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.Nulli Secundus -
'Second to None'
by Terence Cardwell
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Chapter
Nine - Nulli Secundus
Six years of mining and exercising had toughened Jack,
and he had grown into a tall, strong, handsome young man
with fair hair and a quiet disposition. He was never one
for a lot of talking, and had a saying he inherited from
his father: ‘Never let your left hand know what your
right hand is doing.’
He and Thomas had carried on the tradition of their
father and maintained an involvement in boxing. Only now
it was a new type of boxing, with padded gloves and
fighting by rules introduced by the Marquis of
Queensbury, a member of the House of Lords who had a
deep interest in boxing. The Marquis was horrified at
the damage some bare knuckle boxers did to each other,
some fighting with no restrictions, rules, or the
slightest respect for their opponent. Their only desire
was to win by whatever means possible. The Marquis had
designed rules that respected each opponent’s integrity
and minimised some of the more brutal damage sustained
by bare knuckle boxers.
Both Jack and Thomas were silently pleased that
they had some protection from the damage that the sport
inflicted. Although their courage was never questioned,
the fear of permanent physical injury was always present
in their minds.
Jack was very restless, and dissatisfied with the mines.
He was well aware that if he did not escape soon he
would be trapped forever by the poverty that the mines
inflicted. Each month someone was killed or injured by
falling coal or machinery.
The only thought of the owners was to extract more and
more coal for the increasing demands of the growing
industrial might of England, spending little or nothing
on safety measures. Their answer to any complaints was
to tell the miners to be more careful in what they were
doing— but don’t slow down production or it could cost
them their job. They were given little or no assistance
from the mining company or its owner.
In many cases injured miners died of injuries after
infection set in. Often there was a lack of suitable
medicines to treat them. But the ones to suffer most
were those who survived their injuries. They were
evicted from their rented mining cottages because, being
injured or crippled, they were unable to work and could
not pay the rent to the very company that, was often the
cause of the accident in the first place. There was no
social assistance, so they spent the rest of their days
in abject poverty, scraping an existence wherever they
could. Invariably the financial burden fell on the
shoulders of the miners’ wives, who did whatever they
could to survive, including, sometimes, prostitution.
The miners accepted all this as their lot in life, and
living in a mine-owned cottage and owing money to
mine-owned shops kept them shackled to the mines. Any
thought of escaping to a better job or location was
inevitably discarded.
Jack was fortunate in that he was not renting a cottage,
as he was living with his sister Grace and had little
debt with the mine shops. The way that the mine owners
treated their employees stuck like a lump in his throat,
and the older he got, the more he hated it. There was so
much money going to so few people, whilst others, less
fortunate, suffered greatly.
Had Jack lived in Ireland, no doubt he would have been a
rebel. But that was not in his makeup. Despite limited
schooling, he was much brighter than most of those
around him, and he kept thoughts of a rebellious nature
to himself.
His boxing earned him a little extra money, enough to
give some to his sister; the rest he put aside for a
later need. In his heart he knew what that need was: to
join the British army—but not as a regular soldier who
wore drab brown. The best of the best. To be dressed in
a bright red uniform, a white belt and shoulder straps,
and black fur bearskin with a red cockade on the right.
The soldiers whose motto since 1656 in the days of King
Charles the second, was ‘Nulli secundus— Second to
none.’ They were always first into battle, never
following anyone else, and usually the last to leave.
Few managed to qualify for the rigorous requirements and
only the best were allowed to stay after their training.
Originally known as the King’s Royal Foot Guards, the
oldest Corp in the British Army, and now known as the
Coldstream Guards.
Jack had seen posters urging young men to join the army
on his rare visits to Sheffield, but only once had he
seen a picture of the Coldstream Guards.
It had become a habit to have a pint or two after work
at Lowoods, the local hotel, with Thomas and his
workmates of a similar age. The discussion was usually
local football, boxing, girls and how to escape from
their jobs. No one liked their work. The more
intelligent they were, the more they were determined to
escape.
Toby was holding court, talking in his usual exuberant
way. ‘Sooner or later I’m leaving and going to join the
Army. It’s got to be better than here. A good wage,
nearly two and six a week, extra if you go overseas, and
you get a bloody decent meal every day, which is better
than eating this damn coal dust till it kills ya.’
