THE FIFTH VICTORIAN CONTINGENT.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 15 October 1901, Page 4

THE FIFTH VICTORIAN CONTINGENT.

A Serious Charge. Three Men Sentenced to be Shot.

An Arrogant Commander,

Information recently received from Snub Africa (says tho Melbourne Argus) reveals a rather unfortunate state of things in connection with tho Fifth Contingent of Victorians now on service there. Tho Contingent has, in more than one respect, seriously damaged the reputation of the Australian soldier in South Africa, for, apart from tho fact that until their arrival no largo body of Australian troops had ever thrown down their arms to tho enemy—a record of which all Australians were naturally proud, and one which had been maintained at times by splendid acts of heroism and self-sacri-fice—there are statements current that cannot bo ignored that these men have got thoroughly undisciplined and out of hand.

Many Australians who returned to the seat of war, found, on landing in Capetown, that, where their nationality was once sufficient to secure them a warm welcome, they are now coldly received, and enquiry traces this feeling almost solely to tho alleged misdeeds of the Fifth Contingent. That they were unfortunate in their brigade commanders is admitted, but that tho mischief has been internal, too, is absolutely asserted. The regiment had not been more than a week in the field when one of their number was court-martialled, and sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment for refusing to obey tho commands of a sergeant. They were, under instructions, removing stuff from a rebel farmhouse, when a sergeant ordered one of tho men fq comq away. He simply said, “I

won’t,” and for these two words got 12 months. To a civilian the sentence seems out of proportion to the offence, but a direct refusal to obey orders is a very serious misdemeanour on active service, and it will be seen at once that were ic not so all hope of maintaining discipline would soon disappear. chiico then things have got much worse, and two of tho Contingent at least—-pos-sibly three, though as to the third there is some uncertainty—have been sentenced to be shot. The sentence has in each case been commuted by Lord Kitchener, the Commander-in-Chief, to 12 years’ penal servitude, and the men have been sent to English prisons to serve their sentence. In other cases sentences of two and three years have been indicted. During his stay in Pretoria Lord Roberts found that some Australians and Canadians bad been committed to gaol for minor breaches of discipline—dealt with much in the same way as though they were enrolled in regular regiments. With that tact and discrimination which is so much a part of his character, the Comman-der-in-Chief recognised that in forces which, to say the least of it, were highly irregular the same state of discipline was not to be expected as from tire regular army, and without relaxing sentences, ho gave orders that in no case oversea colonials be sent to gaol. They were to suffer what is known as field punishment of the second class—that is to say, they were to bo disarmed, and placed under arrest, but to accompany the columns in all their movements, marching as a rule behind the baggage wagons. There were certain indignities in the first class of field punishment that they thus escaped, and, though they were supposed to be deprived of all luxuries, breaches of this condition were, as a rule, “ winked at,” and they fared pretty much as other men. Apart from the disgrace, it was really no punishment at all, but it was sufficient for such offences occurred wi.h the earlier contingents, and which it may be freely admitted, are almost inevitable with a large body of men on active service.

It appears only too evident also from the letters received from the front and from the statements made by returned officers and soldiers that when the Fifth Contingent got out of hand, as some of the earlier ones did—though in their case onlv after they had been relieved from ac ive service—there was no officers to take such a resolute step as Captain Tunbridge, of Queensland, did when something like a 'mutiny occurred on shipboard. Ho wont down amongst the men, knowing that he incurred a great risk, said to them boldly, “Notv, shoot mo if you like, but I order you to do your duty”—and the very daring and the manliness of it won their respect and obedience. The men of the Fifth Contingent may have been a bit unfortunate in having officers who were wanting in experience, in resolution, and in the qualities of command; cr the officers may have been unfortunate in having to deal with an indifferent and undisciplined lot of men—that point may bo determined by the official enquiry which must almost necessarily follow the return home of tho battalion.

Now for the other side of the story. Wherever the blame for early misdemeanour may be allotted there appears to be little doubt that the climax in the ill luck of the regiment was reached from the moment that they were made part of the brigade commanded by a particular Imperial officer, and in an almost equally marked degree to the hostile and offensive attitude of their brigade major. Their own conduct may in a measure have created this prejudice at the outset, bat wiser commanders would have set ihemselvcs to find the seat of the mifchief and remedy it. That they made no effort to do so is shown not only by the letters of the men, which when they contain complaints of their officers should always betaken with a large grain of salt; but by many letters which have been received in Melbourne from officers serving with the Contingent. One of these says, “I have been out here some 18 months, have served under ma-y commanding officers, and have never encountertd such a downright ‘rotter’ as this one.’’

