THE MILITIA OF THE UNITED KINGDOM.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5321, 27 May 1885, Page 4

THE MILITIA OF THE UNITED KINGDOM.

*> • (From the A-valandATil'tary Gazette.) A return has been made showing the ' establishment of each regiment of militia ! in the United Kingdom, and the numbers j present and absent, and the number of militia reserve men enrolled and effective \ at the training of 1884. The total number j ' supposed to be upon the English establishment of all arms is 91,123 of all ' ranks. This establishment is, however, confessedly short of its full complement ' by 15,425. Again, 8895 men of those enrolled were absent (5968 of them without leave, four infantry officers among tho number). There were, in fact, 67,113 men, of whom 1584 wero officers, exclusive of tho permanent staff, present at the training of the various regiments last year. The difference was made up by the presence of j supernumeraries. Of the men already mentioned who were present at training, 20,972 were men of the Militia Reserve effective at training, and 4132 additional men have since been enrolled for tho Militia Eeserve. This total establishment of 91,123 ia made up of 16 brigades of artillery with 8575 men, of whom 5964 were present ; of five regiments of engineers with 1452 men, of whom 909 were present, and 95 battalions of infantry with a strength on paper of 81,096 men, of whom 67,113 were present at the yearly training. The number of reserve men herein included ia 2378 artillery, 285 engineers. 18,312 infantry. j The total number on the Scottish establishment is 14,760 officers and men. This number is made up of five brigades of artillery, with 3016 men; and 13 battaliona of infantry, with 11,744 men. Tho numbers actually enrolled, however, are 13,967 — namely, 2769 artillery, of whom 48 are officers, and 11,198 infantry, of whom 241 are officers. Of these 2509 artillery and 9646 infantry — 12,155 in all — were present at the annual training. Included in these numbers are 3727 militia reserve men,an d 617 have joined the reserve since the training. For the Irish establishment the number on paper is 32,108 — namely, 8264 artillery and 23,844 infantry. The enrolled numbers are, as in the other cases, considerably smaller — namely, 14 brigades of artillery with 5855 men, of whom 165 are officers, and 31 battalions of infantry, with 17,254 men, of whom 465 are officers. Of these 5288 artillery and 15,536 infantry were present at the annual training. Of these 7282 belong to the reserve, which force has been joined since the training by 1869 men. Thus, whereas 137,991 militiamen are supposed to be on the establishment of the United Kingdom, the number actually en,rolled is 113,787, namely— ls,33s artillery, 1007 engineers, 97,445 infantry; and of these 100,092 served the annual training, while 12,992 were absent with or without leave. The number of men enrolled for the Militia Eeserve since last training is 6618. A somewhat similar return is issued of the Yeomanry ("Javalry in Great Britain ; there are no Yeomanry Cavalry in Ireland. There are in all 39 corps, 34 of them English, and five Scottish, representing on paper an establishment of 14,404, with 9429 horses. The number of men actually enrolled, however, ia 11,488, of which number 9548, among them 581 officers, were present at the annual training, and 1940 were absent with or without leave.