colours pass the saluting dias the dignitary will either, solemnly doff his or her hat in salute or, if military, salute formally with hand to cap in the traditional manner. On completion of the two circuits the companies return to their start positions, facing the dias in Line.

7. The whole unit now "Advances, in Review Order" (Line), towards the saluting dias (in a very purposeful (mock threatening) manner), halting after precisely 14 paces and, again "Presents Arms". After ordering "Shoulder Arms" the commanding officer rides forwards and requests formal permission from the dignitary to "March Off".

8. At this stage the companies that are Passing Out (graduating) "Shoulder their Arms" and carry out an "Inwards Turn" towards the centre of the parade. They then step off in slow time inwards, but then outwards in a curve towards the saluting dias, often passing on either side of it, as the remainder "Present Arms" in (a final) salute. It is traditional at this stage for "Ould Acquaintance" to be played by the band.

9. Finally, the whole of the remaining parade is marched off with the band playing at the rear, and thus being the last to leave the parade ground. There is a tradition then that the Adjutant (who like the CO is mounted) rides up the steps of the Old College. Once that stage is reached the parade is over and the cadets are dismissed and may mingle with visitors. This same parade occurs at the end of each and every term. To get a sense of how this looked and sounded in the 1890s I recommend that you watch the last three versions of the film "the Four Feathers", all of which re-enact a Sandhurst parade of the period you are interested in.

Students at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst were known in a formal manner as "gentlemen cadets". Unlike modern Officer Cadets, who are technically private soldiers and are paid and clothed as such by the MOD, gentlemen cadets were not subject to military law. Their parents paid tuition and boarding fees, in the same way as at a public school or university, and also paid for uniforms (of the same pattern as worn by subaltern officers, but without badges of rank), books, and mathematical instruments.

Fees were reduced for the sons of serving or former officers, and there were also a number of cadetships (comparable to scholarships). Admission was by competitive written examination in a variety of academic subjects, and candidates passed in, in order of merit, according to the number of marks they achieved. There were no practical tests of aptitude for leadership. This had the effect of confining entry to public schoolboys, often from families with a military connection.

The RMC was not large enough to train all the subalterns needed by the Army, so an alternative route, favoured by those who failed entry to the College, was to obtain a commission by nomination in the Militia. It was then possible to transfer to the Regular Army after a 15 month period of full-time service and passing the College's final examination.

As mentioned above, the uniform of cadets in the 1890s was as per an infantry subaltern and thus without the extra gold lace on collar and cuffs worn by those above the two Lieutenant grades (who were collectively known as subalterns). I enclose some images to give you an approximate idea of how these uniforms looked. One is from the current Canadian military college, which has endeavoured to retain the Victorian look that coincidentally fits with your period. You can see the pill box forage cap, which was popular at that time. The crimson sash though was worn across the chest (as per the other images) until it was moved to the waist in 1902.

[Mark]

Thread locked due to duplication. Please see this thread for main discussion: viewtopic.php?f=27&t=7241

Mark
Administrator

[FROGSMILE]

b. Officers passing out from Sandhurst. Officers passing out from Sandhurst (which only trained cavalry and infantry) were in the 1890s commissioned as Second Lieutenants and, until 1902, did not wear any rank stars on their shoulders at all. They merely had a little gold lace on their collars and cuffs. They were commissioned competetively and those with the highest marks in their class (e.g. class of 1895), 1st, 2nd, 3rd in class and so on, could generally take their pick of regiments with 'vacancies', providing that they had the right social connections, of which more anon. Most of the less well connected, but bright cadets (i.e. who had done well) would choose regiments in the British Indian Army for reasons already explained by John. After that there was a 'pecking order', which generally ran (from top to bottom) Cavalry (which had its own pecking order starting with Household Cavalry), then King's Royal Rifles, Guards, Rifle Brigade, Line (aka 'County') Regiments.

As mentioned above, the Household Cavalry and Guards did not get stationed overseas to man a garrison within the Empire and so young men seeking peacetime adventure in foreign climes had to look elsewhere. Line Cavalry regiments were popular amongst the aristocracy, partly because of the splendid uniforms, but also because of their dashing image, sporting prowess (especially hunting and polo) and reputation for recruiting soldiers who were, on balance, generally a little more bright than those accepted for the infantry. However, the most prestigious regiment during the period in question was an infantry unit, The 60th, or King's Royal Rifles (KRR). Here is what General Horrocks had to say about them:

"one of the most exclusive family regiments in the military world. No one could hope to become an officer in the 60th without close family connections and even then only after the most searching enquiries had been made by the Colonel Commandant of the Regiment. It is more difficult to obtain a commission in this Regiment than in any other Corps in the army, including the Household Cavalry, Cavalry or Guards".

