Chapter XIX (1)

_THE RETURN TO INDIA—WELCOME HOME—HONOURS
AND ORATIONS—DISBANDMENT_

On arrival at Cape Town, Colonel Lumsden was told that the accounts of his corps were the only pay-sheets of any Irregular contingent that had been kept up to date; and the men of Lumsden’s Horse left South Africa not only in possession of every shilling of pay then due to them, but just as they had left India ten months earlier, owing not a debt in the country, though the country owed them much in the form of obligations that can never be forgotten except by the men, who, conscious of duty nobly done, need no other reward. They were leaving South Africa assured by every testimony that high approval could give that they had done their duty and done it well. They had with other soldiers taken their full share of great hardships. The weariness of long marches, the trying ordeals of exposure to fierce heat by day and bitter cold at night, sometimes drenched to the skin when they lay down to rest on the bare veldt with no tent to shelter them and not always a blanket to cover them, at other times benumbed by the icy coldness of a wind that stiffened their wet khaki tunics with frost which the sluggish blood had not warmth enough to thaw—all these things they had borne with a manly fortitude that won the respect of war-hardened veterans; and they were going back with the knowledge that the Commander-in-Chief of such an army as Great Britain had never sent to war before in all the long course of her Empire-making history, had signified his approval of their conduct in that telegram to the Viceroy of India expressing recognition of the excellent service rendered by officers, non-commissioned officers, and men, of whom he said: ‘It has been a pride and a pleasure to me to have under my command a Volunteer contingent which has so well upheld the honour of the Indian Empire.’

With these words assuring them of a great soldier’s appreciation, they were going back to the certainty of an enthusiastic welcome from the people of India, to whose honour all the good deeds of Lumsden’s Horse redound. Of the warmth of that welcome His Excellency the Viceroy had given them a foretaste when, in his reply to the message received from Lord Roberts, he sent back by cable the inspiriting words: ‘India will welcome those who are coming back with enthusiasm and wish God-speed to those who stay.’

It was with knowledge of the deep interest taken by Lord Curzon in all things concerning Lumsden’s Horse that the Commander-in-Chief telegraphed to him something more than a formal recognition of their services. It was with characteristic intuition and tact that the Viceroy replied, giving voice to the wishes of a whole people and expressing those wishes in the choicest of phrases. In this telegram Lord Curzon epitomised the meaning of all that he had said or done for the welfare of Lumsden’s Horse since the corps was formed nearly a year earlier, and his desire that its services should be recognised both officially and publicly as a bond between India and the Mother Country—an epoch-making event in which all classes of the Empire might equally take pride. All this and more His Excellency continued to demonstrate by the share he took in welcoming the warriors home, when his eloquent words appealed alike to the quick sympathies and to the intelligence of those who heard him speak, or read what he had to say. And long after the flood of popular enthusiasm had reached its height he continued to manifest his interest in the corps by practical efforts to benefit its surviving members, and by a most graceful tribute to the memory of those whose lives had been sacrificed for the honour of the Empire. At his own cost, Lord Curzon erected a tablet in St. Paul’s Cathedral, Calcutta, on which was inscribed the name of every man of the corps who had died in South Africa, and himself wrote the touching lines that will through after-ages commemorate the services they rendered. Throughout, Lord Curzon’s great aim was to foster and encourage the spirit of volunteering, the importance of which to a world-wide Empire nobody realises more fully than he. As a proof of his conviction in this regard, he has succeeded in getting an Inspector-General of Volunteers appointed on the Staff in India, and the first holder of this office is Major-General Hill, of the Bombay Staff Corps.

HOME FROM SOUTH AFRICA—N.C.O.S AND TROOPERS

Directly it was known through the telegram sent by Lord Roberts from Irene that Lumsden’s Horse were actually on their way home, a committee met at the Chamber of Commerce and elected Sir Patrick Playfair as its chairman. This body was thoroughly representative of the mercantile community and all the complex elements that constitute the most influential sections of society in Calcutta. It included judges, barristers, doctors, solicitors, besides the most prominent native merchants and princes, and formed altogether one of the most typical assemblages ever known in the city. It was called to decide what sort of reception should be given to Lumsden’s Horse, and its deliberations closed with the unanimous resolve to make the occasion worthy alike of a great country and of those who had fought for its honour with a courage and devotion characteristic of British soldiers. The decision was telegraphed to His Excellency the Viceroy, who was at that time absent from Calcutta on tour. The Committee were very anxious that Lumsden’s Horse should arrive in time to take part in the New Year Proclamation Parade commemorating the Empress of India’s accession, when, according to custom, there is a great military concentration in Calcutta of Regular troops, Volunteers, and all branches of the Imperial Service to be reviewed by the Viceroy.

In reply to Sir Patrick Playfair’s message the following telegram was received:

_Copy of a Telegram from U.S.V. to Sir Patrick Playfair, dated
Bangalore, December 8, 1900._

The Viceroy will be very glad to take part in any reception that it
may be possible to organise for Lumsden’s Horse on their return to
Calcutta, and would gladly entertain them to lunch or in some other
way; he consulted military department upon the subject a fortnight
ago, but has received no reply; difficulty seems to be, first, that
force is coming back in separate batches; second, that all of these do
not come to Calcutta, one batch being due at Bombay December 24; it is
for consideration whether it would be possible to invite the whole
force to Calcutta and give them public reception, but there may be
difficulties in this course.

About this time the Executive Committee received a most gratifying tribute to the reputation that the contingent had made for itself in South Africa. This was an intimation that Lloyd’s Patriotic Fund had voted 500_l._, under the rules of the institution, towards the expenses of Lumsden’s Horse in acknowledgment of their services to the Empire. A cheque for this generous amount had been forwarded to the Government of India.

