14
from the depot to the service companies, would not as might be computeil, augment the regiment by that number of effective men. The four depot companies now including the recruits present, the recruits absent, convalescents, and every description of non-effective men, which must, under any circumstances of change, continue to belong to the battalion, and which would not therefore so essentially add to its duty-men abroad, as to warrant a battalion to be withdrawn from either of the West Indies, Gibraltar, Malta, the Cape, or North America: so that in effect while we should lose the services of these men at home. we should not derive any corresponding benefit from their addition to the service com- panics abroad.
The practical advantages attending the present system of a division of a battalion of ten companies into two unequal parts of six service companies and four depot companies. are these:-
It has enabled us to keep service companies in a state of complete efficiency abroad, to the full extent of their establishment of 479 rank and file, and at the same time to provide for the usual home demands, as also by means of the small moveable corps, to prevent a regiment on its return home from being broken up into small detached bodies, and to afford it the time, indispensable, for its re-formation for service.
If it were not for the assistance afforded by these small moveable corps at home, many occasions would occur, as heretofore, when it would be impossible to spare the regiments necessary for foreign reliefs, and which could not be effected with any attention to regu- larity or justice to the corps serving abroad, while they afford the means of preparing and training the recruits, and of sending them to their respective corps, as opportunities offer, and of keeping the service companies abroad in a complete state as to numbers and efficiency.
To show the further working of the depot system more fully, it may be useful to state the following arithmetical details:
There are at this date fifty-four depots, and they are stationed as per margin.*
As these stations are generally determined by the Government to be proper places for troops, it is evident that if the depots were withdrawn from them, the numbers must be supplied by detachments to that extent from the regiments returned from abroad, which, as said before, would essentially interfere with their re-formation.
The accompanying returns show the state of each depot in Great Britain and Ireland, as it was in December 1837, when it will be seen, that about one-half of each depot con- sisted of men not at that time effective for duty. The cause of that non-efficiency will be best shown by the accompanying morning state of one depot, which may be said to apply equally to all.
If, therefore, the whole of these depots were to be sent to their regiments, they would add only one half of their actual numbers to the effective strength of the battalion, while the other half would be as ineffective abroad as at home, with the additional disadvantage of having the recruits to train, while upon a home station they may occasionally be used for temporary and short service, at or near the head quarter station of the depot.
It is evident, therefore, that even if all the men of the depots were sent abroad, only une-half of those whole numbers could be withdrawn from the different foreign stations; while being at home some serviceable use may occasionally be made of the non-effective, while they also have a greater advantage of better training.
The practical advantages attending this system of depots cannot be better exempli- fied, than in the recent arrangements which have been made for the augmentation of the army in British North America, and which it will be seen is only following up the principle on which the system was originally established.
The force in British North America has been speedily augmented by no less than one- fourth of its whole number, by the simple process of raising the establishment of each of the service companies from 80 to 100 men, and completing them to this establishment by effectives taken from the depots as far as their strength would admit, and the vacancies
15
in the depots filled up by recruits, so that in three or four months, the depot becomes as effective as before, and ready to afford a further supply, as casualties may render necessary, while its stationary duties at home are not very materially and only temporally interfered
with.
This mode of augmenting the force abroad is not only effective and rapid, but it is alao economical, inasmuch as it is done without any additional officer,-and if required the numbers may be again reduced by merely suspending the recruiting.
In the working of all the details necessarily arising out of a system so extensive as this, and operating upon so large a sphere as is comprised within our colonial possessions, there must necessarily be many inconveniences, but it has not been found that any of them are beyond the reach of the authority of an intelligent and experienced commanding officer, or that they prejudice the public service; and cannot certainly be put in competition with the numerous public advantages to be derived from the continuance of the present arrange- ment. The principle of this may be briefly stated in a few words-to adopt such a plan of inanagement for the infantry as shall enable the country at large to derive the greatest mili- tary advantages from an army beyond all doubt too small for the sudden, numerous, and extensive demands made upon it both abroad and at home-to be enabled to augment or to diminish that army at the least possible expense; and to preserve it always in the most effective state for service, whether abroad or at home. 12th March,
(Signed)
Inclosure 1 in No. 7.
HILE.
State of all the Depôts in Great Britain, as taken from the Morning State of each.
District.
Northern, Major General
Sir R. Jackson.
North Britain,
Lord Greenock.
Chatham,
Colonel Warre,
Western,
894 2222 | 8-808 |
-Y
December, 1837.
Wanting Total Establish- present.
to com-
plete.
365 58822
Corps.
Station.
Privates
fit for Duty.
ment.
30 Foot.
52
Sunderland. Newcastle.
50
131
212
67
151
212
61
60 .1 Bt.
Hull.
44
132
212
80
81
Carlisle.
114
201
212
83
Chester,
79
162
212
Dundee.
63
149
212
I
Stirling.
39
148
212
Fort George.
95
151
212
Paisley.
97
185
212
27
Chatham.
88
175
212
37
61
147
212
65
56
Sheerness.
69
180
212
32
Royals 2 Bt.
Devonport.
90
188
212
24
89
186
212
26
29 Foot.
155
264
212
Major-General
36
100
206
212
6
Ellice.
32
104
227
212
37
81
200
212
12
43
5
Portsmouth.
88
1 175
212
37
97
228
212
South West,
24
57
153
212
59
*
Depôts in Ireland.
Sir Thomas
47
142
211
212
1
Me Mahon.
84
135
207
212
8 Foot Galway.
34 Foot Fermoy.
65 Foot Naas.
77 Foot Newbridge.
91
165
212
47
11
-
Charles Fort. 35
Derry.
66
Fermoy.
82
Nenagh.
90
12
Kinsale.
46
Cork.
68
Waterford. 85
Tralee.
15
Cork.
53
Dublin.
71
Cork.
87
Longford.
14
Brecon.
51
249
212
18
Castlebar.
58
Youghall.
72
Clonmell.
92
Mullingar.
Not in a
GO 2Bt.
Jersey.
106
167
218
45
23
Cork.
59
Armagh. 73
33
Carrick on
61
Cashel.
75
Clare Castle. Droglieda.
93
Cork.
District
69
Dover.
96
142
212
70
70
Guernsey.
93
143
212
G9
Shannon.
Total.
2441
5083
5936
1008
England and Scotland.
i Foot
36 Foot
GO Foot
2d Batt.
Plymouth.
37
5
Portsmouth.
43
14
Brecon,
47
24
Portsmouth.
27
Chatham.
#2 56
Plymouth.
64 67 Portsmouth. Newcastle, 69 70 Skeerness.
2d Batt.} Jersey,
81 Foot Carlisle.
83
Chester.
Dundee.
84
Chatham.
89
Gosport.
Dover.
90
Portsmouth.
Guernsey
01
Paisies.
30
Sunderland. 60
32
Plymouth.
1st Batt.
Hull.
74
Sterling.
76
Fort George.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O.
885
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ཏར་་
16
Inclosure 2 in No. 7.
State of all the Depôts in Ireland as taken from the Morning State of each.—December 1837.