‘Well, now’s your chance. The army bloke is in Sheffield
right now signing on new recruits. I’m sure he’d like a
fine young man like you,’ Ben said, grinning at the
others.
‘Naa, you’re having me on,’ Toby replied, turning a
little pale and losing some of his enthusiasm.
‘It’s true, honest— there was a notice in the paper and
it said he’s here for a week,’ Ben replied.
‘What’s the matter, changed your mind have you—
frightened to join now the man’s here?’ Thomas asked,
winking at the others.
Toby looked Thomas in the eye, loosing his light manner.
‘To be honest, I don’t know what to do. I want to get
away from the bloody pit but I don’t want to leave my
mates. We have a good time together and that will be
lost if I join up. I will be with strangers and who
knows where I’ll end up?’
Jack, the quiet listener, sat up when he heard that the
army man was in Sheffield, only ten miles away. After
hearing Toby, he touched Toby’s arm. ‘You can’t stay
here all your life and rot, you’re too good for that. If
you don’t reach out for what you want in life you’ll
always be unhappy. Do you want to join the army or not?’
.
‘Well it’s better than the pits and you don’t have to
breathe that damn coal dust,’ Toby replied angrily.
‘And there’s bugger all else you can do to get away,’
Thomas added.
‘I’m going in myself tomorrow,’ Jack said quietly.
‘You’re doing what?’ Thomas replied incredulously,
nearly spilling his beer on the table. The others stared
at Jack with their mouths agape.
‘I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, as you
know, but I’ll only join if they let me into the
Coldstream Guards.’
‘You’ve always wanted to join them, but it’s not easy.
You don’t have an education,’ Thomas murmured.
‘We’ll see,’ Jack replied. ‘If not, I’ll carry on with
our boxing until something shows up.’
‘What’s wrong with the regular army?’ Toby asked. ‘Isn’t
it just as good?’
‘Maybe. But I want to be with the best, and the
Coldstream Guards are the best. They come second to no
one and neither do I. They lead everyone else into
battle.’
‘That’s not so bloody clever,’ Ben replied.
‘You’d be first to be shot. Bugger that for a joke. I’d
join the ones that go in last, if at all,’ Toby added,
smiling.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter, there are no wars and there’s
no fighting. Disraeli said we’re entering a new century
of peace with no wars and all nations working together,’
Thomas said. ‘So it’s a good time to join.’
‘Well, maybe we’ll all go to town tomorrow and join up,’
Toby said excitedly.
Picking up the glasses, Ben replied with a smirk, ‘I
think I’ll get a few more pints instead.’
‘At least come in to town with us and have a beer,’
Thomas called over his shoulder as Ben walked away.
‘Are you going to sign up too?’ Toby asked Thomas.
‘I doubt it, but I couldn’t let my big brother enlist
without being there,’ Thomas replied. ‘And I might
change my mind, you never know.’
Jack woke from Thomas’s shaking. ‘No good you sleeping
in, you won’t get any of that in the army.’
Jack, in his sleepy state, wondered what he was talking
about, then remembered that this was the day he was
going to enlist.
‘This is a day you will remember for the rest of your
life,’ Thomas said respectfully. ‘Are you sure you want
to do this? Once you’re in you can’t get out, you know.
Well, not for a while anyway.’
‘I’ve thought about it for a long time and still believe
I should join up. Anything to get away from this mine,’
Jack replied, pulling his trousers on. ‘What’s the date,
by the way?’
‘Sunday, fourteenth of November 1909,’ Thomas smiled.
‘You don’t have to be so bloody clever, I know it’s
1909,’ Jack retorted.
When they arrived at Toby’s home, Ben and Toby were
waiting for them, sitting on a low rock wall.
‘Right-o, we’re off then,’ Toby said. ‘We’re in for a
nice long walk.’
‘I hope you’re right, but it doesn’t look the best,’ Ben
murmured, looking at the sky.
They all looked up and around. The sky was overcast,
with grey scudding clouds and patches of blue showing
through in places. A cold breeze was blowing and its
chill could be felt through their coats.
‘As long as the rain stays away a good walk will soon
warm us up,’ Ben added, rubbing his hands together.
‘Maybe we should march along like real soldiers,’ Thomas
grinned. ‘Get some practice in.’
Jack smiled knowingly. ‘Let’s see what you’re made of.’
