Redcoat

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

This is a book that historians of the British Empire should have.

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=Richard+Holmes&sts=t&tn=REDCOAT&x=59&y=19

REDCOAT, The British Soldier in the Age of Horse and Musket, by Richard Holmes is a very readable but well researched reference on British soldiers, and their adversaries from the Seven years war in America to the Crimea.  While it is a touch early for "Our" period there are many facets of the soldiers life that endure.  It quotes many diaries of rankers as well as officers and describes conditions as they actually were.  If you love Bernard Cornwell's books, well, he loves this one and recommends it.

As an old Gunner, I was suprised to learn that The Royal Artillery was NOT part of the British Army.  It was separately organized under a Board of Ordnance, only coming under command while on campaign.

[St. George]

Another tid-bit...

In the old British Army - the one before it amalgamated itself - it was permitted for the battle honors of  the regular Regiments to be inscribed on their Coat of Arms.

This is perhaps most noticeable on the arms of the Maltese Cross used by the King's Royal Rifle Regiment - the arms of which are inscribed with the places they'd fought - including Talavera and Yorktown.

You can see it on their cap badges, today.

The Royal Artillery was granted the same courtesy - but after much thought, they'd decided upon a different form of the cap badge, and went with a Field Gun, atop a scroll with a single word - 'UBIQUE'.

It perfectly succinctly described their Service, since it means 'everywhere' - and a line in Kipling's 'Snarleyow' underlines it.

"The moril of this story, it is plainly to be seen;
You 'avn't got no families when servin' of the Queen -
You 'avn't got no brothers, fathers, sisters, wives or sons -
If you want to win your battles take an' work your bloomin' guns!"


Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Ubique

There is a word you often see, pronounce it as you may--
"You bike,""you bykwee," "ubbikwe"--alludin' to R.A.
It serves 'Orse, Field, an' Garrison as motto for a crest;
An' when you've found out all it means I'll tell you 'alf the rest.
 
Ubique means the long-range Krupp be'ind the low-range 'ill--
Ubique means you'll pick it up an', while you do, stand still.
Ubique means you've caught the flash an' timed it by the sound.
Ubique means five gunners' 'ash before you've loosed a round. 
Ubique means Blue Fuse, an' make the 'ole to sink the trail.
Ubique means stand up an' take the Mauser's 'alf-mile 'ail.
Ubique means the crazy team not God nor man can 'old.
Ubique means that 'orse's scream which turns your innards cold!
Ubique means "Bank, 'Olborn, Bank - a penny all the way" -
The soothin', jingle-bump-an'-clank from day to peaceful day.
Ubique means "They've caught De Wet, an' now we shan't be long."
Ubique means "I much regret, the beggar's goin' strong!" 'Olborn, 
Ubique means the tearin' drift where, breech-blocks jammed with mud,
The khaki muzzles duck an' lift across the khaki flood.
Ubique means the dancing plain that changes rocks to Boers.
Ubique means mirage again an' shellin' all outdoors. 
Ubique means "Entrain at once for Grootdefeatfontein."
Ubique means "Off-load your guns" - at midnight in the rain!
Ubique means "More mounted men. Return all guns to store."
Ubique means the R.A.M.R. Infantillery Corps. Grootdefeatfontein
Ubique means that warnin' grunt the perished linesman knows,
When o'er 'is strung an' sufferin' front the shrapnel sprays 'is foes;
An' as their firin' dies away the 'usky whisper runs
From lips that 'aven't drunk all day: "The Guns! Thank Gawd, the Guns!"
Extreme, depressed, point-blank or short, end-first or any'ow,
From Colesberg Kop to Quagga's Poort - from Ninety-Nine till now -
By what I've 'eard the others tell an' I in spots 'ave seen,
There's nothin' this side 'Eaven or 'Ell Ubique doesn't mean! 

[RattlesnakeJack]

On the meaning of Ubique, I have heard it said (by non-Gunners, of course) that while Artillerymen will ever state that it means "Everywhere", in actual fact it means "They're all over the place!" .... (think 'accuracy') ......         

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

You are talking to the gunner officer who outshot the grizzled old snipers of the PPCLI to capture the 1CMBG sniper trophy at Camp Wainwright in 1971!

I recieved the pot from General Rockingham himself.

For youse guys who read HEINLEIN's Starship Troopers, yeah thats the same place.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Screw-guns
by Rudyard Kipling

Smokin' my pipe on the mountings, sniffin' the mornin' cool,
I walks in my old brown gaiters along o' my old brown mule,
With seventy gunners be'ind me, an' never a beggar forgets
It's only the pick of the Army
that handles the dear little pets -- 'Tss! 'Tss!
For you all love the screw-guns -- the screw-guns they all love you!
So when we call round with a few guns,
o' course you will know what to do -- hoo! hoo!
Jest send in your Chief an' surrender --
it's worse if you fights or you runs:
You can go where you please, you can skid up the trees,
but you don't get away from the guns!
They sends us along where the roads are, but mostly we goes where they ain't:
We'd climb up the side of a sign-board an' trust to the stick o' the paint:
We've chivied the Naga an' Looshai, we've give the Afreedeeman fits,
For we fancies ourselves at two thousand,
we guns that are built in two bits -- 'Tss! 'Tss!
For you all love the screw-guns . . .

