It was very necessary that the regimental camp should be a complete success, and to ensure this much anxious thought and time was given to details by the lieut.-colonel commanding the battalion, as also by the committee. Meetings of this committee were held at Warminster on the 5th February, 4th March, 1st, 8th and 13th of April, 13th May, 3rd, 10th and 22nd June, and on the 13th July. The committee had no precedents to guide them; and the more the necessary arrangements were considered, the greater appeared to be the difficulties. To make contracts where there was little certainty, in itself was a hard task, and it showed how much care and trouble had been given to the subject, when the camp proved a complete success.
The prospect of a regimental camp, however, did not prevent the battalion putting in an appearance at the grand review held at Portsmouth on Easter Monday, where some 25,000 men assembled, the regulars, and gunboats of the Navy, taking part in the proceedings. The part in the performance relegated to this battalion was neither instructive nor interesting. It rather imitated the army of a certain King of France, by walking up a hill and then walking down again. Some gunboats took up a position to its front, to drive away which the battalion descended from its perch to the railway embankment; but as the tide was receding, the gunboats receded also, doubtless their departure hastened by the appearance, if not by the fire of the gallant 1st Wilts, which being delivered at something over rifle range would have been harmless. Then the regiment itself retired and resumed its position on the hillside, sitting down comfortably awaiting further orders; which eventually directed them to "fire away" at some supposed enemy; and having emptied their ammunition pouches, the whole returned to Fareham station, to be taken homewards.
What possible good to any branch of the services could have arisen from this Easter Monday review is hard to see! It appeared to be only a waste of time and money; and by encouraging the volunteers to go to such, and to join in a general scramble called manœuvring, was prejudicial to discipline and respect for authority. If the reviews are held in large towns, such as Brighton, Dover, Portsmouth, &c., whole brigades of volunteers hang about, often for hours, from the time of arrival until the general assembly shall sound, meanwhile none the better for public-house entertainments and want of occupation; then are marched through streets to the ground selected—a march past, and a sham fight, in which firing and confusion are prominent features, as instruction could not there be given, and utter ignorance of the very outlines of skirmishing and attack by the majority of men, are only too visible. This done, and the enemy defeated, the majority, hot, dirty, and probably very hungry, resume their places in the train to return to London or far further away, perhaps wondering for what purpose they had been brought so far, or if real war was thus conducted! The minority obtaining leave of absence remain behind, and many, now free from all supervision and control, do the grand service to which they belong no little injury by drunkenness and debauchery.
On the 20th July the battalion assembled for their first encampment on Warminster Down; the ground selected being between the old coach road over Salisbury Plain leading from Bath to Salisbury and the town itself, perhaps about two miles from Warminster—a magnificent undulating spot with room for manœuvring on a large scale, but waterless, thereby necessitating every drop of that precious liquid being brought up in carts from the town, making a huge item in the expenses of holding a camp on the healthy and somewhat lofty downs of Wiltshire.
The camp was pitched and struck by old soldiers from the regular army, and the catering both for officers and men was undertaken by Messrs. Fort of Bath, the men messing together in a very large tent. It was well done, albeit costly, but there was not sufficient experience as yet gained by the committee of management to allow them to venture on a less expensive method of providing for the wants of so many.
A very excellent selection of standing orders was compiled by the officer commanding the battalion, and these with a few additions have yet remained in force. The following extract from them as referring to the camp about to be established is herewith given:—
Standing Orders for Camp.
The 1st Bugle will sound at 5 0 a.m.
" 2nd " " 7 0 a.m.—Morning parade, setting-up drill, &c.
8 0 a.m.—Men's breakfasts.
9 30 a.m.—Pickets and guard-mounting.
10 0 a.m.—Officers' instruction in mess tent.
10 45 a.m.—Comdng. Officer's parade.
1 0 p.m.—Men's dinners.
3 0 p.m.—Comdng. Officer's parade.
7 0 p.m.—Men's supper.
9 0 p.m.—Tattoo.
10 0 p.m.—Lights out.
The officers messed together, taking their meals at about the same time as those ordered for the men.
To the battalion generally the camp proved to be a kind of perpetual picnic, good eating and drinking, with very little sleeping, but plenty of hard work. It was not intended to be child's play, but a lesson in drilling and discipline, and so far as volunteer rules and regulations, combined with tact and temper, allowed, this was carried out; but it was beyond human skill to make all obedient to one will, to insist upon punctuality on parade, that lights were out at the time ordered, and that strict silence reigned throughout the camp until the rouse sounded. Men might mean well, and doubtless did not intend to defy authority, but with a canteen ever open, and the liquor to be had almost for the asking, no little injury was inflicted on discipline. It may be necessary for a certain amount of drink to be purchaseable where large bodies of men assemble, but when these are brought together to do a special work, and to learn obedience to all orders received from those in authority, drinking booths, whether termed canteens or clubs, are destructive of discipline, and tend to incapacitate the men from doing that which was intended they should do. Moreover it is not good, either for the man himself—only too often a mere lad of 17—that when not on duty he should find no other recreation provided than is afforded by a huge public-house with its rows of tables and seats, where the drink, the song, the profanity, and the uproar grows faster and more furious as the day advances. It is not in the canteen that respect for officers and authorities is learned. The best non-commissioned officers, and men who are wide awake and cautious, on picket or sentry, are not from canteen frequenters. The canteen in the regular army and militia is a fruitful source of misery to the many, however well conducted it may be, but when open at all hours, from daybreak to last post, in a volunteer encampment, subject only in reality to the mere licensing laws of the country, it is little else than a curse. If necessary for merely supplying beer, &c., let the canteen tent be at least one mile from the camp. Of course there were very many amusing incidents occurring in the camp, few more so, perhaps, than those in connection with guard and sentry duties. These had to be learned ab initio, and as the learners were often utterly ignorant of the rudiments of drill, the explanations as given were scarcely understood. "Your front" was a tremendous difficulty, and to challenge properly perhaps more abominable. The reliefs were not carried out quite regularly as the night advanced, and posts were deserted by sentries to know the reason why relief did not arrive. Sitting was found to be as cheap as standing, and a pipe on the sly in the pale moonlight a great relief to the monotony of sentry go.