The British Army in 1854 - Part 1
ranging from around £125 thousand to become an Ensign in an unfashionable infantry line regiment to about £2.25 million to be an instant Lieut Colonel in the Foot Guards. In practice commissions changed hands at 'over regulation' - considerably so when there was competition to buy into fashionable regiments. One top Lieut Colonelcy was rumoured to have fetched more than today's £14 million. Having paid such prices, Regimental Commanders were not too well disposed to being told how they should run their regiments.
This independence led to the British infantry and cavalry being centred on the Regimental System. Unique in Europe, the British Army was composed entirely of volunteers. Recruitment was organised on a regimental basis, and soldiers remained with the same regiment throughout their service. Officers usually bought and sold their commissions within their regiment as vacancies for promotion occurred - maddeningly slowly in peacetime, which did give rise to some cross-movement. Allegiance was, as today, to the Queen; she or a member of the Royal family or a foreign Royal appropriate to a past regimental connection, would hold the honorary title of regimental Colonel-in-Chief . Primary and unswerving loyalty was to the Regiment, which was the family, the home, the club. The Regiment's basic history, its traditions and battle honours could be fluently recited by the lowliest and least literate soldier.
And literacy was a scarce commodity indeed amongst private soldiers of line infantry. A comprehensive survey carried out just after the War showed under 3% competent in the Three Rs; 27% were totally illiterate. But then the terms and conditions were hardly likely to attract better educated potential recruits. The pay of seven shillings a week, compared to a national average of around one pound, was not bad if all found, as the recruiting sergeants assured. But in practice it was far from all found - the soldier had to pay for food, kit, washing and maintenance charges and various other incidentals. After these deductions, he would be lucky to net one shilling weekly over the pay table; this, together with his penny a day beer allowance, he would divide between gambling, bad beer from the licenced contractor's canteens (from which the government made over £50 thousand a year), and even worse women, as often as he could afford it. As a result, brawling, drunkeness, and venereal diseases were serious ongoing problems.
The struggle against illness and disease was constant. The
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