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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3c32fef --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #52974 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/52974) diff --git a/old/52974-0.txt b/old/52974-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 33c637b..0000000 --- a/old/52974-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3995 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The British Army From Within, by Evelyn Charles Vivian - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The British Army From Within - -Author: Evelyn Charles Vivian - -Release Date: September 4, 2016 [EBook #52974] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BRITISH ARMY FROM WITHIN *** - - - - -Produced by Brian Coe, Charlie Howard, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -book was produced from images made available by the -HathiTrust Digital Library.) - - - - - - - - - -THE BRITISH ARMY FROM WITHIN - - - - - THE BRITISH ARMY - FROM WITHIN - - BY - E. CHARLES VIVIAN - - AUTHOR OF - “PASSION FRUIT,” “DIVIDED WAYS,” ETC. - - - HODDER AND STOUGHTON - LONDON NEW YORK TORONTO - MCMXIV - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER I - PAGE - “UBIQUE”: THE ARMY AS A WHOLE 9 - - - CHAPTER II - - THE WAY OF THE RECRUIT 25 - - - CHAPTER III - - OFFICERS AND NON-COMS. 46 - - - CHAPTER IV - - INFANTRY 60 - - - CHAPTER V - - CAVALRY 76 - - - CHAPTER VI - - ARTILLERY AND ENGINEERS 92 - - - CHAPTER VII - - IN CAMP 106 - - - CHAPTER VIII - - MUSKETRY 120 - - - CHAPTER IX - - THE INTERNAL ECONOMY OF THE ARMY 136 - - - CHAPTER X - - THE NEW ARMY 158 - - - CHAPTER XI - - ACTIVE SERVICE 169 - - - - -CHAPTER I - -“UBIQUE”: THE ARMY AS A WHOLE - - -On the badges of the corps of Engineers, and also on those of the Royal -Artillery, will be found the word “Ubique,” but it is a word that might -just as well be used with regard to the whole of the British Army, -which serves everywhere, does everything, undergoes every kind of -climate, and gains contact with every class of people. In this respect, -the British soldier enjoys a distinct advantage over the soldiers of -continental armies; he has a chance of seeing the world. India, Africa, -Egypt, the West Indies, Mauritius, and the Mediterranean stations are -open to him, and by the time he leaves the service he has at least had -the opportunity of becoming cosmopolitan in his tastes and ways--of -becoming a man of larger ideas and better grasp on the problems of life -than were his at the time when he took the oath and passed the doctor. -Of that phase, more anon. - -It is of little use, in the present state of the British Army, to -attempt to define its extent or composition, for it is in such a -state of flux that the numbers of battalions, regiments, and batteries -of a year ago are as obsolete as the Snider rifle. There used to -be 157 battalions of infantry, 31 regiments of cavalry, and about -180 batteries of horse and field artillery, together with about 100 -companies and 9 mountain batteries of Royal Garrison Artillery, forming -the principal strength of the British Army. To these must be added the -Royal Engineers, the Army Service Corps, the Royal Ordnance Department, -the R.A.M.C., the Army Pay Corps, and other non-combatant units -necessary to the domestic and general internal working of an army. -To-day these various forces are increased to such an extent that no man -outside the War Office can tell the strength of infantry, cavalry, and -artillery; no man, either, can tell what will be the permanent strength -of the Army on a peace footing, when the present urgent need for men no -longer exists, and there is only to be considered the maintenance of a -force sufficient for the garrisoning of colonial and foreign stations -and for ordinary defensive needs at home. - -Generally speaking, the soldier at home, no matter to what arm or -branch of the service he belongs, undergoes a continuous training. It -takes three years to make an infantryman fully efficient, five years -to make a cavalryman thoroughly conversant with his many duties, and -five years or more to teach a gunner his business. The raw material -from which the Army is recruited is mixed and sometimes uneducated -stuff, and, in addition to this, recruits are enlisted at an age when -they must be taught everything--they are past the age of the schoolboy -who absorbs tuition readily and with little trouble to his instructors, -and they have not attained to such an age as will permit them to take -their work really seriously. This, of course, does not apply to a time -of great national emergency, when the men coming to the colours are -actuated by the highest possible motives, eager to fit themselves for -the work in hand, and bent on getting fit for active service in the -shortest possible time. In times of peace, recruits join the colours -from many motives--pure patriotism is not a common one--and, in -consequence, the hard realities of soldiering in peace time disillusion -them to such an extent that they are difficult to teach, and thus need -the full term of training for full efficiency. Half the work of their -instructors consists in getting them into the proper frame of mind -and giving them that _esprit de corps_ which is essential to the war -fitness of a voluntary army. - -At the best, there is much in the work that a soldier is called on -to do which is beyond his understanding, in the first years of his -service. One consequence of this is that he learns to do things without -questioning their meaning, and thus acquires a habit of obeying; -this, up to a few years ago, was the object of military training--to -instil into the soldier unquestioning obedience to orders, and the -sentence--“obedience is the first duty of the soldier,” gained currency -and labelled the soldier as a mere cog in a great machine, one whose -duty lay in obeying as did that Roman sentinel at Pompeii. One of -the chief lessons of the South African war, however, was that such -obedience was no longer the first duty of the soldier; he must obey, -no less than before, but scientific warfare demands an understanding -obedience, and not the unquestioning, die-at-his-post fidelity of old -time. The recruit of to-day must be taught not only to obey, but to -understand, and by that fact the work of his instructors, and his own -work as well, are largely increased. “Obedience” was the watchword of -yesterday. “Obedience and initiative” is the phrase of to-day. - -To come down to concrete facts as regards the actual composition -and general duties of the Army. The main station in England is -Aldershot, headquarters of the first Army Corps. Theoretically, in -all cases of national emergency, the Aldershot Command is first to -move, and the units composing it are expected to be able to mobilise -for active service at twenty-four hours’ notice. Next in importance -are Colchester, Shorncliffe, York, and Bulford--the centre of the -Salisbury Plain area under military control. In Ireland the principal -stations are Dublin and the Curragh. In these stations, under normal -circumstances, the furlough season begins at Christmas time and lasts -up to the following March; for this period men are granted leave in -batches, and drill and training for those who remain in barracks while -the others take their holidays is somewhat relaxed. Serious training -begins in March, when the corporals, sergeants, and troop and section -officers begin to lick their squads, sections, and troops into shape. -Following on this comes company training for the infantry, squadron -training for the cavalry, and battery training for the artillery, -and this in turn is followed by battalion training for infantry, -regimental training for cavalry, and brigade training for artillery. -Somewhere during the period taken up before the beginning of regimental -and battalion training, musketry has to be fitted in, and, as the -ranges cannot accommodate all the men at once, this has to be done -by squadrons and companies, while those not engaged in perfecting -their shooting continue with their other training. At the conclusion -of the training of units--regiments, battalions, and brigades of -artillery--brigade and divisional training is begun, and then manœuvres -follow, in which the troops are given opportunities of learning the -working of an army corps, as well as getting practical experience of -camp life under conditions as near those obtaining on active service as -circumstances will admit. By the time all this has been completed, the -furlough season starts again, and the round begins once more with a few -more recruits to train, a few old soldiers missing from the ranks. - -In addition to the regular course of training that lasts through the -year and goes on from year to year, there are various “courses” to be -undergone in order to keep the departmental staff of each unit up to -strength. Thus, in the infantry, signallers must be specially trained, -and pioneers, who do all the sanitary work of their units, must be -taught their duties, while musketry instructors and drill instructors -have to be selected and taught their duties. Each unit, except as -regards medical service and a few things totally out of its range -of activity, is self-contained and self-supporting, and thus it is -necessary that it should train its own instructors and its own special -men for special work, together with understudies to take their places -in case of casualties. The cavalry trains its own signallers, scouts, -shoeing smiths, cooks, pioneers, and to a certain extent medical -orderlies. The artillery does likewise, and in addition keeps up a -staff of artificers to attend to minor needs of the guns--men capable -of repairing breakages in the field, as far as this is possible. -Wherever horses are concerned, too, saddlers must be trained to keep -leather work in repair. - -The Engineers, a body of men who seldom get the recognition their work -deserves, have to train in telegraphy, bridge-building, construction -and demolition of all things, from a regular defensive fortification -to a field kitchen, and many other things incidental to the smooth -working of an army in the field. Departmental corps, such as the Army -Service, Army Ordnance, and R.A.M.C., not only train but exercise their -functions in a practical way, for in peace time an army must be fed, -equipped, and doctored, just the same as in war--except that in the -latter case its requirements are more strenuous. The ancient belief -entertained by civilians to the effect that the Army is a profession -of laziness is thoroughly exploded as soon as one passes through the -barrack gates, for the Army as a whole works as hard as, if not harder -than the average man in equivalent stations of civilian life. - -In foreign and colonial stations, the work goes on just the same, as -far as limitations of climate will permit. In “plains” stations in -India, the heat of the summer months renders training during the day -impossible, and men get their work over, for the most part, in the -very early morning, or in the cool of the evening. Malta and Gibraltar -are subject to the same limitations in a lesser degree, as is South -Africa, while Mauritius and minor colonial stations have their own -ways. But, no matter where the unit concerned may be, it works--fitness -is dependent on work, and no unit is allowed to get rusty, while the -variety of work involved prevents men from getting stale. - -At the same time, there is plenty of relaxation and sport as well as -work in the routine of military life. Set a battalion down in a new -station, and the chances are ten to one that on the evening of their -arrival the men will be kicking a football about. Each company and -squadron, and each battery of artillery as well, has its own sports -fund and sports club, which keeps going the national games in the unit -concerned. Men work hard and play hard, and their play is made to help -their work. Infantry units organise cross-country races which help -enormously in maintaining the men in fit marching condition; cavalry -units get up scouting competitions and other sporting fixtures based on -work--to say nothing of tent pegging, lemon cutting, and other forms of -military sport of which the Royal Military Tournament annually affords -examples, while shooting ranges form fields for weekly competitions at -such times as they are not in use for annual musketry courses. - -The actual composition of the various units composing the British Army -differs from that of continental armies, the only units of strength -which are identical being those of the army corps, and the division, -which is half an army corps. The next unit in the scale is the -brigade, which is composed of three batteries of field or two of horse -artillery, three regiments of cavalry, or four battalions of infantry. -A division is made up of brigades, which vary in number and composition -according to the work which that particular division will be expected -to accomplish--there is a standard for the composition of the division, -but changes now in process of taking place in the composition of the -whole army render it unsafe to quote any standard as definite. A normal -division, certainly, is composed of cavalry, artillery, and infantry in -certain strengths, together with non-combatants and supply units making -up its total strength to anywhere between 20,000 and 30,000 men. - -The unit of strength in which figures become definite is the brigade of -artillery, the regiment of cavalry, and the battalion of infantry. The -peace strength of each of these units may be regarded, as a rule, as -from 10 to 20 per cent. over the war strength, and the war strength is -as follows: - -For cavalry, a regiment consists of about 620 officers and men of all -ranks; this body is divided into three service squadrons, each of an -approximate strength of 160 officers, non-commissioned officers, and -men, the remainder of the strength of the unit forming the “reserve -squadron,” devoted to the headquarters staff--the commanding officer -and administrative staff of the regiment, as well as the “pom-pom” or -one-pounder quick-firer, of which one is included in the establishment -of every cavalry regiment. In this connection it is probable that the -experiences of the present European war will lead to the adoption of -a greater number of these quick-firers, and in future each cavalry -regiment will probably have at least two “pom-poms” as part of its -regular equipment. The possession of these, of course, involves the -training of a gun crew for each weapon--a full complement of gunners -and drivers. - -For artillery, a brigade is divided into three batteries, each of an -approximate strength of 150 men and six guns (the artillery battery -corresponds to the cavalry squadron and to the infantry company) -and, in addition, one ammunition column, together with transport -and auxiliary staff, making up a total of about 600 officers, -non-commissioned officers, and men. This refers to the field artillery, -which forms the bulk of the British artillery strength, and is armed -with 18½-pounder quick-firing guns. The Royal Horse Artillery is -armed with a lighter gun, and is used mainly as support to cavalry -in single batteries. It is so constituted as to be more mobile and -capable of rendering quicker service than the R.F.A. Horse artillery -is hardly ever constituted into brigades, as is the field artillery. -Horse artillery, again, has no counterpart in the armies of Continental -nations, so far as mobility and quality of armament are in question. - -Infantry reckons its numbers by battalions, of which the war strength -is approximately 1010 officers, non-commissioned officers, and men -per battalion. Each battalion is divided into four double companies, -the “double-company system” having been adopted in order to compensate -for a certain shortage of officers. The double company may be reckoned -at 240 officers, non-commissioned officers, and men, roughly, and -the remainder of the total is taken up by two maxim-gun sections and -the headquarters staff of the unit. As in the case of the cavalry -“pom-pom,” it is more than likely that the number of maxims or -machine-guns per battalion will be increased, as a result of the -experiences gained in the present Continental war. - -Engineers and departmental units are divided into companies of varying -strengths, according to the part they are called on to play when the -division is constituted. Thus it is self-evident that an average -division will require more Engineers, who do all the field work of -construction and demolition, than it will Army Ordnance men, who attend -to the equipment of the division--fitting out with clothing, provision -of transport vehicles, etc. The number of men of departmental corps -allotted to each division in the field varies with the strength of the -division and with its distance from its base of supplies. - -There is a permanent and outstanding difference between the British -Army as a whole and any Continental army as a whole. In the case of -the Continental army--no matter which one is chosen for purposes of -comparison, the conscript system renders it a part of the nation -concerned, identifies the army with the nation, and incidentally takes -out the element of freedom. A man in a conscript army is serving -because he must, and, no matter how patriotic he may be, there are -times when this is brought home to him very forcibly by the discipline -without which no army could exist. In the British Army, on the other -hand, the men serving are there by their own choice; this fact gives -them a sense that the discipline, no matter how distasteful it may be, -is a necessity to their training--by their enlistment they chose to -undergo it. But the British Army, until the present war linked it on -to the man in the street, was not a part of the nation, but a thing -distinct from the nation; it was a profession apart, and none too -enviable a profession, in the opinion of many, but something to be -avoided by men in equivalent walks of civilian life. - -There are advantages as well as disadvantages in the voluntary system -by which our Army is raised and maintained. As an advantage may be -set first the spirit of the men; having enlisted voluntarily, and -ascertained by experience that they must make the best of it or be -considered utterly worthless, men in a voluntary army gain a spirit -that conscripts can never attain. They are soldiers of their own -free will, with regimental traditions to maintain, and practice has -demonstrated that they form the finest fighting body, as a whole, among -all the armies of the world. On the other hand, they have no political -significance, and are but little understood, as regards their needs -and the constitution of the force to which they belong. In France, for -instance, the rule is “every citizen a soldier,” and it is a rule which -is observed with but very few exceptions. The result is that every -citizen who has been a soldier is also a voter, and in the matter of -army requirements he votes in an understanding way, while the British -voter, with the exception of the small percentage who have served in -the Army, is as a rule unmoved by Army needs and questions. To this -extent the Army suffers from the voluntary system, though the quality -of the Army itself under present voluntary conditions may be held to -compensate for this. It is doubtful whether it does compensate. - -Further, the voluntary system makes of life in the ranks a totally -different thing from civilian life. In conscript armies the discipline -to which men are subjected makes their life different from that of -their civilian days, but not to such an extent as in the voluntary -British Army. The civilian can never quite understand the soldier; -Kipling came nearer than any other civilian in his understanding, but -even he failed altogether to appreciate the soldier of to-day--perhaps -he had a better understanding of the soldier of the ’eighties and -’nineties, before the South African war had come to awaken the Army to -the need for individual training and the development of initiative. -However that may be, no man has yet written of the soldier as he really -is, because the task has been usually attempted by civilians, to whom -the soldier rarely shows his real self. Soldiers have themselves given -us glimpses of their real life, but usually they have specialised -on the dramatic and the picturesque. It is necessary, if one would -understand the soldier and his inner life, that one should have a -grasp of the monotony of soldiering, the drill and riding school, the -barrack-room routine, and all that makes up the daily life, as well as -the exceptional and picturesque. - -In the following chapters, showing as far as possible the inner life -of the Army from the point of view of the soldier, an attempt has -been made to show the average of life in each branch of the service. -Exceptions occur: the quality of the commanding officer makes all the -difference in the life of the unit which he commands; again, apart -from the influence exercised by the personality of the commanding -officer, that of the company or squadron officer is a very potent -factor in the lives of the men under his command. The British Army, -fine fighting machine though it is, is not perfect, and there are -instances of bad commanding officers, bad squadron and company -officers, just as there are instances of superlatively good ones. -Between these is the influence exerted by the mass on the mass, from -which an average picture may be drawn. - -That picture is the portrait of the British soldier, second to none. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -THE WAY OF THE RECRUIT - - -The way of the recruit, though still a hard one, is not so hard as -it used to be, for, especially in the cavalry and artillery, various -modifications have been introduced by which the youngster is broken in -gradually to his work. This is not all to the good, for under the new -way of working the training which precedes “dismissal” from recruit’s -training to the standing of a trained soldier takes longer, and, -submitting the recruit to a less strenuous form of life for the period -through which it lasts, does not produce quite so handy and quick a -man as the one who was kept at it from dawn till dark, with liberty at -the end of his official day’s work to clean up equipment for the next -day. Still, the annual training of the “dismissed” soldier is a more -strenuous business now than in old time, so probably the final result -is about the same. - -The recruit’s first requirements, after he has interviewed the -recruiting sergeant on the subject of enlistment is to take the -oath--a very quick and simple matter--and then to pass the doctor, -which is not so simple. The recruit is stripped, sounded, tested for -full physical efficiency, and made to pass tests in eyesight and -breathing which, if he emerges satisfactorily, proclaim him as near -physical perfection as humanity can get without a course of physical -culture--and that course is administered during his first year of -service. Kept under the wing of the recruiting sergeant for a matter of -hours or days, as the case may be, the recruit is at last drafted off -to his depot, or direct to his unit, where his real training begins in -earnest. - -We may take the case of a recruit who had enlisted from mixed motives, -arrived at a station whence he had to make his way to barracks in the -evening, in order to begin his new life; here are his impressions of -beginning life in the Army. - -He went up a hill, and along a muddy lane, and, arriving at -the barracks, inquired, as he had been told to do, for the -quartermaster-sergeant of “C” Squadron. He was directed to the -quartermaster-sergeant’s office, and, on arrival there, was asked -his name and the nature of his business by a young corporal who took -life as a joke and regarded recruits as a special form of food for -amusement. Having ascertained the name of the recruit, the corporal, -who was a kindly fellow at heart, took him down to the regimental -coffee bar and provided him with a meal of cold meat, bread, and -coffee--at the squadron’s expense, of course, for the provision of the -meal was a matter of duty. The corporal then indicated the room in -which the recruit was to sleep, and left him. - -The recruit opened the door of the room, and looked in. It was a long -room, with a row of narrow beds down each side, and in the middle two -tables on iron trestles, whereon were several basins. On almost every -bed sat a man, busily engaged in cleaning some article of clothing or -equipment; some were cleaning buttons, some were pipeclaying belts, -some were engaged with sword-hilts and brick-dust, some were cleaning -boots--all were cleaning up as if their lives depended on it, for -“lights out” would be sounded at a quarter-past ten, and it was already -past nine o’clock. When they saw the recruit, they gave him greeting. -“Here’s another one!” they cried. “Here’s another victim!” and other -phrases which led this particular recruit to think, quite erroneously, -that he had come to something very bad indeed. Two or three were -singing, with more noise than melody, a song which was very old when -Queen Anne died--it was one of the ditties of the regiment, sung by its -men on all possible and most impossible occasions. One man shouted to -the recruit that he had “better flap before he drew his issue,” and -that he could not understand at all. Translated into civilian language, -it meant that he had better desert before he exchanged his civilian -clothing for regimental attire, but this he learned later. They seemed -a jolly crowd, very fond of flavouring their language with words which, -in civilian estimation, were terms of abuse, but passed as common -currency here. - -The recruit stood wondering--out of all these beds, there seemed to -be no bed for him. After a minute or two, however, the corporal in -charge of the room came up to him, and pointed out to him a bed in one -corner of the room; its usual occupant was on guard for twenty-four -hours, and the recruit was informed that he could occupy that bed for -the night. In the morning he could go to the quartermaster’s store and -draw blankets, sheets, a pillow, and “biscuits” for his own use. After -that, he would be allotted a bed-cot to himself. Biscuits, it must be -explained, are square mattresses of coir, of which three, placed end to -end, form a full-sized mattress for a military bed-cot. - -Sitting on the borrowed bed-cot, the recruit was able to take a good -look round. The ways of these men, their quickness in cleaning and -polishing articles of equipment, were worth watching, he decided. They -joked and chaffed each other, they sang scraps of songs, allegedly -pathetic and allegedly humorous; they shouted from one end of the room -to the other in order to carry on conversations; they called the Army -names, they called each other names, and they called individuals who -were evidently absent yet more names, none of them complimentary. They -made a lot of noise, and in that noise one of them, having finished his -cleaning, slept; when he snored, one of his comrades threw a boot at -him, and, since the boot hit him, he woke up and looked round, but in -vain. Therefore he calmly went to sleep again, but this time he did not -snore. The recruit, who had come out of an ordinary civilian home, and -hitherto had had only the vaguest of notions as to what the Army was -really like, wondered if he were dreaming, and then realised that he -himself was one of these men, since he had voluntarily given up certain -years of his life to their business. With that reflection he undressed -and got into bed. After “lights-out” had sounded and been promptly -obeyed, he went to sleep.... - -His impressions are typical, and his introduction to the barrack-room -may serve to record the view gained by the majority of those who -enlist: that first glimpse of military life is something utterly -strange and incomprehensible, and the recruit sleeps his first -night in barracks--or stays awake--bewildered by the novelty of his -surroundings, and a little afraid. - -In a few days the recruit begins to feel a little more at home in his -new surroundings. One of his first ordeals is that of being fitted with -clothing, and with few exceptions, all his clothing is ready-made, -for the quartermaster’s store of a unit contains a variety of sizes -and fittings of every article required, and from among these a man -must be fitted out from head to foot. The regimental master-tailor -attends at the clothes’ fitting, and makes notes of alterations -required--shortening or lengthening sleeves, letting out here, and -taking in there. When clothes and boots have been fitted, the recruit -is issued a “small kit,” consisting of brushes and cleaning materials -for himself and his clothes and equipment, even unto a toothbrush and -a comb. As a rule, he omits the ceremony of locking these things away -in his box when he returns to the barrack-room, with the result that -most of them are missing when he looks on the shelf or in the box where -he placed them. For, in a barrack-room, although all things are not -common, the property of the recruit is fair game, and he catches who -can. - -Gradually, as the recruit learns the need for taking care of such -property as he wishes to retain, he also learns barrack-room slang and -phrasing. In the Army, one is never late: one is “pushed.” One does -not eat, but one “scoffs.” A man who dodges work is said to “swing -the lead,” and there is no such thing as work, for it is “graft,” or -“kom.” Practically every man, too, has his nickname: all Clarkes are -“Nobby,” all Palmers are “Pedlar,” all Welshmen in other than Welsh -regiments are “Taffy,” all Robinsons are “Jack,” and every surname in -like fashion has its regular nickname. But, contrary to the belief -entertained by the average civilian, the soldier does not readily take -to nicknames for his superiors. For his own officers he sometimes finds -equivalents to their names through their personal peculiarities, but -if one spoke to a soldier of “K. of K.,” the soldier would request an -explanation, while “Bobs” for Lord Roberts might be understood, but -would not be appreciated. The general officer and the superior worthy -of respect gets his full title from the soldier at all times, and -nicknames, except for comrades of the same company or squadron, form a -mark of contempt, especially when applied to commissioned officers. -Sometimes the soldier finds a nickname for a comrade out of a personal -peculiarity, as when one is particularly mean he gets the name of -“Shonk,” or “Shonkie,” which is equivalent to “Jew,” with a reference -to usury and extortion. - -If a regimental officer gets a nickname, it may be generally assumed -that he is not held in very great respect by his men. “Bulgy,” of whom -more anon, was a very fat young lieutenant with more bulk than brains; -“Duffer” was another lieutenant, and his title explains itself--it was -always used in conjunction with his surname; “Bouncer” was a major who -had attained his rank by accident, and left the service because he -knew it was hopeless to anticipate further promotion. The officer who -commands the respect of his men does not get nicknamed, and the recruit -very soon learns to call his superiors by their proper names when he -has occasion to mention superior officers in course of conversation -with his comrades. - -As a rule, the recruit is subjected to one or more practical jokes by -his comrades in his early days as a soldier. In cavalry regiments, a -favourite form of joke is to get the recruit to go to the farrier-major -for his “shoeing-money,” a mythical allowance which, it is alleged, -every recruit receives at the beginning of his service. The pretext -might appear a bit thin if only one man were concerned in the -deception, but the recruit is assured by a whole barrack-roomful of -soldiers that “it’s a fact, and no hank,” and in about five cases out -of ten he goes to the farrier-major, who, entering into the spirit of -the thing, sends the victim in to the orderly-room sergeant or the -provost-sergeant, and from here the recruit goes to the next official -chosen, until he finds out the hoax. If a non-commissioned officer can -be found with the same sense of humour as induced the shoeing-money -hoax, he--usually a lance-corporal--orders the recruit to go to the -sergeant-major or some other highly placed non-com. for “the key of -the square.” As a rule, this request from the recruit provokes the -sergeant-major to wrath, and the poor recruit gets a hot time. There -is a legend of a recruit having been sent to the quartermaster’s store -to get his mouth measured for a spoon, but it may be regarded as -legend pure and simple, for there are limits to the credulity, even, -of recruits, though authenticated instances of hoaxes which have been -practised show that much may be done by means of an earnest manner and -the thorough preservation of gravity in giving recommendations to the -victim. Many a man has gone to the armourer to get his spurs fitted, -and probably more will go yet. - -If a civilian takes a thorough dislike to his work, he has always the -opportunity of quitting it; if he fails to satisfy his employers, he -is either warned or dismissed. In the Army, the man who dislikes his -work has to pocket the dislike and go on with the work, while if his -employers, the regimental authorities, have any fault to find with him, -they do not express it by dismissal until various forms and quantities -of punishment for slackness have been resorted to. The recruit gets -far more punishments than the old soldier, for the latter has learned -what to do and what to avoid, in order to make life simple for himself; -his punishments usually arise out of looking on the beer when it is -brown to an extent incompatible with the fulfilment of his duties, and, -when sober, he generally manages to evade “office” and its results. -But the recruit finds that the corporal in charge of his room, the -drill instructor in charge of him at drill, the sergeant in charge -of his section or troop, the non-commissioned officer under whose -supervision he does his fatigues, and a host of other superiors, are -all capable of either placing him in the guard-room to await trial or -of informing him that he is under open arrest, and equally liable for -trial--and this for offences which would not count as such in civilian -life, for three-quarters of the military “crimes” are not crimes at all -in the civil code. Being late on parade, a dirty button--that is, a -button not sufficiently brilliant in its polish--the need of a shave, -a hasty word to one in authority, and half a hundred other apparent -trivialities, form grounds for “wheeling a man up” or “running him in.” -And the guard-room to which he retires is the “clink,” while, if he -is so persistent in the commission of offences as to merit detention, -the military form of imprisonment, he is said to go to the “glass -house”--that is, he is sent to the detention barracks for the term to -which he is sentenced--and his punishment is spoken of as “cells,” -and never anything else. A minor form of punishment, “confined to -barracks,” or “defaulters’,” involves the doing of the regiment’s dirty -work in the few hours usually devoted to relaxation, with drill in full -marching order for an hour every night, and answering one’s name at the -guard-room at stated intervals throughout the afternoon and evening, in -order to prevent the delinquent from leaving barracks. This the soldier -calls “doing jankers,” and the bugle or trumpet call which orders him -out on the defaulters’ parade is known as “Paddy Doyle”--heaven only -knows for what reason, unless one Paddy Doyle was a notorious offender -against military discipline in far-back times, and his reputation has -survived his personal characteristics in the memory of the soldier. - -The accused, whoever he may be, is paraded first before his company, -squadron, or battery officer, and the charge against him is read out. -First evidence is taken from the superior officer who makes the charge, -and second evidence from anyone who may have been witness to the -occurrence which has caused the trouble. Then the accused is asked what -he has to say in mitigation of his offence, and if he is wise, unless -the accusation is very unjust indeed, he answers--“Nothing, sir.” Then, -if the case is a minor one, the company or squadron or battery officer -delivers sentence. If, however, the crime is one meriting a punishment -exceeding “seven days confined to barracks,” the case is beyond the -jurisdiction of the junior officer, and must be sent to the officer -commanding the regiment or battalion or artillery brigade for trial. In -that case, the offender is paraded with an escort of a non-commissioned -officer and man, and marched on to the verandah of the regimental -orderly room when “office” sounds--almost always at eleven o’clock -in the morning. When the colonel commanding the unit--or, in case of -his absence, his deputy--decrees, the offender is marched into the -presence of his judge; the adjutant of the regiment reads the charge, -the evidence is stated as in the case of trial by a company or squadron -officer, and the colonel pronounces his verdict. - -Acquittals are rare; not that there is any injustice, but it is -assumed, and usually with good reason, that if a man is “wheeled up” -he has been doing something he ought not to have done. Then, too, the -soldier’s explanations of how he came to get into trouble are far too -plausible; officers with experience of the soldier and his ways come -to understand that he can explain away anything and find an excuse -for everything. It is safe, in the majority of cases, to take a harsh -view. However, the punishments inflicted are, in the majority of -cases, light: “jankers,” though uncomfortable, is not degrading to any -great extent, and the man who has had a taste or two of this wholesome -corrective will usually be a more careful if not a better soldier in -future. - -“Cells” is a different matter. Not that it lowers a man to any extent -in the estimation of his comrades, but it is a painful experience, -practically corresponding to the imprisonment with hard labour to -which a civilian misdemeanant is subjected. It involves also total loss -of pay from the time of arrest to the end of the period of punishment, -while confinement to barracks involves only the actual punishment, and, -unless the crime is “absence,” there is no loss of pay. Drunkenness -is punished by an officially graded system of fines, as well as by -“jankers” or “cells.” - -The average man, however, performs work of average quality, avoids -drunkenness, and keeps to time, the result being that he does not -undergo punishment. Barrack-room life, for the recruit, is a fairly -simple matter. He makes his own bed, and sweeps the floor round it. -He folds his blankets and sheets to the prescribed pattern; the way -in which he folds his kit and clothing, also, is regulated for him by -the company or squadron authorities, and, for the rest, he is kept too -busy throughout the day at drill, and too busy throughout the evening -in preparing for the next day’s drill, to get into mischief to any -appreciable extent. The recruit who involves himself in “crime” is, -more often than not, looking for trouble. - -It has already been stated that a full day’s work for the recruit is a -strenuous business. If we take the average day of a recruit in, say, a -cavalry regiment, and follow him from réveillé to “lights out,” it will -be seen that he is kept quite sufficiently busy. - -Réveillé sounds anywhere between 4.30 and 6.30 a.m., according to the -season of the year, and, before the sound of the trumpet has ceased -the corporal in charge of the room will be heard inviting his men to -“Show a leg, there!” The invitation is promptly complied with, for in -a space of fifteen minutes all the men in the room have to dress, wash -if they feel inclined to, and get out on early morning stable parade to -answer their names. They are then marched down to stables, where they -turn out the stable bedding and groom their horses for about an hour. -The horses are then taken out to water, returned to stables, and fed, -and the men file back to their rooms to get breakfast and prepare for -the morning’s drill. This latter involves a complete change of clothing -from the rough canvas stable outfit to clean service dress and putties -for riding-school use. The riding-school lesson is usually over by -half-past ten, and after this the recruit takes his horse back to the -stables, off-saddles, and returns to the barrack-room to change into -canvas clothing once more, and enjoy the ten minutes, more or less, of -relaxation that falls to him before the trumpeter sounds “stables.” -Going to stables again, the men groom their horses, and when these -have been passed as clean by the troop sergeant or troop officer the -troopers set to work and clean steel work and leather. The way in which -this is done in the Army may be judged from the fact that, after a -morning’s parade, it takes a full hour to clean saddle and head dress -and render them fit for inspection. It is one o’clock before midday -stables is finished with, and then of course it is time for dinner. - -For this principal meal of the day one hour is allowed; but that hour -includes the getting ready for the afternoon parade for foot drill, -in which the cavalry recruit is taught the use of the sword and all -movements that he will have to perform dismounted. This lasts an -hour or thereabouts, and is followed by a return to the barrack-room -and another change of clothing, this time into gymnasium outfit. The -recruit is then marched to the gymnasium, where, for the space of -another hour, the gymnastic instructor has his turn at licking the raw -material into shape. Marched back to the barrack-room once more, the -recruit is free to devote what remains to him of the minutes before -five o’clock to cleaning the spurs, sword, etc., which have become -soiled by the morning’s riding-school work. At five “stables” sounds -again; the orders for the day are read out on parade, and the men march -to stables to groom, bed down, water, and feed their horses, a business -to which an hour is devoted. Tea follows, and then, unless the recruit -has been warned for night guard, he is free to complete the preparation -of his equipment for the next day’s work, and use what little spare -time is left in such relaxation as may please him. - -In the infantry the number of parades done during the day is about -the same; there is, of course, no “stables,” but the time which the -cavalryman devotes to this is taken up by musketry instruction, foot -drill, and fatigues. In the artillery there is more to learn than in -the cavalry, for a driver has to learn to drive the horse he rides, -and lead another one as well, while the gunner has plenty to keep him -busy in the mechanism of his gun, its cleaning, and the various duties -connected with it. - -To the recruit the perpetual cleaning, polishing, burnishing, and -scouring are naturally somewhat irksome; and it is not until a man has -undergone the whole of his recruits’ training that he begins dimly to -understand the extreme delicacy and fineness of the instruments of -his trade--or profession. He comes gradually to realise that a rifle -is a very delicate piece of mechanism; a spot of rust on a sword may -impair the efficiency of the blade, if allowed to remain and eat in; -while a big gun is a complicated piece of machinery needing as much -care as a repeater watch, if it is to work efficiently, and a horse -is as helpless and needs as much care as a baby. At first sight there -seems no need for the eternal cleaning of buttons, polishing of spurs, -and other trivial items of work which enter into the daily life of a -soldier, but all these things are directed to the one end of making the -man careful of trifles and thoroughly efficient in every detail of his -work. - -Old soldiers, having finished with foot drill (known in the -barrack-room as “square”) and with riding school (which is allowed -to keep its name), have a way of looking down on recruits; the chief -aim of the recruit, if he be a normal man, is to get “dismissed” from -riding school, square, and gymnasium, and the attitude of the old -soldier encourages this ambition. Usually a recruit is placed under -an old soldier for tuition in his work, and it depends very much on -the quality of the old hands in a barrack-room as to what quality of -trained man is turned out therefrom. Service counts more than personal -worth, and in fact more than anything else in barrack-room life. The -man with two years’ service will get into trouble sooner or later if -he ventures to dictate to the man of three years’ or more service, -whatever the relative mental qualifications of the two men concerned -may be. “Before you came up,” or “before you enlisted,” are the most -crushing phrases that can be applied to a fellow soldier, and no amount -of efficiency atones for lack of years to count toward transfer to the -Reserve or discharge from the service to pension. - -So far as the infantry recruit is concerned, foot drill and musketry, -together with a certain amount of fatigues, comprise the day’s routine. -With foot drill may be bracketed bayonet drill, in which the recruit -is taught the various thrusts and parries which can be made with that -weapon for which the British infantryman has been famed since before -Wellington’s time. Both in the cavalry and infantry, every man has to -fire a musketry course once a year; the recruit’s course of musketry, -however, is a more detailed and, in a way, a more instructive business -than the course which the trained man has to undergo. The recruit has -to be taught that squeezing motion for the trigger which does not -disturb the aim of the rifle; he has to be taught, also, the extreme -care with which a rifle must be handled, cleaned, and kept. It may be -said that the recruits’ course is designed to lay the foundation on -which the trained man’s course of musketry is built, and at the end of -the recruits’ course the men who have undergone it are graded off into -first, second, and third class shots, while “marksmen” are super-firsts. - -On the whole the first year of a man’s service is the hardest of any, -so far as peace soldiering is concerned. There is more reason in this -than appears on the surface. A recruit joins the army somewhere about -the age of twenty--the official limit is from eighteen to twenty-five; -it is evident that in his first year of service a man is at such a -stage of muscular and mental growth as to render him capable of being -moulded much more readily than in the later military years. It is best -that he should be shaped, as far as possible, while he is yet not quite -formed and set, and, though the process of shaping may involve what -looks like an undue amount of physical exertion, it is, in reality, not -beyond the capabilities of such men as doctors pass into the service. -It is true that the percentage of cases of heart disease occurring -in the British Army is rather a high one, but this is due not to the -strenuous training, but in many cases to excessive cigarette-smoking -and in others to the strained posture of “attention,” combined with -predisposition to the disease. The recruit has a hard time, certainly, -but many men work harder, and the years of service which follow on the -strenuous period of recruits’ training are more enjoyable by contrast. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -OFFICERS AND NON-COMS. - - -The higher ranks of officers have very little to do with the daily -life of the soldier. Two or three times a year the general officer -commanding the station comes round on a tour of inspection, while other -general officers and inspecting officers pay visits at times. The -highest rank, however, with which the soldier is brought in frequent -contact is the commanding officer of his own regiment or battalion. -This post is usually held by a lieutenant-colonel, as by the time an -officer has attained to a full colonelcy he is either posted to the -staff or passed out from the service to half-pay under the age limit. - -By the time a man has reached the rank of lieutenant-colonel he is, as -a rule, far more conversant with the ways and habits of the soldier -than the soldier himself is willing to admit. It would surprise men, in -the majority of cases, if they could be made to realise how intimately -the “old man” knows his regiment. The “old man” is responsible for the -efficiency of the regiment in every detail, since, as its head, he is -responsible for the efficiency of the officers controlling the various -departments. He is assisted in his work by the second-in-command, who -is usually a major, and is not attached to any particular squadron -or company, but is responsible for the internal working and domestic -arrangements incidental to the life of his unit. These two are assisted -in their work by the adjutant, a junior officer, sometimes captain -and sometimes lieutenant, who holds his post for a stated term, and -during his adjutancy is expected to qualify fully in the headquarters -staff work which the conduct of a military unit involves. So far as -commissioned officers are concerned, these three form the headquarters -staff; it must not be overlooked, however, that the quartermaster, -who is either a lieutenant or a captain, and has won his commission -from the ranks in the majority of cases, is also unattached to any -particular squadron or company. He is, or should be, under the control -of the second-in-command, since, as his title indicates, he is -concerned with the quarters of the regiment, and with all that pertains -to its domestic economy. He cannot, however, be regarded as a part of -the headquarters staff; his position is unique, somewhere between -commissioned and non-commissioned rank, and it is very rarely that he -is accorded the position of the officer who has come to the service -through Sandhurst. - -The colonel and the second-in-command, as a rule, know their regiment -thoroughly; they know the special weaknesses of the company or squadron -officers; they are conversant with the virtues and the failings of -Captain Blank and Lieutenant Dash; they know all about the troubles in -the married quarters, and they are fully informed of the happenings in -the sergeants’ mess. Not that there is any system of espionage in the -Army, but the man who reaches the rank of colonel is, under the present -conditions governing promotion, keen-witted, and in the dissemination -of all kinds of news, from matter for legitimate comment to rank -scandal, a military unit is about equivalent to a ladies’ sewing -meeting. The colonel and the second-in-command know all about things -because, being observant men, they cannot help knowing. - -To each squadron of cavalry, battery of artillery, or company of -infantry is allotted a captain or major as officer commanding, and, -in the same way as a colonel is responsible for the efficiency of his -regiment, so the captain or major is responsible for the efficiency -of the squadron, battery, or company under his charge. The squadron -or company officer is usually not quite so conversant with the more -intimate details of his work as is the lieutenant-colonel. For one -thing, he has not had so much experience; for another, he may not have -the mental capacity required in a lieutenant-colonel; the squadron or -company officer is usually a jolly good fellow, mindful of discipline -and careful of the comfort of his men, but there are cases--exceptions, -certainly--of utter incompetency. A battery officer, on the other hand, -is of a different stamp. Of the three arms, the artillery demands -most in the way of efficiency and knowledge; the mechanism of the -guns creates an atmosphere in which officers study and train to a far -greater extent than cavalry and infantry officers. The battery officer, -in nine cases out of ten, is quite as competent to take charge of an -artillery brigade as the cavalry or infantry lieutenant-colonel is to -take charge of his regiment or battalion. - -Next in order of rank are the lieutenants and subalterns, youngsters -learning the business. The lieutenant, having won his second star, is -a reasonable being; the subaltern, fresh from Sandhurst or Woolwich, -and oppressed by the weight of his own importance, is occasionally -“too big for his boots,” a bumptious individual whom his superiors -endeavour to restrain, but whom his inferiors in rank must obey, though -they have little belief in his judgment or in his capability to command -them intelligently. This may appear harsh judgment on the subaltern, -but experience of things military confirms it; Sandhurst turns out -its pupils in a raw state; they have the theory of their work, but, -just as it takes years to make a soldier, so it takes years of actual -military work to make an efficient officer, and the trained man in -the ranks generally views with extreme disfavour the introduction -of a raw subaltern from Sandhurst into the company or squadron to -which he belongs, though very often the young officer shapes to his -work quickly, wins the respect and confidence of his men, and adds -materially to the efficiency and well-being of his troop or section. -Again, a young officer may not be popular among his men in time of -peace, but may win all their respect and confidence on the field, where -values alter and are frequently reversed from peace equivalents. - -Lieutenants and subalterns are given charge of a troop in the -cavalry, a gun or section--according to the number of young officers -available--in a battery and of a section of men in an infantry -company. Nominally in command of their men, they are in practice -largely dependent on their senior non-commissioned officers for -the efficiency of the men under their command. An officer’s real -efficiency, in peace service, does not begin until he “gets his -company” or squadron: in other words, until he is promoted to the rank -of captain. - -Next in grade of rank to the commissioned officers stands the -regimental sergeant-major, who is termed a warrant-officer, since -the “warrant” which he holds, in virtue of his rank, distinguishes -him from non-commissioned officers. He has, usually, sixteen years -or more of service; he has even more knowledge of the ways of the -regiment than the commanding officer himself, and his place is with the -headquarters staff, while his duties lie in the supervision and control -of the non-commissioned officers and their messes and training. His -position is peculiar; the etiquette of the service prevents him from -making close friends among non-commissioned officers, while that same -etiquette prevents commissioned officers from making a close friend of -him. The only non-commissioned officer who stands near him in rank is -the quartermaster-sergeant, who is directly under the control of the -quartermaster, and is also a member of the headquarters staff. - -From this point of rank downward the ways of the different arms of the -service diverge. In the infantry, the chief non-commissioned officer of -a company is the colour-sergeant, who is responsible both for internal -economy and efficiency at drill. In the cavalry and artillery the -presence of horses and the far greater amount of equipment involved -divide the work that is done in the infantry by the colour-sergeant -into two parts. In the cavalry each squadron, and in the artillery each -battery, is controlled, so far as drill and efficiency in the field is -concerned, by a squadron sergeant-major and a battery sergeant-major, -respectively, while the domestic economy of the squadron or -battery is managed by squadron quartermaster-sergeant or battery -quartermaster-sergeant. - -Next in order of rank come the sergeants, the non-commissioned -equivalent to troop and section officers, but of far more actual -importance than these, since parades frequently take place in the -absence of the troop or section officer, while the troop or section -sergeant is at all times responsible to his superiors for the -efficiency of his men. The rank of sergeant is seldom attained in less -than seven years, and thus the man of three stripes whom Kipling -justly described in his famous phrase “as the backbone of the Army” is -a man of experience and fully entitled to his post. - -Next in order of rank to the sergeant is the corporal, whose duties -lie principally in the maintenance of barrack-room discipline, though -he is largely responsible for the training of squads and sections of -men in field work. Often in the cavalry he is given charge of a troop -temporarily, and in the artillery, though each gun is supposed to be -in charge of a sergeant, it happens at times that the corporal has -charge of the gun. The lowest rank of all is that of lance-corporal, -aptly termed “half of nothing.” Men resent, as a rule, any assumption -of authority by a lance-corporal--and yet the lance-corporal has to -exercise his authority at the risk of being told he was a private -only five minutes ago. Bearing in mind the material from which the -Army is recruited, it is not surprising that a large percentage of -lance-corporals, having tried for themselves what non-commissioned -rank feels like, give it up and revert to the rank of private. There -are certain advantages in being a lance-corporal; there is a distinct -advantage, for instance, in being “in charge of the guard” instead -of having to do sentry go; another advantage arises in the matter of -fatigues: the lance-corporal--so long as he behaves himself--merely -takes his turn on the roll after the full corporals in charge of a -fatigue party; he is a superintendent, not a worker, so far as fatigues -are concerned. The chief disadvantage consists in the way in which his -former comrades regard him. As one concerned in their training and -discipline he is no longer to be considered as a comrade and equal by -the privates; in many infantry units, lance-corporals are definitely -ordered not to fraternise with the men, although they perforce sleep in -the same rooms and share the same meals. - -The sergeants of each unit--taking the regiment or battalion as a -unit--have their own mess, in the same way that the officers have -theirs. They take all their meals in the mess, and they sleep in -“bunks”; their separateness from the rank and file is thus emphasised -and their control over the men rendered more definite and easy by this -separateness. In each unit there is also established a corporals’ mess, -but this is merely a recreation room in the same way that the canteen -forms a recreation room for the privates. Corporals and lance-corporals -take their meals with the men and sleep in the same