by Griff Hosker
Sergeant Major Jones walked over to me and said, “That’s a good start sir. Anything else I can help you with?”
“Could I have a copy of the standing orders please?”
For the first time he looked surprised, “Certainly but why?”
“I have a feeling that some of the things I want to do might upset some of my colleagues and I would like to know where I stand.”
“A sensible idea sir.”
“And you had better let me have a regulation sabre. Otherwise they might think I have an unfair advantage.”
“Yes sir.”
Trooper Sharp stood looking a little self conscious before me holding the reins of his horse. “At ease Sharp. Are you happy in this regiment, Sharp?”
The question appeared to take him by surprise. “I joined sir, because I love horses and my father was a cavalryman.” I gave him a sympathetic look to encourage more information. “He died in the colonies.”
“I see. And your mother?”
“She died soon after my dad; I think it was a broken heart.”
“And you had no brothers and sisters either eh?”
“Can you read minds sir? Yes sir.”
“How long have you been with the regiment?”
“Just four weeks sir.”
“But it seems longer eh?”He nodded miserably. “Well, look, I like the way you look after your horse and I need a trooper to be my servant. How do you feel about that?” He hesitated. “There will be more pay.”
“It’s not that sir. I get enough stick as it is off the other lads. They would make my life in the barracks hell.”
I nodded, “Well the post of officer’s servant also moves you out of the barracks and into the servant’s quarters.”
“At that his face lit up in a smile. “Then in that case I am your man.”
“Good. Well your first task is to bring my horse around from the guard house. His name is Badger.”
“Sir!”
My mood was lightened already but I knew that I had a depressing meeting looming large. The four sergeants all stood in the office as far apart from each other as it was possible to get. This did not bode well. I sat on the chair and faced them.
I looked at every face and held the stare until each sergeant looked down at the ground. “I realise that Quartermaster Grant is not here and that leaves a void to be filled and, until today you had no officer. However I cannot understand why you allowed the troop to become the shambles that it is. Have you no pride in the regiment?”
Those words stung them and they stared at me with anger written all over their face. “Good. I can see that I have provoked a reaction at last. Now you don’t need to like each other but you have to work together and not against each other. Is that clear?”
One by one they nodded. “I intend to make changes to this troop and squadron. I hope that you will be part of it and that we can be proud of this troop and this regiment.”
They all smiled. One of them looked at the others and said, “Sir, permission to speak candidly?”
“Within bounds yes sergeant…?”
“Sergeant Thomas sir. We did try to drill the men but all that Lieutenant DeVere wants to do is have the men charging at each other and fighting.”
“Oh I see.”
“Yes sir and that means that the horses get hurt as do the men and they don’t practise the skills they need like fencing and riding”
”Thank you sergeant.?”
“Emerson sir, Jacob Emerson.”
“Well that explains much. I am pleased that we have cleared the air. Leave the lieutenant to me. I want all of you to work with your own men. Forget the rest. If each of us works on our own part of this troop then it will be better. I want your corporals to be of the same mind. Who is the sergeant of Corporal Green?”
Sergeant Emerson raised his hand, “Me sir.”
“I meant what I said on parade. He either improves or I have his stripes.”
“Yes sir but like Sergeant Thomas said the lieutenant plays favourites and the corporal is one of his.”
I nodded but refrained from comment. “This afternoon I want to practise moving from column to line and firing carbines. That will entail using horse holders.” I saw the looks of horror on their faces. “I take it they have never practised this?”
“No sir.”
“Then we will all learn a most valuable lesson this afternoon. When you reach your men assign the horse holders then. How many troopers do we have?”
“Fifty six sir. The 8th troop has slightly less.”
If they expected me to be disappointed then they were wrong. I was delighted. We would have more control over the men once they were trained. “Excellent. I take it the other troops are largely at full strength?”
“A Squadron is but the rest are a few men short.”
The Sergeant Major was correct. My squadron was the dumping ground for the rest of the regiment. I just couldn’t work out why Captain DeVere had his brother as the lieutenant in this barrel of poor apples. I would have to discover that later.
When we left the office they were surprised to see Trooper Sharp there with my horse. “He is a magnificent horse sir. He must be the biggest in the regiment.”
I saw the looks on their faces and I said, “Oh sorry, I forgot to say that I have appointed Trooper Sharp as my servant. That doesn’t cause anyone a problem does it?”
The relieved looks on their faces told me that I had solved a problem. Would that all the problems I faced could be solved as easily.
Chapter 3
The afternoon went better than I could have hoped. The men did at least try and seven of my non-commissioned officers threw themselves into the spirit of it. Corporal Green was the exception and I decided to give him a week to improve and then he would be demoted with subsequent loss of pay. I was not certain how that worked in the British Army but I was sure that the redoubtable Sergeant Major Jones would know of a way.
“Sharp, when you have looked after Badger, report to my rooms. I would like to show you where everything is and you will need to bring your equipment and uniform to your new room.
The Sergeant Major found me as I headed across. “I hear it went better this afternoon.”