Winking at Thomas he set off at a quick pace.
It wasn’t long before Jack’s and Thomas’ training
started to show, the others complaining about the pace.
From then on it was just a casual walk into Sheffield,
two and a half hours away.
It took only a short time to locate the enlistment
office as Thomas had remembered the address from the
newspaper. When they arrived there was a queue of some
ten men and youths waiting to enlist. The boys joined
the queue, and one by one they were called into the
recruitment office. Toby and Jack entered together; the
other two followed to give them support.
The room was sparse. The walls were painted a light
green with large enlistment posters affixed to them,
declaring how wonderful the army was. There were other
posters saying ‘Join the Navy and see the world’. Jack
looked around for posters of the Coldstream Guards but
there were none.
‘Hello lads, you all come to join up together?’ the
sergeant asked, sitting behind a desk. He was dressed in
a drab brown uniform with sergeant’s stripes on his
shoulders and three rows of coloured ribbons on his
chest. A corporal sat at another desk stacked with
papers and two telephones.
‘Not bloody likely,’ Ben quickly replied. ‘Only these
two.’ He pointed at Jack and Toby. ‘We just came to give
them moral support.’
‘Aye. They’re clever lads. It’s a good life,’ the
sergeant enthused. ‘But you fellows should join up as
well, it’ll do you the world of good.’
‘Maybe later,’ Ben demurred, sliding onto the seat
against the wall alongside Thomas.
‘Well, which one wants to go first?’ urged the sergeant.
Jack looked at Toby. ‘Off you go, I’ll be right behind
you.’’
‘I thought you went second to none,’ Toby smiled back.
The sergeant’s ears cocked up at the words. He had been
in the Army nearly twenty-five years and he well knew
all the mottos for the different regiments.
‘What! You want to join the Coldstreamers?’ he said in a
surprised voice. ‘I don’t like your chances of that.’
‘In that case there’s not much point me being here,’
Jack replied in a quiet but determined voice, and he
walked away and sat on the bench next to Thomas.
‘Now don’t be like that,’ the sergeant replied in a
soothing tone. ‘Tek’ a seat an’ we’ll see what can be
done.’ ‘Now, what regiment do you want to join?’ He
forced a smile at Toby.
‘One that comes last not first,’ Toby grinned back.
‘How about the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry?
They’re a bloody good unit, they come from right here in
Yorkshire and they don’t go in first like some silly
buggers.’
‘That’ll do me, where do I sign?’ Toby put his hand out
as if to take a pen.
‘We’ll just get your details first,’ the sergeant
replied, and signed him up in a short time.
‘Now lad, how about you?’ the sergeant looked at Jack.
‘Let’s see what we can do. Come over here and take a
seat. By the way, I’m Sergeant Prior and that’s Corporal
Wilkins over there.’
The corporal gave them a nod and a weak smile.
Jack walked across and sat down. ‘I want to join the
Coldstream Guards.’
The Sergeant’s duties were not only to enlist as many
healthy young men as possible but also to channel them
so that there was an even distribution of troops
throughout the various regiments. Almost every young man
signing up was fascinated by the bright uniforms of the
Coldstream Guards, Grenadier Guards, Hussars, and Horse
Guards. They offered an air of distinction, style,
history and a class above the rest. If the enlistment
officers enlisted everyone to their wishes there would
be few soldiers left for the ordinary troops. Part of
Sergeant Prior’s duties was, like all other enlistment
officers, to dissuade as many young men as possible from
joining the more attractive regiments.
‘What’s your name and address, lad?’ Sergeant Prior
asked, taking up his pen again.
‘Joe Cardwell, but my mates call me Jack, because my
father was called Joseph. I live in Deepcar, ten miles
from here.’
‘Well Jack,’ the sergeant replied in a condescending
tone, ‘the fancy uniforms are all full at the moment, so
why don’t I put you in the Yorkshire Light Infantry?
It’s local like I said and you’ll be with your mates
like Toby over there.’
Sergeant Prior watched Jack’s face, judging his
response. He had become a master at reading young men’s
behaviour.
‘No, thank you. I’ll come back when they’re not full,’
Jack replied, rising .
‘Hang on a minute Jack,’ the sergeant called quickly,
reaching his arm out. ‘Don’t be in such a rush; sit down
and let’s see what can be done. Have you had a good
education, like?’