Yet the officer complained of is a man who has had some considerable experience, though not in South Africa. He was especially chosen from the Indian Staff Corps by Sir Bindon Blood, when that tried Indian officer was sent out to the Cape. Tho particular colonel who lias acted as brigadier is a cavalry officer, and appears to have brought with him all the devotion to cavalry traditions, and apparently, too, all the Regular’s prejudice towards iho Irregular soldier. From the very moment that he took over the command the difficulties increased, and reached their climax in Wilraansrust. The Contingent seems to have been a good deal rattled about, and turned out at all sorts of hours, on all sorts of missions, though in this respect men are apt to blame over anxious and fidgety officers for all false alarms. The fact that seems to have caused most disquietude was their commanding officer’s partiality for the wide intervals of cavalry pickets, as against tho closer work which ail experienced of Boer methods of fighting had shown to be necessary. Tho wisdom of tho orders was questioned. It was declared that tho commanding officer’s inexperience in South Africa was leading him astray, and that the end would be a disaster. The morale of a command is never enhanced by such a feeling, but protests only led to the repetition of the orders for wide interval pickets in the form of a brigade order. This was arbitrary—and it was obeyed. On tho eve of Wilmansrust, a detachment of the Fifth Contingent had returned from a long and arduous trek, and had no sooner settled down in camp than they were ordered out on picket duty. They at first refused to obey orders, but werefinally persuaded to do so. Pickets were posted with long intervals, according to the orders already mentioned. Through one of these gaps the Boers crept, under cover of darkness, took tho sleeping camp fairly by surprise, and the disaster of Wilmansrust followed. And, [as a necessary consequence, there followed, too, the question of blame—and tho usual recriminations. The Contingent had lost all faith and respect for their commanding officer—tho commanding officer was equally contemptuous of tho Contingent. Instead of being, ns was expected, at once sent into Middleburg to refit, they wore kept to the south, constantly harrassed by the enemy, and forming regular Boer laagers with their wagons every night, while all the positions were thoroughly entrenched, a precaution which had not been taken at Wilmansrust. Seven days latter, on rejoining Sir Bindon Blood, they were at once sent to Middleburg. but in tho meantime, the friction with the commanding offieer had reached extreme tension.

On tho march one day, and in the presence of the Australian officers—Major Harris and Captain Anderson are specifically named -tho brigadier in the course of a conversation observed, “I can toll you what—l think the Australians are a fat, round-shouldered, useless crowd of wasters.” Major Harris retorted, “Tam sorry to hear you say that, and I intend to take down your words.” “Do by all moans,” said the Brigadier, “and yoii can odd if you like that in my opinion they are a lot of white-livered curs.” Tito statement was carried to Major M’Knight, who saw the Brigadier, and asked for an apology. This, it was understood, was given, tho officer explaining that he spoke in tho heat of temper, and did not quite mean all ho said. Some of the men had in the meantime come under the hsh of

his score. Some four clays after WilmauErust they were camped at a large farm house, where a lot of pigs were running about. The men asked for permission to kill some of them for fresh meat, and the officer immediately in command had given them permission to do so. The f ice-speaking end always arrogant brigadier chanced to ride by while the men were trying to bayonet the pigs, and at once said, “ Yes, that’s just about what you men are good for. When the Dutchmen came along the other night you didn’t fix bayonets and charge them, but you go for something that can’t hit back.” Some days later in Middlelmrg half a dozen men were sitting round the fire at night talking of these matters, when one of ihem (Steele) said, “We’Jlbo a lot of fools if wo go out with him again,” meaning the brig idier. The words were overheard by a lieutenant of the Contingent, who repeated them. The charge was made within the regiment, and Steele, being tried for inciting to mutiny, was found guilty, and sentenced to be shot — a sentence afterwards commuted* to imprisonment. That the men had good reason to complain of their brigadier is clear, but they took an inexcusable way of showing it on service. Complaints had already been made to Sir Bindoa Blood, and, whether he thought that they were justified, or that, under all the circumstances, it was impossible to hope for good work, tlte Contingent was taken from their former commander and part of it sent to Newcastle and afterwards to Utrecht, where it seems since to have shared in a minor disaster, Wilmansrust left its aftermath in another direction. Some time after the dis-, aster Major M’Knight was relieved of bis command, and sent on other duty of an inferior kind. No reason for the change was suggested, and nothing of the results of the enquiry made public; but the fact that rankled with the Australians was that their own officer, who was only second in command on the night of the disaster, was in some measure degraded, while Major Morris, who was in direct command, and senior to MTvnight, still retains command of the Horse Artillery Battery There may be circumstances unknown fully justifying the actions in each case, but in their dissatisfied and captious—if not disorganised—mood thd men of the Contingent find in it another cause for complaint. These, as far as can be learned, are the main features of a most unfortunate affair; and, apart from the Contingent, there is evidence of fault on both sides. A returned officer, in speaking of the Fifth Contingent, says“ There is no disguising the fact they are not a good lot, and are, or were, disorganised. I saw them do things on active service for which, in our own defence force and in peace time, they would have been instantly cashiered.” It is understood that Mr Bail, who has acted as the Government agent in Capetown for all the contingent?, has already been up country to make enquiry as to the affairs of this Contingent, but some further action on the part of the Federal Minister of Defence appears also to be essential. From a statement made in the Federal House of Representatives, it. appears that Major-General Beatson is the martinet officer referred to.