#VICTORIA 2 ARMY COMPOSITION SERIES#

Disciplined behaviour now came with material rewards. More importantly for the men themselves, there was good conduct pay to go with the good conduct badges. As any teacher knows, rewards are generally more effective than punishments, and this would have pragmatic effects as well as providing a disciplinary alternative to the lash. Good behaviour by ordinary soldiers would be publically praised and acknowledged, lending it a status beyond being the default. Howick sought to change that.Дuring his time as Secretary of War, Howick introduced good conduct badges. Good Conduct Pay Officers of the 72nd Foot (the Duke of AlbanyвЂ™s own Highlanders), 1840sДЄs this range of punishments highlights, discipline in the early Victorian army focused on punishing bad behaviour rather than rewarding good behaviour. Flogging followed it out of the army, its use ending completely in 1881. The number of men punished in this way also fell, imprisonment being used as a more humane alternative.ДЄt the same time, transportation to Australia ended, soldiers no longer being ripped away from homes and family as a punishment. This was reduced again several times, reaching 50 lashes in 1846. For the first time, they were limited to a maximum of 500 lashes as a physical punishment вЂ“ still a terrible ordeal for anyone to endure. Reform of military punishments began in 1829 when the nearly unlimited power of courts-martial began to be restrained. Picture by Robber Esq via Flickr Creative Commons 1.

#VICTORIA 2 ARMY COMPOSITION SERIES#

Spurred on by an 1836 report into corporal punishment, and by Henry Marshall and Alexander TullochвЂ™s statistical investigations into sickness and mortality in the army, he fought against tight-fisted and conservative wings of government to introduce a series of much-needed reforms. The Whig politician Lord Howick used his stints as Secretary of War (1835-9) and Colonial Secretary (1846-52) to improve the lives of ordinary soldiers. Fortunately for the soldiers, there were a few reformers set on changing this.

Victoria 2 army composition