Sergeant Prior knew that very few miners had an
education to a reasonable level.
‘Not really, just some basic schooling. You don’t get
too much time for schooling in the mines. We have to
earn a living, can’t afford both.’
‘Well you’ve got to have an education for the
Coldstreamers, they’re bright lads, they are.’ He saw
the flash of anger in Jack’s pale blue eyes and realised
that this tactic would not work.
‘Doesn’t say anything about education on any of the
posters I’ve seen,’ Jack responded, his patience wearing
thin. He was no fool, and was aware what the sergeant
was trying to do. ‘I’m not going to be second to any
one, and I’m certainly not losing to this old bugger,’
he thought to himself.
The sergeant tried again. ‘You’ve got to be real fit in
the Coldstream Guards. Do you think you could make it?
looks Like you could do with some trimming?’
A burst of laughter came from the boys sitting on the
bench.
‘What’s so bloody funny?’ he demanded from the boys in
an irate voice.
Thomas replied between giggles. ‘— needs trimming? He’s
the junior heavyweight boxing champion of Yorkshire.
Jack would run rings round anybody.’
Sergeant Prior looked at Jack in amazement.
‘Are you, now? Well, it looks like we might have
something special in you my lad. What do you reckon,
Bob?’ he said to the corporal at the other desk.
The corporal had been quietly observing the exchange,
more and more impressed by Jack’s quiet determination,
and he was thinking he might give Sergeant Prior a
ribbing over a beer at the pub later on.
‘I think you might be right, Sergeant, could be the sort
of soldier the Coldstreamers want,’ Bob answered, giving
the boys a wink and a wide smile.
‘All right lad, you can go in the Coldstreamers, but
don’t tell your mates or they’ll all want to join.’
The sergeant knew full well that the whole village would
know in short time, but the young man had something
special and he could justify it. He started to fill in
the forms, writing Jack’s name in first.
‘Date of birth?’
‘May the twenty-ninth, eighteen-ninety.’ Jack leaned
forward to answer.
‘So that makes you nineteen.’
‘Yes sir.’
‘Don’t call me sir. I’m a sergeant. You’ll soon learn
the difference in the army. Any diseases you know of?’
‘Not that I know of.’
‘That’s good. Stayed away from the bad girls have you?’
he asked, leaning back with a grin.
‘Don’t have the time or the need,’ Jack replied flatly,
not seeing the humour in the question.
‘That’s good, they’ll only weaken you.’
Sergeant Prior studied Jack as he filled out the paper
work, and could see a quiet determination and courage he
had not seen for some time. ‘If he had a good education
he would be good officer material, bit of a waste
really,’ he thought to himself. aloud he said,
‘Well, here’s your number Jack, 8520. You’ll get to know
that as well as your own name. And here are your papers
and a rail pass. Report to Officer Commanding,
Coldstream Guards, Wellington Barracks, no later than 5
p.m. Tuesday afternoon. The train leaves for London
every morning at 9 a.m. so you’ll have plenty of time to
get there.’ He stood and held out his hand.
‘Good luck. I think we’ll make a soldier out of you, so
don’t let me down’ — referring to accepting Jack for the
Coldstream Guards.
Jack looked him in the eye. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t.’ His
face was unmoved. Then, as an afterthought, ‘And thank
you.’ He reached out and shook the sergeant’s hand, and
turned towards the boys. ‘Well, it looks like I’m a
Coldstreamer.’ A smile appeared on his face.
They walked out of the enrolment office, waving and
saying goodbye to the sergeant and corporal as they
left.
‘Bloody hell, that was quick,’ Thomas enthused as they
walked away. ‘You buggers don’t even have to go back to
the damn pit.’
‘Except to tell them where to shove it,’ Toby replied,
punching the air with his fists. ‘Hey, Mr boss man, you
can shove your rotten job up your arse!’ he added and
they all started laughing.
The conversation on the return home was animated. The
boys were excited about the fact that two of their
number were about to go on a great adventure. They
talked about the possibilities of where they might go,
what they would see, what sort of gun they might get and
what barrack life would be like.
‘And all those lovely girls,’ Ben teased. ‘They can’t
resist a man in uniform. They drop their knickers at the
sight of a uniform,’ he winked at Thomas as if to share
a secret.
‘Honest. Really? Bloody hell, that would be fantastic.