_Photo: A. Saché & Co._
J.S. COWEN
]

Taking up again the thread of events, Major Neville Taylor tells the story of the voyage from Cape Town to Bombay in his own cheery way:

We had no horses to look after and no drill; no saddles or rifles, but
plenty of accommodation for the men. I think everyone enjoyed the rest
immensely.

Proceeding to Durban, we picked up most of the men who had left on
urgent private affairs in the ‘Catalonia,’ which had been unexpectedly
stopped at Durban. After the rough living of the veldt, the good
feeding on board ship was very welcome, and rapidly told its tale in
the condition of the men. Before leaving Cape Town, the Colonel had
authorised the purchase of extra stores for the men out of the corps
funds. Two or three evenings every week were wiled away with
sing-songs, and many hours of each day devoted to sport of some sort.
These gave Trooper J.S. Cowen, the regimental artist, many
opportunities of adding character sketches to the portfolio that was
already well filled with subjects from the war. On Christmas Day the
men had a really good dinner, and the officers were the guests of
Captain Wallace, the kind veteran commander of our ship, the
‘Atlantian.’ After a very lively voyage, during which but one ship was
sighted since the South African coast sank below the horizon, we drew
near the land of Hindustan once more. A day or so before our arrival
everyone was very busy putting things clean and straight. On the
morning of December 31 we came in sight of the mark-boat, which was
gaily dressed with flags in our honour and gave us a salute with her
gun. This was the first hint we had of the enthusiastic reception
awaiting us in India. As soon as anchor was dropped, we officers
received an invitation from the General to lunch with him at the Yacht
Club, and an intimation that the men were all to land at 5 P.M.

On December 26, Brigadier-General Ventris, Commanding at Bombay, had issued the following Garrison Order:

In connection with the expected arrival of Lumsden’s Horse from South
Africa per transport ‘Atlantian’ on or about the 28th inst., the
Officers commanding 2nd Bombay Grenadiers and 21st Bombay Infantry
will be good enough to detail their bands to be in attendance at the
Ballard Pier at 8 A.M. (on date to be hereafter notified).

All Officers of the Garrison, Regular and Volunteers, are invited to
be present.

Dress.—Review order, summer clothing.

The following appeared in the District Orders for the next day:

On the arrival of Lumsden’s Horse they will be marched from the
Ballard Pier to Victoria Terminus, _viâ_ Elphinstone Circle, Church
Gate Street, and Hornby Road.

The troops and Volunteers in garrison will line each side of Hornby
Road from the Floral Fountain to Victoria Terminus in the following
order, on Friday, the 28th inst., commencing at the Floral Fountain:
Royal Garrison Artillery; Norfolk Regiment (Detachment at Colaba); 2nd
Bombay Grenadiers; 21st Bombay Infantry; Bombay Volunteer Artillery;
Bombay Volunteer Rifles; and 1st B.B. & C.I. Railway Volunteer Rifle
Corps.

The Bombay Light Horse will, if possible, furnish a mounted escort.

The Regular troops will rendezvous at the Floral Fountain and the
Volunteers at the Victoria Terminus at 7.30 A.M. As Lumsden’s Horse
pass, troops should shoulder arms. When they have reached Victoria
Terminus troops may march to quarters.

Dress.—Review order, summer clothing.

The signal for the arrival of the transport ‘Atlantian’ with Lumsden’s
Horse on board will be four guns to be fired from the Saluting
Battery.

Officers commanding corps are requested to have someone at the
Saluting Battery up to 6 A.M. on the 28th inst., to ascertain if the
transport is signalled. Should the steamer be signalled after 6 A.M.
the parade will not take place till the 29th inst. at the same hour.

The ‘Atlantian,’ however, did not reach Bombay Harbour until 7 A.M. on December 31, with the following officers, non-commissioned officers, and men of Lumsden’s Horse on board:

Colonel Lumsden, Captain and Adjutant Taylor, Captain
Beresford, Captain Noblett, Captain Holmes, Surgeon-Captain
Powell. Staff—Regimental Sergeant-Major Hewitt, Regimental
Quartermaster-Sergeant Dale, Staff-Sergeant Stephens, Farrier-Sergeant
Marshall, Farrier-Sergeant Edwards, Pay-Sergeant Fraser, Orderly-Room
Sergeant Graves, Sergeant Longman, Lance-Sergeant S.S. Cuthbert,
Saddler Briggs, Privates Lowe, Lee, and Hayward. A Company—Company
Sergeant-Major Mansfield, Company Quartermaster-Sergeant Booth,
Sergeants Fox, Llewhellin, Stowell, Donald, and Rutherfoord, Corporal
Macgillivray, Lance-Corporals Lemon and Godden, Privates E.S.
Clifford, F.M. Clifford, C.H.M. Johnstone, Corbett, Dickens, Bradford,
Cowen, Webbe, Kennedy, Courtenay, Zorab, Renny, Ritchie, Gordon,
Atkinson, Watson, Brown, Henry, Allan, Aldis, John, Newton, Reid,
Campbell, Bell, Macdonald, Haines, Smith, Hughes, Tancred, Bolst,
Burnand, Dowd, and Palmer; Transport-Sergeant Power, Privates
Lovegrove, Doyle, Manville, Paxton, Daly, and Scott; and
Lance-Corporal Wheeler. B Company—Sergeant Conduit, Lance-Sergeant
Warburton, Corporal Jackman, Privates Nicolay, Bagge, Innes, Williams,
Nolan, Betts, Turner, Powis, Thelwall, Lytle, Spicer, Lungley, Winder,
Dexter, Martin, Moorhouse, Maxwell, and Allardice; Transport-Sergeant
Smith, Privates Rice, Crux, Meares, Rust, and Quartermaster-Sergeant
Morris.

