History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, Vol. 1: Compiled from the Original RecordsDuncan, Francis
History
History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, Vol. 1: Compiled from the Original Records
Duncan, Francis
Great Britain. Army. Royal Regiment of Artillery
The pioneers were twenty in number, with two sergeants, and there was
the same number of pontoon men, with two corporals, the whole being
under a Bridge-master. The staff of the train consisted of a colonel, a
lieutenant-colonel, a major, a comptroller, a paymaster with his
assistant, an adjutant, a quartermaster, a chaplain, a commissary of
horse, a surgeon and assistant-surgeon, and a provost-marshal. The
kettledrummer and his coachman accompanied the train. There were also
present with this train a commissary of stores with an assistant, two
clerks, twelve conductors, eight carpenters, four wheelwrights, three
smiths, and two tinmen.
The rates of pay of the various attendants are again worthy of note. The
master carpenter, smith, and wheelwright got a shilling daily more than
the assistant-surgeon, who had to be happy on 3_s._ per diem; the
provost-marshal and the tinman each got 2_s._ 6_d._; the clerks and the
gentlemen of the Ordnance were equally paid 4_s._; the chaplain,
adjutant, and quartermaster received 6_s._ each; a lieutenant received
the same, and a fireworker 2_s._ less. The pay of the higher ranks was
as follows:—Colonel, 1_l._ 5_s._; lieutenant-colonel and comptroller,
each 1_l._; major, 15_s._; and paymaster, 10_s._ The gunners received
1_s._ 6_d._; matrosses, pioneers, and pontoon-men, each, 1_s._.
It was the month of June, 1702, before this train landed in Holland, and
on the 30th of that month it joined the Allied Army at Grevenbrouck,
having had an addition made to it of four guns before leaving England.
The pay of the train amounted to 9289_l._ 5_s._ per annum; and the
ammunition with which they commenced the campaign consisted of 3600
rounds, of which 3000 were round shot, and 600 canister or case. They
also carried 31 boxes of small hand-grenades, and 754 grenades of a
larger description. The conduct in the field of this train was
admirable. During the whole campaign of 1702, their fire is described as
having been carried on with "as much order, despatch, and success as
ever before was seen."
And then, in the luxurious way in which war was made in those days, the
army went into winter quarters.
For the campaign of 1703, it was decided to augment the train of
Artillery, and a warrant to that effect was issued to the Ordnance on
the 8th February, 1703. The only difference in the _personnel_ of the
train was the addition of five gunners to each company, they now
outnumbering the matrosses for the first time. The addition to the guns
consisted of six demi-culverins.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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