Something's In The Air

King Phillip I, his uncle Grand Duke Colin and General Von Zillmann were bent over the desk, studying a diagram.
"So this thing will, erm; fly"? asked the young king.
The Grand Duke folded his arms and straightened up:
"Apparently so. All to do with "hot air rising" and such, so Dr Tross assures me".
King Phillip looked up:
"And Dr Tross will be able to construct this, what did he call it,..."
"A Balloon Phillip". The Grand Duke was quite informal with the King, his nephew.
"Ah yes; Balloon".
The King directed the next question to the General:
"So Colonel Ann will escort Dr Tross, and the engineers to Wodongatown, build a stockade, and then from within develop all the where-with-all to have this balloon launched so as to provide a "birds eye view" into Alburburg".
General Von Zillmann snapped his heels together:
"That is the plan Sire. We believe that is where the Raiders from the RNS concentrate and launch their raids from. We believe the Raiders are actualy the 4th Dragoons"
The King moved away from the desk and diagram and plans of the strange flying machine. The others followed.
They listened as he began again:
"These cross border raids must stop. I trust this contraption will give us the early warning we need to enable us to intercept any future raids before too much harm can be done. I'm confident the Yarra Militia and a troop from Bree's Battery should be a sufficient force to defend the works"
General Von Zillmann added:
"Ja Sire, and the 4th Foot and the Royal Dragoons can intercept any raids nearby".
The King stopped and turned to face his Uncle and the General.
"Well done Gentlemen! When did Colonel Ann's column depart"?
The Grand Duke answered:
"Last week. They should almost be at Wodongatown now".
King Phillip I smiled:
"And Lady Hugankiss should soon be arriving in the RNS Capital..."

TO BE CONTINUED!

MORMOAN CAVALRY: 1st Regiment; The Royal Dragoons

In this installment, we will look at the 1st Regiment; The Royal Dragoons“Princess Amanda’s Dragoons”
NAME: 1st Regiment,The Royal Dragoons, "Princess Amanda’s Dragoons”
Date Raised: 1 September 1701
MOTTO: "Culpam poena permit comes " (Punishment Follows Swiftly Your Crime)
Unofficial Motto: "We Shall Punish"
Nicknames:"The FONOs" (Friends Of No One), "Mighty Oaks"
Battle Honours: "Beaver Ridge", "The Hostile Wars" and "Port Philip 1728".
Brief History:
The first cavalry regiment to be raised by the Mormoans, the recruits were drawn initially from the Colony's Constabulary. As a result they proved to be singularly unpopular amongst the other Regiments and units of the Army, (Only ADMA proving to be more unpopular). First saw action at Beaver Ridge, where they inflicted heavy casualties on the French Colonists.
Regimental anecdotes and traditions: The Regiment's Honorary Colonel is Princess Amanda, the King's eldest daughter. The Princess, (who is also patron of the Kingdom's Police Force) adopted the Regiment as her own after they provided the escort for her first tour of the Kingdom as Princess in 1746, aged 16.
During the Battle of Beaver Ridge the General Officer Commanding the Army, General (later to be King Michael), Clements ordered the Regiment forward, saying to the Regiment's Colonel, "Are these trespassers to be held to no account? Have at them 1st Regiment"! The Regiment charged forward crying "Punish them"!
After the battle the Regiment camped near a large oak tree. To this day on the anniversary of the Battle Of Beaver Ridge the Regiment places oak leaves in their hats.
NOTE: The oak tree in question was quite significant, as oak trees are not native to New Wales. The Regiment gathered around the tree on the insistence of the Regimental Padre after the battle to pray and thank God for their victory. After the service the Regiment basically collapsed their from exhaustion and slept.