Before going on shore at Bombay, Colonel Lumsden received the following telegram from Sir Patrick Playfair, C.I.E., Chairman of the Calcutta Reception Committee:

The people of Calcutta bid you and your gallant corps welcome. They
are proud of the way in which Lumsden’s Horse has represented India
against Britain’s enemies. They wish to do you honour on arrival in
Calcutta. You will be given a public reception, and the military bands
will play you into your camp. It is proposed that your corps should
take part in the Proclamation Parade on the morning of January 1, and
then attend a special Divine Service at the Cathedral. His Excellency
the Viceroy will entertain the corps at luncheon on Wednesday, January
2, and the reception committee are organising an evening party in the
Town Hall for the night of the same day.

HOME FROM SOUTH AFRICA—N.C.O. AND TROOPERS

Sir Patrick Playfair supplemented his telegram by a characteristically cordial letter which Colonel Lumsden found also awaiting him when the ‘Atlantian’ reached Bombay two days later:

Calcutta: December 24, 1900.

MY DEAR LUMSDEN,—Welcome back to India! You and your gallant men have
done splendid service, of which your countrymen in India, and your
native friends here, are justly proud, and you will have a great
reception. Owing to the numbers that wish to give you and the members
of your corps a hearty welcome, it may not be possible to inaugurate a
public banquet, and the alternative may be a reception in the Town
Hall on the evening of the 1st if His Excellency the Viceroy can be
present after the State dinner at Government House.

The Viceroy is taking the keenest interest in the return of the corps,
and is considering what had best be done. He has expressed his wish to
give the corps a luncheon at Government House.

It is suggested that you should arrive here on the evening of the 31st
or at dawn of the 1st, and be accommodated in camp on the Maidan and
take part in the Proclamation Parade on the morning of the 1st, attend
a short service in the Cathedral, and have a reception in the Town
Hall in the evening.

A meeting has been called, to be held in the rooms of the Bengal
Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, the 26th, to form a Reception
Committee.

You will be brought across at Government expense, and when in camp the
corps will draw ration pay, and the Executive Committee of Lumsden’s
Horse will arrange as formerly for your food while in camp.

It is to be hoped that all the members of your corps will come across;
and the Viceroy is further desirous that members of the corps who have
already returned to India and taken their discharge should be invited
to come to Calcutta and take part in the parade and public
demonstration. I am, therefore, communicating with those members who
have already returned to India, so far as I am aware of their names
and addresses.

The corps will be disbanded here, and the members will receive
warrants for railway fare to their homes.

Expenses connected with the public reception of the corps will be met
independently of the Lumsden’s Horse Fund. There is a balance here of
about Rs. 14,000 at credit of the fund. From your telegram received
from Durban—for which I thank you—we infer that you are returning with
about Rs. 40,000. The settlement of account for horses originally
contributed by troopers to the corps has yet to be made. This is
rather a large item. If the above balances be left, there should be a
fair sum at the disposal of the corps after liabilities are met.

Messrs. King, King, & Co. have kindly undertaken to have _sola topees_
waiting your arrival, as requested by telegram, and also to deliver
letters on board.

I am asking King, King, & Co. to wire to me whenever the steamer is
sighted, and again so soon as they ascertain how many of the corps are
with you—officers and men—on board. This is necessary and desired, as
there is some inconsistency between the military telegraphic
information and that received by me from you with regard to your
numbers.

Let me know the date and hour when you will leave Bombay, and the date
and hour when you will reach Howrah; also where, and on what dates,
telegrams will reach you when crossing India.

I shall not ascertain the programme and details of your reception
until after the 27th, and I shall have to wire all this.

Bombay may wish to entertain you, and in accepting their hospitality
be sure that their arrangements will bring you to Calcutta in time to
take part in the Proclamation Parade on the Maidan on the morning of
January 1.

It is doubtful if we can mount you. That remains to be seen. If we
cannot do so, the corps must march past, and will probably be formed
into a guard of honour to His Excellency thereafter.

Have you got your arms with you?

Is there anything in the matter of furnishing that the members of the
corps require on arrival?

I shall be very glad to see you, old fellow, and join in the hurrahs
that are waiting for you.

Please remember me to all your officers and to the members of the
corps.

I may write to you again to-morrow, but I cannot delay a letter any
longer in case my communication should miss you.

With the warmest greetings to you and your gallant officers and men,
and wishing you all a Merry Christmas,

Believe me,

Yours sincerely,

P. PLAYFAIR.

Lieutenant-Colonel Lumsden (Lumsden’s Horse),
Bombay.

Colonel Lumsden replied, December 31, 1900:

On behalf my corps please offer my best thanks to people of Calcutta
for promised reception. Much regret we have arrived too late to join
in Proclamation Parade. Our numbers are seven officers and eighty-nine
men. No arms. Our train leaves Bombay 7 to-night, timed arrive
Calcutta 6 P.M. Wednesday.

The luncheon was a delightful success, as it always is at the Yacht Club. Then all officers went on board and the official disembarkation was got through.

