County Associations--was already at
hand and would have proved by far the most efficient and economical
method of raising the troops required.

Lord MacDonald and those who are left of the early Volunteer soldiers
must, in their old age, rejoice in the knowledge that they have lived
to see the force, which they tended and nurtured against such
appalling difficulties, actually for several months standing between
the Empire and disaster.

Such a spirit as that which the Volunteers cultivated and maintained
is bound sooner or later to make itself felt, and, as the years rolled
on, the country came at last dimly and slowly to realise the
Volunteers' true value. They figured in the field as early as 1882 in
the Egyptian Campaign, and played their part afterwards in much
greater numbers throughout the South African War.

After Lord Kitchener had made his call upon the country for the New
Armies, the Territorials found themselves neglected and put in the
shade.

It is true that by the terms of their engagement, Territorial
soldiers were only available for home defence; but even in peace time
a certain proportion of the force had volunteered to serve anywhere in
case of war, and it was always anticipated that, when the necessity
arose, a renewed call would be made upon the whole force to
do likewise. The response to the call which was subsequently made upon
them shows quite clearly that, had they been asked at first, they
would have come forward almost to a man.

However, as it turned out, they were ignored and the call was never
made upon them. Officers and men alike, naturally and inevitably made
up their minds that they were not wanted and would never be used for
any other purpose than that for which they had originally taken
service, namely, the defence of the United Kingdom.

But the time for the employment of troops other than the Regulars of
the old Army arrived with drastic and unexpected speed. The wastage of
war proved to be so enormous that the fighting line had to be
reinforced almost before the new Armies were in existence.

It was then that the country in her need turned to the despised
Territorials.

The call came upon them like a bolt from the blue. No warning had been
given. Fathers and sons, husbands and brothers, left families, homes,
the work and business of their lives, almost at an hour's notice to go
on active service abroad.

It seems to me that we have never realised what it was these men we