rooms as the men. -This, especially in the case of lance-corporals, diminishes authority, -but at the same time it renders easier the maintenance of barrack-room -discipline and the control of barrack-room life, for which corporals -and lance-corporals are held responsible. - -Mainly in connection with the development of initiative which arose -out of the experience gained from the South African war, a system of -understudies has been created among non-commissioned officers and -senior privates. Each rank in turn is expected to be able to assume the -duties of the rank immediately above it, in case of necessity, and all -are trained to this end. It may be remarked that certain certificates -of education must be obtained by non-commissioned officers; as soon as -a lance-corporal gets his stripe he is expected to go to a military -school in the evenings until he has obtained a second-class certificate -of education, the qualifications for this being equivalent to those -evidenced by the possession of an ordinary fourth-standard school -certificate. The higher ranks of non-commissioned officer--that is, all -above the rank of sergeant--are expected to qualify for a first-class -Army certificate of education, which is quite equivalent to an ex-7th -standard council-school certificate. - -Further, every non-commissioned officer must obtain certificates of -proficiency in drill and musketry, showing that he is a capable -instructor as well as fully conversant with drill on his own account. -The way to promotion is paved with certificates of various kinds. -There are courses in signalling, scouting, musketry, drill, and the -hundred and one items of a soldier’s work; these courses qualify for -instructorship, and some of them are open only to non-commissioned -officers. The passing of such courses, increasing the efficiency of the -non-commissioned officers concerned, is evidence of fitness for further -promotion, and is rewarded accordingly. - -Technically speaking, the post of lance-corporal is an appointment, not -a promotion, and therefore the lance-corporal can be deprived of his -stripe on the word of his commanding officer. With the exception of -the rank of lance-sergeant, which admits a corporal to the sergeants’ -mess and takes him out of the barrack-room without a corresponding -increase of pay, all ranks from corporal upward count as promotions, -and can only be reduced by way of punishment by the sentence of a -court martial. A regimental court martial, which has power to reduce -a corporal to the ranks and inflict certain limited punishments on -a private, is composed of three officers of the unit concerned. A -district court martial, with wider powers, including the reduction of -a sergeant to the ranks, is composed of three officers; the president -must not in any case be below the rank of captain, and usually is -a major, and he and the two junior officers who form the tribunal -usually belong to other regiments than that of the accused. Military -law differs in many respects from civil law; there is, of course, no -such thing as a trial by jury; the adjutant of the regiment to which -the accused belongs is always the nominal prosecutor, but in actual -practice the witnesses for the prosecution are of far more importance -than is he. Evidence for the prosecution is taken first, then the -evidence for the defence; the accused, if he wishes, can speak in his -own defence; if the court is satisfied of the innocence of the accused, -he is at once discharged; if, on the other hand, there is any doubt -of his innocence, he is marched out while the court consider their -finding and sentence, and the latter is not announced until the two or -three days necessary for confirmation of the proceedings by the general -officer commanding the station have elapsed. - -The promulgation of a court-martial sentence is an impressive ceremony. -The regiment or battalion to which the accused belongs is formed up -to occupy three sides of a square, facing inwards. The accused, -under armed escort, together with the regimental sergeant-major and -the adjutant of the unit, occupy the fourth side of the square, and -the adjutant reads a summary of the proceedings concluding with a -recital of the sentence on the accused. In the case of a private the -ceremony is then at an end, and the regiment is marched away, while -the accused returns to the guard-room under escort. In the case of a -non-commissioned officer the regimental sergeant-major formally cuts -the stripes from off the arm of the accused. It is to be hoped that in -the near future this court-martial parade, degrading to the accused -man, and not by any means an edifying spectacle for his comrades, will -be abolished, for a record of the court martial and of the punishment -inflicted is always inserted in the regimental orders of the day. - -Fortunately, however, court martials are infrequent occurrences, and, -so far as the non-commissioned officer is concerned, life is a fairly -pleasant business. There is plenty of hard work to keep him in good -health, but there are also many hours that can be spent in pleasant -recreation, and the man who takes his profession seriously may now hope -to attain to higher rank. Promotions to commissions from the ranks -have, in the past, been infrequent; but the prospect is now much -more hopeful, and, in any case, the non-commissioned officer can look -forward to a pension which will serve as a perpetual reminder that his -time has not been wasted. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -INFANTRY - - -The old-time term, light infantry, has little meaning at present as far -as difference in the stamp of man and the weight of equipment carried -is concerned; one infantry battalion is equal to another in respect -of “lightness,” except that some Highland battalions, recruiting from -districts which provide exceptionally brawny specimens of humanity, -obtain a taller and weightier average of men. Varieties of equipment -in the old days made infantry “heavy” and “light,” but the modern -infantryman is kept as light as possible in the matter of equipment in -all units. - -Certain battalions possess and are very proud of distinctions awarded -them for feats on the field of battle. Thus it is permitted to one -infantry regiment, including all its battalions, to wear the regimental -badge both on the front and the back of the helmet in review order, -also on their field-service caps, to commemorate an action in which -the men were surrounded and fought back to back until they had -extricated themselves from their perilous position--or rather, until -the survivors had extricated themselves. In another regiment, the -sergeants are permitted to wear the sash over the same shoulder as the -officers, in view of the fact that on one occasion all the officers -were killed, and the non-commissioned officers took command, with -noteworthy results. Yet another distinction, but of a different kind, -is the concession made to Irish regiments in allowing them to wear -sprigs of shamrock on St. Patrick’s days. - -In the “review order” or full dress of modern infantrymen--and in fact -of all British soldiers--there are certain buttons and fittings which -serve no useful purpose, and soldiers themselves, even, sometimes -wonder why these things are worn. The reason is that, in old time, -all these fittings had a use; the buttons on the back of the tunic -supported belts which are no longer worn, or covered pockets which no -longer exist. There is a reason also in the officer wearing his sash on -one shoulder and the sergeant his on another, and in the same way there -is a reason for every seemingly useless fitting in a soldier’s review -uniform--it perpetuates a tradition of the particular battalion or -regiment concerned, or it keeps alive a tradition of the service as a -whole. To the outsider, these may appear useless formalities, but they -are not so in reality; the soldier is intensely proud of these things, -which make for _esprit de corps_ and maintain the spirit of the Army -quite as much as material advantages. - -The actual spirit in which the infantryman views his work is a -difficult thing to assess. One noteworthy example of that spirit is -the case of Piper Findlater, who, wounded beyond the power of movement -at Dargai, sat up and piped--an amazing piece of courage and coolness -under fire. Yet that same Piper Findlater, invalided home and out of -the service, could display himself on a music-hall stage, an action -which was incomprehensible to the civilian mind. But, to the average -infantryman, there was nothing incongruous in the two actions--one -was as much the right of the man as the other was to his credit, and -Findlater was typical of the British infantryman. - -Under the present system, each infantry regiment is divided into two or -more battalions. Under the old system, each battalion was distinguished -by a number, but the numbers have been abolished in favour of names of -counties or districts, and two or more battalions form the regiment of -a county or division of a county. It is very seldom that these two or -more portions of the same regiment meet each other, for, in the case of -a two-battalion regiment, one battalion is usually on foreign service -while the other is domiciled in England, and the home battalion feeds -the one on foreign service with recruits as needed to keep the latter -up to strength. A notable exception to this rule occurred in the case -of the Norfolk Regiment a few years ago, when the first and second -battalions met at Bloemfontein, one outward bound at the beginning of -its term of foreign service, and the other about to start for home. - -The infantryman is fitted for what constitutes the greater part of -his work, when the season’s “training” is over, by what is known as -“route marching.” In this, a battalion is started out at the beginning -of the route-marching season on a march of a few miles, in light -order--carrying rifles and bayonets only, perhaps. The distance covered -is gradually increased, and the weight of equipment carried by the men -is also increased, until the men concerned are carrying their full -packs and marching twelve or fourteen miles a day. Service conditions -are maintained as far as possible, so as to make the men fit for long -marches at any time; by this means the men’s feet are hardened and the -men themselves brought thoroughly into condition, while weaklings are -picked out and marked down for future reference. “Falling out” on a -route march without good and sufficient reason means days to barracks -for the offender, at the least, and “cells” is a possibility. - -The work of the infantryman is less complex than that of any other -branch of the service: he has to be trained to march well and to know -how to use his rifle and bayonet. Principally, given the physical -endurance for the marching part of the business, he has to learn to -shoot, and the simplicity of his duties is compensated for by the -thoroughness with which he is taught. Then, again, discipline is of -necessity stricter in infantry units than in other branches of the -service; the cavalryman, with a horse to care for as well as himself -and his arms and equipment, and the driver or gunner of artillery, with -“two horses and two sets” (of saddlery) or his gun or limber to mind, -is kept busy most of the time without an excess of discipline, but -the infantryman in time of peace is concerned only with himself, his -arms and equipment, and his barrack-room--a small total when compared -with the cares of the man in the cavalry or artillery. By way of -compensation, the infantryman is made to give more attention to his -barrack-room; he is restricted, in a way that would not be possible in -the cavalry or artillery, in the way in which he employs his leisure -hours, and parades are made to keep his hands out of mischief, as well -as to train him to thorough efficiency. - -A brigade of infantry, consisting of four battalions, looks a perfectly -uniform mass of men on, say, a service, dress parade, but intimate -knowledge of the characteristics of the men in each battalion reveals -a world of difference; each regiment has its own traditions, and each -battalion differs widely from the rest in its methods of working, -its way of issuing commands, and its internal arrangements. There is -a standard of bugle calls for the whole Army, but practically every -infantry battalion infuses a certain amount of individuality into -the method of sounding the call. The buglers of the Rifle Brigade, -for instance, would scorn to sound their calls in the way that the -East Surreys or the York and Lancaster battalions sound theirs, and -conversely a York and Lancaster or an East Surrey man would smile at -the bugle call of the Rifle Brigade battalion. The districts from -which men are recruited, too, account for many little peculiarities -in the ways of different battalions. There is obviously a world of -difference between the way in which a man of the King’s Own Yorkshire -Light Infantry will view a given situation, and the view adopted by a -man of the East Surreys, for one is “reet Yorkshire,” while the other -is Cockney all through. Dialects and regimental slang combined make -the language of the one almost unintelligible to the other, and, while -each arrives at precisely the same end by slightly varying means, each -claims superiority over the other. - -The spirit of the British infantryman, with very few exceptions, -consists mainly in his belief that he is a member of the best company -in the very best battalion of infantry in the service. As for his -particular arm of the service, he points with pride to the fact that he -comes in from a march and gets to his food while the poor cavalryman is -still fretting about in the horse lines, and _he_ has no two sets of -harness to bother about after a field day. He slings his equipment on -the shelf and goes off to his meal when the field day is over, while -the poor gunner is busy with an oil rag, keeping the rust from eating -into his gun and its fittings until the time comes to clean it. Thus -the infantryman on his advantages, and with some justice, too. - -But in the barrack-room the cavalryman and artilleryman have the -advantage. They can make down their beds and snooze when work is done, -secure from interruption until “stables” shall sound and turn them out -to care for their “long-faced chums.” The infantryman, on the other -hand, has to prepare for barrack-room and kit inspections at all times; -he has to wet-scrub and dry-scrub the floors, blacklead the table -trestles and legs of forms, whitewash himself tired on articles which, -to the civilian eye, appear already sufficiently coated with whitewash, -pick grass off the drill ground, and carry out a host of orders which -seem designed for his especial irritation, though in reality they are -designed to keep him at work and prevent him from being utterly idle. -In certain hours, the infantryman must be made to work to keep him in -condition, and if the work of a necessary nature is not sufficient to -keep him employed, then work is made for him. It must be said that, -owing to the existence of undiscerning commanding and other officers, -a lot of this work, although undoubtedly it fulfils its purpose, is -irritating to the last degree, and might with advantage be exchanged -for tasks which would exercise the intelligence of the men instead of -rousing their disgust. Grass-picking is an especially detested form -of labour which is common in some battalions of the infantry. In most -units, however, men are put to useful occupations; in some stations -where available ground admits, gardens are allotted to the men, who -cultivate creditable supplies of vegetables for the use of their messes -and flowers for decorative purposes. - -Another favourite form of exercise, in which the infantryman is -indulged with what appears to him unnecessary frequency, is kit -inspection. At first sight, it would seem that the circumstance of an -officer inspecting the kit and equipment of his men is not one which -would cause an undue amount of trouble, but the reverse of this is the -case in practice. Each man has to lay down his kit to a regulation -pattern; at the head of the bed, on which the clothing and equipment -is laid out, the reds and blues and khaki-coloured squares represent -much time spent by the man in folding each article of clothing to the -last half-inch of size and form, prescribed by the regulation affecting -the way in which kit must be laid down for inspection. Then come the -underclothing, knife and fork, razor, Prayer Book and Bible, brushes, -and other odds and ends with which every man must be provided. If any -article is deficient from the official list, the man is promptly “put -down” for a new article to replace the deficiency--and for this he has -to pay. The upkeep of a full kit is most strictly enforced, and, in -addition to the completeness of the kit, the amount of polish on the -various articles calls for much attention on the part of the inspecting -officer. A knife or fork not sufficiently bright, boots not quite as -well cleaned and polished as they might be, or brass buttons displaying -a suspicion of dullness, lead at the least to an order to show again -at a stated hour--not the single article, but the whole kit--while -repeated deficiencies, either in the quantity of the articles or in the -evident amount of care bestowed on them, will lead to defaulters’ drill -or even cells. - -Kit inspection counts as a “parade,” and not as a “fatigue.” The latter -term is used to imply all kinds of actual work in connection with the -maintenance of order in the battalion, and varies from washing up in -the sergeants’ mess to carrying coals for the barrack-room or married -quarters. To each unit, as a rule, there is a coal-yard attached, and -from this a certain amount of coal is issued free each week for cooking -purposes, while in the winter months a further amount is allotted -to the men to burn in the barrack-room stoves. If the allowance is -exceeded--and since it is a small one it is usually exceeded--the men -club round among themselves to purchase more, at the rate of a penny or -twopence a man. The fetching of this extra coal does not count as a -“fatigue” in the official sense. - -A roll is kept of all men liable for fatigue duty, and each man takes -his turn in alphabetical order in the performance of the various tasks -that have to be done. As these tasks differ considerably in nature and -extent, it follows that the alphabetical way of ordering the roll is -as fair as any, though artful dodgers, getting wind of a stiff fatigue -ahead, will get out of doing it by exchanging their turns with those -men who would otherwise get an easier task. As a rule, sergeants’ mess -fatigue is one of the least liked, except on Sunday mornings, when it -releases the man who does it from church parade--of which more later. - -For the actual housemaid work of the barrack-room, a roll is usually -kept in each room, and the men of the room take turns at “orderly man,” -as it is called. This involves the final sweeping out of the room after -each man has swept under his own bed and round the little bit of floor -which is his own particular territory. It involves the care of and -responsibility for all the kits in the room while the remainder of the -men are out at drill, and also the fetching of all meals and washing -up of the plates and basins after each meal. The orderly man of the -day is not supposed to leave the room during parade hours, except to -fetch meals for the rest; it is his duty, after all have gone out, to -put the boxes at the foot of the beds in an exact line, that there may -be nothing to disturb the symmetry of things when the orderly officer -or the colour-sergeant comes round on a morning visit of inspection. -In a home station, as far as infantry is concerned, practically all -barrack-room inspections take place before one o’clock in the day, -and in the afternoons such men as are in the barrack-room have it to -themselves. It is the rule in some battalions, however, that no beds -may be “made down” before six o’clock--a harsh rule, and one which -serves no useful purpose, unless it be considered useful to keep a man -from lying down to rest. - -While guard duty is kept as light as possible in mounted branches -of the service, it is allowed to assume large proportions in the -infantry. In a cavalry regiment, the “main guard,” which mounts duty -for twenty-four hours and has charge of the regimental guard-room and -prisoners confined therein, is composed at the most of a corporal and -three men, but in the infantry the main guard of a battalion consists -of a sergeant, a corporal or lance-corporal, and six men, providing -three reliefs of two sentries apiece. Guard duty is done in “review -order.” That is to say, the men dress up in their best clothes, with -the last possible polish on metal-work and the best possible pipeclay -on all belts and equipment that permit of it; and the inspection to -which the guard is submitted before taking over its duties is the most -searching form of inspection which the soldier has to undergo after he -has been dismissed from recruits’ training. The men of the guard do -turns of two hours sentry-go apiece, and then get four hours’ rest, -except in very inclement weather, when the periods are reduced to one -hour of duty and two hours of rest. Experience has placed it beyond -doubt that the “two hours on and four hours off” is the best way of -doing duty in reliefs; it imposes less strain on the men, who have to -keep up their duty for a day and a night, than any other form in which -it could be arranged. - -Certain men in infantry units--and in fact in all units--are excused -from the regular routine of duty in order to fill special posts. -Noteworthy among these are the “flag-waggers” or regimental signallers, -a body of men maintained at a certain strength for the purpose of -signalling messages with flags, heliograph, or lamps, by means of -the Morse telegraphic code, and also with flags at short distances -by semaphore. Bearing in mind the average education among the rank -and file, it is remarkable with what facility men learn the use of -the Morse code. Against this must be set the fact that only selected -men are employed as signallers; these are taught the alphabet, and -the various signs employed for special purposes, by being grouped in -squads, and, after their preliminary instruction is completed, they are -sent out to various points from which they send messages to each other, -under conditions approximating as nearly as possible to those which -obtain on active service. - -In order to maintain the signallers of a unit in full practice and -efficiency, the men are excused from all ordinary parades for a -certain part of the year; during manœuvres they are attached to the -headquarters staff of their unit and carry on their work as signallers, -not as ordinary duty-men. The wagging of flags is only a part of their -duty, for they have to learn the mechanism and use of the heliograph, -since, when sunlight permits of its use, this instrument can be -employed for the transmission of messages to a far greater distance -than is possible even with large flags. Lamps for signalling by night -are operated by a button which alternately obscures and exhibits the -light of a lamp placed behind a concentrating lens. The practised -signaller is as efficient in the use of flags, lamps, and heliograph -as is the post-office operator in the use of the ordinary telegraph -instrument, though the exigencies of field service render military -signalling a considerably slower business than ordinary wire telegraphy. - -Another course of instruction which carries with it a certain amount -of exemption from duty in the infantry is that of scout. The practised -scout is capable of plotting a way across country at night, marching -by the compass or by the stars, making a watch serve as a compass, -military map-reading--which is not as simple a matter as might be -supposed--and of making sketches in conventional military signs of -areas of ground, natural defensive positions, and all points likely to -be of interest and advantage from a military point of view. The work -of the signaller has been going on for many years, but the training of -scouts is a movement which has come about and developed almost entirely -during the last twelve years, which, as the Army reckons time, is but a -very short period. It may be anticipated that the practice of scouting -and the training of scouts will develop considerably as time goes on. - -Needless to say, the orderly-man is excused all parades during his day -of duty as such. Only in exceptional circumstances are cooks taken for -parades, and such men as the regimental shoemaker, the armourer and his -assistants, and other men employed in various capacities, attend the -regular duty parades very seldom. On field days occasionally, and also -on certain commanding-officers’ drill parades, the orders of the day -announce that the battalion will parade “as strong as possible.” This -means a general sweep up and turning out of men employed in various -ways and excused from parades as a rule, and their unhandiness owing to -lack of practice sometimes results in their being relieved from their -posts and returned to duty, while frequently it involves their doing -extra drills in addition to their regular work. - -The duty-man affects to despise the man on the staff, but this -affectation is more often a cloak for envy. “Staff jobs,” as the -various forms of employment in a unit are called, generally mean extra -pay; in nineteen cases out of twenty they mean exemption from most -ordinary parades and from a good deal of the ordinary routine work of -the unit concerned; in almost all cases they mean total exemption from -fatigues. Under these circumstances it is not to be wondered at that -the secret ambition of the average infantryman at duty, when he has -relinquished all hope of promotion, is to get on the staff. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -CAVALRY - - -Practically any man of the twenty-eight cavalry regiments of the line -will announce with pride that he belongs to the “right of the line.” By -this claim is meant that if the British Army were formed up in line, -the regiment for which the claim is made will be on the right of all -the rest. As a matter of fact this claim on the part of the cavalryman -is incorrect, for when the Royal Horse Artillery parade with their -guns, they take precedence of all other units, except the Household -Cavalry. - -British cavalry is divided normally into three regiments of Household -Cavalry and twenty-eight cavalry regiments of the line. These latter -are subdivided into seven regiments of Dragoon Guards, three of -Dragoons, and eighteen regiments of Lancers and Hussars. Theoretically, -Lancers take precedence over Hussars, but in actual practice the two -classes of cavalry are about equal. Dragoon Guards and Dragoons rank -as heavy cavalry; Lancers are supposed to be of medium weight, and -Hussars light cavalry. In reality Dragoon Guards and Dragoons are -slightly heavier than other corps--except the Household Cavalry, who -are heaviest of all--but Lancers and Hussars are of about equal weight, -both as regards horses and men. - -The possession of a horse and the duties involved thereby render the -work of a cavalryman vastly different from that of an infantryman. In -the matter of guard duties, for instance, it would be possible in time -of peace to abolish all infantry guard duties without affecting the -well-being of the units concerned. In cavalry regiments, on the other -hand, it is absolutely necessary that a certain number of men should -be placed on night guard over the stables, since horses are capable -of doing themselves a good deal of harm in the course of a night, if -left to themselves. This is only one instance of the difference between -cavalry and infantry, but it must be apparent to the most superficial -observer that a vast difference exists between the two arms of the -service. - -Cavalrymen affect to despise the infantry, whom they term “foot -sloggers” and “beetle crushers,” while various other uncomplimentary -epithets are also applied at times to the men who walk while the -cavalry ride. Each section of the cavalry has its own particular -prides and prejudices. The Household Cavalry, for instance, consider -themselves entitled to look down on the regiments of the line; line -cavalrymen, conversely, affect to despise the men of the Household -Brigade, who, they say, count it a hardship to go to Windsor and never -get nearer to foreign service than Aldershot. Further, a Dragoon Guard -considers himself immensely superior to a mere Dragoon; both look -down--a long way down--on the thought of service in the Lancers, and -all three affect to despise the idea of serving as Hussars. In the -meantime the Hussars declare that Dragoons are big, heavy, and useless, -while Lancers are not much better, and the Hussar is the only perfect -cavalryman. All this, however, is a matter of good-humoured chaff, -and in reality Dragoons and Lancers, or Dragoons and Hussars, or any -two regiments belonging to different branches of the cavalry, when -placed side by side in the same station, respect each other’s qualities -without undue regard to their particular designations. - -Among the many little legends and traditions of the cavalry, that -attaching to the Carabiniers (Sixth Dragoon Guards) is as interesting -as any, though not a particularly creditable one. It is alleged that -some time during the Peninsular Campaign this regiment misbehaved -itself in some way, and the sentence passed on it was to the effect -that officers and men alike should no longer wear the red tunic common -to Dragoon and Dragoon Guard regiments. Thenceforth a blue tunic was -substituted for the more brilliant red, and in addition a mocking -tune was substituted for the ordinary cavalry réveillé, while the -band was ordered to play before réveillé each morning--possibly the -band was guilty of exceptionally bad behaviour in order to merit this -extra-special punishment. In any case the blue tunic, the réveillé -and the band-playing have persisted unto this day, and even yet it is -unsafe to inquire too closely of a Carabinier into the reason of his -wearing a blue tunic while all others of his kind wear red, although -the regiment elected to retain the blue tunic when a further change of -colour was proposed. - -Another tradition is that of the 11th Hussars, who on one historical -occasion were supposed to have covered themselves in gore and glory -to such an extent that the original colour of their uniforms, and -especially that of their riding-breeches, was no longer visible. For -this meritorious feat, which is more or less authentic, the regiment -was granted the privilege of wearing cherry-coloured riding-breeches -and overalls, and this privilege, like the Carabiniers’ blue jacket, -still survives. It is hardly necessary to add that the “Cherry-picker,” -as the 11th Hussar names himself, is considerably prouder of his -cherry-coloured pants than is the Carabinier of his jacket. A different -explanation of the colour is that it was adopted in honour of the -Prince Consort, and since the regiment still retains as its title “The -Prince Consort’s Own,” the latter is more probably correct. - -From the beginning to the end of his service the cavalryman never -gets quite clear of riding school. Riding-school work forms the chief -portion of his training as a recruit, when he is taught to ride both -with and without stirrups, to take jumps with folded arms, to vault -on to a horse’s back, and, in brief, to do all that can be done with -a horse. Supposing him to be an average horseman, he comes back to -riding school annually, at least, to refresh his memory with the old -riding-school lessons, while, if he is a really good horseman, he -is set to training remounts, in the course of which he has to train -practically unbroken horses to do their part in the work which he -himself has learned on the back of a horse already trained. The best -riders of all in a regiment are singled out as “rough riders” or -riding-school instructors, and their duty is to take charge of rides -of remounts, to instruct men and horses too, and to pay particular -attention to the breaking in of especially unmanageable young horses. - -The riding-school training adopted in the British cavalry is based on -the system inaugurated by Baucher, the famous French riding-master -who came over to England and revolutionised all ideas with regard to -horsemastership in the early part of the nineteenth century. Under -this system a horse is taught to obey pressure of leg and rein to the -fullest possible extent, and the bit mouthpiece forms only a part of -the rider’s means of control. By this means the horse is saved a good -deal of unnecessary exertion, which is an important thing as far as -cavalry riding is concerned, since the object of the cavalryman on -active service is to save his horse as far as possible against the need -for speed or effective striking power. - -Following on the work of the riding school the cavalryman is taught on -the drill ground to ride in line of troop at close order. Theoretically -the interval between men is “six inches from knee to knee,” but in -practice the knees of the men are touching. When a troop of men can -keep line perfectly at a gallop, a squadron line is formed; the -culminating point of cavalry training is perfection of line in the -charge, of which the rate of progression is the fastest pace of the -slowest horse. A charge produces its greatest effect when the men ride -close together and keep in line, the object being to effect a definite -shock by throwing as much weight as possible against a given point -at as great a pace as possible. The impact of the charge, in theory, -carries the men who make it through and beyond the enemy against whom -they have charged, when they are expected to break up their formation -and re-form, facing in the direction from whence they have come. - -The training which a man has to undergo in order to fit him for -participating in these shock tactics is necessarily long and severe. In -addition to this, cavalry training is directed toward a multiplicity of -ends. In any military action infantry have their definite place, which -involves bearing the full brunt of attack, maintaining the defensive, -or in exceptional circumstances assuming the offensive and charging -with the bayonet. Cavalry, however, very rarely bear the full brunt of -a sustained attack, as their organisation and equipment render them -unfit for prolonged defensive operations. They are used, generally on -the flanks of a field force, for making flank attacks and pursuing -retreating enemies; they are also used in small bodies, known as -patrols, as the eyes and ears of an army. Preceding other arms of the -service in the advance, they spy out and bring back information of the -position and strength of the enemy, avoiding actual contact as far as -possible. Work of this kind calls for such initiative and self-reliance -on the part of the rank and file as infantrymen are seldom called on to -exercise. - -Further, all cavalrymen are expected to be as proficient in the use -of the rifle as are infantrymen, while they have also to learn the -use of the sword, and Lancers still carry and use the lance, which, -carried by a certain proportion of the men in the ranks of the Dragoon -Guards and Dragoons at the end of the last and beginning of the present -century, is no longer used by them. It will be seen from the foregoing -that a properly trained cavalryman must be a thoroughly intelligent -individual, and must be capable of greater initiative and possessed of -more resource than his brother on foot. In many directions, also, he -is required to exercise more initiative than the artilleryman, who is -always protected by an escort either of cavalry or infantry, and is -called on to think for himself and work the gun himself only when all -his officers and non-commissioned officers have been shot to stillness. - -At first sight it would appear that the Lancer has an immense advantage -over the man armed only with a sword, but in actual practice the man -with the sword is slightly better off; the Lancer gets one effective -thrust, but, if this is parried or misses its object, the man with the -sword can get in two or three thrusts before the Lancer has the chance -for another blow. Thus Dragoons and Dragoon Guards lose little by the -absence of the lance, since they, in common with all other cavalry -regiments, still carry the sword. The American Army, by the way, is the -only one so far which has tried the experiment of arming the rank and -file of its mounted units with revolvers or pistols; in the British -Army revolvers are carried only by sergeants and those of higher rank, -and the rank and file trust to cold steel for mounted work, reserving -the rifles which they carry for use on foot. - -The bane of the cavalryman’s life in his own opinion is stables, where -he spends about four hours each day in grooming, cleaning, sweeping -out, taking out bedding and bringing it in, and various other duties. -Grooming in a cavalry regiment is a meticulous business; the writer -has personal knowledge of and acquaintance with a troop officer who -used to make his morning inspection of the troop horses with white kid -gloves on, and the horses were supposed to be groomed to such a state -of cleanliness that when the officer rubbed the skin the wrong way -his gloves remained unsoiled. Such a state of perfection as this, of -course, is possible only in barracks, and it is hardly necessary to say -that the officer in question was not exactly idolised by his men. Like -most youths fresh from Sandhurst, he was incapable of making allowances. - -On manœuvres and under canvas generally, grooming is not expected -to be carried to such a fine point as this; on active service it -frequently happens that there is no time at all for grooming; but the -general rule is to keep horses in such a state of cleanliness as will -avert disease and assist in keeping the animals in condition. During -the South African war it was found that grey and white horses were -dangerously conspicuous, and animals of this colour were consequently -painted khaki. It is not many years since a proposal was made that -the 2nd Dragoons, known in the service as the Scots Greys, from the -nationality of the men and the colour of the horses, should have their -grey horses taken from them and darker coloured animals substituted. -From the time of the founding of this regiment its men have been proud -of their greys, and the order necessitating their disappearance caused -a certain amount of outcry, in spite of the fact that modern military -conditions rendered the substitution desirable. Regimental traditions -die hard, and the Scots Greys elected to remain “Greys” in reality, -while they will retain their name as long as the regiment exists. - -The cavalryman, far more than the infantryman, makes a point of wearing -“posh” clothing on every possible occasion--“posh” being a term used -to designate superior clothing, or articles of attire other than those -issued by and strictly conforming to the regulations. For walking out -in town, a business commonly known as “square-pushing,” the cavalryman -who fancies himself will be found in superfine cloth overalls, wearing -nickel spurs instead of the regulation steel pair, and with light, -thin-soled boots instead of the Wellingtons with which he is issued. -It is a commonplace among the infantry that a cavalryman spends half -his pay and more on “posh” clothing, but probably the accusation is a -little unjust. - -There is in the cavalry a greater percentage of gentleman rankers than -in any other branch of the service, and there are more queer histories -attaching to men in cavalry regiments than in units of the other arms. -The gentleman ranker usually shakes down to a level with the rest of -the regiment. It has never yet come within the writer’s knowledge that -any officer accorded to a gentleman ranker different treatment from -that enjoyed by the majority of the men, in spite of the assertions of -melodrama writers on the subject. Favouritism in the cavalry, as in -any branch of the service, is fatal to discipline, and is not indulged -in to any great extent, certainly not to the benefit of gentlemen -rankers as a whole. Work and efficiency stand first; social position in -civilian life counts for nothing, and the gentleman ranker who joins -the service with a view to a commission must prove himself fitted to -hold it from a military point of view. - -The gentleman ranker is frequently a remittance man, and in that case -he is certain of many friends, for the frequenters of the canteen are -usually short of money a day or two before pay-day comes round, and -thus the man with a well-lined pocket is of material use to them. -Disinterested friendships, however, are too common in the Army to call -for comment, and many and many a case occurs of one cavalryman, quick -at his work, helping another at cleaning saddlery or equipment after he -has finished his own, without thought or hope of reward. - -The mention of saddlery takes us back to stables, where the cavalryman -goes far too often for his own peace of mind, although, as a matter -of fact, the three stable parades per day which he has to undergo are -absolutely necessary for the well-being of the horses. The really -smart cavalryman is conspicuous not only for keeping his horse in -exceptionally good condition, but also for the way in which he keeps -the leather and steel-work of his saddle and head-dress. Regulations -enact that all steel-work in the stables shall be kept free from rust, -and slightly oiled, and leather-work shall be cleaned and kept in -condition with soft soap and dubbin only. This regulation, however, is -honoured in the breach rather than in the observance, for by the use -of brick-dust followed by the application of a steel-link burnisher -steel-work is given the appearance of brilliantly polished silver, and -various patent compositions are used on leather to give it a glossy -surface, this latter with very little regard for the preservation of -the leather. All this means a lot of extra work in the stable for the -cavalryman; it is induced in the first place by one man desiring to -give his outfit a better appearance than the rest. The squadron officer -approves of the polish and brilliance--or perhaps the troop officer -is responsible--and as a result all the men take up what is merely -extra work with no real resulting advantage. In some extra-smart -units the men are even required by their superiors to scrub the stable -wheelbarrows and burnish the forks used for turning over the bedding, -but this, it must be confessed, is not a general practice. At the same -time, the fetish of polish and burnish is worshipped far too well in -cavalry units, with the occasional result that efficiency takes second -place in time of peace to mere surface smartness. - -As has already been stated in a different connection, the barrack-room -life of the cavalryman is easier than that of the infantryman. Kit -inspections and arms inspections take place at stated intervals, and -barrack-rooms are kept clean, though not kept with such fussy exactness -as in infantry units. The trained cavalryman in normal times finishes -the main part of his work at midday. He then has his dinner, and after -this makes down his bed as it will be for the night. Unless it is his -turn for fatigue, he generally snoozes through the afternoon until -about half-past four, when it is time to get ready for stable parade. -In India especially a cavalryman has a light time of it, for there -is allotted to each squadron a definite number of syces, or native -grooms, who assist the men as well as the non-commissioned officers -in the care of their horses, and who do a good deal of the necessary -saddle-cleaning. Cavalry serving in Egypt also get a certain amount of -assistance in their work, and, on the whole, a cavalryman is far better -off on foreign service than he is in a home station. The advantages of -the home station consist mainly in the presence of congenial society -among the civilians of the station. The soldier abroad is a being -apart, and for the most part civilians leave him very much alone. There -remains, however, the ever-present football by way of consolation. - -As in infantry units, bodies of signallers and scouts are necessary -to the establishment of every cavalry regiment. Signallers, for the -period of their training, are excused from all duties connected with -horses and stable work. Cavalry scouts, on the other hand, have to use -their horses in the course of their training, and thus attend stables -like the rest of the men, although stable discipline in their case is -somewhat relaxed. The cavalry scout requires more training than the -infantry scout; with his horse he is able to go farther afield, and -his work is more definitely that of reconnaissance and the obtaining -of information which may be of more use to a brigade or divisional -commander than that any infantryman is capable of obtaining without a -horse to carry him. - -To his other accomplishments the cavalryman is expected to add some -slight knowledge of veterinary matters, in order that, when forced -to depend on himself and his horse, he can find remedies for simple -ailments, and keep the horse in a state of fitness. The shoeing-smith -and farriers who form a special department of every cavalry regiment -are under the control of the veterinary officer included in the -establishment of each cavalry unit, and the veterinary officer -constitutes the final court of appeal when anything affecting a -“long-faced chum” is in question. - -Sufficient has been said about the cavalryman on duty to show that -his tasks are legion. His fitness to perform them has been attested -on recent battlefields as well as on earlier historic occasions. Off -duty and in time of peace he is, in the main, a fairly pleasant fellow, -often a very shy one, and usually capable of using the King’s English -in reasonable fashion. The average cavalryman has a sufficiency of -aspirates, and, in the matter of intelligence, the nature of the duties -he is called upon to perform voices his claims quite sufficiently. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -ARTILLERY AND ENGINEERS - - -The Royal Artillery of the British Army is divided into three branches, -known respectively as Horse, Field, and Garrison Artillery. In -normal times the Royal Horse Artillery consists of some twenty-eight -batteries, distinguished by the letters of the alphabet, together with -a depot and a riding establishment. On parade the Horse Artillery -batteries take precedence of all other units, with the exception of -Household Cavalry. The Royal Field Artillery consists of 150 batteries -and four depots, and the Royal Garrison Artillery consists of 100 -companies and nine mountain batteries. - -“A” Battery of the Royal Horse is officially designated the “Chestnut” -troop, from the colour of its horses, and the Horse Artillery as a -whole is one of the few corps of the service which retains the stable -jacket for parade use. In the case of the R.H.A. this garment is of -dark blue with yellow braid, and the head-dress of the horse gunner is -a busby with white plume and scarlet busby-bag, similar to that of the -Hussars. The Field and Garrison Artillery wear tunics in full dress, -and their helmets are surmounted by a ball instead of a spike. - -While the weapon of the Field Artillery is the 18½-pounder quick-firing -gun, and gunners ride on the gun and limber, the R.H.A. is armed -with the 13-pounder quick-firing gun, and its gunners are mounted -on horseback. The object of this is to obtain extreme mobility. The -Royal Horse are expected to be able to execute all their manœuvres -at a gallop, and to get into and out of action more quickly than the -Field Artillery. They are designed specially to accompany cavalry in -flying-column work; their mobility is only achieved by a sacrifice -of weight in the projectile which the gun throws, and they are only -expected to hold a position supported by cavalry until the heavier guns -come into play. The horse gunners may be regarded as the scouts of the -artillery, in the sense in which the cavalry are the scouts of the -whole army. - -Since, in the Royal Horse, gunners as well as drivers are mounted, -the number of horses to a battery is greater than in the Field -Artillery, and work is consequently harder. Officers of the Royal -Horse are specially selected from the R.F.A., to which they return on -promotion, and the rank and file are picked men, chosen for physique -and smartness. It is a maxim of the service that the work of the R.H.A. -is never done, and when one takes into account the fact that gunners -have a horse and saddle apiece to care for as well as their gun, while -drivers have two horses and two sets of harness apiece to keep in -condition, it will be seen that there is a certain amount of truth in -the statement. In old times, when field-day and manœuvre parades were -carried through in review order, the horse gunner was eternally in -debt over the matter of the yellow braid with which his stable jacket -is adorned, for these jackets are particularly difficult to keep -clean. The general adoption of service dress for working parade has -neutralised this disability. The horse gunner of to-day is a very good -soldier indeed in every respect, both by real aptitude for his work and -by compulsion. - -Not that the men of the Field Artillery are not equally good soldiers, -for they are. The Field Artillery, however, divides itself naturally -into two branches, drivers and gunners. Each driver has two horses -and two sets of harness to manage, and, if the cavalryman has reason -to grouse at the length of time he spends at stables, the driver -of the “Field” has more than four times as much reason to grouse. -Moreover, the cavalryman is permitted to clean his saddlery during -the official stable hour, but drivers of the R.F.A. are expected to -concentrate their attention on their horses during the time that they -are officially at stables; they can stay in the stables and get their -sets of harness cleaned and fit for inspection in their own time. They -are then at liberty to clean up their own personal equipment, and, -until the turn for guard comes round, have the rest of their time to -themselves. - -Gunners of the R.F.A. have all their time taken up by the care of the -gun, its fittings and appointments, as well as by the various separate -instruments connected with the use of a gun. For instance, all arms of -the service possess and make use of range-finding instruments, known -as mekometers, but in the artillery the mekometer is a larger and more -complicated affair, for the range of the gun is several times greater -than that of the rifle, and range finding is consequently a far more -complex business. The simple gunner must understand this, just as he -must understand the business of “laying” or adjusting the sights of the -gun to the required range, the use of telescopic sights, the delicate -mechanism of the breech-block, the method of putting the gun out of -action or rendering it useless in ease of emergency, and a hundred and -one other things which involve really complicated technical knowledge, -and lie in the province of the commissioned officer rather than in -that of a private soldier. The reason for teaching these things to the -private soldier lies in the accumulated experience which shows that -on many occasions all the officers and non-commissioned officers of a -battery have been blown to pieces by the enemy’s fire, and there have -remained only a few private soldiers to do their own work and that of -their officers as well. It is to the eternal credit of the Army, and -especially to that of the artillery, that men thus placed have never -once failed to do their duty nobly, and the present war has already -afforded more than one instance of single men sticking to their guns -to the last. Desertion of the guns has never yet been charged against -British artillery, nor is it ever likely to be. - -Field-guns are always accompanied by an escort, sometimes of cavalry, -but more often of infantry, for the gunner is admittedly helpless -against infantry at close range or against charging cavalry. The charge -of the Light Brigade at Balaclava forms an instance of what cavalry can -do against unescorted guns, and, though the pattern of gun in use has -changed for the better, the projectile being far more powerful, and -the number of shells per minute far greater, such feats as that of the -immortal Light Brigade are still within the range of possibility. - -The business of the gunner in an army assuming the offensive is to -open the attack. The fuse of the shrapnel shell is so timed that the -missile, which contains a quantity of bullets and a bursting charge -of powder, shall explode immediately over the position held by the -enemy. When a sufficient number of shells have been fired to weaken -resistance, the infantry advance in order to drive the enemy from -the chosen position. In defensive action the use of the gun lies in -retarding the advance of the enemy, and inflicting as much damage as -possible before rifles and machine-guns can come into play. - -For this business ranges must be taken swiftly and accurately. Loading -must be performed expeditiously, and, though the pneumatic recoil of -the modern field-gun renders it far less liable to shift in action, -the sights must be correctly aligned after each shot. A gun crew must -work swiftly and without confusion, and peace training is devoted -to attaining that quickness and thorough efficiency which renders a -battery formidable in war. - -There is, perhaps, less show about the work of a gunner than in that of -any other arm of the service with the exception of the Royal Engineers. -A good bit of his work is extremely dirty; cleaning a gun, for -instance, after firing practice with smokeless powder, is a hopelessly -messy business, and the infantryman, who pulls his rifle through and -extracts the fouling in about five minutes, would feel sorry for -himself if he were called on to share in the work of cleaning the -bore of an 18½-pounder after firing practice. There is a considerable -amount of drill of a complicated nature which the field-gunner has to -learn in addition to ordinary foot-drill; there is all the mechanism -of the gun to be understood; there are courses in range-finding, -gun-laying, signalling, and other things, and on the whole it is not -surprising that it takes at least five years to render a field gunner -thoroughly conversant with his work. The finished article is rather a -business-like man, quieter as a rule in his ways than his fellows in -the cavalry and infantry, rather serious, and little given to boasting -about the excellence of service in the Royal Field Artillery. He knows -his worth and that of his arm too well to waste breath in declaring -them. - -The driver of the Field Artillery has even more of riding-school work -to do than the average cavalryman. It would be idle to say that he is -a better rider, for the average cavalryman is as good a rider as it -is possible for a man to be. Artillery horses, however, are heavy and -unhandy compared with cavalry mounts, and the driver has not only to -drive the horse he rides, but has also to lead and control the horse -abreast of his own. The principal responsibility for the path which the -gun takes lies with the lead or foremost driver, though almost as much -responsibility is entailed on the man controlling the wheel or rearmost -horses, and, compared with these two, the centre driver has an easy -time of it in mounted drill and field work. - -Notwithstanding the extremely hard work to which drivers of artillery -are subjected, the same trouble over harness as obtains over cavalry -saddlery is experienced in some batteries. “Soft soap and oil” are the -cleaning materials prescribed by the regulations, but certain battery -commanders enforce the use of steel-link burnishers on steel-work, and -brilliant polish on leather, the last-named polish being obtained by -the use of a mysterious combination of heel-ball, turpentine, harness -composition, and, according to legend, old soldiers’ breath. The -mixture is known among the drivers as “fake,” and “fake and burnish” -is synonymous with unending work in the stables. It is the fetish of -smartness, a misdirected enthusiasm, which brings things like this to -pass and inflicts extra work on men whose energies should be devoted -solely to the attaining of fitness for active service, where “fake and -burnish” have no place. - -The Royal Horse and Royal Field Artillery are the only branches of the -service in which substantial prizes are given annually to encourage -men in their work. In each battery three money prizes are offered for -competition among the drivers; the amounts offered are substantial, -and the general result is a spirit of healthy emulation, though far -too often, and with the full sanction of the battery officer, this -degenerates into the “fake and burnish” craze. This, however, is not -the fault of the prize-giving system, but of the officers who not only -permit, but encourage and even order this unnecessary work, which, -while entailing added labour on the men, assists in the deterioration -of the leather-work in harness. For all leatherwork requires constant -feeding with oil in order to keep it fit and pliant, while the “fake” -dries the fibres of the leather and starves it, rendering it liable to -cracking and perishing. - -The branch of the Artillery of which least is heard is that of the -Royal Garrison Artillery, whose hundred companies are scattered about -the British Empire in obscure corners, engaged in the work of coast -defence and the management of siege guns. It is fortunate for the -garrison gunners that they have no “long-faced chums” to worry about, -for they are admittedly the hardest-worked branch of the service as -it is. Gibraltar houses several companies; you will find some of them -managing the big guns at Dover, and at every protected port. They are -big men, all; strong men, and lithe and active, for their work involves -the hauling about of heavy weights, combined with cat-like quickness -in loading and firing their many-patterned charges. The horse and -field gunner have each to learn one pattern of gun thoroughly, but the -garrison gunner, employed almost entirely in garrisoning defensive -fortifications, has to learn the use of half a hundred patterns, from -the little one-pounder quick-firer to the big gun on its disappearing -platform, and the 13·4-inch siege-gun. The horse and field gunner may -complete their education some day, for the pattern of field-gun changes -but seldom, and the present pattern is not likely to be improved on -for some years to come. The garrison gunner, however, is the victim of -experiment, for every new gun that comes out, after being tested and -passed either at Lydd or Shoeburyness, is handed on to the garrison -gunners for use, and there is a new set of equipment and mechanism -to be mastered. In order to ascertain the quality of their work, one -has only to get permission to visit the nearest fort, when it will be -seen that the guns are cared for like babies, nursed and polished and -covered away with full appreciation of their power and value. - -Garrison gunners suffer from worse stations than any other branch of -the service. They are planted away on lonely coast stations for two -or three years at a time, and Aden, the bane of foreign service in -the infantryman’s estimation, is a pleasant place compared with some -which garrison gunners are compelled to inhabit for a period. Lonely -islands in the West Indies, isolated places on the Indian and African -coast, forts placed far away from contact with civilians in the British -Isles--all these fall to the lot of the garrison gunner, and the nature -of his work is such that, unlike his fellows in the field and horse -artillery, he gets neither infantry nor cavalry escort. - -Reckoned in with the Garrison Artillery are the nine Mountain -Batteries, which, organised for service on such hilly country as is -provided by the Indian frontier, form a not inconspicuous part of the -British Army. In these batteries the guns are carried in sections on -pack animals; Kipling has immortalised the Mountain Batteries in his -verses on “The Screw Guns,” a title which conveys an allusion to the -fact that the guns of the Mountain Batteries screw and fit together -for use. The use of these guns can be but local, for they are not -sufficiently mobile to oppose to ordinary field-guns on level ground, -nor is the projectile that they throw of sufficient weight to give -them a chance in a duel with field-guns. They are, however, extremely -useful things for the purpose for which they are intended; they form a -necessary factor in the maintenance of order on the north-west frontier -of India, and, together with their gun crews, they instil a certain -measure of respect into the turbulent tribes of that uneasy land. - -A consideration of the various branches of the service would be -incomplete if mention of the Royal Engineers were omitted. The -Engineers are looked on as a sister service to the Royal Artillery, -and consist of various troops, companies, and sections, according -to the technical work they are called on to perform. Thus there are -field troops of mounted engineers for service with cavalry, field -companies for duty with the field army, fortress companies for service -in conjunction with the garrison gunners, balloon sections and -telegraph sections for the use of the intelligence department, and -pontoon companies for field bridging work. Every engineer of full age -is expected to be a trained tradesman when he enlists, and the special -qualifications demanded of this branch of the service are acknowledged -by a higher rate of pay than that accorded to any other arm. The motto -of the Engineers, “Ubique,” is fully justified, for they are not only -expected to be, but are, capable of every class of work, from making a -pepper-caster out of a condensed-milk tin to throwing across a river -a bridge capable of conveying siege-guns. There is no end to their -activities, and no end to their enterprise, and in the opinion of -many the Engineers, officers and men alike, are the most capable and -efficient body of men in any branch of the Government service. - -Their work is little seen; to their lot falls the task of constructing -the barbed-wire entanglements with the assistance of which infantry -battalions can put up a magnificent defence against any kind of attack; -the Engineers are responsible for the construction of the bridge by -means of which the cavalry arrive unexpectedly on the other side of -the river and spoil the enemy’s plans by getting round his flank; it -is the Engineers, again, who repair the blown-up railway line and -permit of the transport of trainloads of troops to an unexpected point -of vantage, thus again upsetting the plans of the enemy. One hears of -the magnificent defence maintained by the infantry; one hears of the -brilliant exploits of the cavalry on the flank of the enemy; one hears -also of the skill of the commander who moved the troops with such -suddenness and disconcerted his enemy; but the work of the Engineers, -who made these things possible, generally goes unrecognised outside -military circles, and the Engineers themselves have to reap their -satisfaction out of the knowledge of work well done. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -IN CAMP - - -In going to camp, transferring from the solid shelter of barracks to -the more doubtful comfort of crowding under a canvas roof, the soldier -feels that he is getting somewhere near the conditions under which he -will be placed on active service. The pitching of camp, especially -by an infantry battalion, is a parade movement, and as such is an -interesting business. It begins with the laying out of the tents in -their bags, and the tent poles beside them, near the positions which -the erected tents will occupy. The bags are emptied of their contents; -men are told off to poles, guy ropes, mallets and pegs; the tents are -fully unfolded, and, at a given word of command, every tent goes up -to be pegged into place in the shortest possible space of time. At -the beginning of a given ten minutes there will be lying on otherwise -unoccupied ground rows of bags and poles; at the end of that same ten -minutes a canvas town is in being, and the men who are to occupy that -town are thinking of fetching in their kits. - -Under ordinary circumstances, from four to eight men are told off -to occupy each tent, but on manœuvres and on active service these -numbers are exceeded more often than not. During the South African -war the present writer once had the doubtful pleasure of being the -twenty-fourth man in an ordinary military bell-tent. The next night -and thereafter, wet or fine, half the men allotted to that tent made a -point of sleeping in the open air. It was preferable. - -Life in camp is an enjoyable business so long as the weather continues -fine and not too boisterous; discipline is relaxed to a certain extent -while under canvas, open-air life renders the appetite keener, and -one’s enjoyment of life is more thorough than is the case in barracks. -Wet weather, however, changes all this. The luxury of floor-boards is a -rare one even in a standing camp, and, no matter what one may do in the -way of digging trenches round the tent and draining off surplus water -by all possible means, a moist unpleasantness renders life a burden and -causes equipment and arms to need about twice as much cleaning as under -normal circumstances. - -Camp life breeds yarns unending, and in wet weather, or in the hours -after dark, men sit and tell hirsute chestnuts to each other for lack -of better occupation. If the weather is fine there are plenty of -varieties of sport, including the ubiquitous football to occupy spare -minutes, but yarns and tobacco form the principal solace of hours which -cannot be filled in more active ways. There is one yarn which, like all -yarns, has the merit of being perfectly true, but, unlike most, is not -nearly so well known as it ought to be. It concerns a cavalry regiment -which settled down for a brief space at Potchefstroom after the signing -of peace in South Africa. - -Some months previous to the signing of peace, a certain lieutenant of -this regiment, known to his men and his fellow officers as “Bulgy,” -became possessed of a young baboon, which grew and throve exceedingly -at the end of a stout chain that secured the captive to one of the -transport wagons of the regiment. Bulgy’s servant was entrusted with -the care of the monkey, which, after the manner of baboons, was a -competent thief from infancy, and inclined to be savage if thwarted. -On one occasion, in particular, Bulgy’s monkey got loose, and got at -the officers’ mess wagon; it had a good feed of biscuits and other -delicacies, and retired at length, followed by the mess caterer, who -expostulated violently both with Bulgy’s servant and with Bulgy’s -monkey, until a tin of ox-tongues skilfully aimed by the monkey caught -him below the belt and winded him. After that, as Bret Harte says, the -subsequent proceedings interested him no more. - -Well, the regiment arrived at Potchefstroom and settled down under -canvas, with an average of eight men to a tent and the horse lines of -each troop placed at right-angles to the lines of tents. Bulgy’s monkey -was given a place away on the outside of the lines, with the other -end of his chain attached to a tree-stump, and there, for a time, he -rested, fed sparingly and abused plentifully by Bulgy’s servant. In the -regiment itself money was plentiful at the time, and it was the custom -in the tents which housed drinking men for the eight tent-mates to get -in a can of beer before the canteen closed. Over the beer they would -sit and yarn and play cards until “lights out” sounded. - -One night, eight men sat round their can of beer in a tent of “A” -Squadron, to which, by the way, Bulgy belonged. These eight had nearly -reached the bottom of the can. They had blown out all the candles in -the tent save one, which would remain for illumination until “lights -out” sounded. The last man to unroll his blankets and get to bed -had just finished, and was sitting up in order to blow out the last -remaining candle, when the flap of the tent was raised from the back, -and a hairy, grinning, evil face, which might have been that of the -devil himself, looked in on the sleepy warriors. They, for their part, -were too startled to investigate the occurrence, and the sight of that -face prevented them from stopping to unfasten the tent flap in order -to get out. They simply went out, under the flies, anyhow; one man -tried to climb the tent pole, possibly with a vague idea of getting -out through the ventilating holes at the top, but he finally went out -under the fly of the tent like the rest, taking with him the sting of -a vicious whack which the hairy devil aimed at him with a chain that -it carried. While these eight men were fleeing through the night, the -devil with the chain came out from the tent, and, seeing a line of -startled horses before it, leaped upon the back of the nearest horse, -gave the animal a thundering blow with its chain, and hopped lightly -on to the back of the next horse in the row, repeating the performance -there. In almost as little time as it takes to tell, a squadron of -stampeding horses followed the eight men of the tent on their journey -toward the skyline, and in the black and windy dark the remaining -men of “A” Squadron turned out to fetch their terrified horses back -to camp, and, when they knew the cause of the disturbance, to curse -Bulgy’s monkey even more fervently than Bulgy’s servant had cursed it. -The end of it all was that eight men of “A” Squadron signed the pledge, -and Bulgy left off keeping the monkey; it was too expensive a form of -amusement. - -This is a typical camp yarn, and a military camp is full of yarns, some -better than this, and some worse. - -In camp, more than anywhere else, the soldier learns to be handy. The -South African war taught men to kill and cut up their own meat, to -make a cooking fire out of nothing, to cook for themselves, to wash -up--though most of them had learned this in barracks--to wash their own -underclothing, darn their own socks, and do all necessary mending to -their clothes. It taught cavalrymen the value of a horse, in addition -to giving them an insight to the foregoing list of accomplishments. It -was, for the first year or so, a strenuous business of fighting, but -the last twelve months of the war consisted for many men far more of -marching and camp experience than actual war service. It was an ideal -training school and gave an insight into camp life under the best -possible circumstances; its lessons were invaluable, and much of the -practice of the Army of to-day is derived from experience obtained -during that campaign. - -One failing to which men--and especially young soldiers--are liable -in camp life consists in that when they return to camp, thoroughly -tired after a long day’s manœuvring or marching, they will not take -the trouble to cook and get ready for themselves the food without -which they ought not to be allowed to retire to rest. In the French -Army, officers make a point of urging their men to prepare food for -themselves immediately on their return to camp, but in the English Army -this matter is left to the discretion of the men themselves, with the -result that some of them frequently go to bed for the night without -being properly fed. This course, if persisted in, almost invariably -leads to illness, and it is important that men under canvas should be -properly fed at the end of the day as well as at the beginning and -during the course of their work. - -When under canvas in time of peace, the authorities of most units -reduce their demands on their men in comparison with barrack -life. It is generally understood that a man cannot turn out in -review order, or in “burnish and fake,” with the restrictions of -a canvas town about him. In some units, however, this point is -not sufficiently considered, and as much is asked of men as when -they have the conveniences of barracks all about them. The result -of this is sullenness and bad working on the part of the men; the -short-sightedness of officers leads them to press their demands -while men are in the bad temper caused by too much being put upon -them, and the final result is what is known technically in the Army -as an excess of “crime.” A string of men far in excess of the usual -number is wheeled up in front of the company or commanding officer -to be “weighed off,” and the number of men on defaulters’ parade, or -undergoing punishment fatigues, steadily increases. Although in theory -the soldier has the right of complaint, if he feels himself aggrieved, -to successive officers, even up to the general officer commanding -the brigade or division in which he is serving, in practice he finds -these complaints of so little real use to him that he expresses his -discontent by means of incurring “crime,” or, in other words, by -getting into trouble in some way. There is no accounting for this -habit; it is the way of the soldier, and no further explanation can -be given. Squadrons of cavalry have been known to cut all their -saddlery to pieces, and companies of infantry to render their belts and -equipment useless, by way of expressing their discontent or disgust -at undue harshness. The relaxation of discipline and the absence of -barrack-room soldiering when under canvas is a privilege which the -soldier values highly, and it ought not to be curtailed in any way. - -A pleasant form of camping which many units on home service enjoy is -the annual musketry camp. It happens often that there is no musketry -range within convenient marching distance of the place in which a -unit is stationed, and, in that case, the unit sends its men, one -or two companies or squadrons at a time, to camp in the vicinity of -the musketry range allotted to their use. The firing of the actual -musketry course is in itself an interesting business, and it brings -out a pleasant spirit of emulation among the men concerned. Keenness -is always displayed in the attempt to attain the coveted score which -entitles a man to wear crossed guns on his sleeve for the ensuing -twelve months, and proclaims him a “marksman.” In addition to this -there is the pleasant sense of freedom engendered by life under canvas, -and the access of health induced thereby. The soldier, in common with -most healthy men, enjoys roughing it up to a point, and life in a -musketry camp seldom takes him beyond the point at which enjoyment -ceases. - -Infantry units serving in foreign and colonial stations are frequently -split up into detachments consisting of one or more companies, and -serving each at a different place. This detachment duty, as it is -called, as often as not involves life under canvas, and it may be -understood that life under the tropical or sub-tropical conditions -of foreign and colonial stations can be a very pleasant thing. Here, -as in home stations, sufficient work is provided to keep the soldier -from overmuch meditation. Time is allowed, however, for sport and -recreation, and, even when thrown entirely on their own resources for -amusement, troops are capable of making the time pass quickly and -easily. - -While on the subject of camping there is one more yarn of South Africa -and the war which merits telling, although it only concerns a bad case -of “nerves.” It happened during the last year of the war that a column -crossed the Modder River from south to north, going in the direction of -Brandfort, and camp was pitched for the night just to the north of the -Glen Drift. At this point in its course the Modder runs between steep, -cliff-like banks, from which a belt of mimosa scrub stretches out for -nearly a quarter of a mile on each side of the river. After camp had -been pitched for the night, the sentries round about the camp were -finally posted with a special view to guarding the drift, the northward -front of the column, and its flanks. Only two or three sentries, -however, were considered necessary to protect the rear, which rested on -the impenetrable belt of mimosa scrub along the river bank. - -One of these sentries along the scrub came on duty at midnight, just -after the moon had gone down. He “took over” from the sentry who -preceded him on the post, and started to keep watch according to -orders, though in his particular position there was little enough to -watch. Quite suddenly he grew terribly afraid, not with a natural -kind of fear, but with the nightmarish kind of terror that children -are known to experience in the dark. His reason told him that in the -position that he occupied there was nothing which could possibly -harm him, for behind him was the bush, through which a man could not -even crawl, while before him and to either side was the chain of -sentries, of which he formed a part, surrounding his sleeping comrades. -His imagination, however, or possibly his instinct, insisted that -something uncanny and evil was watching him from the darkness of the -tangled mimosa bushes, and was waiting a chance to strike at him -in some horrible fashion. He tried to shake off this childish fear, -to assure himself that it could not possibly be other than a trick -of “nerves” brought on by darkness and the need for keeping watch, -when--crash!--something struck him with tremendous force in the back -and sent him forward on his face. - -Half stunned, he picked himself up from the ground, and the pain in his -back was sufficient to assure him that he had not merely fallen asleep -and imagined the whole business. With his loaded rifle at the ready -he searched the edge of the mimosa bush as closely as he was able, -but could discover nothing; he had an idea of communicating with the -sentry next in the line to himself, but, since there was no further -disturbance, and nothing to show, he decided to say nothing, but simply -to stick to his post until the next relief came round. - -Suddenly the uncanny sense of terror returned to him, intensified. He -felt certain this time that the evil thing which had struck him before -would strike again, and he felt certain that he was being watched by -unseen eyes. He was new to the country; as an irregular he was new -to military ways, and he promised himself that if ever he got safely -home he would not volunteer for active service again. The sense of -something unseen and watching him grew, and with it grew also the -nightmarish terror, until he was actually afraid to move. Then, by -means of the same mysterious agency, he was struck again to the ground, -and this time he lay only partially conscious and quite helpless until -the reliefs came round. The sergeant in charge of the reliefs had an -idea at first of making the man a close prisoner for lying down and -sleeping at his post, but after a little investigation he changed his -mind and sent one of his men for the doctor instead. - -The doctor announced, after examination, that if the blow which felled -the man had struck him a few inches higher up in the back he would not -have been alive to remember it, and the man himself was taken into -hospital for a few days to recover from the injuries so mysteriously -inflicted. In the morning the column moved off on its way, and no -satisfactory reason could be adduced for the midnight occurrence. - -But residents in that district will tell you, unto this day, that one -who has the patience to keep quiet and watch in the moonlight can see -baboons come up from the mimosa scrub and amuse themselves by throwing -clods of earth and rocks at each other. - -It is a good camp story, and I tell it as it was told to me, without -vouching for its truth. Any man who cares to go into a military -camp--by permission of the officer commanding, of course--and has the -tact and patience to win the confidence of the soldiers in the camp, -can hear stories equally good, and plenty of them. For, as previously -remarked, camp life breeds yarns. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -MUSKETRY - - -Although the musket of old time became obsolete before the memory -of living man, the term “musketry” survives yet, and probably will -always survive for laconic description of the art and practice of -military rifle-shooting. Musketry is the primary business of the -infantry soldier, and it also enters largely into the training of the -cavalryman, who is expected to be able to dismount and hold a desired -position until infantry arrive to relieve him. - -So far as the recruit is concerned, by far the greater part of the -necessary instruction in musketry takes place not on the rifle range, -but on the regimental or battalion drill-ground, where the beginner is -taught the correct positions for shooting while standing, kneeling, -and lying. He is taught the various parts of his weapon and their -peculiar uses; he is taught that when a wind gauge is adjusted one -division to either side, it makes a lateral difference of a foot for -every hundred yards in the ultimate destination of the bullet. He is -taught the business of fine adjustment of sights, taught with clips of -dummy cartridges how to charge the magazine of his rifle. The extreme -effectiveness of the weapon is impressed on him, and the instructor not -only tells him that he must not point a loaded rifle at a pal, but also -explains the reason for this, and usually draws attention to accidents -that have occurred through disregard of elementary rules of caution. -For long experience has demonstrated that the unpractised man is liable -to be careless in the way in which he handles a rifle, and the recruit, -being at a careless age, and often coming from a careless class, is -especially prone to make mistakes unless the need for caution is well -hammered home. - -At first glance, a rifle is an extremely simple thing. You pull back -the bolt, insert a cartridge, and close the bolt. Then you put the -rifle to your shoulder and pull the trigger--and the trick is done. But -first impressions are misleading, and the recruit has to be trained -in the use of the rifle until he understands that he has been given -charge of a very delicate and complex piece of mechanism, of which the -parts are so finely adjusted that it will send its bullet accurately -for a distance of 2800 yards--considerably over a mile and a half. -In order to maintain the accuracy of the instrument the recruit is -taught by means of a series of lessons, which seem to him insufferably -long and tedious, how to clean, care for, and handle his rifle. An -immense amount of time and care is given to the business of teaching -him exactly how to press the trigger, for on the method of pressing the -quality of the shot depends very largely. The musketry instructor gives -individual instruction to each man in this, and the man is made to -undergo “snapping practice”--that is, repeatedly pressing the trigger -of the empty rifle until he has gained sufficient experience to have -some idea of what will happen when the trigger is pressed with a live -cartridge in front of the bolt. - -When the recruit has been well grounded in the theory of using a -rifle, he is taken to the rifle range for actual practice with real -ammunition. He starts off at the 200 yards’ range with a large target -before him, and, in all probability, the first shot that he fires -scores a bull’s-eye. He feels at once that he knows a good bit more -about the use of a rifle than the man who is instructing him, and -at the given word he aims and fires again. This time he is lucky if -he scores an outer; more often than not the bullet either strikes -the ground half-way up the range, or goes sailing over the back of -the butts, and the recruit, with a nasty painful feeling about his -shoulder, has an idea that rifle-shooting is a tricky business, -after all. The fact was that, with his experience of “snapping,” he -had learned to pull the trigger--or rather, to press it--without -experiencing the kick of the rifle; that kick, felt with the first real -firing, caused an instinctive recoil on his part in firing the second -time. Later on he learns to stand the kick, and to mitigate its effects -by holding the rifle firmly in to his shoulder, and from that time -onward he begins to improve in the art of rifle-shooting and to make -consistent practice. - -For the recruits’ course, the targets are naturally larger and the -conditions easier than when the trained man fires. At the conclusion of -the recruits’ course, the men are graded into “marksmen,” who are the -best shots of all, first-class, second-class, and third-class shots, -and they have to qualify in each annual “duty-man’s” course of firing -in order to retain or improve their positions as shots. Before the new -regulations, which made pay dependent on proficiency on the range, came -into force, there was a good deal of juggling with scores in the butts; -one company or squadron of a unit would provide “markers” for another, -and since the men at the firing point shot in regular order, it was a -comparatively easy matter to “square the marker” and get him to mark -up a better score than was actually obtained. Under the present rules -governing proficiency pay, however, a man’s rate of pay is dependent on -his musketry, and third-class shots suffer to the extent of twopence -per day for failing to make the requisite number of points for second -class. In consequence of this, supervision in the butts is much more -severe, and there is little opportunity of putting on a score that is -not actually obtained. A case occurred two or three years ago, the -5th Dragoon Guards being the regiment concerned, in which the men of -a whole squadron made such an abnormally good score as a whole that, -when the returns came to be inspected, it was suspected that the -markers had had a hand in compiling what was practically a record. The -squadron in question was ordered to fire its course over again, and the -markers were carefully chosen with a view to the prevention of fraud -in the butts. After two or three days of firing, however, the repeat -course was stopped, for the men of the squadron were making even better -scores than before. The incident goes to show that there is little -likelihood of frauds occurring at the butts under the present system of -supervision, and incidentally demonstrates the shooting capabilities -of that particular squadron of men. - -Bad shots are the trial of instructors, who are held more or less -responsible for the musketry standard of their units--certainly more, -if there are too many bad shots in any particular unit. The bad shot -is usually a nervous man, who cannot keep himself and his rifle steady -at the moment of firing, though drink--too much of it--plays a large -part in the reduction of musketry scores. At any rifle range used by -regular troops, during the carrying out of the annual course, one may -see the musketry instructor lying beside some man at the firing point, -instructing him where to aim, pointing out the error of the last shot, -and telling the soldier how to correct his aim for the next--generally -helping to keep up the average of the regiment or battalion. As a rule, -there is no man more keen on his work than the musketry instructor, -who is usually a very good shot himself, as well as being capable of -imparting the art of shooting to others. - -The great musketry school of the British Army, so far as home service -goes, is at Hythe, where all instructors have to attend a class to -qualify for instructorship. Here the theory and practice of shooting -are fully taught; a man at Hythe thinks shooting, dreams shooting, -talks shooting, and shoots, all the time of his course. He is initiated -into the mysteries of trajectory and wind pressure, taught all about -muzzle velocity and danger zone, while the depth of grooving in a rifle -barrel is mere child’s play to him. He