The ‘Times of India’ of January 1, 1901, had the following:

Among those present at the Bunder when the troops arrived from the
‘Atlantian’ were: His Excellency Lord Northcote, Governor of Bombay;
Brigadier-General F. Ventris, Commanding the Bombay District;
Lieutenant-Colonel R. Owen, Military Secretary to Lord Northcote;
Captain Greig, A.D.C.; Colonel Riddell, Assistant Adjutant-General;
Major Butcher, Commanding R.A., Colaba; Captain Oldfield, R.A.,
Captain Edwardes, Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General; the Honourable
Mr. Justice Crowe; the Honourable Mr. S.M. Moses; the Honourable Mr.
John R. Greaves; Major A. Leslie, Bombay Volunteer Artillery; Major
Soundy, V.D., Bombay Volunteer Rifles; Major Fowle, R.A.; Captain
Browne; Lieutenant G.W. Moir, Bombay Light Horse; Captain Stoddart,
B.V.A.; Lieutenant Robertson, R.A.; Captain J. Leash, Captain Savage,
Captain Rogers, Lieutenant Deane, Lieutenant Sharp, Lieutenant
Wilkinson, Lieutenant Moens, and Lieutenant Greaves, all of the Bombay
Volunteer Rifles; Prince Samatsingji of Palitana, the Nawab of
Radhanpore, and others.

Outside the Bunder shed were drawn up twenty men of the Governor’s
Bodyguard, and a detachment of the Bombay Light Horse under the
command of Lieutenant G.W. Moir.

The men belonging to Lumsden’s Horse left the ‘Atlantian’ in two
Government troop-boats, and landed at the Ballard Pier at 5 P.M.,
where they were given a cordial welcome by the Bombay Volunteers and
the general public, who had assembled at the pierhead in large
numbers. They were loudly cheered, and, forming fours, were marched
through the shed to the pavilion, in front of which stood the
Governor, Lord Northcote. Brigadier-General Ventris presented Colonel
Lumsden to His Excellency who cordially greeted him. The men took up
their position outside the shed, where they were inspected by Lord
Northcote.

The Governor then addressed the men in front of a large gathering of
spectators. He said: The present opportunity is one that it gives me
great pleasure to avail myself of to extend, on behalf of the Bombay
Presidency, a most cordial welcome to you, members of the gallant
band, some 281 strong, I believe, who left India some ten months ago
to serve our Queen-Empress in South Africa. We have followed with the
deepest interest the fortunes of your gallant corps, and we have read
with pride and pleasure the testimony that has been borne to your
valour and your service by Dr. Conan Doyle in his history of the war
and from many other sources. We read with pride and pleasure how you
gentlemen, sacrificing your ease and comforts and the luxuries of your
Eastern life, went forth to do your duty to your country in South
Africa—an object-lesson of patriotism to the Empire, and worthily
maintaining the traditions of Outram’s Volunteers. Well indeed have
the members of Lumsden’s Horse merited the warm eulogium which the
Commander-in-Chief in South Africa paid to you. Most truly did the
Viceroy say that the whole of India would greet your return with
enthusiasm. You gave us in your first fight a taste of the stuff of
which you were made when you cut your way through superior forces, one
detachment of you having been surrounded; and you won our admiration
by your return when, after losing a large percentage of your number,
every member came back with marks of bullets on him. That was but one
incident of your career of honour throughout the campaign. This is not
the occasion for anything in the nature of a long speech. You are
about to proceed to Calcutta, where you will receive a more formal,
but not a more hearty, welcome than we in Bombay extend to you to-day.
We in Bombay have seen too many valiant soldiers, both Native and
European, go forth from time to time to serve the Queen-Empress, not
to seize with pride and pleasure every opportunity of welcoming them
back again. It is with interest that we learn that many of you remain
to colonise and develop those countries which you have aided to
enfranchise. Some of your comrades, alas! sleep their last, an
honoured sleep, beneath the South African veldt. They were men who
held their lives as naught when it came to sealing their loyalty with
their life’s blood. To their memory be all honour and all gratitude
paid by their fellows in India. You, gentlemen, I will repeat once
more, have our heartiest congratulation and our warmest welcome.

Colonel Lumsden, in reply, said: On behalf of the corps which I have
the honour to command, let me offer you our warmest thanks and
gratitude for the very kind and cordial reception you have given us
to-day. I believe the present war was the first which had the honour
of calling out the Volunteers from across the seas, and we as the few
who represented India feel with deep respect and gratitude the warm
welcome you have given us on our return. Gentlemen (turning to his
men), I cannot make a long speech, but I ask you all to give three
cheers for the Governor and the residents of Bombay for having given
us such a hearty welcome.

The members of the corps responded to the call lustily, and the crowd
answered again with three cheers for Lumsden’s Horse.

A few brief orders, and the procession formed to march to the station.
It was headed by the Bodyguard and the Governor’s carriage as far as
the Floral Fountain. The band of the B.V.A. then led the way, followed
by the Bombay Light Horse and Lumsden’s Horse. Behind these came
numbers of carriages, and on either side pressed a crowd that seemed
unable to show its enthusiasm sufficiently. From the offices of the
Port Trust, by Elphinstone Circle and along Hornby Road, every window
was occupied. Handkerchiefs were to be seen waving on all sides, until
even the walls of the houses seemed to awake to the wonder of the
scene. After all, it was one such as India has rarely witnessed. The
Imperial instinct was aroused. The handful of men following the
Colonel they had bravely followed through all the chances and changes
of war, by whom they had stood for the sake of their country while the
bullets whistled and carried death around, were the embodiment of a
great idea, a noble sentiment. And the people saw and appreciated. The
crowd that had assembled to await the arrival of the troops as they
passed along joined in the march. Some pressed eagerly to speak to the
warriors—most were content to realise what it meant, this wave of
patriotism. The band in front changed the march tune. The music seemed
to become more jubilant as the great mass of soldiers and people swung
along in step. Bombay was rejoicing in very truth. The banners hung
out from the buildings told of it. The spirit of gladness pervaded
everything. Here was a grand ending of the old year. What would the
new year bring? A detachment of the Bodyguard had formed a line
outside the Victoria Terminus. The Bombay Light Horse took up a
position alongside. The band of one of the Native regiments played a
welcome, and under the portico Lumsden’s Horse tramped in, followed by
an enormous crowd. The officers of the garrison had arranged to give
the corps dinner in the refreshment-room. When the meal was over the
guests were fairly besieged. In the station itself it seemed as if
thousands of spectators had assembled. They shook hands with Lumsden’s
men. ‘Welcome,’ ‘Good Luck,’ and ‘A Happy New Year’ were heard
everywhere. It was a great day—one worth waiting for. As the train
steamed out of the station the building resounded again and again with
the cheering. On the line detonators sounded a parting salute, and the
crowd, now hoarse with shouting, dispersed.

