history
A SENSE OF HUMOUR
Looking back at General Sir John Miller Adye during his time as Governor of Gibraltar. BY REG REYNOLDS
I
n researching a story for the January edition of The Gibraltar Magazine (Duke of Edinburgh’s Gibraltar New Year), I learned that Sir John Miller Adye, besides being a career soldier, was a talented artist and writer with a sense of humour regarding some of the rules and laws prior to his serving as Governor of Gibraltar. Sir John was Governor from January 3rd, 1883 to November 2nd, 1886 and in the final chapter of his book Recollections of a Military Life he wrote, “The old records of Gibraltar during the eighteenth century contain some interesting and amusing regulations concerning matters both of civil administration and army discipline, and I will quote a few examples. “Any donkeys loose in the town are to be the property of the person taking them away, and any straying on the ramparts are to be shot by the sentries.” “If sentries are attacked by bullocks in the streets or on the Line Wall, they are to retire into an embrasure or get upon the parapet; but they are not to fire inconsiderately.” “Fishermen are only to sell their fish after the servant of the 32
Governor has bought what he requires.” “Whatever settler doth not inform against men that swear in their houses contrary to the orders given out shall be turned out of town.” “All oysters which come from Portugal are to lie in the sea for at least a fortnight before they are brought into the garrison, as they are found very unwholesome without this precaution.” “A loose ball and a charge of
powder in a cane is to be issued to each man on guard to save their cartridges. The loose ball to be carried in the cock of their hats.” “On account of the scarcity of flour soldiers are not to have their hair powdered till further orders.” “The queue is to be fixed to the hair of the head, but when an officer’s hair is not long enough for this purpose he may be allowed to fix the queue otherwise till his hair is sufficiently long, but this is not to continue longer than two months on any account.” GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE APRIL 2020