If a man doesn't work, why, we drills 'im an' teaches 'im 'ow to behave;
If a beggar can't march, why, we kills 'im an' rattles 'im into 'is grave.
You've got to stand up to our business an' spring without snatchin' or fuss.
D'you say that you sweat with the field-guns?
By God, you must lather with us -- 'Tss! 'Tss!
For you all love the screw-guns . . .

The eagles is screamin' around us, the river's a-moanin' below,
We're clear o' the pine an' the oak-scrub,
we're out on the rocks an' the snow,
An' the wind is as thin as a whip-lash what carries away to the plains
The rattle an' stamp o' the lead-mules --
the jinglety-jink o' the chains -- 'Tss! 'Tss!
For you all love the screw-guns . . .

There's a wheel on the Horns o' the Mornin',
an' a wheel on the edge o' the Pit,
An' a drop into nothin' beneath you as straight as a beggar can spit:
With the sweat runnin' out o' your shirt-sleeves,
an' the sun off the snow in your face,
An' 'arf o' the men on the drag-ropes
to hold the old gun in 'er place -- 'Tss! 'Tss!
For you all love the screw-guns . . .

Smokin' my pipe on the mountings, sniffin' the mornin' cool,
I climbs in my old brown gaiters along o' my old brown mule.
The monkey can say what our road was --
the wild-goat 'e knows where we passed.
Stand easy, you long-eared old darlin's!
Out drag-ropes! With shrapnel! Hold fast -- 'Tss! 'Tss!
For you all love the screw-guns -- the screw-guns they all love you!
So when we take tea with a few guns,
o' course you will know what to do -- hoo! hoo!
Jest send in your Chief an' surrender --
it's worse if you fights or you runs:
You may hide in the caves, they'll be only your graves,
but you can't get away from the guns!

[Buffalo Creek Law Dog]

I always thought "UBIQUE" meant "Drop Short". 

From a Sec 81 Officer

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

You gravel crushers and Klankers just try & get something going without "shelldrake"

[Buffalo Creek Law Dog]

It's a term that I heard from my army buddies, I was light blue.

[St. George]

Sadly - it all turned to this, at the end...

**********

Shillin' a Day - Rudyard Kipling


My name is O'Kelly, I've heard the Revelly
From Birr to Bareilly, from Leeds to Lahore,
Hong-Kong and Peshawur,
Lucknow and Etawah,
And fifty-five more all endin' in "pore".
Black Death and his quickness, the depth and the thickness,
Of sorrow and sickness I've known on my way,
But I'm old and I'm nervis,
I'm cast from the Service,
And all I deserve is a shillin' a day.

(Chorus)

Shillin' a day,
Bloomin' good pay -
Lucky to touch it, a shillin' a day!

Oh, it drives me half crazy to think of the days I
Went slap for the Ghazi, my sword at my side,
When we rode Hell-for-leather
Both squadrons together,
That didn't care whether we lived or we died.
But it's no use despairin', my wife must go charin'
An' me commissairin' the pay-bills to better,
So if me you be'old
In the wet and the cold,
By the Grand Metropold, won't you give me a letter?

(Full chorus)

Give 'im a letter -
'Can't do no better,
Late Troop-Sergeant-Major an' - runs with a letter!
Think what 'e's been,
Think what 'e's seen,
Think of his pension an' - GAWD SAVE THE QUEEN.

*******

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Dr. Bob]

And if you do ABE advanced search with USA there are some, but they start at $14.  Not sure of the cost of shipping one from the UK.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

The copy of REDCOAT I have onloan was purchased retail in Canada.  Go to your local Barnes & whatever and ask.  I did notice that there is a retailer listed for this book in Australia.  Check out AMAZON.

[RattlesnakeJack]

Speaking of the red coat, Canada's Militia infantrymen (our military forces were all militia back then, as we had no regular army during the 19th Century) were thus attired from well before Confederation (unification of several British North American Colonies into the Dominion of Canada in 1867) right through to the early 20th Century ...

Here are a few plates ...
- First, an infantryman circa 1863  - armed with the Pattern 1853 .577 Enfield muzzle-loading rifle.
- Another, circa 1868 - now with the "state-of-the-art" Snider-Enfield breechloading conversion, but still carrying the percussion cap pouch on his crossbelt - most likely because nobody had yet thought to amend the Dress & Equipment Regulations!
- Next, during the 1885 North West Rebellion - still carrying the Snider-Enfield, because Canada never did get around to adopting the Martini-Henry rifle.
- Finally, 1898-1900, a member of the Yukon Field Force (formed in 1898 and sent to the Yukon Territory to augment the NWMP during the Yukon Gold Rush) - now armed with the Magazine Lee-Enfield rifle (i.e. "Long Lee-Enfield") which had only just been adopted by Canada to replace the Sniders, and wearing the uniquely Canadian Oliver Infantry Equipment .... 

(Click on thumbnails to enlarge ...)