What is a ‘Field Day’? A Military Connection…

What is a field day?

Took the dog for a walk and as she bounded after everything that moved, tail wagging, I thought “She’s having a field day!”

But what is a ‘field day’?

The Times newspaper recorded a ‘field day‘, on Monday 6th April 1863, when 20,000 men from the Volunteer Regiments took part in a spectacle at Brighton, in which horses and guns were drawn by the various Regiments.

Some of the units had matching horses and smart uniforms whilst others wore a motley array of agricultural smocks and such like.

The horse galloped along with their gun carriages leaping behind, it sounds as if a great day was had by all, each Regiment showing off their colours and skills.

They were having a ‘field day’!

By the mid 1890’s 200,000 men were in Volunteer units

 

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