Major Taylor also deals with these incidents briefly, and then carries on a lively narrative up to the hour when Lumsden’s Horse, having made a record journey across India, arrived at Calcutta:

When the troops landed there was a great crowd with bands playing. The
Governor (Lord Northcote) made us a speech full of kindly references
and good wishes as he bade us welcome home. The corps then marched
with the band and an enthusiastic throng—among which numbers of
Parsees were particularly prominent—to the railway station. There all
Lumsden’s Horse found themselves the honoured guests of the Bombay
Garrison, officers of the Regulars and Volunteers having combined,
with the most gratifying unanimity, to give us festive welcome. All
the regimental and private baggage had been taken over by our kind
hosts and put on the train, so that all the men had to do was just to
march into the train. Great enthusiasm prevailed. The fine band of a
Native regiment (the 21st Bombay Infantry) played us off, and so, amid
much cheering, the train steamed out, firing a salute in our honour as
it passed over lines on which detonating signals had been placed at
regular intervals. About 10 o’clock at night we passed a Volunteer
camp and stopped at the station, where bands were playing. The whole
force from camp was paraded on the platform, a great honour at that
time of night. Then we went on again at full speed, stopping only for
meals at stations, which were dressed gaily with flags, and at each of
these bands of sorts assembled, and we were entertained free of cost.
One halt was called at a very small station, but even there we were
escorted from the train to the dining-tent by the best band they had.
It was native and local, its instruments being one big drum, two
kettledrums, three flutes, two penny whistles. That was all they could
do, but they did it. Their desire to honour us was evident, though
their means were small—except the big drum—and this demonstration
touched us perhaps even more than the most elaborate ceremonials
prepared for our reception. Eventually, at about 7 o’clock, we reached
Calcutta, having performed the journey in record time, which was due
entirely to the skill, kindness, and courtesy of Mr. T.R. Wynne,
manager of the Bengal-Nagpur Railway, who caused all other traffic to
be shunted wherever necessary in order that Lumsden’s Horse might keep
faith with the multitude of friends who were waiting to welcome them
in the city from which they had set out.

The following orders were issued by the military authorities at Army Headquarters:

Lumsden’s Horse will be accorded a public reception on their arrival
in Calcutta at about 4 P.M. on January 2.

The General Officer Commanding and Staff will meet Lumsden’s Horse at
Howrah station; regimental and departmental officers not on duty are
invited to attend. Dress: drill order, serge.

Lieutenant-Colonel Swaine, R.I.R., will command the troops; Staff
Officers, Major Carpendale and Captain Hill.

The following arrangements will be made at Howrah:

On the arrival of Lumsden’s Horse a procession will be formed. The
Calcutta Light Horse will form the advanced guard, followed by the
14th Bengal Lancers. Regimental bands will follow in the following
order: 2nd Madras Infantry, 7th Bengal Infantry, Royal Irish Rifles
Volunteers. Then will follow General Officer Commanding and Staff and
Lumsden’s Horse. The several Volunteer corps will be formed up in line
in the order hereinafter detailed, with ranks opened and facing
inwards to form a lane, and as the procession passes they will in
succession ‘shoulder arms.’ On Lumsden’s Horse passing the Calcutta
Port Defence Volunteers, the several Volunteer corps will join in the
procession in the order in which they are standing.

The units will be formed in the following order, commencing from
Howrah station: E.I.R. Volunteers, E.B.S.R. Volunteers, 3rd Battalion
C.V.R., 2nd Battalion C.V.R., 1st Battalion C.V.R., Cossipur Artillery
Volunteers, C.P.D. Volunteers.

The procession will proceed along the following route: Hugli Bridge,
Strand Road, Clive Ghat Street, Clive Street, Dalhousie Square North,
Dalhousie Square East, Old Court House Street, the Lawrence Monument,
to Lumsden’s Horse Camp pitched on the Maidan between Calcutta and
Plassey Gates.

The Fort William Garrison will line the route from Government Place to
the camp in the following order: 20th Bombay Infantry, 2nd Madras
Infantry, Royal Irish Rifles, No. 9 Company E.O.R.G.A., 45th Battery
R.F.A.

On Lumsden’s Horse reaching their camp, officers commanding corps will
form up independently and march to quarters. Should the arrival of
Lumsden’s Horse be delayed till after dark, torches will be provided,
with reference to which subsidiary orders will be issued.

Definite information as to the time of arrival will be circulated at
noon on January 2.

Corps should be in position twenty minutes before the train is due.

The Chief Commissariat Officer will provide transport for the baggage
of Lumsden’s Horse, and the 7th Bengal Infantry will furnish an escort
of a N.C.O. and twelve men to escort the baggage from Howrah to Camp.

By order,

J.M. CARPENDALE, Major,

Officiating Garrison Quartermaster.

In substitution of the memo, bearing the same date:

Officers attending the reception at the Town Hall in honour of
Lumsden’s Horse on the evening of January 2 will wear mess dress.