“You must have good ears, Sergeant Major.”
He smiled, “Nothing gets past me. I put the standing orders and the sabre on your bed sir. I had a word with the other servants. Trooper Sharp should have an easier time of it than he did in the barracks.”
We stopped as we were approaching the officer’s mess. “You knew then?”
“Yes sir. As I said there is little that goes on in this regiment that I don’t know about. Doing something about it is sometimes above my rank.” He shrugged. “Trooper Sharp’s dad and I served together. He was my corporal when I was a trooper. He was a good soldier and so is his son. The trouble is young Alan doesn’t stand up for himself and he allows the others to put on him. I appreciate what you are doing for the lad sir.”
“No, Sergeant Major, I am doing it for me. I need a servant and I need someone who is good with horses. Sharp is both.” I suddenly felt nervous. When I had become an officer in France I had known the officers I was joining well. Here I knew no-one. There was nobody to guide me through the protocols and customs. “Are all the officers here tonight?”
I think he knew my worries for he came closer and spoke quietly. “Lieutenant Austen and Lieutenant Hargreaves are good sorts. They keep to themselves. Captain Stafford is a gentleman. Captain Platt is hard to read and keeps himself to himself.”
His silence about the other officers was pure eloquence. “Thank you for that. I appreciate it.”
“Don’t worry sir, when the colonel and the major get back it will improve.” He became serious and spoke in a quiet, almost reverential tone. “I heard that Sergeant Grant’s mother died yesterday and he will be back within a week. He is the salt of the earth and he will appreciate what you are doing too.”
I turned rig
ht at the officer’s mess to head to my rooms and to change. I didn’t know if we changed for dinner or not but better to be over dressed rather than under dressed. As I passed the open window I could hear the raucous banter of the few officers who were still on the post. It would be an ordeal but I would have to deal with it.
The standing orders were mercifully few in number and I put it on the bedside table for a little night reading. The sabre on the bed was the one issued to all troopers. It would suffice. I took off my overalls and began to wash the smell of horse away. There was a tap on the door and Sharp stood there looking nervous. I suspect the sight of me with just my breeches on had alarmed him.
I smiled, “Get used to it, Sharp. You will be seeing much more of me, quite literally.” I laughed and was relieved to see him smile.
“Badger’s all seen to sir.”
I dried myself and said, “Good. Come in. I won’t keep you long. I know you need to get yourself squared away too.” I pointed to the door. “Just shut the door eh? There’s a good fellow.” He did so. “Now, I have never had a servant before. I will be finding out what I need you to do for me as I go along.”
“Me too sir.”
“Good. Now I expect you will lay out my clothes each morning.” I pointed to the wardrobe, “They are there. I will use this sabre unless we are in action and then I will use this one.” I pointed to my Austrian sword.
“That’s a really good blade sir. I’ll keep it really sharp for you. Like my dad said ‘a blunt sword is about as much good as a lump of iron’.” He suddenly smiled at his own joke. We would get on.
“There are four pistols there. If we are in action then I am happy for you to have one as a spare. I have two on my saddle and one in my belt.” He nodded. “Now I would like you to do one thing for me first thing in the morning. I am going to write a letter to go to London. I will do this frequently. As with everything to do with what you learn of me this will be our secret. Understand?”
He suddenly looked serious, “I know sir. It’s what Uncle Jimmy told me.”
“Uncle Jimmy?”
“Sergeant Major Jones.”
“Ah, of course. You will need to take the letters and post them in the town.” I smiled at his serious face. “This first one is not so dramatic. I just want a couple of cases of wine.”
He looked surprised. “You don’t look like a drinker sir.”
“I’m not but I assume it will make me more friends amongst the officers and I would like to give a case to Mr Popwell.”
Understanding dawned on his face and he said, “Yes sir. You can leave all of this with me. I will not let you down.”
After I had dressed I walked back to the officer’s mess. I felt as though I was going to the guillotine and I would have done anything but face that sea of faces when I walked through the doors. In the end it was, as with most things, worse in the expectation rather than the reality.
There were just four officers in the mess when I arrived. The dirty dishes told me the story of the others; they had gone already. They all looked at me and I took the initiative again. “Good evening gentlemen. I am the new officer. Captain Robbie Matthews.”
One of the captains stood and extended his hand, “Captain Stafford 5th Troop. This is Platt, 6th Troop.” The dour soldier merely waved a hand and went back to his food. “Captain Platt is a bit of a trencherman. You’ll get nothing out of him until the tureens are all empty.”
“I’m Lieutenant Hargreaves, also 6th Troop.”
I turned to the last lieutenant, “Then I am guessing that you must be Lieutenant Austen. Pleased to meet the other officer in D Squadron.”Percy Austen had a very young and serious face but I like his handshake. It oozed sincerity.
Captain Stafford gestured with his hand. “Do sit down and eat before Old Platty wolfs the lot down. Orderly, another plate for Captain Matthews.”
The orderly brought me a plate and then hovered. “Don’t worry orderly, I can serve myself.”
