It was not the fault of the volunteers that only too often at these reviews the manœuvring was bad, fire wild, and confusion great. Orders were almost always badly conveyed, the general staff selected for the occasion quite ignorant of tactics or the movement of large bodies, and brigades, with their composing regiments, left to be guided by volunteer officers, themselves only beginners in the very outlines of drill. The War Office were content to look on. They were told the force would melt away of itself, and perhaps hoped and believed it would; but it did not, though now that the war fever had diminished the supporters were fewer, and the expenses greater on officers and men, and it was fully time that assistance should be given by the Government. Pressure was brought to bear, and as certain allowances were granted, it was necessary to guard the same. The demand to be recognised more fully as part of the British army, and the quality presenting itself, at length made the War Office consent to these corps being formed into battalions and with paid Adjutants and Sergeant Instructors brought into one system of governance and discipline. The first necessity was to change the uniforms. It was painful to some, doubtless. The brilliant silver and grey of corps had to yield to the more sombre pattern of the Rifle Brigade. Elegant shoulder belts, with buckles of the beadle pattern, were replaced by shiny black, bare of ornament. Tunics of the Noah's Ark cut lessened their skirts, and pith helmets were bowed out. Trowbridge was not long in accommodating itself to the new state of things, and helped not a little by its discipline to make the task of amalgamation and uniformity less difficult to those appointed to carry out the same. In conjunction with the rest of the corps composing the battalion, the Trowbridge companies (now two) attended various assemblies for united battalion drills held in different parts of the county, as also elsewhere for reviews, the chief of these being at Durdham Downs, Clifton, Lansdown, Bath, Portsmouth, Portsdown, Royal Review, Windsor, 1881, Jubilee Review at Aldershot in 1887, and the Autumn Manœuvres which were carried on in Wiltshire and Dorsetshire in 1872. At all Regimental Camps, No. 2 Corps mustered in strength, and perhaps had a larger average attendance daily than other corps composing the battalion; but this they were bound in honour to show, inasmuch as the date and place of assembly was arranged so as to meet the peculiar position of the corps.