Subscription books were issued, and gentlemen undertook to canvass the town, special books being kept for ladies willing to assist in raising the rifle corps. These prove, as indeed was exhibited all over the country, that ladies were most earnest in the matter, and their five-pound notes, guineas, and lesser subscriptions helped not a little to start the good cause. In one of the Bradford collectors' books, in which the ladies are asked to subscribe towards the purchase of uniforms, a sum of nearly £20 is put down; and in another, where it is pointed out that a certain band requires uniforms to enable it to join the rifle corps, no less a sum than £43 12s. is entered.
There was another meeting held on the last day of December, 1859, and there, as was generally done elsewhere, after finding that sufficient names had been enrolled to form a company, they proceeded to elect the officers of the company—not being aware that the election of officers to command men is contrary to certain rules and regulations. The committee could recommend for the position of captain a gentleman to the Lord Lieutenant, and this gentleman, if appointed captain, could again recommend certain gentlemen as subalterns. The result of this electing officers was, that Mr. Edmonds, of Berryfield House, was selected as captain, with Captain Pickwick and Mr. Forster, of Holt, as subalterns. Captain Pickwick having been in the regular army and having seen service at the Cape, besides knowing a soldier's work well, at once refused to serve in a subordinate capacity, and that under a civilian; so Mr. Edmonds resigned, and ultimately Captain Pickwick was appointed to the command of the company, with Mr. Forster as lieutenant, and Mr. A. Beavan ensign. Among the first appointed non-commissioned officers were, as sergeants, E. Neale, Cursen, E. Scrine, J. Poole, with D. Hole, T. Butterworth, G. Hallet, as corporals. However, changes had to be made; and whilst Wm. Adye, Esq., M.D., was appointed hon. assist.-surgeon, and the Rev. J. Jones, M.A., chaplain to the corps, Messrs. Applegate and Geo. Adye were promoted sergeants to fill existing vacancies.
The first meeting of the corps for drill purposes was on the 24th January, 1860, at Mr. Spackman's dyehouse, and as every man thought it necessary to come armed with a gun of some sort, and also as with this gun (perhaps an old flint musket of the Georges' time, or a flimsy single-barrel sparrow-killer) he was to go through the manœuvres and platoon, and appear in the ranks generally, the teaching of musketry must have been utter foolery, and the movements of our Bradford volunteers somewhat ludicrous. However, these like other volunteers survived the ridicule, and notwithstanding Punch's "Who shot the dog?" and the wondrous wit displayed by street boys, or by those disliking the movement, but whose position and education should have taught them better, drilled steadily on, and on the 17th May made their first appearance before the public in full uniform, doubtless to the gratification and admiration of themselves and relatives.
The drills were to be seven in the week as squad drills, viz., on Tuesdays and Fridays twice, and on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays once, thus meeting the convenience of most members of the corps. These drills were well attended, and by the time the Government long Enfield muzzle-loading rifles were sent down in the early part of June, the 9th Corps had fully mastered the outlines of company drill, and dined together soon after on the occasion of more correct enrolment being carried out.
Becoming more assured, they now paraded with their band and drilled in public, and had the usual church parades and class sermon; then marching over to the neighbouring town of Trowbridge, they were instructed in the outlines of battalion drill by Major Lawson.
The men of the 9th Wilts not being aware that eventually rifles would be supplied to them by the Government, and being anxious to compete for prizes with other corps, in many instances from an early date they had provided themselves with weapons, generally Enfields, of the usual bore and shape, and with these constant practice was being made at the ranges; so that by the summer, when challenges between corps were frequent, and prize meetings being held, not a few of the officers and men had become good shots and held their own wherever they entered. The ground selected as a practice ground was an easy one to shoot over, the steep turfy hill against which the targets were placed forming an excellent background; but by whom the said range was passed as a rifle range deponent sayeth not. He could not have been to Hythe, or had much notion of the erratic flight of an elongated projectile, or of the difficulty even the best-drilled soldiers in the service find in avoiding accidents, where your line of fire extends across sundry footpaths, a canal, and a railroad. That there were no accidents is attributable more to good luck than good guidance. The shorter ranges across the canal were tolerably secure. A red flag, much shouting, and an occasional despatch of one of the squad to the dangerous point managed to stay man, woman, or child from running into danger, and informed the cursing bargee of his being cared for; but when it came to long distances, where shouts and signals were unheeded, or where the height of the trajectory was deemed safety sufficient, then came a question as to whom was the sanction of this being used as a range due.
The Great Western Railway Company evidently for very many years troubled themselves not about such trifles as bullets through their carriages, for on the edge of the line was a firing point, where, of course, the firer was able to check himself instantly should an express or other very fast train or engine suddenly cloud his vision. Be all this as it may, the corps both drilled well and shot well, and from an early date up to the present time sent forth steady and good shots. Amongst these may be numbered Assist.-Surgeon, afterwards Hon. Major, Wm. Adye, winner of the Officers' Challenge Cup at Devizes, silver claret jug, various vases, &c., Sergeant George Adye, Sergeant Neale, Corporal Davis, Privates Scutt, Reddrop, Merrett, Chas. Adye, Wallman, &c.
At most of the reviews and at all battalion drills, the Bradford Corps have put in an appearance, and as a rule mustered well in proportion to their strength. Their first appearance at any large gathering was at the review held in Clarendon Park, Lord William Paulet commanding, in September, 1860. They mustered forty strong, Captain Pickwick, Lieut. Forster, and Ensign Beavan being the officers, and were attached to the battalion commanded by Major G. Hume, Assistant Inspector of Volunteers. In November of the same year they were inspected by Major G. Hume in the Broad Field, and out of the sixty men on the muster-roll, exclusive of band, fifty-four rank and file presented themselves on parade. All the officers were present, and the inspecting officer complimented them upon the way they drilled, and upon the soldier-like look of the company; some twenty men of the Trowbridge Corps, under Captain Clark and Lieut. Clark, kindly keeping the ground during inspection. The year 1861 saw all these scattered corps made into a battalion, with one lieutenant-colonel, one major, one adjutant, as the staff thereof, and from this date the attendances of corps beyond their own head quarters was limited, and certain arrangements made by which drill attendance could be verified, and more correct returns of efficiency and strength sent up to Government, on which a capitation grant might be founded. There were some brilliant ideas exhibited by the War Office authorities as to the expenditure of this grant. The adjutant was to combine paymaster- and interferer-general with his other duties, and only pay the amount earned by a corps to that corps on its showing an exact voucher for every item, and as the grant could be carried to accounts past or present, it was hard work for the secretaries of companies to get one item which would fit in exactly for the whole grant earned, and in the adjutant's hands, or to make half-a-dozen smaller items to do the same thing, so vouchers were made up to suit the purpose. In other words, a cooking process was required to enable a corps to receive its dues.