I had been worried that they would give me a barrage of questions. Instead they seemed quite happy to gossip about the other officers who were not present. I pretended that I was too polite to speak whilst eating and they chatted on merrily. Of course Captain Platt continued to eat and drink but he did glance in my direction occasionally. I soon gathered that Captain DeVere was the informal leader of the officers and what he said was law. The rest of the officers were always following in his lead. The reason there were just the five of us was that they had all gone to the inn for a drinking session. Although Captain DeVere was not on the post it had been his habit and they were creatures of habit.
I had just finished a mouthful of food and I said, “But surely they could drink here and far more economically.”
Lieutenant Austen had become more open since the conversation had begun. “No women, do you see? They want women and then gambling.”
I was desperate to ask why these four did not join the others but I kept my silence and continued to eat. I learned that the two lieutenants came from relatively poor middle class families. It had cost them almost a thousand pounds to buy the commission and so they had to live from their pay. It transpired the others did not.
I looked questioningly at Captain Stafford who grinned cheerfully, “My people are high up in the Church of England. My father is a Bishop up in Ripon. It wouldn’t do for me to be drunk as a lord now would it?”
“And who is duty officer tonight?”
They squirmed uncomfortably at that. “Should be Captain DeVere but it seems he had a party to go to in London and his little brother went with him.”
I finished my meal and the orderly took the plates away. Captain Platt, seeing the food depart, joined it with a waved grunt. Flashing wit and repartee were not part of his arsenal. Captain Stafford poured me a glass of port. “A present from Pater. It’s been open a couple of days so we ought to finish it. Cheers Captain Matthews and welcome to the 11th!”
We all toasted each other. The crusted port slipped down beautifully. “I am intrigued as to why Lieutenant DeVere is not in A Squadron.”
They all looked at each other and then Captain Stafford said, “Come on then, David. We have much to do tomorrow. Let’s leave the officers of D Squadron to get to know each other.”
I was beginning to see that this was a divided mess. At least there were three officers with whom I could talk. The lieutenant said, “Sorry about that.” He held out his hand, “The name’s Percy by the by.”
“Robbie.”
He looked around to see that we weren’t being overheard and then gestured me closer. He smelled heavily of alcohol. He had drunk more than was good for his tongue. “The thing is the two of them thought Lieutenant DeVere would be able to be captain of D Squadron. Captain Sinclair didn’t last very long. Lieutenant DeVere had only been here a week when your predecessor died.” He drank some more of the port. “Captain DeVere sees it as a way to control the regiment. With his brother in command of D Squadron and his friends in command of the others then he controls the regiment. He has desires to be colonel.” He sat back in his chair. “That’s why I keep the 8th Troop away from the 7th, no offence, but Aubrey has let them get away with murder.”
I nodded, “That stops now and tomorrow the whole squadron will work together. I intend to make changes.”
“But you don’t know the DeVeres. They are well connected.”
I shook my head.“He can be the Prince of Wales for all I care. I run my squadron my way using the standing orders as my guidelines.” I smiled, “What is your Quartermaster Sergeant like?”
“Sergeant Sinclair? A good man. He gets the job done and does not suffer fools gladly.”
“I think I will use him for the whole squadron until Grant returns.”
“He will enjoy that, sir. He hates the thought of troopers getting away with anything. I’ll speak with him first thing in the morning.”
“Good. I appreciate that. Tell me, has either of the DeVeres ever fought in a battle o
r a skirmish.” He shook his head, “Seen any action at all?”
He giggled, “Just in the upstairs bedrooms of the inn.”
“I thought not. Well, Percy, thank you for your honesty. I will not divulge a word of what you said.”
That was the moment when he realised he had been indiscreet. “Oh thank you sir. I knew you were a good egg the moment I laid eyes on you.”
The next morning my clothes were already laid out for me when I awoke. Sharp stood by the door smiling. He held a mug of something steaming in his hand. “I wasn’t sure if you liked coffee or tea in a morning sir. This is coffee but…”
“That will do fine. Good man.” I took a mouthful of the strong black coffee. It began to wake me immediately. “Sharp, today Quartermaster Sergeant Sinclair will be in charge of the troop; what do you think the men will make of that?”
He smiled, “Some of them will hate it but most of the boys are good lads. They like order and Sergeant Sinclair will give them that.”
“Excellent. The letters are on my desk. If you take them now you can be back before we begin the new training regime. Have you eaten?”
“First thing sir. Uncle Jimmy told me how to get food from the mess before it was open.”
There was just Captain Stafford in the mess hall when I arrived. He waved his arm around the empty room. “Captain Platt likes to eat when the others are here and young Percy was in and out bright and early. I take it you had a word with him?”
“He seems like a good officer. I like him. Yes, we came to an understanding. We are working as a squadron for a while until 7th Troop are more disciplined.”
“Excellent and until your other lieutenant arrives you will find it all plain sailing.”
“And afterwards?”
He smiled impishly, “Let’s just say I always enjoy a good firework display.” I had been warned.