Officers who have been invited as guests by His Excellency the Viceroy
to luncheon on January 3, to meet Lieutenant-Colonel Lumsden and
officers and men of Lumsden’s Horse, will appear in drill order.
(Mounted officers, undress overalls and Wellington boots.)

By order,

E.R. ELLES, Major-General,

Adjutant-General in India.

Army Headquarters, Fort William: December 31, 1900.

Major Carpendale, of the Bombay Cavalry, acting as Garrison Quartermaster, with great kindness took upon himself all arrangements for the camp. This was pitched on the glacis of Fort William, overlooking the broad Maidan, and provided with every necessary article of equipment, the mess tents and others being in all respects complete and comfortable. The following appeared in the ‘Englishman’ of January 3, 1901:

Punctually at 5.30 yesterday evening, the time previously announced
for its arrival, the eagerly awaited train bringing Lumsden’s Horse
from Bombay, drew up alongside the new arrival platform of the
Bengal-Nagpur Railway Company at Howrah. The scene which the station
presented to the returning Volunteers must have struck those who were
not wrapt up in more important personal concerns as exceptionally
bright and picturesque. The Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal (His Honour
Sir John Woodburn) paid to the corps and its commanding officer the
great compliment of coming with his Staff and a brilliant escort to
receive them at the station. Outside, where the Bengal Lancers in
their striking uniforms, with pennons flying, together with the
Calcutta Light Horse, were drawn up, were long rows of tall Venetian
masts, from which strings of gaily coloured flags fluttered. ‘Welcome’
in bold white letters on a groundwork of red appeared as the chief
feature of an ornamental arch facing the entrance. The roof of the
platform itself and the pillars were most tastefully decorated with
festoons of evergreens and arrangements of bunting. When mention is
also made of the ladies occupying specially erected stands on either
side of the gateway, and of the large and representative assembly of
officials, military and civilian, gathered, sufficient has been said
to warrant the men of Lumsden’s Horse, as they looked out from the
carriage windows, feeling that Calcutta was not unmindful of them and
had prepared a fitting reception. As the coaches came to a standstill
the friends of the ‘boys in khaki’ flocked round to bid them welcome
by a hearty grip of the hand, to exchange greetings and news. There
were no scenes. Britons do not, as a rule, make public parade of their
deepest feelings. The occasion, moreover, was a gladsome one, and it
did all present good to note the magnificently robust health of the
men displayed in their sturdy figures and ruddy and bronzed faces; all
looked remarkably fit, and none more so than the gallant Colonel
himself, who was first to step from his carriage. He at once walked
towards the group where the Lieutenant-Governor, Bishop Welldon,
General Leach, and other distinguished personages were standing. After
a course of hand-shaking, the Colonel directed his attention to the
detraining of his men. Soon they were busily engaged in getting out
their kits. When this task was accomplished, they were formed into
line and His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor said:

Colonel Lumsden,—The citizens of Calcutta give you and your gallant
men of the Indian contingent a very hearty and enthusiastic welcome.
You have had a hard time abroad, and suffered great privations. But I
should like you to know that your career has been followed by those
left behind in Calcutta with the greatest admiration and pride.
Gentlemen all, let us give Colonel Lumsden and his gallant men three
hearty cheers.

Needless to say there was a quick and cheerful response to this
request, and before it had quite subsided Sir John called for ‘one
cheer more,’ which was given with equal heartiness. Colonel Lumsden,
in a voice the huskiness of which betokened the depth of his feelings,
called on the men of the Indian contingent to respond with ‘three
cheers for the Lieutenant-Governor.’ Their effort emphasised the fact
that in lung power and appreciation for Sir John Woodburn their trip
to South Africa had effected no deteriorating influences, nor was
there anything wanting in the worth of the response to the gallant
Colonel’s call for ‘one more for the citizens of Calcutta.’ The men
then formed fours and marched out to receive the welcome of the
thousands collected round the approaches to the station and along the
route.

Among those present on the platform were: The Hon. Mr. Cotton, Chief
Commissioner of Assam (now Sir Henry Cotton, K.C.S.I.); General Leach,
commanding Presidency District; the Most Rev. Dr. Welldon,
Metropolitan of India and Lord Bishop of Calcutta; Major the Hon. E.
Baring, Military Secretary to the Viceroy; Sir Patrick Playfair; Mr.
R.T. Greer, Chairman of the Calcutta Corporation; Rev. Mr. Jackson;
Mr. Harry Stuart; Mr. Apjohn, Vice-Chairman Port Commissioners; Major
Harington, Commandant Artillery Company C.P.D.V.; Captain Bradshaw,
Artillery Company C.P.D.V.; Major Churchill, commanding 9th
E.D.G.R.A.; Captain Deverill; Lieutenant-Colonel Meade, Officiating
Commandant Calcutta Volunteer Rifles; Dr. J. Neild Cook, Health
Officer; Mr. Dring, Agent E.I. Railway; Major Cooper, C.V. Rifles;
Colonel Master, Assistant Adjutant-General; Captain Iggulden,
Deputy-Assistant Adjutant-General; Mr. H.M. Rustomjee, and a host of
others.

It was about a quarter to 6, the dusk just merging into dark, when the
picturesque procession swung over the bridge. The Calcutta Light
Horse, neat and trim, sitting firmly in their saddles, composed the
van. The Native Cavalry from Alipur followed—great black-bearded men
mounted on fretting horses; then the bands of four regiments, the 2nd
Madrasis, the 20th Bombay Infantry, the Royal Irish Rifles, and the
Calcutta Volunteers. Immediately behind were Lumsden’s Horse—on foot.
The bridge and its approaches were packed with seething masses of
people, who were with difficulty restrained from breaking through the
ranks of the Calcutta Port Defence and the Rifle Volunteers who lined
each side of the roadway and brought up the rear of the procession
after Lumsden’s Horse had passed through.