is taught the minutiæ of the -rifle, and comes back to his unit knowing exactly why men shoot well -and why they shoot badly. He is then expected to impart his knowledge, -or some of it, to the recruits of the unit, and to supervise the -shooting of the trained men as well. In course of time, constantly -living in an atmosphere of rifle-shooting, and spending more time and -ammunition on the range than any other man of his unit, he becomes one -of the best shots, though seldom the very best. For rifle-shooting -is largely a matter of aptitude, and some men, after their recruits’ -training and a duty-man’s course on the range, can very nearly equal -the scores compiled by the musketry instructor. - -Since shooting is a matter of aptitude to a great extent, it follows -that the present system, punishing men for bad shooting by deprivation -of pay and in other ways, is not a good one. It has not increased the -standard of shooting to any appreciable extent; men do not shoot better -because they know their rate of pay depends on it, for they were -shooting as well as they could before. Certainly the man who can shoot -well is of greater value in the firing line than the one who shoots -badly, but, apart from this, all men are called on to do the same duty, -and the third-class shot, if normally treated, has as much to do, does -it just as well, and is entitled to as much pay for it as the marksman. -There can be no objection to a system which rewards good shooting, but -that is an entirely different matter from penalising bad shooting, as -is done at present. - -The penalties do not always stop at deprivation of pay. In some -infantry units a third-class shot is regarded as little better than a -defaulter; he has extra drill piled on him--drill which has nothing -at all to do with the business of learning to shoot; he is liable for -fatigues from which other men are excused, and altogether is regarded -to a certain extent as incompetent in other things beside marksmanship. -This, naturally, does not improve his shooting capabilities; he gets -disgusted with things as they are, knows that, since his commanding -officer has determined things shall be no better for him, it is no use -hoping for a change, and with a feeling of disgust resolves that, since -in his next annual course he cannot possibly put up a better score, he -will put up a worse. It is the way in which the soldier reasons, and -there is no altering it; the way in which men are disciplined makes -them reason so, and the determination to make a worse score since a -better is impossible is on a par with the action of a cavalry squadron -in cutting its saddlery to pieces because the men are disgusted with -the ways of an officer or non-commissioned officer. Thus, in the case -of unduly severe action on the part of commanding officers, the pay -regulations, which make musketry a factor in the rate of pay, have done -little good to shooting among the men. - -When actually at the firing point, a soldier is taught that he must -“keep his rifle pointing up the range,” for accidents happen easily, -and, in spite of the extreme caution of officers and instructors, -hardly a year goes by without some accidental shooting to record. The -wonder is not that this sort of thing happens, but that it does not -happen more often, for, until a soldier has undergone active service -and seen how easily fatal results are produced with a rifle, it seems -impossible to make him understand the danger attaching to careless use -of the weapon. One may find a man, so long as he is not being watched, -calmly loading a rifle and closing the bolt with the muzzle pointed at -the ear of a comrade; it is not a frequent occurrence, but it happens, -all the same. And, in consequence, accidents happen. - -The range and the annual course are productive of a good deal of -amusement, at times. There is a story of an officer who pointed out -to a man that every shot he was firing was going three feet to the -right of the target, and who, after having pointed this out several -times, at last ordered the man to stop firing while he telephoned up -to the butts and ordered that that particular target should be moved -three feet to the right. Whether the result justified the change is -not recorded. Cases are not uncommon in which a man fires on the wrong -target by mistake, especially at the long ranges, and there is at least -one well-authenticated case of a man who put all his seven shots on to -the next man’s target, and of course scored nothing for himself. For -the law of the range is that if a man plants a shot on another man’s -target, the other man gets the benefit of the points scored by that -shot. The markers in the butts must mark up what they see, for if they -were compelled to go by instructions from the firing point and had to -disregard the evidence of the targets, a musketry course would be an -extremely complicated business, and would last for ever. - -One oft-told story is that of the recruit who sent shot after shot -over the back of the butts, in spite of the repeated instructions of -the musketry instructor to take a lower aim. At last, probably being -tired of being told to aim low, the recruit dropped his rifle muzzle to -such an extent that the bullet struck the ground about half-way up the -range and went on its course as a whizzing ricochet. “Missed again!” -said the instructor in disgust. - -“Yes,” said the recruit, “but I reckon the target felt a draught that -time, anyhow.” - -The recruits’ course of musketry ends on the short ranges, but when -the duty-man comes to fire for the year he is taken back, a hundred -yards at a time, until he is distant 1000 yards from the target. This -distance, 1000 yards, is considered the limit of effective rifle fire, -though a good shot can do a considerable amount of damage at 2000 -yards, and the limit of range of the Lee-Enfield magazine rifle, the -one in use in the British Army, extends to 2800 yards. The weight of -the bullet is so small, however, that at the long distances atmospheric -conditions, and especially wind, have a great influence on the course -of its flight, while the power of human sight is also a factor in -limiting the effective range. Even at 1000 yards a man looks a very -small thing, while at 2000 yards he is a mere dot, and it is impossible -to take more than a general aim. More might be accomplished with more -delicately adjusted sights and wind-gauges, but those at present in -use are quite sufficiently delicate for purposes of campaigning, and -telescopic sights, or appliances of a delicate nature for bettering -shooting, are quite out of the question for use by the rank and file. -Most of the shooting of the Army is done at ranges between 500 and 1000 -yards, and, whatever weapon science may produce for the use of the -soldier, it is unlikely that these distances will be greatly increased, -since even science cannot overcome the limitations to which humanity is -subject. - -Up to a few years ago, the old-fashioned “bull’s-eye” targets were -employed at all ranges and for all purposes, but they have been -practically discarded now in favour of targets which reproduce, as -accurately as possible, the actual targets at which men have to aim -in war. The modern target is made up of a white portion representing -the sky, and a shot on this portion counts for nothing at all; the -lower part of the target is dull mud-coloured, and in the middle, -projecting a little way into the white portion, is a black area -corresponding roughly in shape and size to the head and shoulders of -a man. Shots on this black portion, which may be considered as a man -looking over a bank of earth, count as “bull’s-eyes,” and shots on the -mud-coloured portion of the target have also a certain value, for it is -considered that if a shot goes sufficiently near the figure of the man -to penetrate the earth that the target represents, such a shot under -actual conditions would possibly ricochet and kill the man, and in any -case would fling up such a cloud of dust or shower of mud and stones -as to wound him in some way, or at least put him out of action for a -few minutes. Further, rapid individual fire plays a far greater part in -modern rifle-shooting than it did a few years ago. The “volleys,” which -used to be so tremendously effective in the days of muzzle loading -and slow fire at short ranges, are little considered under present -conditions; with the development of initiative, and the introduction of -open order in the firing line, men are taught to fire rapidly by means -of exposing the targets for a second or two at a time, two shots or -more to be got on the target at each exposure. In the musketry course -of ten years ago there was very little rapid firing, but now it takes -up more than half of the total of exercises on the range. - -Apart from the annual course of musketry which men are compelled to -undergo, they are encouraged to practise shooting throughout the -year by means of competitions, financed out of regimental funds, -and offering prizes to be won in open competition. Competitors are -graded into the respective classes in which their last course left -them, and prizes are offered in each class, though why silver spoons -should be offered to such an extent as they are is one of the mysteries -that no man can explain. Certain it is that in nearly every shooting -competition held, silver spoons are offered as prizes--and a soldier -has little use for an ordinary teaspoon, silver or otherwise. - -The scores put on by men of the Army, taken in the average, go to -prove that British soldiers have little to learn from those of other -nations in the matter of shooting. The “marksman,” in order to win -the right to wear crossed guns on his sleeve, has to put up a score -which even a Bisley crack shot would not despise, and yet the number -of men to be seen walking out with crossed guns on their sleeves is no -inconsiderable one, while first-class shots are plentiful in all units -of the cavalry and infantry. Artillerymen, of course, know little about -the rifle and its use; their weapon both of offence and defence is the -big gun, and in the matter of rifle-shooting they trust to their escort -of cavalry or infantry--usually the latter, except in the case of Horse -Artillery. Taken in the mass, the British soldier has every reason to -congratulate himself on the way in which he uses his rifle, and the -present Continental war has proved that he is every whit as good at -using the rifle in the field as he is on the range, though, in shooting -on active service, the range of the object has to be found, while in -all shooting practice in time of peace it is known and the sights -correctly adjusted before the man begins to fire. - -An adjunct to the course of musketry is that of judging distance, in -which men are taken out and asked to estimate distances of various -objects. Even for this there is a system of training, and men are -instructed to consider how many times a hundred yards will fit into the -space between them and the given object. They are taught how conditions -of light and shade affect the apparent distance; how, with the sun -shining from behind the observer on to the object, the distance appears -less than when the sun is shining from behind the object on to the -observer. They are taught at first to estimate short distances, and the -range of objects chosen for experiment is gradually increased. In this, -again, aptitude plays a considerable part; some men can judge distance -from observation only with marvellous accuracy, while others never get -the habit of making correct estimates. - -An interesting method practised in order to ascertain distance consists -in taking the estimates of a number of men, and then striking an -average. With any number of men over ten from whom to obtain the -average, a correct estimate of the distance is usually obtained. -Another method consists in observing how much of an object of known -dimensions can be seen when looking through a rifle barrel, after the -bolt of the rifle has been withdrawn for the purpose. Since, however, -the object of training in judging distance is to enable a man to make -an individual estimate, neither of these methods is permitted to be -used in the judging when points are awarded. The award of points, -by the way, counts toward the total number of points in the annual -musketry course. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -THE INTERNAL ECONOMY OF THE ARMY - - -Given such a conscript army as can be seen in working in any -Continental nation, there is a very good reason for keeping the rate -of pay for the rank and file down to as low a standard as possible, -for the State concerned in the upkeep of a conscript army puts all, -or in any case the greater part, of its male citizens through the -mill of military service, and not only puts them through, but compels -them to go through. It thus stands to reason that, as the men serve -by compulsion, there is no need to offer good rates of pay as an -inducement to serve; further, it is to the interest of the State -concerned to keep down the expense attendant on the maintenance of its -army as much as possible, and for these two reasons, if for no other, -the rate of pay in Continental armies is remarkably small. - -With a volunteer army, however, the matter must be looked at in a -different light. It is in the interest of the State, of course, -that expenses in connection with its army should be kept as low as -possible, but there the analogy between conscript and volunteer rates -of pay ends. If the right class of man is to be induced to volunteer -for service, he must be offered a sufficient rate of pay to make -military service worth his while--in time of peace, at any rate. The -ideal rate of pay would be attained if the State would consider itself, -so far as its army is in question, in competition with all other -employers of labour, and would offer a rate of pay commensurate with -the services demanded of its employees. By that method the right class -of man would be persuaded to come forward in sufficient numbers, and -the Army could be maintained at strength without trouble. - -The British Army is the only voluntary one among the armies of the -Western world, and for some time past it has experienced difficulty -in obtaining a sufficiency of recruits to keep it up to strength, as -was evidenced by the series of recruiting advertisements in nearly -all daily papers of the kingdom with which the year 1914 opened. -Statistics go to prove that recruiting is not altogether a matter of -arousing patriotism, but is dependent on the state of the labour market -to a very great extent. In the years following on the South African -war, there was a larger percentage of unemployed in the kingdom than -at normal times, and consequently recruiting flourished; men of the -stamp that the Army wants, finding nothing better to do, and often -being uncertain where the next meal was to come from, enlisted, and -the Army had no trouble in maintaining itself at strength, although -the rate of pay that it offered was lower than that earned, in many -cases, by the ordinary unskilled labourer. Gradually, however, -commercial conditions began to improve, and for the past year or two, -in consequence of a very small percentage of unemployment among the -labouring classes, recruiting has suffered--the Army does not offer as -much as the ordinary civilian employer, either in wages or conditions -of life, and consequently men will not enlist as long as they can get -something to do in a regular way. Hence the War Office advertisements, -which had very little effect on the recruiting statistics, and were -wrongly conceived so far as appealing to the right class of man was in -question. It was not till Lord Kitchener had assumed control of the War -Office that the advertisements emanating from that establishment made -a real personal appeal to the recruit; the two events may have been -coincidence, for the war has pushed up recruiting as a war always does; -again, there may have been something in the fact that Kitchener, as -well as being an ideal organiser of men, is a great psychologist. - -However this may be, the fact remains that, although the War Office -by the mere fact of its advertising has entered the labour market -as a competitor with civilian employers, it has not yet offered any -inducement equal to that offered by civilian employers. The rate of -pay for the rank and file is still under two shillings a day, with -lodging and partial board, for in time of peace the rations issued to -the soldier do not form a complete allowance of food, and even the -messing allowance is in many cases insufficient to provide sufficient -meals--the soldier has to supplement both rations and messing out of -his pay. When all allowances and needs have been accounted for, the -amount of pay that a private soldier can fairly call his own, to spend -as he likes, is about a shilling a day--and civilian employment, as a -rule, offers more than that. Moreover, modern methods of warfare call -for a more intelligent and better educated man than was the case fifty -years ago; the soldier of to-day, as has already been remarked, has -not only to be able to obey, but also to exercise initiative; a better -class of man is required, and though the factor of numbers is still -the greatest factor in any action that may be fought between opposing -armies, the factor of intelligence and elementary scientific knowledge -is one that grows in importance year by year. The mass of recruits, in -time of peace, is drawn from among the unemployed unskilled labourers -of the country; though, by the rate of pay given, the country effects -a certain saving, this is more than balanced by the difficulty of -educating and training these men--to say nothing of the expense of it. -A higher rate of pay would attract a better class of man and provide -a more intelligent army, one of greater value to the State. And, even -assuming that the class of man obtained at present is as good as need -be, still the rate of pay is insufficient; the work men are called -on to perform, the responsibilities that are entailed on them in the -course of their work, deserve a higher rate of pay than these men -obtain at present. - -An illustration of this will serve far better than mere statement -of the fact. It is well known that for years past there has been -some difficulty in obtaining a sufficiency of officers for cavalry -regiments, but what is not so well known is that, when a troop of -cavalry is short of a lieutenant to lead it at drill and assume -responsibility for its working, the troop-sergeant takes command and -control of the troop. At the best, the pay of the troop-sergeant -cannot be reckoned at more than four shillings a day, and on that -amount of salary--twenty-eight shillings a week--he is given charge -and control of somewhere about thirty men, together with horses, -saddlery, and other Government property to the value of not less than -£1800. For the safety and good order of this amount of property he -is almost entirely responsible, as well as being charged with the -superintendence, instruction, and control of the thirty men or more who -comprise the troop under his command. - -The fact is that the world has moved forward tremendously during the -past thirty or forty years, while, except for small and inadequate -changes in the rates of pay, the Army has stood still. Labour -conditions have altered in every way, and the cost of living has -increased, forcing up the wage rate. The Army has taken note of none -of these things, but has gone on, as regards pay and allowances, in -the way of forty years ago. The necessity for an advertising campaign -proved that the old ways were beginning to fail, and efforts were being -made to overcome the shortage of men without increasing the rates of -pay--vain efforts, if statistics of the amount of recruiting done -before and after the beginning of the advertising campaign count for -anything. - -We may leave these larger considerations to come down to a view of -the interior working of a unit, its pay, feeding, and general life. -All arrangements as regards pay for infantrymen are managed by the -colour-sergeants of the companies, while in the cavalry and artillery -the squadron or battery quartermaster-sergeants have control of -the pay-sheets. These non-commissioned officers are charged with -the business of drawing weekly the amount of pay required by their -respective companies, squadrons, or batteries, and paying out the same -to the men under the supervision of the company, squadron, or battery -officers. The presence of the officer at the pay-table is a nominal -business in most cases, and the non-commissioned officer does all the -work, while in every case he is held responsible for any errors that -may occur. Each man is given a stated weekly rate of pay, and at the -end of each month there is a general settling up, at which the accounts -of each man are explained to him; he is told what debts he has incurred -to the regimental tailor, the bootmaker, or for new clothing that he -has been compelled to purchase to make good deficiencies; in every unit -each man is charged two or three pence a month--and sometimes more--by -way of barrack damages, which includes the repair of broken windows, -etc., and altogether the compulsory stoppages from pay generally -amount to not less than two shillings per man per month. - -The system of pay is a complicated one. As a bed-rock minimum there -is a regular rate of pay of a shilling and a penny a day for an -infantryman, and a penny or twopence a day more for the other arms of -the service. On to this is added the messing allowance of threepence a -day, which is spent for the men in supplementing their ration allowance -of food, and never reaches them in coin at all; there is a clothing -allowance, which goes to defray the expense attendant on the renewal -of articles of attire; there is yet another allowance for the upkeep -of clothing and kit; there is the proficiency pay to which each man -becomes entitled after a certain amount of service, and which consists -of varying grades according to the musketry standard and character -of the man; this ranges from fourpence to sixpence a day; and then -there is badge pay, which adds a penny or twopence a day to old -soldiers’ pay so long as they behave themselves. The colour-sergeant -or quartermaster-sergeant has to keep account of all these small -items, and it is small matter for wonder that many a worried officer -or non-com., puzzling his brains over the intricacies of a pay-sheet, -expresses an earnest wish that the whole complicated system may be -swept away, and a straightforward rate of pay for each man substituted. - -The Army Pay Corps, a non-combatant branch of the service, is charged -with the business of auditing and keeping accounts straight, and this -corps forms the final court of appeal for all matters connected with -the pay of the soldier. The Royal Warrant for Pay, a bulky volume -published annually, is the manual by which the Pay Corps is guided -to its decisions, and from which the harassed colour-sergeant or -quartermaster-sergeant derives inspiration for his work. - -In all units serving at home, and in most of those serving abroad, -a system of messing is established regimentally to supplement the -ration allowance. Rations for the soldier, by the way, consist in -England of one pound of bread and three-quarters of a pound of meat -with bone per day, and all else must be bought out of pay and messing -allowance. In colonial stations the ration allowance is enlarged to -include certain vegetables, and in India the scale is still more -liberal, but it is obvious that the English ration of bread and meat -is not sufficient for the needs of the soldier, nor will the official -messing allowance of threepence per day per man altogether compensate -for ration deficiencies. Beyond doubt, however, the provision of -necessaries has been brought to a very fine art in the Army, and, with -an efficient cook-sergeant in charge of the regimental cookhouses, and -capable caterers to supervise purchases for the messing account, with -an allowance of fourpence a day per man the rank and file can have a -sufficiency of plain, wholesome food. - -The sergeant-cook in charge of the cookhouses of each unit must have -passed through a course at the Aldershot school of cookery before -he can undertake the duties of his post, but he is the only trained -cook in each unit. Men are chosen as company cooks or squadron cooks -haphazard, and often with too little regard to their fitness for their -posts. In spite of all disadvantages, though, the average of cooking -in the Army is good, especially when one considers the unpromising -material with which the cooks have to deal. The contract price for Army -meat is not half that paid per pound by the civilian buyers; it is, of -course, all foreign meat that is supplied in normal times. - -While the single men of the Army draw their meat supplies daily, -married quarters’ rations are drawn on stated days, and, as the -majority of the occupants of the married quarters are non-commissioned -officers and their wives, it follows naturally that, in getting their -exact ration with regard to weight, they are given every consideration -with regard to the quality of meat cut off from the lump. On married -quarters’ days the troops get a surprisingly small allowance of -meat and a surprisingly large allowance of bone, for the regulation -governing supply enacts that “three-quarters of a pound of meat _with -bone_” shall be allowed for each soldier. That “with bone” may mean -that two-thirds of the allowance or more is bone, though the soldier -has in this matter as well as in others the right of complaint if he -considers that he is being subjected to injustice in any way. The -quality of meat supplied, and its correct quantity, is supposed to -constitute one of the cares of the orderly officer of the day, for the -orderly officer, together with the quartermaster or the representative -of the latter, is supposed to attend at the issue of rations of both -bread and meat. - -In this connection a word regarding the duties of the orderly -officer will not be out of place. These duties are undertaken by the -lieutenants and second lieutenants of each unit, who take turns of -a day apiece as “orderly officer of the day.” It has already been -remarked that an officer does not really begin to count in the life -of a unit until he has attained to the rank of captain and to the -experience gained by such length of service as makes him eligible for -captaincy. In no one thing does this fact become so clear as the way -in which the duty of orderly officer of the day is performed in the -majority of units. It happens as a rule that a lieutenant performs -his turn of orderly conscientiously and well; at times, however, it -happens that a subaltern, impatient at the fiddling duties involved -in the turn of orderly, regards complaints on the part of the men as -trivial and annoying, neglects to see that real causes of grievance are -properly remedied, and lays the foundations of deep dislike for himself -on the part of the men of the unit. One of the duties falling to the -orderly officer is that of visiting the dining-rooms of the regiment or -battalion and inquiring in each room if the men have any complaints to -make with regard to the quality or quantity of the food supplied. If -any complaint is made, it should be at once investigated, and, if found -justifiable, remedied. - -But the subaltern doing orderly duty far too often does not -know--because he has not troubled to learn--the way to set about -remedying a just complaint; a very common form of reply to a complaint -by the men is, “I will see about it,” and that is all that the men -ever hear, while they are careful never to make a complaint to that -particular officer again, since they know he is not to be depended on. -The attitude of some junior officers towards the men making a complaint -is at times one of suspicion; the officer seems to imagine that the -man is doing it for amusement, and not until he has grown a little, -and incidentally passed out from the rank in which he takes his turn -as orderly officer, does he come to understand that men only make -complaints to their officers about things which are absolutely beyond -their own power to remedy. Frivolous or unjustifiable complaints, when -proved to be such, are very heavily punished, and consequently men -abstain as a rule from making them. - -The orderly officer is not concerned alone with the food of the men; -he is supposed to visit the barrack-rooms and see that everything is -correct there; he has to visit the guard of his unit once by day and -once by night, and see that the guard is correct and the articles in -charge of the guard are complete according to the inventory on the -guard-board; he is supposed to visit all the regimental artificers’ -establishments once during the day to see that work is being carried on -properly, and he is even concerned with the quality and issue of beer -in the canteen, while at the end of his day’s duty he has to fill in -and sign a report to the effect that he has performed all his duties -effectively--whether he has or no. His work, correctly carried through, -is no sinecure business. - -Mention of the canteen takes us on to another point of military -economy, that of supplies of varying kinds apart from the actual