AN ULSTER MOBILISATION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13300, 9 February 1914, Page 6

AN ULSTER MOBILISATION.

The Daily Telegraph says that General Richardson, commander of the Ulster Volunteer Force, on December 14, issued a general order for the mobilisation of the signalling and despatch-riding corps, m order to test its efficiency and readiness. - The assumption was that the Government had withdrawn the postal and telegraph services, and that it was necessary to deliver" urgent messages to all battalion and company commanders throughout Ulster. Leading towns had a head post-house as part of the main trunk system, and also pa a centre for covering the outlying districts. The service was almost exclusively by motor cyclists, but. m, some remote sub-slistricts, where! roads were very bad, pedal cycles were employed, and m two instances members of a hunt club- rode their hunters across country to avoid a tedious roundabout journey. ■. • ■ s- - At the headquarters.in the Town Hall, ' Belfast, over forty motor cyclists parad- * ed and were-inspected by General Rich- ' ardson. They subsequently started off to i complete the first relay to various points ] m the counties of Down, Antrim, and ' Armagh, where other riders were m ' readiness to complete the next stage. ' The despatches for Derry reached their \ destination well inside four hours —a re--markable achievement having regard to 1 the state of the roads and the weather. J There was not a single absentee at : any stage of the journey, nor a single ' failure to keep to schedule on the trunk 1 line. The men rode m threes, so as to < avoid delay from punctures or other i causes. General Richardson, accom- i panied by Colonel Backett Pain and t Captain Spencer, followed the riders ' over one section of the route to Armagh 1 town, and inspected the post-houses eh route. He spoke roost highly of the < admirable and: expeditious way m which the work was done. | Altogether over 400 motorists took j part m the mobilisation test, many of ] whom gave up their usual sports of football and hockey for the day. ' ] ■ "I