Sunny, right.

My father served in Judaea Abyssinia Minor and Teutonia, I in Brittania and Hibernia and Teutonia where I might have met the Duplicarius Posterior Charioteer Plus Repetitii (More Repetes?) fomenting his many mutinies.

 

Normal, what you are saying is native Roman Cavalry was more of a social thing, and you are raising a point there I'd overlooked.

I was fascinated by the point which the person I was cribbing from made that Cavalry was more preferred as being less manpower intensive. In our day, we'd prefer Infantry as being cheaper.

 

There was a parsallel I noticed in Kuwait. In 1927 the Saudi Wahabi attacked Kuwait, and were defeated by the British garrison at a town called Jahra. Nevetheless, if as a Kuwait your family "manned the walls " (they actually fled en masse to the harbour) your family are deemed "first class citizens" and  were (maybe still are) the only ones eligible to vote. (Males only of course)

 

Peter

Normal, Roman citizens of the Equestrian class were 'Knights' but that was more a social thing than a military branch.  There was an annual parade, by the Knights, to remind the City that they had once been its prime defenders.  The Legions were recruited in specific areas, usually the home area (ie. Spain) of the troops in a particular Legion.  For instance, Julius Caeser's 7, 8, 9,&10 were all Spnish troops and their replacement levies were raised in the same area.   Incidently, the Legions were never reinforced piecemeal but all at once, when the enlistments had run out and the troops either signed over or discharged.   The retiring veterans marched off under their standards (except the Eagle) and were required to serve as a sort of reserve force called the Evocoti.  Sorry,  Didn't mean to get carried away.

Lew,

 

I see a problem there.

" Incidently, the Legions were never reinforced piecemeal but all at once",

Since you then had new virtually untrained legions.

 

In our days of conscription you had a situation when whole platoons of untrained soldiers turned up on the same commencement date. But there were 2 animals, one the room lance-corporal (who had a separate cubicle, one room per section - squad to you) and the other, the Trained Soldier.

 

He was actually called "Trained Soldier" and wore a patch with the regimental colour, and of course was fully badged at a time when recruits wore no badges until they'd passed a stage in their training.

 

Naturally, he lorded it a trifle, but showed the new lads the tricks of the trade; how to polish boots, make beds, and all the other hideous domestic pitfalls of the conscript. . I believe this post was given to Regular Privates, maybe ones with local family problems.

 

After training (which was done at the Regimental depot) the conscripts would be sent to the operational battalions, and mixed with full trained soldiers.  

 

Before my time; conscription ended in 1962, but I'm sure a system the ancient Romans would have used.

 

Your retired veterans; did they have to live in a certain area?

Peter 

Normal

There is an element of common sense in the recruits' regime . Day 1 Run. Day 5 run. One big problem which we faced was unfit men being expected to run on consecutive days. With the best will in the world, they will not do so well on day 2, but will with a day's rest. Then after a week or so they'll perform daily.

 

Trained soldiers in Barracks. Non excersise routine. Full 3 course dinner at say 18.00, beautiful food, steak, fish,. roast beef, lamb, chicken you name it. fries, boiled roast potatoes, rice, greens, soups, custard, cake, ice cream.

 

And there's the Orderly Officer, dribbling, knowing he's going to be fed much later, and far less. Usual cartoon theme "everything OK? is your dinner alright?" Occasionally the odd blackened potato is complained about, or bit of gristle. Good chance to have an informal word, answer the odd question that's occurred to them.

 

Dinner over, all kit maintenance sorted, down to the pub. THEN a portion of fish and chips. Then bed. God!! Has the new boy puked again?

 

I wonder how different that was for our Roman forbears on garrison duty.

Normal  & Flash, much as I would like to respond as if I had done the research I must confess that my source is Stephen Dando-Collins and his most excellent series on the Roman Legions (individually rather than as a single force).  There are 4 books published so far (3, 10, 14,& 6 Legion) and they contain a wealth of details that should win you major drinks in a bar game of trivial pursuit. 

Ref #48 Flashman, I had no idea you were such a dashing charcter, and apparent savior of damsels in distress! Ygraine

Flashman,  prior to Augustus the Legions had an 18 year commitment.  After his consolidation of the Army, Augustus raised it to 20 years.  Replacements for the Legion were taken just prior to the discharge date of the veterans.  Normally about 1/3 of the vets would reenlist and would stay with their legion.  The exception to this was the assignment of the Centurians who were transfered to different Legions or promoted up through the cohorts with the senior going to the 1st Cohort and the others to others.  But the thing is, that the Legions fought with what they had until the new levies arrived.  For instance, Julius Caeser's 10th Legion started with over 5000 men (all totaled) but by Pharsalas had less than 2500.    When the Iceni rose against Rome, they smashed the 9th Hispania and sent the survivors running for their camp.  The 9th was a highly respected outfit but  it haed just recieved its new troops so approximately 70 percent of it was green recruits.   All though the recruits were raised in the Legion's home area, the retiring veterans could settle anyplace in the Empire that they wanted but they usually went home..  Their main requirement, after retiring, was to serve as a reserve force, the Evocati. which fought under its own standards.  The standards, except the Eagle, went with them when they retired .  

Ygraine

 

I start by beatin' me dad's mistress when she wouldn't give me a second helpin' after my expulsion from Rugby for drunkeness.

 

The lady you see cowering at me knee was Fetnab, whom I had throughly thrashed by me Syce (Groom) and I sold for a good profit when I got bored with her.

 

Later in the same book I have me wicked will of an Afghan beauty who, with her fiancee, tries to kill me with the aid of a muscle-bound dwarf.

 

I conclude by runnin' away from the enemy, trying to surrender the flag, and then stealing the credit which belonged to me gallant sergeant (late gallant sergeant) and trouserin' his rightful VC.

 

An' this is just the first volume of me memoirs.

 

Savin' damsels? dashin' character? Well, Queen Vicky did love me whiskers. And my book, The case Against Army reform, and my Chairmanship of the Society for the Reclamation of Fallen Women do take up me time in me dotage.

 

Furtive Flash

Lew

After you have made the requisite purchase of the Flashman series (no cheques) I do recommend you invest your remaining guineas in "Imperial Governor" by George Shipway.

Set in Suetonius' time.

Written very much from an Army Officer's viewpinmt (he was one of my instructors at Sandhurst I believe)

Also wrote "Warrior in Bronze"and 2 others a trilogy of Theseus' time. How they decided not to bother with steel swords, bronze was easier.

cheers

Peter

Ref # 47, They're all very good. He covers almost every aspect of Scottish history from the 6th century to the 18th, all the major figures are covered and many of the minor ones. The only slight blot is that all the battle scenes are pretty much described the same, after a while you forget which was which. Personally I prefer the political dealings etc in the novels more than the battle scenes.    

If you read Cornwell and Rosemary Sutcliffe's books they credit Arthur with the revival of the Calafractii (stirruped cavalry) using heavy horses bred from France.