The speaker then touched upon a question which naturally arose out of the Craigavon policy of resistance to Home Rule.  He had been asked, he said, whether Ulster proposed to fight against the forces of the Crown.  He had already contrasted their own methods with those of the Nationalists, saying that Ulstermen would never descend to action “from behind hedges or by maiming cattle, or by boycotting of individuals”; he now added that they were “not going to fight the Army and the Navy ...  God forbid that any loyal Irishman should ever shoot or think of shooting the British soldier or sailor.  But, believe me, any Government will ponder long before it dares to shoot a loyal Ulster Protestant, devoted to his country and loyal to his King.”

In newspaper reports of public meetings, sayings of pith and moment are often attributed to “A Voice” from the audience.  On this occasion, when Sir Edward Carson referred to the Army and the Navy, “A Voice” cried “They are on our side.”  It was the truth, as subsequent events were to show.  It would indeed have been strange had it been otherwise.  Men wearing His Majesty’s uniform, who had been quartered at one time in Belfast or Carrickfergus and at another in Cork or Limerick, could be under no illusion as to where that uniform was held in respect and where it was scorned.  The certainty that the reality of their own loyalty was understood by the men who served the King was a sustaining thought to Ulstermen through these years of trial.

This Portrush speech cleared the air.  It made known the modus operandi, as Craigavon had made known the policy.  Henceforward Ulster Unionists had a definite idea of what was before them, and they had already unbounded confidence both in the sagacity and in the courage of the man who had become their leader.

The Craigavon meeting led, almost by accident as it were, to a development the importance of which was hardly foreseen at the time.  Among the processionists who passed through Captain Craig’s grounds there was a contingent of Orangemen from County Tyrone who attracted general attention by their smart appearance and the orderly precision of their marching.  On inquiry it was learnt that these men had of their own accord been learning military drill.  The spirit of emulation naturally suggested to others to follow the example of the Tyrone Lodges.  It was soon followed, not by Orangemen alone, but by members of the Unionist Clubs, very many of whom belonged to no Orange Lodge.  Within a few months drilling—­of an elementary kind, it is true—­had become popular in many parts of the country.  Colonel R.H.  Wallace, C.B., who had served with distinction in the South African War, where he commanded the 5th Royal Irish Rifles, was a prominent member of the Orange Institution, in which he was in 1911 Grand Master of the Belfast Lodges, and Grand Secretary of the Provincial Grand Orange Lodge of Ulster; and, being a man of marked ability and widespread popularity, his influence was powerful and extensive.  He was a devoted adherent of Carson, and there was no keener spirit among the Ulster Loyalist leaders.  Colonel Wallace was among the first to perceive the importance of this military drilling that was taking place throughout Ulster, and through his leading position in the Orange Institution his encouragement did much to extend the practice.