Haven’t touched a girl since that Edna when I was
fifteen, she was real hot,’ Toby replied excitedly.
‘Is that the one you got the disease off, that the
sergeant asked about?’ Thomas replied, grinning at the
others.
‘What disease? I didn’t get no disease, she was a nice
girl,’ Toby said with indignation.
The boys all laughed, patting Toby on the back. ‘Yea,
sure, we believe you.’
Jack became quiet on the way home and Thomas could sense
it.
‘You haven’t changed your mind, have you? It’s not too
late to pull out if you want to,’ he asked whilst the
other two were in animated conversation.
‘No, I really want to go, but I didn’t realise it would
be so quick, and I forgot how much you all mean to me.’
Thomas gave him a light punch on his arm. ‘Don’t worry,
mate, we’ll be here when you come home on leave, and you
know, I might join up myself like I always said I would.
Well, I’m hoping for something better, although I don’t
know what that is, but if it doesn’t show up I might
join up.’
‘Bloody hell, could the army handle both of us?’ Jack
replied, shaking his head and putting his arm over
Thomas’s shoulder.
The journey home seemed twice as long as the boys began
to feel the anticlimax of such a special day.
The Sheffield Railway Station was crowded with young men
who had been recruited, and their families and friends
there to see them off on their new adventures. People
were wrapping their arms around their favourite sons,
brothers or friends, hugging and talking as they said
their last goodbyes. All were excited about what lay
ahead.
The train stood ready. Steam billowed from underneath,
drifting along the platform and around the people. The
engine wheezed now and again as it maintained its head
of steam.
Thomas and Ben had taken the day off work, a rare event.
They were determined to see their friend and brother off
on this great adventure, and rode the train from Deepcar
to Sheffield with Toby’s and Jack’s families. Toby was
travelling on the train with Jack, although it was a
shorter distance to his barracks.
Grace was there with two of her youngest children,
fussing over Jack like the mother to him she had become.
She had cleaned and ironed the few clothes he possessed
and laid out his best shirt, trousers, jacket and socks.
She admired how smart he looked and felt very proud of
him, and of how handsome and grown-up he had become. She
wanted to take him back home and not let him go, but she
had discussed his enlistment for some time and knew that
in his heart this was what he wanted to do.
The four boys were grouped together, with Toby’s mother
and father by his side. Grace was holding Jack’s hand, a
large hand roughen by mining. ‘But he’s got a soft
touch,’ she thought as she held it.
‘I’ve packed you some cheese and pickle sandwiches for
you to eat on the way, but don’t eat them all at once,
you’ve got a long way to go, and there’s a bottle of
water to keep you going,’ she said.
Jack looked at her and smiled. ‘You’re the best sister a
man could ever have. Thank you for looking after me all
these years, I won’t forget. I’ll send you some of my
wages each week to help out.’
He wrapped his arms around her, giving her a hug, and
kissed her on the forehead. ‘I’ll miss you all terribly,
but I’ll come home as soon as I can.’
‘Please don’t get hurt, Jack. I couldn’t stand losing
you.’
‘I won’t get hurt. There are no wars going on; we’re
safe as houses,’ Jack replied, stepping back.
Grace tried her best not to cry but the tears came
anyway. She tried dabbing them away as they appeared.
The train whistle blew, signalling everyone to get on
board.
People were saying their last goodbyes. Toby was
hugging his father, who had never shown such emotion,
with tears running down his cheeks.
‘Tek care lad, don’t do anythin’ stupid and keep your
head down.’
‘I will dad, I will,’ was all Toby could say, trying not
to cry.
Thomas wrapped his left arm around Jack’s shoulders and
shook Jack’s hand with his free hand.
‘Be careful, big brother and look after yourself, and
bugger this being up front bit, you stay down the back.’
‘Don’t worry, I will,’ Jack replied with a grin,
extricating himself from his brother’s hug as the train
blew its whistle for the second time. Grace and Toby’s
mother hugged each other as both cried, watching their
boys going away to become men.
Jack and Toby climbed aboard the train just before it
started off, leaning out a window as it pulled way from
the station. They watched as the people waving got
smaller and smaller till they disappeared in the
distance. Then settled down to enjoy their new adventure
as black smoke and steam blew past their window, and the
train continued picking up speed as it rattled its way
to London.
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