‘His Royal Highness requests you will accept for yourself and convey to Colonel Buller and the officers under his command His sincere thanks for their congratulations, and assures you how gratifying it is to His Royal Highness to receive them.
‘I have the honour to be,
&c. &c. &c.
‘(Signed) William Knollys,
‘General.
‘General Sir George Buller, G.C.B., Colonel-Commandant
1st Battalion Rifle Brigade.’
On May 1 the establishment of the 1st Battalion was further reduced to 520 rank and file.
On May 25 the Battalion was inspected by Field-Marshal His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge.
The Battalion remained at the Shaft barracks, Dover, during the whole of this year.
The 2nd Battalion at Shorncliffe on May 1 received orders to reduce its establishment from 49 to 47 sergeants; 21 to 19 buglers; and from 850 rank and file to 820.
On August 16 Head-quarters and eight companies of the Battalion, under command of Major Stephens (Colonel Glyn having been selected to command a brigade) proceeded by rail to Aldershot, in order to take part in the autumn manœuvres. On their arrival they encamped on Cove Common until the 26th, when they marched to Hazeley Heath and encamped. On the 27th they marched to Silchester, passing by Strathfieldsaye, where they marched past the monumental statue of their great Colonel-in-Chief, Arthur, Duke of Wellington. On the 28th they marched to Greenham Heath, where they halted next day, and on the 30th proceeded to camp near Wilton. On the following day they marched to camp at Rushall Park, where they remained till the commencement of the manœuvres on September 4.
But on August 24 the two companies of the Battalion remaining at Shorncliffe, with the women, children and baggage, were conveyed by train from Shorncliffe to Dover and embarked on board H.M. Troop-ship ‘Tamar,’ and arrived at Kingstown on the 29th, whence they proceeded on the same day by rail to Birr, there to await the arrival of the Battalion.
On September 4 the Head-quarters marched from Rushall Park to Stapleford, where they encamped until the 8th, during which time they were employed on outpost duties, and daily took part in sham-fights at Wishford, Steeple-Langford and Wiley. On the 9th they marched to Darrington-field. On the 10th they took part in the defence of the river Avon, and on the 12th were in the march past, which concluded these autumn manœuvres.