Post free— Ireland & Abroad. 8/- per annum. 4/* 6 months. 2/.- 3 months. WriteEditor, Depot, The Buffs, Canterbury. Telephone: 513. Jl££ie& ^tegimettfs. Queen's ”gtifCes of §ctna&a. ^Tancouwer "ite$iment. 3*^6 ^affaCiott (^ erriw a gfnfattfrp) Jlustraftan ^$Ti£itat;r? gfotfces^ No. 449. April, 1937. Price Sixpence. Personalia. feel sure that our readers will be glad to Our hearty congratulations to Captain Wale, see the photograph of a canteen of plate who, we understand, through the recommend­ and cutlery recently presented to Colonel H. ation of General Sir Arthur Fynden-Bell, has Findlay by some retired officers of the Regiment. been appointed Assistant Chief Constable in The canteen, which is nicely grained walnut, the War Department Constabulary. was made by the Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Company and contains 142 pieces of plate, We offer our sympathy to the relatives -of engraved with Colonel Findlay’s crest. Captain S. B. Donald, who died on March 16th. Captain Donald served with the 2nd Battalion Colonel J. V. R. Jackson is at present busy during the Great War and later was a keen and making preparations to re-occupy his house at active member of the Fondon Branch. Hythe. Fieut. J. G. Nicholson graduated at the Staff Colonel Fncas writes that he is very busy, College in the course which ended on December having been returned unopposed as a member 19th, 1936. of the Frimley and Camber Fey Urban District forthcoming Bye Election. He is also Chair­ man of the Election Committee for the Council. We offer our deep sympathy to Mrs. H. Mrs. Fucas has been wintering in Cape Town Wilkes Harvey on the sad loss of her son, and is due back in England on May 7th. •Mr. D. F. Hill, who died at Cambridge on March 18th. Mr. Hill was a member of the We heartily congratulate Colonel Thomson Cambridge boxing team for two years, and but on his appointment as A.A. and Q.M.G. i/c for his illness, would have again boxed for Administration, China. We understand that Cambridge in this year’s Inter-’Varsity Contest. he leaves England to take up his appointment His bright and unassuming manner and his in the latter part of the year. general keenness appealed to all, both officers and other ranks, while he was recently attached Major W. T. Stone writes that he is retiring to the Depot. It is understood that he would . from the Recruiting Staff on March 31st; have obtained a regular commission this year he will then take up residence at Kingston, and his untimely death has robbed the Regiment near Canterbury. He joined the Depot in of a very promising officer. September, 1894. We wish him the best of luck on his retirement. Major-General Sir Arthur Fynden-Bell writes : “ I am delighted to hear of the doings Captain and Mrs. Baird have now returned of Mayor James Greig as recorded on pages 63 from their trip to South America, and are once and 64 of the March Dragon. I knew him very more in harness at Prince's. well. He was a Fance-Corporai in my company % 'THE iDRAGOtf when I joined the 1st Battalion in 1885 in Malta Marriage. and he was subsequently Colour-Sergeant of B rid g m a n —C ooper.—6282488 Sgt. W. the company. A wonderful personality with a Bridgman, H.Q., married to Patricia remarkable influence with the rank and file— Constance Cooper, 16/2/37. and a very good accountant, for which his Company Commander was duly grateful." Stokes—Turmaine.—6284177 L/Cpl. S. Stokes, married to Hilda Frances Agnes Turmaine, at Canterbury, 26/12/33. We are glad to hear that Mr. O. Stocken, (Amended notice). who recently left the 1st Battalion, is now employed at the War Office as a Civil Servant. D eaths. Hamilton.—On February 19th, 1937, at 10 Kingsnorth Gardens, Folkestone, Pauline Rose Hamilton, second daughter of the 2nd BATTALION THE BUFFS. late Lieut.-Colonel C. J. Hamilton, 2nd Bn. The Buffs, The East Kent Regiment, List of Band Engagements for Season, 1937. aged 63 years. , March 26th—29th (Easter) Worthing. Hilary.—On March 15th, 1937, at 26 Great. April 24th—25th... Southend. College Street, Robert Jephson Hilary, June 6th (evening only) ... Bromley. ' ' . Housemaster of Busby’s, Westminster June 20th—26th ... Eastbourne. School. July 4th—10th ... Folkestone. Hill.