On the Calcutta side of the bridge a novel element was introduced, the
flanks of the column being illuminated by numbers of men carrying
acetylene lamps on poles—a very efficient substitute for torches. The
route taken was almost an historic one, for by it all our great
Viceroys have entered Calcutta; but it may safely be said that never
have the Strand Road, Clive Road, and that stretch flanked by
magnificent buildings which leads direct to the Maidan, witnessed
scenes of more moving enthusiasm than when Lumsden’s Horse, after
perils oft and tribulations, came marching home again. From Howrah to
the camp on the Maidan the roadway and buildings beside were lined
with the densest masses of humanity the eye can conceive. The
spectacle was a striking illustration of the variety and numbers of
the population of Calcutta. Naturally the crowds were thickest in the
northern part of the route, where the close-packed Native city
contributed its thousands, but even in the more European part of the
town one wondered whence the sightseers had come. It is probably no
exaggeration to say that so large a multitude of civilian Europeans
has never before been drawn together for a similar demonstration in
the East.

The decorations were most tasteful, especially down Dalhousie Square
South and Old Court House Street, where the larger shops were
brilliantly lighted behind the groups of well-dressed people who
thronged the verandahs and balconies. Partly because the Oriental is
by nature averse to violent demonstration, and partly because there
does not exist in India that class which ‘mafficks’ in London streets,
there was never any real roar of sustained cheering, but there could
be no mistaking the reality and fervour of the emotion that shook the
crowd as the returning warriors marched along. Besides, no man of
Lumsden’s Horse could have regretted the absence of that which made
more touching felicitations possible. The repression of the masculine
desire to express feelings by making a noise afforded the feminine
element an opportunity of extending a pretty and graceful welcome by
waving handkerchiefs and little flags, and uttering with each flutter
some tiny cry of admiration and delight, which reached distinctly the
ears of those for whom it was meant. The second part of the route was
lined by the troops in garrison, including the battery from
Barrackpur. Along the Maidan roads down to the camp the crowds were
the least dense, but represented the most wealthy sections of the
community. In dealing with them there was not the same necessity for
police supervision, and if people broke through the line of soldiers,
rushing forward to welcome their friends in the ranks, and escorted
them to the camp, why, no harm was done. Indeed, unrehearsed incidents
of this kind added the final touch to the heartiness and friendliness
of India’s greeting to those who had fought for our Empire in a far
country. When the long procession drew near Government House in the
gathering darkness, H.E. the Viceroy and Lady Curzon, with their
children and a large number of the Viceregal Staff, walked to the
south-east gate, and, standing on the roadway, waved a welcome to the
corps as it marched past. The roads on each side, and hence through
the Maidan skirting Eden Gardens, were lined by companies of the Royal
Irish Rifles. Of course, the appearance and bearing of the Volunteers
whom all had assembled to honour were keenly watched. The men had
grown leaner and browner than when they sailed away, and their
marching was in strong contrast to the stiff upright gait of the Port
Defence Volunteers behind them. It happens that in the stern, actual
business of war men learn to grasp only essentials. These returning
soldiers had plumbed the realities of life. Hunger they had known, and
thirst, and heat, and cold, and wounds, and the ever-present risk of
death. In such conditions the formalities that surround the British
Army in peace time drop away. Soldiers learn—and their officers
too—that, for instance, it matters not how one marches so long as one
does march. Thus it is that Lumsden’s Horse came through the streets
of Calcutta with bodies swinging carelessly forward, with eyes eager
and roving instead of being fixed at ‘attention,’ with ranks loosened
instead of being set in compact stiffness. It has sometimes been said
that war spoils men for drill. But it is something that the Volunteer
ranks in India have been leavened by men who know what campaigning is
really like. The feeling of those Calcutta Volunteers who assisted in
the procession was thus partly one of pride, for were not Lumsden’s
Horse also of themselves, and partly of prospective gratitude, for had
not the successes of their comrades in the great war opened the way
for their own employment also? No longer can it be said that unless
Volunteers attain an irreproachable precision in drill and smartness
in bearing they are useless as fighting men.

Large crowds of well-dressed persons, natives, and equipages of all
descriptions followed the corps up to the camp, where gunners of the
45th Field Battery lined the way. On arrival there three hearty cheers
were given for the men of Lumsden’s Horse, the cheers being repeated
over and over till the men were dismissed. In camp the scene was an
animated one. Men of the corps, singly and in groups, were centres of
attraction to friends and strangers alike. Conversation was free,
eager questions being good-humouredly answered, and questions repeated
and answered over and over again. The scene was well illuminated. A
well-ordered little camp of twenty tents has been pitched on the old
cricket ground of the Calcutta Cricket Club, exactly south of the Eden
Gardens. The camp has been furnished in ordinary military style and is
pitched in rows of three, with one tent for the officers of the corps,
a large mess tent, a canteen, and the usual necessaries. Camp
furniture only is allowed, consisting of a wooden folding-bed with a
straw mattress and pillow, and a few zinc tubs and basins for lavatory
purposes. The mess tent consists of four fly tents, open at the sides,
with a long table, big enough to accommodate a hundred hungry men,
running along its entire length.

After dinner, the men were formed up at 8.45 P.M. and marched into the
Town Hall, where they arrived at 9 P.M. After a short stay downstairs
they were ordered upstairs, where a most brilliant reception awaited
them.

This evening reception at the Town Hall was an entire success. The
decorations of the hall were most elaborate and characterised by great
taste.