In 1900 Queen Victoria's son and head of the Army, the Duke of Cambridge, was the KRR's Colonel and it contained a substantial number of aristocrats. The very dark (rifle) green uniform of the regiment was originally based on that of Hussars and Light Dragoons (cavalry) and considered highly fashionable in the 1890s. Thus having the privilege of wearing it was thought to be something akin to being the beau ideal. In 1890 the KRR changed from wearing the spiked helmet to a rather dashing fur cap with vulture feather (for officers) plume.

[FROGSMILE]

c. Movement of Junior Officers. As mentioned above junior officers generally went to their regiments for an initial tour of duty, but if going to an Indian Regiment they spent their first year of service with a British Infantry unit in order to familiarise themselves with the habits and peculiarities of British soldiers, before moving on to the more sober behaviour that they would experience in the native manned unit that they were to join. After a few years of this "Regimental Duty", those with ambition would look for specialised posts such as (in the 1890s) Signals Officer, Machine Gun Officer, Musketry Instructor Officer, Mounted Infantry Officer, or Transport Officer. For all of these roles they would be required to attend a specialist course at a school of instruction and gain a formal 'certificate' of qualification. At least one of these would usually be required before promotion to Captain.

Once a senior Lieutenant and after some experience in one of these aforementioned roles, the next step would be to look for a staff appointment, both to gain experience at battalion and higher formation level, and to find the favour of a senior 'patron' who could help them 'get on', by recommendation and 'influence', to further promotion. Without such a patron a young officer was effectively sidelined and unlikely to advance in his career at all, short of an extreme act of death defying gallantry. There was only one staff appointment within a battalion and that was Adjutant. Those who were unsuccessful in gaining this role would look to find employment outside their regiment as an aide de camp (ADC), assistant military secretary (AMS), or specialist staff officer (e.g. intelligence or supply), in a Brigade, or Divisional Headquarters where there were lots of senior officers as prospective patrons.

[FROGSMILE]

d. Emergency Leave. There were two methods by which a young officer could get home in an emergency, with the one being far more drastic than the other. The first and most straightforward was to request leave (of absence) or furlough. At that time, other than when on campaign, leave for officers was extremely generous, generally at least two months a year. In the Guards (who remember did not garrison overseas) a subaltern could obtain four months leave out of every twelve and a captain could count on six. In addition some regiments hunted two days a week during the season. Battalions were generally run on a day-to-day basis by the commanding officer, the adjutant and the quartermaster. One young officer when asking his commanding officer for leave to go hunting was told - "As long as there is one subaltern left in barracks to do the work on a hunting day I do not want you to ask for leave". "Always go".

To control this (and messing) the Adjutant always kept a "Warning Out Book" for young officers to notify him of their intentions and get his clearance to be out of barracks without bothering the CO. In these circumstances any young subaltern with a need to go home in an emergency would have little difficulty unless his regiment was on campaign and, even then, it was not necessarily out of the question depending upon the manning state of his regiment. When a unit was overseas, then longer periods of up to 6-months, known as furlough, were permitted because of the time it took to transit to Britain and back by ship. As John said, these were often used for marriage.

The second method and generally used for longer periods, was to request permission to go on Half-Pay (a form of semi retirement). Any officer could request this. In the case of ill health they could at most be borne for 5-years on the centrally overseen Half-Pay List, and in other cases (such as perhaps to deal with family matters) only to the age limit of their rank.

[FROGSMILE]

Service Obligation. At that time an officer could resign his commission at any point, simply by submitting a "Letter of Resignation" to his commanding officer and there was no contractual obligation as there is today. In part, this was because the officers' family had paid for his education and uniform at Sandhurst and he was not paid a working salary that would support him if he did not already have a private (family) income. He therefore owed no obligation to the State (taxpayer) in the way that an officer does now. Being an officer was viewed as more of a social cachet and vocation, or selfless duty (noblesse oblige) than a professional activity. The quid pro quo for this was that a 'gentleman' (synonymous at that time with officer) could terminate his service without comeback, either by resigning wholly or, if he wished to leave a door open to potentially return to his regiment, by requesting a place on the "Half-Pay List". It was not uncommon for officers to go on Half-Pay to address personal matters at home and then return to service later and still end up with a highly successful career.

Throughout all this the key factor was the individual officer's relationship with his Regimental Colonel Commandant (who would know his parents), effectively the regiment's de facto 'patriarch', and with whom he would (must) remain in contact by letter and in many cases, social visits. Providing that he did this he would always be safe. Upon return to Britain he could and often did join either, the Militia, where he would be treated more as an individual reserve, or a Volunteer Battalion (of his regiment), where he would be treated as an integral (and thus more active) part of the unit. The latter option required a more regular, weekly commitment, whereas the former involved just an annual update of two weeks duration. In both he could gain promotion, over time, from his original rank.

[tracypaints]

you guys are amazing. You have given me basically everything I needed to know. Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my questions and giving me the opportunity to be sure my book is historically accurate. Again, thank you.