ration -bread and meat. In each unit serving at home, a canteen is established -for the supply to the troops of articles of the best possible quality -at the lowest possible price “without limiting the right of the men -to purchase” in other markets, according to King’s Regulations on the -subject. In effect, however, the tenancy of a regimental canteen by a -contractor is a virtual monopoly, and, unfortunately for the troops -concerned, the monopoly is often made a rigid one. There is a “dry -bar,” or grocery establishment, at which men can purchase cleaning -materials for their kits and all articles of food that they require; -there is a “coffee bar,” where suppers are sold to the men and cooked -food generally is sold; and there is the “wet canteen,” whose sales are -limited to beer alone, and where the boozers of the unit congregate -nightly to drink and yarn. In old time the wet canteen used to be a -fruitful source of crime--as crime goes in the Army--and general -trouble, but moderation is the rule of to-day, and excessive drinking -is rare in comparison with the ways of twenty years or so ago. The wet -canteen of to-day is a cheerful place where men get their pints and -sit over them, forming “schools,” as the various groups of chums are -called, and drinking not so much as they talk, for they seek company -rather than alcohol. - -For the teetotallers of each unit, the society known as the Royal Army -Temperance Association has established a “room” in practically every -unit of the service; at a cost of fourpence a month a man is given the -freedom of this room, and at the same time invited to sign the pledge, -which he generally does. In any case, if an A.T.A. man is caught -drinking to excess, he forfeits his membership of the Association and -the right to use its room. In the room itself a bar is set up at which -all kinds of temperance drinks are sold, together with buns and light -eatables. In the Army, a man refraining from the use of intoxicants -is said to be “on the tack,” and is known as a “tack-wallah.” Members -of the R.A.T.A. are designated “wad-wallahs,” or “bun-scramblers,” by -the frequenters of the canteen, who are known as “canteen-wallahs.” -The word “wallah” is a Hindustani one which has passed into currency -in the Army, its original meaning being the follower of any branch of -trade or employment. In the same way, numbers of Hindustani terms are -in general use; “roti” is almost invariably used in place of “bread,” -“char” for “tea,” and “pani” for “water,” all being correct Hindustani -equivalents. “Kampti,” meaning small, and “bus,” equivalent to “enough” -or “stop,” come from the same language, while “scoff” in place of “eat” -is derived from South Africa, where it is common currency even among -civilian white folks. - -Married “on the strength” in the Army carries with it a number of -advantages for the married man. It is a little galling, in the -first place, to have to satisfy one’s commanding officer as to the -respectability of the intended wife before marriage, but it is not so -many years ago that there was good reason for this. Once married, the -soldier is granted free quarters for himself and wife, and the wife is -allowed fuel and light up to a certain amount, together with rations, -and an additional allowance is made in the event of children being -born. Curiously enough, however, the size of the quarters allotted to -the married men and their families is not determined by the number of -children in the family, but by the rank of the married man; not many -private soldiers venture to marry, for their rate of pay is so low as -to make the experiment an extremely risky one, although the wife of the -soldier gets--if she wishes it--a certain amount of the single men’s -washing to do, by way of supplementing her husband’s pay. - -Married “off the strength”--that is, without the permission of the -officer commanding the unit--is doubly risky, for the wife of the man -who marries thus gets no official recognition; her husband has to -occupy a place in the barrack-room, for no separate quarters can be -allotted to him; he has at the same time to find lodgings somewhere -among the civilian inhabitants of the station for his wife--and -children, if there are any--and, if he is a good character, he may be -granted a sleeping-out pass, which confers on him the privilege of -sleeping out of barracks--and this is a privilege that he must beg, not -a right that he can claim. As the married establishment of a regiment -or battalion is necessarily small, men frequently get married “off -the strength,” though how they manage to exist and at the same time -provide for their wives on military pay is a mystery. The most common -explanation is that the wife, whatever work she has been engaged in -before her marriage, continues it after; the hardest part of the -business is that neither wife nor husband, in these circumstances, can -count on the possession of a home as those married “on the strength” -understand it. - -The private soldier married “on the strength” usually has entered on -his second period of service--that is, he has finished the twelve years -for which he first contracted to serve, and has re-enlisted to complete -twenty-one years with a view to a pension. Generally he manages to get -a staff job of some sort, from employment on the regimental police to -barrack sweeper, or anything else that will get him out of attending -early morning parades as a rule--though all staff men have to attend -early parades when the orders of the day say “strong as possible.” -The rule in most units is that the staff jobs are distributed among -the older soldiers, for these are supposed, and with justice, to be -better able to dispense with perpetual training than the younger -men. As a rule, the appointment of any young soldier to a staff -appointment--except such posts as that of orderly-room clerk, for which -special aptitude counts before length of service--is the cause of -considerable bitterness among the older soldiers who are still at duty, -and is usually attributed to rank favouritism, whether it is due to -that or no. - -In cavalry regiments especially, the ordinary duty-men look for -amusement when the staff men are “dug out” to undergo the ordinary -routine of duty, either by way of annual training or on the occasion -of a “strong as possible” parade. The duty-man has his horse every -day, and horse and man get to know each other, but the staff-man, -attending stables only on the occasion of his being warned to attend a -duty parade, has as a rule to take any horse that is “going spare,” as -they call it, and usually the horse that nobody else has taken up for -riding is not a pleasant beast. And the staff-man may be a bit rusty -as regards drill and riding, so that the two things combined produce -the effect of involuntary dismounting in the field or at riding school -occasionally--or, as the soldier would say, “dismounting by order from -hind-quarters.” Taken on the whole, the staff-man’s day at duty is -not a pleasant one, while, if he ventures to complain to his comrades -or grumble in any way, he gets more ridicule than sympathy. Usually -the duty-man affects to consider the staff-man an encumbrance, and in -the cavalry even signallers, during the time that they are excused -riding and attending stables, are told that it is “easy enough to wag a -little bit of stick about--why don’t you come down to stables and do a -bit?” The reply generally makes up in forcibility for a deficiency in -elegance, for the trooper is capable of maintaining his reputation as -regards the use of language--of sorts. - -A form of staff employment which calls for a particular class of man -is the post of officer’s servant; it amounts to the regular work of a -valet for “first servant,” and that of a groom for “second servant,” -and is not always an enviable post, especially if the officer in -question is short-tempered or “bad to get on with.” Officers’ servants -occupy quarters away from the duty-men, and in the vicinity of the -officers’ mess in the case of single officers; married officers’ -servants are provided with quarters in their masters’ houses. In -addition to the officers’ servants, there is in each unit a regular -staff of mess waiters both for officers’ and sergeants’ messes, while -all non-commissioned officers from the rank of sergeant upward are -permitted to employ a “bâtman” from among the men serving under them. -The sergeant’s bâtman, though, is not excused from duty as is the -officer’s servant, but has to get through all his own work, and then -clean the sergeant’s equipment, keep his bunk in order, groom his -horse, and clean his saddle (in cavalry and artillery units), as well -as attend all parades from which the sergeant has no power to excuse -him. Every staff job carries with it a certain amount of extra-duty -pay, and this, in addition to the fact of being excused from at least -some of the ordinary parades of the duty soldier, causes a post on -the staff to be sought after by most men. There are some, though, -who prefer to be at ordinary duty, and the man who is going in for -promotion usually avoids staff employ, for the two do not go together. - -Among non-commissioned officers as well as among the rank and file -there is a certain amount of staff employment, but it is a smaller -amount, and a good deal of it is unenviable business. The post of -provost-sergeant, for instance, although it carries extra-duty pay, is -naturally not a popular business, for having control of the regimental -police and being responsible for the punishments of delinquents on -defaulters’ drill and punishment fatigues does not tend to increase the -popularity of a non-commissioned officer. The business of postman in -a regiment is usually entrusted to a corporal; as a rule, the oldest -corporal is chosen to fill this berth, and one just concluding his term -of military service is practically certain to get it as soon as it -falls vacant. But staff jobs for non-coms. are far fewer, relatively, -than for the rank and file, and, outside the artificers’ shops, the -regimental orderly room and quartermaster’s store, practically every -non-com. is at duty. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -THE NEW ARMY - - -In the course of these pages the remark has already been made that the -British Army is in a state of flux; this is true mainly as regards -numbers and organisation, but with regard to discipline and training -no very great changes are possible. Methods of training may alter, and -do alter for the better from time to time, but the basic principles -remain, since an army can be trained only in one way: by the use of -strict discipline and of means calculated to impart to men the greatest -possible amount of instruction in the shortest space of time. The more -quickly a man absorbs the main points of his training, the better for -him and for the army whose effectiveness he is intended to increase. - -In the new army of to-day, from which it is intended to draft effective -men into the firing line at the earliest possible moment, rapidity of -training is a prime essential. At the outset, owing to the enormous -numbers of men who flocked to the colours, training was no easy -matter, and for some time to come instructors will be scarce when -compared with the multitude of men who require training. In order -to combat this, instructors have been asked to re-enlist from among -ex-soldiers who, past fighting age themselves, are yet quite capable -of drilling the new men. A minor drawback arises here, however, in -that such of the instructors as left the colours before a certain date -are out of touch as regards modern weapons and drill. For instance, -the field gun at present in use in the British Army was not generally -adopted until after the conclusion of the South African campaign; in -the case of the cavalry, again, important modifications have been -brought about in drill and formations during the last ten years, -while the charger loading rifle with wind gauge is comparatively an -innovation both as regards cavalry and infantry. It is not intended -to imply that drill instructors who finished their colour service ten -or twelve years ago are of no use, for, in the matters of imparting -elementary drill and the first principles of discipline to the -recruits, they are invaluable and far too few. But, in more advanced -matters, it must be conceded that the sooner the new army can instruct -itself the better, for the proverb about an old dog and new tricks -may be applied to re-enlisted instructors and the new army, which is a -whole bag of new tricks. - -It is essential that the new army should train itself at the earliest -possible moment, and for this reason there are endless opportunities -for the man with brains who enlists at the present time. The -re-enlisted drill instructor will not accompany the men of the new army -into the field, and, as an army increases, a relative increase must -be made in the number of its non-commissioned officers, while there -are also vacancies by the hundred for commissioned officers. For the -average man, however, it is useless at the present time to depend on -influence and back-door methods for promotion. Worth is all that will -count, and an ounce of enlistment to-day is worth a ton of influence -that might have been exercised yesterday. It is as true of the new -army as of any other profession that there is plenty of room at the -top. The way to get there is by enlistment to-day and hard and patient -application to one’s work for a matter of weeks or months. - -No man can tell how long the new army will last, or what will be the -conditions of service and strength of the army after the proclamation -of peace. One thing, however, is certain. Not while a first-class -power remains on the continent of Europe will conscription cease -altogether between the Urals and the Atlantic, or between Archangel and -Brindisi. It is quite probable that when peace comes again, universal -conscription will cease, for there will no longer be an embodied threat -in central Europe--the Powers will have no more of that, and the -burden of armaments on the old scale must cease. On the other hand, -however, nations will maintain sufficient forces to enable them to -insist on international justice; the threat of the sword will always -form the final court of appeal from the decisions of any arbitration -body, and, while this is so, a British army must always be maintained. -The existence of primal human instinct is fatal to the idea of total -disarmament; war may not come again, for that is a contingency with -regard to which none can prophesy, but the fact remains that the best -provision for peace is ample preparation against the chances of war. - -Thus the man who looks for a career out of the British Army need not -look in vain, for there will always be sufficient of an army, if only -for colonial and foreign service, to furnish capable men with all the -careers that they may desire. The other reason for enlistment, less -selfish and more vital, has been expressed by many voices and by -means of many pens; the country has called, and there are ugly names -for those who, without sufficient claims of kin to form cause for -exemption, refuse to answer the call. - -With regard to the composition of the new army it may be said that -the standing of the men has altered materially since the outbreak -of hostilities, though this is in keeping with the trend of thought -and feeling that has been evident since the end of the South African -campaign. Up to the end of the nineteenth century there still remained -obscure provincial centres in which it was supposed that only wastrels -would enlist, with a view to getting an easy means of livelihood; -farther back, this conception of the Army was a very common one. It -is hard to say at what period of British history such an idea gained -currency, unless the employment of mercenaries previous to the time -of the French Revolution may have given it birth. For, long before -Waterloo, the British soldier gave ample proof of the stuff of which -he is made, and there is not a battlefield of history from which there -has not come some instance of self-denial or devotion to a comrade -which attests among the ranks of the British Army the existence of the -highest principles by which humanity is actuated. - -But, up to the end of the nineteenth century, civilians could not -understand the Army. Kipling taught them a little, but Kipling’s -soldiers are all hard drinkers with a tendency to the slaughter of -aspirates, and various other linguistic eccentricities. As character -studies, Kipling’s soldiers are masterly works, but they bear little -relation to the soldier of to-day, who, even as an infantryman, is -required to be an educated man in certain directions, since he lives in -a welter of wind gauges and trajectory, decimal points and mathematical -calculations with regard to the accomplishment of his duties. The -public as a whole has been waking up to these facts slowly--very -slowly--but it has taken the world-catastrophe of a general European -war to shake the public entirely from its apathy, and cause it to -realise that the Army is an agglomeration of men in the highest sense -of that little three-lettered word. There is to-day among all ranks -and classes a realisation of the good that is, and always has been in -the Army; there is a new interest in soldiers, in military movements, -and in all that pertains to the theory and practice of war, and this -augurs well for the future of members of the new army, both on duty and -among their friends. Counting from the day that the nation wakened to -the good that is in the Army, and the possibility of soldiers being -at root like other men, military uniform has become a matter for pride -to its wearer, and respect from those who from any cause are unable -to assume the uniform. As this war has knit together motherland and -colonies, so, by means of this war, the soldier has come to his own. -The new army is not a thing apart from the nation: it is the nation. - -The new army means an increase not in numbers alone, for we may accept -as a principle that the best will rule in a mass composed of all -sorts from best to worst--that is, if we grant relative equality in -the numbers of best and worst, and of each intervening grade. Periods -of commercial prosperity have left the Army dependent mainly on the -unemployed for its recruits, with a corresponding loss in education and -moral tone, but the new army is composed of men of all grades, actuated -for the most part by the highest possible impulses, and asking only -to be allowed to give of their best. Enlisting in this spirit, it is -inevitable that these men should look upward, and thus the best will -rule. For purposes of rule the Army needs the very best, for its own -sake and that of the future of the nation’s manhood. In gaining the -best and their influence, the Army will increase in social standing -and moral tone as well as in numbers. - -No man comes out from the Army as he went in; there are many types, and -with the enormous increase in numbers at the present time, the number -of types will increase as well as the number of representatives of -each type. Country youths, town dwellers, agricultural labourers--who -often make the best and keenest soldiers--men who know nothing of -what labour is like, skilled artisans, and men from the office--all -come to the ranks of the Army, which, shaping them to compliance with -discipline, still leaves the stamp of individuality. The soldiers of -the new army will come back to their ordinary avocations bearing the -stamp of military training, stronger physically, and different in many -ways--mainly improved ways. But the metal on which the stamp of the -Army is impressed will remain the same, for one is first a man and then -a soldier. The instances of Prussian brutality evident to-day, and an -eternal disgrace to the German nation, do not prove anything against -the Prussian military system, but afford evidence that brutality is -ingrained in the Prussian before he goes up as a conscript to begin -his training. So, whatever the characteristics of a man may be, the -Army cannot make a brave soldier out of a cowardly civilian, and it -cannot make a good man into a bad one; it accentuates certain traits -of character and drives others into the background, but it neither -destroys nor creates. It is a training school which, taken in the -right way, brings out all that is best in a man, stiffens him to face -the battle of life as well as the battles of military service, and -strengthens self-confidence and self-respect. The men who are seen -to have suffered in character during their military training are by -no means examples from which one can cite the result of discipline -and army work, for it is not the training that is at fault, but the -inherent weakness of the men themselves. The social standing of the -majority of recruits joining the new army renders it ten times more -true of the Army of to-day than of the Army of yesterday, that military -training gives more than it demands, inculcates habits which, followed -in after life, are invaluable, and makes a man--in the best sense of -the word--of each one who joins its ranks. - -One thing that officers and men alike in the new army should be made to -realise is that the possession of a good kit carries one half of the -way on active service--the things that carry the other half of the way -are not to be purchased. But the man who has undergone the rigours of -active service understands the value of good boots, good field-glasses, -well-fitting and suitable clothing, and really portable accessories to -personal comfort. These things, and an intelligent choice of them, go -far to make up the difference between the man successful at his work -and the failure, for although a bad workman is said to quarrel with -his tools a good workman cannot do good work with bad tools. In the -peculiarly exacting conditions entailed on men by active service, kit -and equipment should be of the best quality obtainable, and the choice -of what to take and what to leave behind is evidence, to some extent, -of the fitness of the man for his work. The most important item of all -is boots, and in fitting boots for active service one should be careful -to select a size that will admit of the wearer enjoying a night’s sleep -without removing his footwear. Care of the feet, and retention of the -ability to march, are quite as important as shooting abilities, for the -man who cannot march with the rest will not be in it when the shooting -begins. For the rest, it is wise to try, if not to follow, as often -as possible the tips given, by men who have been on active service, -with regard to the choice of kit and the little things that make for -comfort--that is, as far as compliance with these “tips” is compatible -with keeping the size of one’s outfit down. The seasoned man, when -talking of such subjects as kit and comfort, usually speaks out of his -own experience, and his advice is worth following. The golden rule in -the choice of an outfit for service is simply “as little as possible, -and that little good.” - -This rule, by the way, used to be applied to the British Army in -another way: the new army, however, makes a difference in the matter of -size. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -ACTIVE SERVICE - - -The popular conception of active service is of a succession of -encounters with the enemy. Desperate deeds of valour, brilliant charges -by bodies of troops, men saving other men under fire, the storming -of positions, and the flush of victory after strenuous action enter -largely into the civilian conception of war. - -The reality is a sombre business of marching and watching, nights -without sleep and days without food; retracing one’s steps in order to -execute the plan of the brain to which a man is but one effective rifle -out of many thousands, marching for days and days, seeing nothing more -exciting than a burnt-out house and the marching men on either side and -to front and rear--and then the contact with the enemy. A vicious crack -from somewhere, or the solid boom of a piece of artillery; somewhere -away to the front or flank is the enemy, and his pieces do damage in -the ranks; there is a searching for cover, some orders are given, -perhaps a comrade lies utterly still, and one knows that that man will -not move any more; there is a desperate sense of ineffectiveness, of -anger at this cowardly (as it seems) trick of hitting when one cannot -hit back. There is the satisfaction of getting the range and firing, -with results that may be guessed but cannot be known accurately by the -man who fires; there is the curious thrill that comes when an angrily -singing bullet passes near, and one realises that one is under fire -from the enemy. In a normal action, there is the sense of disaster, -even of defeat when one’s side may in reality be winning, for one sees -men dying, wounded, lying dead--one knows the damage the enemy has -inflicted, but has no idea of the damage ones own force has inflicted -in return. Often, when it begins to be apparent that the enemy is -nearly beaten, there comes the order to retire; one does not understand -the order, but, with a sullen sense of resentment at it, retires, -ducking at the whizzing of a shell, though not all the ducking in the -world would avail if the shell were truly aimed at the one who ducks, -or starting back to avoid a bullet that whizzed by--as if by starting -back one could get out of the way of a bullet! - -After a day of action, or after the chance has come to rest for a -while after days of action, one gets a sense of the horror of the whole -business--the tragedy of lives laid down, in a good cause certainly, -but the men are dead, and one questions almost with despair if it is -worth while. So many good men with whom one has joked and worked and -played in time of peace have gone under--and there are probably more -battles yet to fight. It is not until a war has concluded, and men who -have served are able to get some idea of the operations as a whole, -that they are able to understand what has been done and why it has been -done. Men who came back wounded from Mons and Charleroi, away from -the magnificent three weeks’ retreat that was then in progress for -the British and French armies, were, in many cases, fully convinced -that they had been defeated--that their armies were beaten, and had -to retreat to save themselves from destruction. The man in the ranks -cannot understand the plan of the staff who control him, for he sees so -very little of the whole; at the most, he knows what is happening to a -division of men, while engaged in the retreat to the position of the -Marne were, at the least, twenty divisions on the side of the Allies. -Had one of these been utterly shattered in a set battle, the other -nineteen might still have won a decisive victory, and, if news of -that victory had not come through for a day or two, the survivors from -the shattered division would have spread tidings of a defeat--which it -would have been, to them. The man in the ranks sees so little of the -whole. - -Here the war correspondent makes the most egregious mistakes, for, -untrained in military service himself, he takes the word of the man -in the ranks--the man on the staff of army headquarters is far too -busy and far too discreet to talk to war correspondents--and out of -what the man in the ranks has to say the war correspondent makes up -his story. Though the man in the ranks may believe his own story to be -true, though he may tell of the operations as he conceives them, he may -be giving an utterly false impression of what is actually happening. -The man in the ranks is one cog in a machine, and he cannot tell what -all the machine is doing at any time, least of all when a battle is in -progress. - -Every battle fought differs from all other battles, for no opposing -forces ever meet under precisely identical conditions twice. Thus it -is useless to speak of a typical battle except in the broadest general -sense, and useless to attempt to describe a typical battle, or action -of any kind. Usually, the artillery get into action after cavalry have -reconnoitred the enemy’s position; the guns shell the enemy until he -is considered sufficiently weakened to permit of infantry attack, and -then the infantry go forward, even up to the rarely occurring bayonet -charge. If their advance dislodges the enemy, the cavalry are set on -to turn retreat into rout; if, on the other hand, the attacking force -is compelled to retire, the cavalry cover the retreat, and, in order -to make good in a retreat, a part of a force is taken back while -the remainder hold the enemy in check. In modern actions, artillery -fire their shells over the heads of their own infantry at the enemy, -distance and trajectory permitting of this. By trajectory is meant the -curve that a projectile describes in its flight; both rifles and big -guns are so constructed and sighted that they throw their projectiles -upward to counteract the pull of gravity, and the missile eventually -drops down toward its object--it does not travel in a perfectly -straight line. But it is bad for infantry to be in front of their -own guns, with their own artillery shells passing over them, for too -long--_morale_ suffers from this after a time, since a man cannot -distinguish in such a case between his own artillery’s