—On March 18th, 1937, at Cambridge, August 1st (one day) Sheerness. Denis Finch Hill, the beloved only son of August 2nd—5th ... Canterbury Mrs. H. Wilkes Harvey and the late Mr. (Cricket). H. V. Hill. August 8th Memorial Service, Canterbury. August 15th—28th Herne Bay. September 12th—18th ... Worthing. Obituary. Sept. 26th—Oct. 2nd Eastbourne. Captain Stuart Bertram Donald. In addition, it is hoped to play at Herne It is a not too easy task to write an obituary about Bay during the Coronation Week period, but an officer whose whole life was given up in the service on Coronation Day the Band are playing at of helping others. Captain Donald was a solicitor by profession and never an occasion arose when a Buff Aldershot for the Borough Council Mounted required legal advice or aid, that the same was not Sports. immediately forthcoming. Serving firstly with the 5th Battalion, he was merged into the 2nd Battalion The Band and Drums are also taking part at Salonica. After the war he joined the Association in the Coronation Tattoo at Aldershot this year. and was appointed Area Representative for London. Looking through the files of that period one obtains a glimpse of his great work in helping old Buffs in distress and in many cases—out of his own pocket. His heart and soul was devoted to ex-soldiers. He was Chairman of his local branch of the British Legion ; was head of his local Salonica Reunion and had many other similar interests. As a Vice-President and Member of the Births, Marriages and Deaths. London Branch he will be much missed, not only in his capacity of Hon. Solicitor, but his cheery face and Bir t h s. happy smile are gone for ever. A great and kind Chapman.—6285486 L/Cpl. P. Chapman, gentleman but—a greater and kinder Buff. H.Q., a daughter, Shirley Wynne, born at Aldershot, 24/7/36. Mr. R. J. Hilary. Gilbert.—6284712 Pte. L. Gilbert, H.Q., a M R- Robert Jephson Hilary, housemaster of Busby’s at Westminster School, has died of pneumonia daughter, Jean Evelyn, born at Hackney after three days' illness at the age of 44. North, 28/4/36. He went to Tonbridge in 1906, was a Judd Paine.—6285007 Cpl. J. Paine, H.Q., a son, exhibitioner, and played in the cricket XI for three years. He obtained a scholarship at St. John’s College, Terence, born at Deadwater, Wliiteliill, Cambridge, and took a first class in the Classical Tripos. Sub-District Alton, 16/9/36. He has been an assistant master at Westminster since Tilley.—6394592 L/Cpl. E. Tilley, “C," a April, 1923, and housemaster of Busby’s since September, 1925. \ . ___ _ daughter, Patricia. Ann, born at Shoreham- He was wounded in the, Great War while serving .with by-Sea, Worthing, Sussex, 25/2/37. the Regiment. ......................... ........ THE DRAGON 97 Records of Other Regiments. CONSIDERING the important part played by the engaged in the campaign. This job was no sinecure, horse in the history of the British Army, it is for the average strength of horses and mules with the somewhat surprising to find that it was not until 1796 British Army on the veldt was 150,000. that provision was made for the appointment of qualified At the time of the outbreak of the Great War in veterinary surgeons to look after the nation’s war horses : August, 1914, the corps had at its head the Director- Mr. John Shipp of the 11th Eight Dragoons having the General of Army Veterinary Services, with the rank of distinction of being the first military veterinary officer. Major-General, and below him were sOme 140 officers Soon afterwards, Professor Coleman of the London of various ranks ranging downwards from Colonel to Veterinary College was appointed Principal Veterinary Lieutenant, each of whom had qualified as a member Surgeon to the Cavalry and Senior Veterinary Surgeon of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons before to the Ordnance, his duties being " to nominate can­ receiving his commission; and about 400 other ranks. didates for commissions, to inspect all cavalry horses The corps was divided into thirteen sections, stationed when called upon to do so, to Assist Veterinary Surgeons in the principal garrisons at home and abroad, while of regiments with advice as regarded the treatment of veterinary officers of the corps were also attached to special cases, and to keep them informed of all dis­ the various mounted units of the Army for duty. The coveries in veterinary science.” From that time Farrier Sergeants and Shoeing Smiths of these units onwards the Veterinary Branch of the service continued were under the command of the " attached ” veterinary to grow, and no doubt it was needed, for in the old officer for the carrying out of their important duties, cavalry records we sometimes find accounts of appalling and it will therefore be seen that the officers of the losses of horseflesh—losses which better management A.V.C. were responsible for keeping fit and ready the could possibly have avoided. animals on which the whole of the original B.E.F.—its In 1859, veterinary officers were given " relative cavalry, artillery, signal, transport—depended for rank ” ; i.e., after five years' service an officer was its mobility, since mechanized transport was in its eligible for promotion to First Class Veterinary Surgeon, infancy in the first days of the Great War.