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The Colonel Commandant of the "Queen's
Westminsters" (1896)
Colonel Sir Charles Howard Vincent has commanded the
"Queen's Westminsters" ever since the year 1884, coming to the
regiment after having already seen elsewhere much more of military service
than usually falls to a Volunteer Commanding Officer's lot. He was
trained in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, in which distinguished regiment he
served for five years with the colours as a subaltern. After that he
did duty for two years with the Royal Berks Militia, and then for another
three years as Lieutenant-Colonel he commanded the Central London Rangers,
the 22nd Middlesex Volunteers. In addition, there is hardly a
European army of which Sir Howard Vincent has not had some
experience. He was born in 1840 and is an "Old Boy" of
Westminster School. He is a Companion of the Bath.
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The Officers of the "Queen's Westminsters".
(1896)
In it's officers, the "Queen's Westminsters" is
one of the most favoured of Volunteer Corps. The rolls contain many
names that are widely known, and held in high consideration - two
Grosvenors, a Major and a Second Lieutenant; two Comerfords, one the
Lieutenant-Colonel and the other a Lieutenant; a Trollope, the senior
Major; a De Castro; a Stephenson; two Roses; two Probyns; a Loder; a
Canning; a Lambert. every officer under field rank has graduated at
the school of Instruction and bears the "P.S." after his name in
the official Army List. The Colonel of the Corps is the Duke of
Westminster, and the Adjutant is Major Hubert Leigh of the "King's
Royal Rifle Corps".
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The Non-Commissioned Officers of the
"Queen's Westminsters" (1896)
No officer at the head of a battalion in all the Queen's
land forces is better served than the Commandant of the "Queen's
Westminsters" is by the warrant and non-commissioned officers of that
corps. From Sergeant-Major Philips and Quartermaster Sergeant
Bellerby, of the permanent staff, and Volunteer Sergeant Jordan,
downwards, the tuition and training of the regiment could be in no more
capable hands. Among the non-commissioned officers of the
"Queen's Westminsters" are men whose names for skill with the
rifle are widely familiar - men such as Sergeants Fulton and Spencer.
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the "Queen's Westminsters" at Morning
Prayers at Shorncliffe on Good Friday (1896)
Here we have a photograph of the officers and men of the
"Queen's Westminsters" - their official designation is the
13th (Queen's) Middlesex Rifles - at morning prayers in Shorncliffe Camp
on Good Friday. The complete establishment of the Corps is 1,200
rank and file, of which number some nine hundred and more were present
this year (1896) at the Easter Manoeuvres. The "Queen's
westminsters" are a regiment which never wants for recruits, being
just now even in "danger" of being over-manned. More
men, in fact, are coming forward than the drill-hall at the spacious
headquarters of the Corps in James Street, Westminster, can well
accommodate, in spite of the strict conditions of admission as regards
eye sight examination, a four years' engagement, and entrance fee.
The uniform of the regiment is grey, with red facings.
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13th Middlesex Volunteers (Queen's Westminsters) |
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