Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 5.djvu/294

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [* s. v. APRIL 14, 1900.

" Col. Hunt next fell, shot through both legs, and he also was carried to the donga. As the men were being shot down very rapidlyfor the Boer fire was by that time increasing Col. Hunt advised that it would be better to abandon the guns, but Long's characteristic reply was : ' Abandon, be damned ! We never abandon guns.' Subsequently Col. Hunt called attention to the fact that it was no use firing. There were scarcely any men left, and next to no ammunition. After that an order was given to abandon the guns, which for over one hour had fought in the face of the fiercest fusillade a battery ever endured. Yet, even then, all was not over, for four men persisted in serving two guns and remain- ing beside their cannon. One of either pair carried the shell ; the others laid and fired their beloved 15-pounders. But two men were left. They con- tinued the unequal battle. They exhausted the ordinary ammunition, and finally drew upon and fired the emergency rounds of case, their last shot. Then they stood to * Attention ' beside the gun, and an instant later fell pierced through and through by Boer .bullets. These, I say, by the light of all my experience in war, these gunners of ours are men who deserve monuments over their graves and even Victoria crosses in their coffins."

I am induced to direct attention to Mr. Bennet Buiieigh's glowing words on a glorious incident in the Boer War of 1899 by the fact that I wish to be permitted to ask corre- spondents of *N. & Q.' who are deeply learned in military history to favour me with some information on the subject of the "pet names" and epithets of admiration conferred upon brave soldiers of a more inspiring and ennobling nature than those of "Tommies" and " Tommy Atkins."

We are fully aware that Cromwell's warriors were called " Ironsides," and those of Charles the Martyr " Cavaliers." But were any terms of affection (a very distinguished author, him- self an ex-military man, esteems "Tommy" a term of affection for our noble troops) bestowed upon the soldiers who fought so bravely under Marshal Turenne, who ap- proached, it is said, more nearly to the heroic and more nearly to infallibility than any other captain who has ever drawn sword ; upon the soldiers of Frederick the Great of Prussia, " Old Fritz," as the Prussians loved to style the strong man who made of their little kingdom a great power ; upon the soldiers who won Ramillies, Malplaquet, and Blen- heim for Marlborough upon the soldiers of the great Napoleon, whose devotion to their beloved chief gained for him not only an empire, but also the mastership of nearly the whole of Europe ; upon those soldiers of a hundred fights, Wellington's heroes ; and last, but not least, upon the soldiers of the im- mortal Irish brigades in the service of France ? In conclusion, I beg to express the hope that it will not be considered out of place for me to say that on the occasion when the great

Dean of St. Patrick's (Swift) was referring to the members of the Irish brigades in France, &c., he eloquently remarked :

"I cannot but highly esteem those gentlemen of Ireland who, with all the disadvantages of being exiles and strangers, have been able to distinguish themselves by their valour and conduct in so many parts of Europe, I think, above all other nations."

And that Thomas Moore, in his own charming manner, sang of them :

Long as valour shineth, Or mercy's soul at war repineth, So long shall Erin's pride Tell how they lived and died.

HENRY GERALD HOPE.

[See ' Regimental Nicknames,' ante, pp. 161, 224, 263. J

" KINDLILY." The 'New English Diction- ary,' as in duty bound, gives the word " friendlily." It may be interesting thereto to furnish a quotation for the existence of a similar formation in the case of the word "kindlily." Careful consideration, however, will show that the analogy between the two forms is more apparent than real. The quota- tion is from Sir Henry Taylor's 'Edwin the Fair,' i. 7 :

Fight thy love-battles while the heart is strong,

And wounds heal kindlily.

ARTHUR MAYALL.

SIR CLIPSBY CREW. This is the name of one of Herrick's friends to whom he dedicated several poems. He is briefly noticed in the ' D.N.B.,' xiii. 82, a. Some years ago I had a folio copy of Sir Walter Ralegh's ' Historic of the World,' 1614, which contained many con- temporary marginalia attributed to the Earl of Pembroke or to Lord Stanhope of Harring- ton (see 'N. & Q.,'4 th S. iv. 359; 7 th S. xi. 343). Among these scribblings were the fol- lowing :

" S r Thomas Crue left fower thousand pounds an yeare, S r Randall Crue will leaue S r Clipsby Crue

& 2000 18 an year, & 500 1 an year of an out rent.

Hee hath alsoe ten thousand pounds at interest."

"Hee [no name] is S r Clipsby Crue's pympe, pander, parasyte & sycophant, & hee is S r Thomas Hanmer's pimpe, pander, sycophant, <fe parasyte, but habet uersatile ingenium, & hee is an auntient traueller. I will allow him therefore 40 U an year & onely 40 lB an year to read to me Italian/

W. C. B.

OPEN SPACES. I was reading the other day Mr. (afterwards Sir) Edwin Chad wick's 'Report from the Poor Law Commis- sioners on the Sanitary Condition of the Labouring Classes,' 1842, when, at p. 277, I came upon a passage dealing with the ques- tion of "open spaces." I was not prepared to find so clear an exposition of the subject