SPOILS OF WAR

Waikato Times, Volume 118, Issue 19665, 27 August 1935, Page 10

SPOILS OF WAR

CUSTOM THROUGH AGES. “SOUVENIRS" TO-DAY. In bygone days in Great Britain and the rest of Europe a king and his Court were mainly supported by supplies requisitioned from the people, and when the king made even a peaceful progress through his Dominions the royal purveyors who went ahead of tlio royal party took by force any provisions, forage, horses, or wagons needed for the monarch’s use, and many and hitter were the complaints of the exactions practised by these men, although they were supposed to make some small return in money for what they had commandeered (writes Flinders Barr in the Sydney Morning Herald). This was one of the heaviest grievances of the earlier ages. If this kind of thing went on in England in time 'Of peace, one may imagine what happened abroad in time of war, when It was the custom for a hostile army to live on 'the territory of the enemy, taking toy force everything that could toe found In the way of food or forage, and leaving the wretched inhabitants to starve. Nothing like a modern Army Service Corps or a Commissariat Department had been evolved. Gervaso Markham, In his “Souldiers’ Manual,” a work published in London in the seventeenth century, says: “The forrage-masler-gencral is a principal dependent upon the lord marshall of the army.” This forage-master’s duly was to take a party of troops out with horses 'and wagons and secure what forage and food supplies ho could find In flic surrounding country. Another quaintly-named officer accompanied the armies of other days, called the “.proviat-master general," who was the commissary of provisions, and afterwards developed into a commissariat officer. Ho had the superintendence and issuing of all rations in hts charge, though his duties overlapped those of the forage-master occasionally. Thus the proviat-master-general had instructions to take under his care and protection all the mills in the neighbourhood of his camp, so that he might easily get his corn ground; probably bo would also “lake under his protection” any corn found in the said mill. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, when a large number of 'English troops were on active service in Holland helping Hie Dutch against the Spanish, a very dangerous system of rationing was Introduced, “a newe Invention, never before heard of amongst men of warre, and this was that insteado of pay with-money, the souldiers should be paid In provand, which was bread and cheese, and other such victuall of the cheape and basest sort." As may bo imagined, the experiment was an utter failure, the mon selling their surplus fond directly It was issued to them, and starving afterwards. Singular Altruism. There is a curious story of a foraging party sent out from a camp one day in a hostile- country, to get what they could; it was just when the wheat was ripe, and some few miles away they met an ancient farmer, whom the"officer ordered to show them tho best field of ripe corn 'thereabout. Ihe old man led them a little way, passing what seemed to he some fine fields on either side of the road, and (hen showed them the field lie suggested they should eut. Before leaving, however, the officer asked the peasant, why he had chosen this particular field, as it. seemed no hotter, if as good, as others they had passed. “Because the others belonged to my neighbours, hut this one is mine,” said Hie noble old man. This story -sounds almost too good to he true, and reminds one in a way of George Washington. During the Civil War In England both sides occasionally levied heavy contributions on the people, who suffered severely, and Sir Henry Slingsby, an old cavalier who was attached to tlie person of King Charles I, wrote in his diary, one day in iGio: “In our quarters we. had little accommodation, but in all tlie places wo came to, the best was at- Old Radnor, where the King lay in a poor chamber, and iny Lord of Lindsay and others by the kitchen fire on bundles of bay. The •King had for his supper a pullet and some cheese, but. the room without was full of officers, 'though their stomachs were empty.” The poor woman of the house was much troubled by tho continual calls for food which she could not supply. Prize Money. In the old days a sailor had his prize, money, and a soldier his loot. These were about, the only consolations they had. and were, after all. much more useful than pyramids of glory. When, in ibo early years of the last century, Wellington was engaged in bis great, last: of driving the Frenrh out of Spain, one of bis slrielesl injunctions lo his troops was that there -must be no tooling of any kind, under pain of draHi. Spain being Britain's ally. In siime of diaries Lever’s shu'ics M military life, one finds various mentions of these instructions, and in “diaries

O'Malley,” for Instance, Major Monsoon (a character drawn from life), a commissariat officer noted for his fondness for picking up unconsidered trifles, otherwise loot, happened on one occasion to be in charge of a larse number of wagons laden with army stores. Unfortunately one of •these broke down just at an angle of the road where Wellington was watting with his staff to watch the troops | defile. Everyone stood aghast as,, amongst bread and beef rations, out I rolled on to the dusty road a whole 1 •avalanche of gold and silver ecclesiastical ornaments and vessels, stolen from (lie neighbouring Spanish churches. "Who lias command of this detachment?” shouted out, Sir Arthur: in a voice which made everyone tremble. “Major Monsoon, of the Portuguese Brigade, your Excellency.” “The d d old rogue—l know him. Hang him on Ihe spot," said Hie general, pointing to a convenient, tree lay the roadside, as lie slowly rode away. Fortunately for Hie major a friend of his, who was also intimate with Wellington, rode up at the moment, and consented to intercede. for him. otherwise Major Monsoon would have collected no more spoils of war. Brought to Australia. Being what wo are, there is generally ■something pleasant in getting something for nothing, and even the most | moral of us might lie iorgi\rn if. on J an occasion when loot was lying about : in considerable quantities, he yielded to the temptation in a very small degree: although we are told that, into such matters, the question of degree does not enter, I have been told that a fair amount of loot trom Peking found its way to Sydney and other places after the return of the Australian troops from Ihe Boxer War: part of this came from Ihe Rummer Palace and is very valuable.' After the Great War everyone seems to have tried to bring back something that had once I •belonged to Ihe enemy: though_ it is j bal'd to understand Iha I particular ; Iv no of mon I a lily whit’ll look mimin' pains to introduce into the Gonimmiweallh such peculiar articles ol loot as live shells, though a good many were brought hack. Anyway, we. are gelling more refined every day. and pave quite repudiated such vulgai . words as plunder and loot : when re-frn-inc Io imemisidered trifles we may , have happened upon we call them m- . stead "souveniors.”