3-017-090 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Encampment and review of the Suffolk Volunteer Corps at Lowestoft, [Suffolk], 1865. 'It is the practice of the volunteer corps of Norfolk and Suffolk to camp out...in the summer, when battalion drill and rifle practice are unremittingly pursued...the 17th (or Lowestoft corps)...has been raised, equipped, and maintained entirely by Mr. Thomas Lucas, of the great firm of Lucas Brothers, builders and contractors...The camp was pitched on the smooth downs at the edge of the sea beneath the very picturesque ridge of hills...Every part of the camp was formed with strict military precision and regularity - outposts, advanced guards, sentries, and field officers' duties were all carried on as if in the presence of an enemy...The various corps in camp got under arms at half-past one, and by that time a large concourse of visitors had collected from all parts...The hills and broad green downs were thronged down to the sandy margin of the sea...the various corps went through all the intricacies of company and battalion drill with most creditable accuracy and in a style which showed their great diligence in drill, training, and exercise. In solidity of marching all were as nearly perfect as possible'. From "Illustrated London News", 1865.