On the landing upstairs, in addition to greenery in profusion, a
number of naval 9-pounders and a Hotchkiss machine gun, Nordenfeldts
and Maxims were arranged to form a central group, all these being
flanked by a number of small ancient ship’s brass cannons and
howitzers.

A daïs was erected in the centre of the hall, facing the main
entrance, which was occupied by His Excellency the Viceroy, Lady
Curzon, His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor, the Commander-in-Chief,
General Leach, Sir E. Buck, Bishop Welldon, Sir F. Maclean, Lady
Jenkins, and others, while the space in front was roped off, and here
stood in lines the members of Lumsden’s Horse, whose Colonel, as the
Viceroy’s party passed through, presented to His Excellency every
officer of the corps in turn. No time was lost, after the arrival of
Lord and Lady Curzon, in proceeding with the object of the gathering.

His Excellency the Viceroy said:

Colonel Lumsden, Officers and Men of Lumsden’s Horse,—It is not yet a
year since I was bidding you farewell at Kidderpur Docks. You had
appointed me the Honorary Colonel of a corps of Volunteers that had
never seen warfare, but that was starting out at the call of duty, and
in many cases at great personal sacrifice, to fight for the Queen and
the Empire. Now you have come back, the war-stained and laurel-crowned
veterans of a long and arduous campaign; and we are all here this
evening to welcome you home and to do you honour. I, your Honorary
Colonel, am as proud of you as if I had been through the campaign at
your side, which being a man of peace I am very glad to think that I
was not called upon to do; and all of us here, the citizens of
Calcutta who subscribed to your outgoing, and have kept a watch upon
you ever since, feel a sort of parental glow at receiving back again
our one corps of Indian Volunteers to South Africa, who have shown
that the Englishman in India is not one whit behind his countrymen at
home or his cousin in the Colonies in daring and risking and suffering
for the flag that waves above us all.

For we know well through what hardships and experiences you have
passed since you steamed away down the Hugli in February last. The one
characteristic that has struck me most in this South African campaign
has been the physical strain and suffering which it has imposed. We
have robbed travel and sport and adventure nowadays of most of their
roughness, but war, even when your enemy is out of sight, and you
scarcely ever set eyes upon him, though it has lost in romance, has
not lost, nay—I think it has gained—in peril and privation. We have
followed you in your breathless marches across the dismal veldt, in
your assaults upon those deadly kopjes, in your days of endurance and
fighting, in your grim nights under the cold stars. We have
commiserated you when some of your number were taken prisoners, but we
were consoled when we heard that you were more frequently the pursuers
than the pursued, that you captured far more of the enemy than the
enemy did of you. We felt a thrill of pleasure when you were praised
by the Generals and, above all, by the brave old Field-Marshal who
knew what our men from India could do; and when you were publicly
thanked in despatches we all of us felt as if our own names had
appeared in the ‘Birthday Gazette.’ One thousand five hundred miles of
marching, twenty-nine actions of one kind or another—and all this in
the space of ten months. This is not a bad record for our pioneer body
of Indian Volunteers.

I was delighted, Colonel Lumsden, that in one respect you most
strictly obeyed the final instructions which as your Commanding
Officer, in mufti, I ventured to address to you in February of last
year. I urged you and your men to be there or thereabouts when the
British forces entered Pretoria. Knowing your keen sense of
discipline, it was with no surprise that I learned that on June 5
Lumsden’s Horse marched into that place in the van of Lord Roberts’s
occupying force. I only regret that I did not issue a few more timely
injunctions to you, such, for instance, as the capture of General De
Wet, since I have little doubt that you would have carried them out to
the letter.

There was one other remark that I made a year ago to which I must
allude. I said that there were some among those whom I was addressing
who might have to face the supreme peril without which war cannot be
waged. You all of you carried your lives in your hands, and a few of
your number have handed in your cheques at the great audit. But we
rejoice that it was only a few—a brave and heroic fraction, but still
only a fraction. You lost your second in command, the gallant Major
Showers, whom Nature had intended for a soldier and whom destiny in
his first encounter claimed as a hero. But besides him only five
others were killed, while two only died of disease in the entire
campaign. Indeed, the total casualties were fewer than twenty-four,
which in a force of over 250 men is, I think, a very remarkable
result. I doubt not that all the rest of you have often faced death,
and that many have triumphed over disease. So much the more cause is
there for satisfaction at coming back on your part and for rejoicing
on ours.

Colonel Lumsden, I am only addressing less than one half of the force
that mustered before me a year ago. Some have stayed behind in Africa
to continue, in the Regular Army, in the police, or in civil
appointments, the good service which they have rendered during the
past ten months. Though they are far away, and have cut the painter
from India, we include them in our gratitude and well-wishes to-night.
Others have already gone back to their Indian homes, and have been
unable to attend here to-day. We honour them in honouring you. In
their distant plantations or in their employments, wherever they may
be, possibly they will read of this gathering, and will know that they
equally have their places in our reception. As for the rest of those
here present, you, Colonel Lumsden, will always have the pride of
recollecting that it was to your initiative and liberality that this
corps owed its being, and that in the history of the war it bore your
name with credit and without a stain; while you, officers and men, as
you revert to your several avocations in civil life, and as the past
year fades into a hazy dream, will never forget that at a critical
moment in the fortunes of your country you came forward, and staked
much, endured much, and wrought much for the honour of the greatest
thing on earth—namely, the British name.

Officers and men, it was a pride to me to bid you God-speed nearly a
year ago. It is an inexpressible pleasure to me to welcome you back
this evening, and to thank you, in the name of India, for what you
have done in the service of the Empire.