28.
West African Frontier Force.

29.
Soldier of West African Frontier Force.

30.
Mounted Infantry in the Kano-Sokoto Expedition, 1903.

There are other forces in West Africa besides the West Indian Regiment. Here, for instance, is the Lagos Battalion of the West African Frontier Force drawn up on the Parade Ground at Lagos. And here is a soldier of the Gambia Company of the same force. There are frequent small wars in the wilder parts of the West African Colonies and Protectorates, one of which, Nigeria, is half as large as India, though of course not so populous.

Here is a scene typical of the varied difficulties which have to be met by the very varied army of our King. Mounted Infantry of West African soldiers, commanded by white officers, have arrived at some wells, one of which is to be seen at the foot of the officer on the right. Unfortunately on this occasion a caravan with cattle had passed and drawn all the water, so that the column had to move on another 10 or 12 miles. Such are the difficulties to be encountered on the frontiers of the Empire. It is evident that local men will meet these difficulties most easily. Each race knows its own land best. Therefore, while the King has one Navy to defend the whole Empire, he has many Armies in its different parts. Both the Navy and the Armies are essential to one another. As long as the Navy keeps the sea, no great force can invade the British Empire, except on its two land frontiers. On the other hand, the Navy can only be free to command the sea if the King’s subjects in each land are prepared to defend the Naval Bases should it be necessary.

31.
Map of World showing position of important campaigns on land since 1660.

There is one thing more, however, to be added. Battleships and cruisers can sail over all the ocean, except where covered with the northern and the southern ice. Three-quarters of the world, therefore, lies open to them. But battleships and cruisers cannot sail over the plains and the mountains. It is, hence often necessary, when the enemy has been defeated at sea, to land a British Army in order to achieve a given end. In this map each red dot, and you see how many there are, marks the position of a land campaign fought by Britain in the last two centuries and a-half. The most striking fact is that no dot is placed in the British Isles. There were a few small battles fought in Britain during the first hundred years of this time, but no great campaigns in the sense that there were British campaigns on the mainlands of Europe, Asia, Africa and America. Had all the small wars been inserted, some parts of the continents would have been coloured red all over, for the dots would have joined. Now I think we may draw this conclusion from the map—that the British Navy has saved the British Isles from war on land, but that the British Army has often carried war into the country of its opponents. The Army is now stationed chiefly in India, because of the Indian Land Frontier in the north-west, and in the British Isles, but portions of it are also in Gibraltar, in Malta, in Egypt, in South Africa, and in other parts.

You will remember, of course, that when we visited London in the second of these Lectures, we came repeatedly to the names Trafalgar and Waterloo. Trafalgar was Britain’s culminating victory on the ocean. It was fought by a fleet of battleships in order to free the ocean from Britain’s enemies, and to allow her commerce to grow and her Colonies to have peace, although there was war on the continent of Europe. The battle of Waterloo was Britain’s great victory on the land, fought in Europe by her Army and that of her allies ten years after Trafalgar. The Colonies had peace by reason of Trafalgar, but Waterloo brought the war to an end.

32.
Battle of Trafalgar, showing types of ships.