shells and those -of the enemy. Whenever possible, the artillery in rear of an infantry -force are posted slightly to either flank; circumstances, however, do -not always admit of this. - -On mobilisation for active service, the first thing that happens in -the British Army is the calling up of the reserves. All men enlist, in -the first case, for a certain number of years with the colours and a -further period “on the reserve.” In this latter force, they are free -to follow any civilian avocation, but on mobilisation must immediately -report themselves at headquarters--wherever their headquarters may -be--and take the place appointed to them in the mobilised army. Then -comes the business of drawing war kit and equipment from stores. As a -battleship clears for action, so the Army rids itself for the time of -all things not absolutely necessary on active service, exchanges blank -ammunition for ball, sharpens swords and bayonets, and in every way -prepares for stern business. Each man is issued with a little aluminium -plate which he is compelled to wear, and on which are inscribed such -particulars as his name, regimental number, unit, etc., so that in case -of his being killed on the field he can be identified and the news of -his death transmitted to his next of kin. Each man, too, is issued -with an “emergency ration,” which is a compressed supply of food amply -sufficient for one day’s meals, so that in any tight corner, where -provisions are not obtainable, he may be able to hold out for at least -one day without being reduced to starvation. The opening and use of -this ration, except by permission of an officer, counts as a crime in -the Army, unless a man is placed in such a position that no officer -is at hand to sanction the opening of the package, when the matter is -perforce left to the man’s discretion. - -Marching on service is a different matter from marching in time of -peace. Not only is there the strain of ever-possible attack, but there -is also, for cavalry and infantry, the weight of service armament and -equipment to be considered. Every man carries in his bandoliers 150 -rounds of ammunition for his rifle--not a bit too much, when the rate -of fire possible with the modern rifle is taken into account. But 150 -rounds of ball cartridge is a serious matter when one has to carry -it throughout the day, and, when active service opens, it is easy to -understand why only really fit men are passed by doctors into the Army. -So far as the rank and file are concerned, it is power to endure that -makes the soldier on active service; bravery is needed, initiative is -needed, but staying power is needed most of all. - -There may be days of solid marching without a sight of the enemy. -One may form part of a flanking force whose business is to march from -point to point, fighting but seldom, but always presenting a threat to -the enemy or his lines of communication, and thus ever on the move, -with very little time for sleep or eating; again, one may be placed -with a force which has to march half a day to come in contact with the -enemy, and to fight the other half of the day; or yet again, it may be -necessary to march all night in order to take a position--or be shot -in the attempt--at dawn. In time of peace and on manœuvres, officers -take care that compensating time is allowed to men, so as to give them -the normal amount of rest; on active service, the officer commanding -a force spares his men as much as he can, and gives them all the rest -possible, but he has to be guided by circumstances, or to rise superior -to circumstances and cause himself and his men to undergo far more than -normal exertions. War, as carried out to-day, requires all that every -man has to give in the way of staying power, and now, as in the days of -the battle-axe and long-bow, physical endurance is the greatest asset -a man can have on active service. The hard drinker in time of peace -and the man who has been looking for “soft jobs” all the time of his -peace service soon “go sick” and become ineffective; they may be just -as brave as the rest, but they lack the staying power requisite to the -carrying on of war. - -Men’s impressions of being under fire vary so much that every account -is of interest. “My principal impression was that I’d like to run away, -but there was nowhere to run to, so I stuck on, and got used to it -after a bit.” “I felt cold, and horribly thirsty--I never thought to be -afraid till afterwards.” “It was interesting, till I saw the man next -to me rolled over with a bullet in his head, and then I wanted to get -up and go for the devils who had done that.” Thus spoke three men when -asked how they felt about it. My own impression was chiefly a fear that -I was going to be afraid--I did not want to disgrace myself, but to be -as good as the rest. - -One man, who came back wounded after the day of Mons, described how -he felt at first shooting a man and knowing that his bullet had taken -effect--for in the majority of cases, with a whole body of men firing, -it is difficult to tell which of the bullets take effect. This, -however, was a clear case, and the man could not but know that he was -responsible for the shot. - -“I had four men with me on rear-guard,” he said, “and we were holding -the end of a village street to let our chaps get away as far as -possible before we mounted and caught up with them. We could see German -infantry coming on, masses of them, but they couldn’t tell whether the -village street held five men or a couple of squadrons, so they held -back a bit. At last I could see we were in danger of being outflanked, -so I got my men to get mounted, and just as they were doing so a German -officer put his head round the corner of the house at the end of the -street--not ten yards away from me. I raised my rifle, shut both eyes, -and pulled the trigger--it was point-blank range, and when I opened my -eyes and looked it seemed as if I’d blown half his face away. I felt -scared at what I had done--it seemed wrong to have shot a man like -that, though he and his kind drive women and children in front of their -firing lines. It seemed to make such a horrible mess, somehow. I got -mounted, and just as I swung my leg over the horse, a fool of a German -infantryman aimed a blow at me with the butt end of his rifle--I don’t -know where he sprung from--and damaged my arm like this. If he’d had -the sense he could have run me through with a bayonet or shot me, but -I suppose he was too flurried. But that officer’s face after I’d shot -him stuck to me, and I still dream of it, and shall for some time, -probably.” - -He who told this story is a boy of twenty-two or three, and he has -gone back to the front to rejoin his regiment, now--with three stripes -on his arm, instead of the two that were his at the beginning of the -campaign. - -On forced marches, and often on normal marches as well, all the things -that one considers necessities--with the exception of sufficient -food to keep one in condition--go by the board. One sleeps under the -stars, with no other covering than a coat and blanket; one lies out -to sleep in pouring rain, with no more covering; tents are out of the -question, for there is no time to pitch and strike them. One goes for -days without a wash, and for days, too, without undressing. There were -two scamps in the South African campaign who promised each other, for -some mysterious reason, that they would not take their boots off for -a month, and they ran into such a series of marches and actions that, -even if they had not made the compact, they would only have been able -to remove their boots three times in the course of that month. The -smart soldier of peace service goes unshaven, unwashed, careless of all -except getting enough of food and sleep at times; and when a lull comes -in the operations, so that he gets a day or even an hour or two to -himself, a bath is a luxury undreamed of by the man who can have one -every morning and consider it a mere usual thing. - -If in time of peace the soldier considers a rifle carelessly, and even -resents having to carry it about with him, he looks on it differently -on service, knowing as he does that his life may depend on the quality -of the weapon and his ability to use it at almost any minute of the day -or night. The confirmed “grouser” of peace time, who will make a fuss -over having to put twenty rounds of blank ammunition in his bandolier -to go out on a field-day, will swing his three bandoliers of ball -cartridges on to his person without a word of complaint, for he knows -that he may need every round. Values alter amazingly on service; the -man with a box of matches, when one has been away from the base for -a few days, is a person of importance, and a mere cigarette is worth -far more than its weight in gold. In General Rundle’s column during -the South African war, half a biscuit was something to fight for, and -the men who thought it such had many a time thrown away the same sort -of unpalatable biscuits and bought bread to eat instead. An ant-heap -acquired a new significance, for it might be the means of saving a -man’s life at any time, and among mounted men a “fresh” horse, which -might give its rider some trouble at the time of mounting, was no -longer to be avoided, for by its freshness it showed that it had plenty -of spirit and go about it, spirit that might take a man out of rifle -range at a critical moment, when the slower class of mount might come -out of action without its rider. - -This reversal of the circumstances of ordinary life produces lasting -effect on men; no man who has undergone the realities of active service -comes back to the average of life unchanged. The difference in him may -not be apparent at a casual glance, but it is there, for the rest of -his life. He has looked on death at close quarters, and, whatever his -intelligence may be--whether he be gutter-snipe or ’Varsity man, sage -or fool--he has a clearer realisation of the ultimate values of things. -One may count the Army in peace time as a great training school out of -which men come moulded to a definite pattern, and yet retaining their -individuality. But active service is a fire through which men pass, -emerging on the far side purified of little aims to a greater or less -extent, according to the material on which the fire has to work. For -many--all honour to them and to those who mourn their loss--it is a -destroying fire. - -So far as the limits of space will permit, there is set down in these -pages a record of what military service amounts to for the rank and -file, in peace and war. It is necessarily incomplete, for the story of -the British Army of to-day, apart from its history of great yesterdays, -is not to be told in any one book--there is too much of it for that. -There are those who belittle the Army and its ways and influence on the -men who serve, but one who has served, with the perspective of time to -give him clearness of vision, can always look back on the Army and be -glad that he has learned its lessons, accomplished its tasks; the men -who would belittle it are themselves very little men, too little to be -worthy of serious notice. The British Army is a gathering of brave men, -fighting in this year of grace 1914 in a noble cause, and fighting, as -the British Army has always fought, bravely and well. - - - WILLIAM BRENDON AND SON, LTD. - PRINTERS, PLYMOUTH - - - - -Transcriber’s Notes - - -Punctuation and spelling were made consistent when a predominant -preference was found in this book; otherwise they were not changed. - -Simple typographical errors were corrected; occasional unbalanced -quotation marks retained. - -Ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines were retained. Inconsistent -hyphenation was not changed. - -Page 173: _morale_ was printed as _moral_; changed here. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The British Army From Within, by -Evelyn Charles Vivian - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BRITISH ARMY FROM WITHIN *** - -***** This file should be named 52974-0.txt or 52974-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/9/7/52974/ - -Produced by Brian Coe, Charlie Howard, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -book was produced from images made available by the -HathiTrust Digital Library.) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The British Army From Within - -Author: Evelyn Charles Vivian - -Release Date: September 4, 2016 [EBook #52974] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BRITISH ARMY FROM WITHIN *** - - - - -Produced by Brian Coe, Charlie Howard, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -book was produced from images made available by the -HathiTrust Digital Library.) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<h1>THE BRITISH ARMY FROM WITHIN</h1> - -<p class="newpage p4 center xxlarge vspace wspace bold"> -THE BRITISH ARMY<br /> -FROM WITHIN</p> - -<p class="p2 center large vspace wspace"><span class="small">BY</span><br /> -E. CHARLES VIVIAN</p> -<p class="p1 center small vspace wspace">AUTHOR OF<br /> -“PASSION FRUIT,” “DIVIDED WAYS,” ETC.</p> - -<p class="p2 center large vspace wspace"><span class="gesperrt">HODDER AND STOUGHTON</span><br /> -<span class="smaller">LONDON NEW YORK TORONTO<br /> -MCMXIV</span> -</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_7">7</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a id="CONTENTS"></a>CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - -<table id="toc" summary="Contents"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc chap" colspan="2">CHAPTER I</td></tr> - <tr class="small"> - <td> </td> - <td class="tdr">PAGE</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">“Ubique”: The Army as a Whole</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">9</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc chap" colspan="2">CHAPTER II</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Way of the Recruit</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">25</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc chap" colspan="2">CHAPTER III</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Officers and Non-Coms.</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">46</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc chap" colspan="2">CHAPTER IV</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Infantry</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">60</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc chap" colspan="2">CHAPTER V</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Cavalry</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">76</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc chap" colspan="2">CHAPTER VI</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Artillery and Engineers</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">92</a><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_8">8</a></span></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc chap" colspan="2">CHAPTER VII</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">In Camp</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">106</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc chap" colspan="2">CHAPTER VIII</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Musketry</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">120</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc chap" colspan="2">CHAPTER IX</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Internal Economy of the Army</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">136</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc chap" colspan="2">CHAPTER X</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The New Army</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">158</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc chap" colspan="2">CHAPTER XI</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Active Service</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">169</a></td></tr> -</table> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_9">9</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="vspace"><a id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I<br /> - -<span class="subhead">“UBIQUE”: THE ARMY AS A WHOLE</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap b"><span class="smcap1">On</span> the badges of the corps of Engineers, and also -on those of the Royal Artillery, will be found -the word “Ubique,” but it is a word that might just -as well be used with regard to the whole of the -British Army, which serves everywhere, does everything, -undergoes every kind of climate, and gains -contact with every class of people. In this respect, -the British soldier enjoys a distinct advantage -over the soldiers of continental armies; he has a -chance of seeing the world. India, Africa, Egypt, -the West Indies, Mauritius, and the Mediterranean -stations are open to him, and by the time he leaves -the service he has at least had the opportunity of -becoming cosmopolitan in his tastes and ways—of -becoming a man of larger ideas and better grasp -on the problems of life than were his at the time -when he took the oath and passed the doctor. Of -that phase, more anon.</p> - -<p>It is of little use, in the present state of the -British Army, to attempt to define its extent or<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_10">10</a></span> -composition, for it is in such a state of flux that -the numbers of battalions, regiments, and batteries -of a year ago are as obsolete as the Snider rifle. -There used to be 157 battalions of infantry, 31 -regiments of cavalry, and about 180 batteries -of horse and field artillery, together with about -100 companies and 9 mountain batteries of Royal -Garrison Artillery, forming the principal strength -of the British Army. To these must be added the -Royal Engineers, the Army Service Corps, the -Royal Ordnance Department, the R.A.M.C., the -Army Pay Corps, and other non-combatant units -necessary to the domestic and general internal -working of an army. To-day these various forces -are increased to such an extent that no man outside -the War Office can tell the strength of infantry, -cavalry, and artillery; no man, either, can tell -what will be the permanent strength of the Army -on a peace footing, when the present urgent need -for men no longer exists, and there is only to be -considered the maintenance of a force sufficient for -the garrisoning of colonial and foreign stations and -for ordinary defensive needs at home.</p> - -<p>Generally speaking, the soldier at home, no -matter to what arm or branch of the service he -belongs, undergoes a continuous training. It -takes three years to make an infantryman fully<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_11">11</a></span> -efficient, five years to make a cavalryman thoroughly -conversant with his many duties, and -five years or more to teach a gunner his business. -The raw material from which the Army is recruited -is mixed and sometimes uneducated stuff, and, in -addition to this, recruits are enlisted at an age -when they must be taught everything—they are -past the age of the schoolboy who absorbs tuition -readily and with little trouble to his instructors, -and they have not attained to such an age as will -permit them to take their work really seriously. -This, of course, does not apply to a time of great -national emergency, when the men coming to the -colours are actuated by the highest possible -motives, eager to fit themselves for the work in -hand, and bent on getting fit for active service in the -shortest possible time. In times of peace, recruits -join the colours from many motives—pure patriotism -is not a common one—and, in consequence, -the hard realities of soldiering in peace time -disillusion them to such an extent that they are -difficult to teach, and thus need the full term of -training for full efficiency. Half the work of their -instructors consists in getting them into the -proper frame of mind and giving them that <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">esprit -de corps</i> which is essential to the war fitness of a -voluntary army.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_12">12</a></span> -At the best, there is much in the work that a -soldier is called on to do which is beyond his understanding, -in the first years of his service. One -consequence of this is that he learns to do things -without questioning their meaning, and thus -acquires a habit of obeying; this, up to a few -years ago, was the object of military training—to -instil into the soldier unquestioning obedience -to orders, and the sentence—“obedience is the -first duty of the soldier,” gained currency and -labelled the soldier as a mere cog in a great -machine, one whose duty lay in obeying as did -that Roman sentinel at Pompeii. One of the chief -lessons of the South African war, however, was -that such obedience was no longer the first duty -of the soldier; he must obey, no less than before, -but scientific warfare demands an understanding -obedience, and not the unquestioning, die-at-his-post -fidelity of old time. The recruit of to-day -must be taught not only to obey, but to understand, -and by that fact the work of his instructors, and -his own work as well, are largely increased. -“Obedience” was the watchword of yesterday. -“Obedience and initiative” is the phrase of -to-day.</p> - -<p>To come down to concrete facts as regards the -actual composition and general duties of the Army.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_13">13</a></span> -The main station in England is Aldershot, headquarters -of the first Army Corps. Theoretically, -in all cases of national emergency, the Aldershot -Command is first to move, and the units composing -it are expected to be able to mobilise for -active service at twenty-four hours’ notice. Next -in importance are Colchester, Shorncliffe, York, -and Bulford—the centre of the Salisbury Plain -area under military control. In Ireland the -principal stations are Dublin and the Curragh. -In these stations, under normal circumstances, the -furlough season begins at Christmas time and lasts -up to the following March; for this period men -are granted leave in batches, and drill and training -for those who remain in barracks while the others -take their holidays is somewhat relaxed. Serious -training begins in March, when the corporals, -sergeants, and troop and section officers begin to -lick their squads, sections, and troops into shape. -Following on this comes company training for the -infantry, squadron training for the cavalry, and -battery training for the artillery, and this in turn -is followed by battalion training for infantry, -regimental training for cavalry, and brigade -training for artillery. Somewhere during the period -taken up before the beginning of regimental and -battalion training, musketry has to be fitted in,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_14">14</a></span> -and, as the ranges cannot accommodate all the -men at once, this has to be done by squadrons and -companies, while those not engaged in perfecting -their shooting continue with their other training. -At the conclusion of the training of units—regiments, -battalions, and brigades of artillery—brigade -and divisional training is begun, and -then manœuvres follow, in which the troops are -given opportunities of learning the working of an -army corps, as well as getting practical experience -of camp life under conditions as near those obtaining -on active service as circumstances will admit. -By the time all this has been completed, the -furlough season starts again, and the round -begins once more with a few more recruits to -train, a few old soldiers missing from the ranks.</p> - -<p>In addition to the regular course of training -that lasts through the year and goes on from year -to year, there are various “courses” to be undergone -in order to keep the departmental staff of -each unit up to strength. Thus, in the infantry, -signallers must be specially trained, and pioneers, -who do all the sanitary work of their units, must -be taught their duties, while musketry instructors -and drill instructors have to be selected and taught -their duties. Each unit, except as regards medical -service and a few things totally out of its range of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_15">15</a></span> -activity, is self-contained and self-supporting, and -thus it is necessary that it should train its own -instructors and its own special men for special -work, together with understudies to take their -places in case of casualties. The cavalry trains its -own signallers, scouts, shoeing smiths, cooks, -pioneers, and to a certain extent medical orderlies. -The artillery does likewise, and in addition keeps -up a staff of artificers to attend to minor needs of -the guns—men capable of repairing breakages in -the field, as far as this is possible. Wherever -horses are concerned, too, saddlers must be trained -to keep leather work in repair.</p> - -<p>The Engineers, a body of men who seldom -get the recognition their work deserves, have -to train in telegraphy, bridge-building, construction -and demolition of all things, from a -regular defensive fortification to a field kitchen, -and many other things incidental to the smooth -working of an army in the field. Departmental -corps, such as the Army Service, Army Ordnance, -and R.A.M.C., not only train but exercise their -functions in a practical way, for in peace time an -army must be fed, equipped, and doctored, just -the same as in war—except that in the latter case -its requirements are more strenuous. The ancient -belief entertained by civilians to the effect that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_16">16</a></span> -the Army is a profession of laziness is thoroughly -exploded as soon as one passes through the barrack -gates, for the Army as a whole works as hard as, if -not harder than the average man in equivalent -stations of civilian life.</p> - -<p>In foreign and colonial stations, the work goes -on just the same, as far as limitations of climate -will permit. In “plains” stations in India, the -heat of the summer months renders training -during the day impossible, and men get their work -over, for the most part, in the very early morning, -or in the cool of the evening. Malta and Gibraltar -are subject to the same limitations in a lesser -degree, as is South Africa, while Mauritius and -minor colonial stations have their own ways. But, -no matter where the unit concerned may be, it -works—fitness is dependent on work, and no -unit is allowed to get rusty, while the variety -of work involved prevents men from getting -stale.</p> - -<p>At the same time, there is plenty of relaxation -and sport as well as work in the routine of military -life. Set a battalion down in a new station, and -the chances are ten to one that on the evening of -their arrival the men will be kicking a football -about. Each company and squadron, and each -battery of artillery as well, has its own sports fund<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_17">17</a></span> -and sports club, which keeps going the national -games in the unit concerned. Men work hard and -play hard, and their play is made to help their -work. Infantry units organise cross-country races -which help enormously in maintaining the men in -fit marching condition; cavalry units get up -scouting competitions and other sporting fixtures -based on work—to say nothing of tent pegging, -lemon cutting, and other forms of military sport -of which the Royal Military Tournament annually -affords examples, while shooting ranges form fields -for weekly competitions at such times as they are -not in use for annual musketry courses.</p> - -<p>The actual composition of the various units -composing the British Army differs from that of -continental armies, the only units of strength -which are identical being those of the army corps, -and the division, which is half an army corps. -The next unit in the scale is the brigade, which is -composed of three batteries of field or two of horse -artillery, three regiments of cavalry, or four battalions -of infantry. A division is made up of -brigades, which vary in number and composition -according to the work which that particular -division will be expected to accomplish—there is -a standard for the composition of the division, but -changes now in process of taking place in the composition<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_18">18</a></span> -of the whole army render it unsafe to quote -any standard as definite. A normal division, certainly, -is composed of cavalry, artillery, and -infantry in certain strengths, together with non-combatants -and supply units making up its total -strength to anywhere between 20,000 and 30,000 -men.</p> - -<p>The unit of strength in which figures become -definite is the brigade of artillery, the regiment of -cavalry, and the battalion of infantry. The peace -strength of each of these units may be regarded, -as a rule, as from 10 to 20 per cent. over the war -strength, and the war strength is as follows:</p> - -<p>For cavalry, a regiment consists of about 620 -officers and men of all ranks; this body is divided -into three service squadrons, each of an approximate -strength of 160 officers, non-commissioned -officers, and men, the remainder of the strength of -the unit forming the “reserve squadron,” devoted -to the headquarters staff—the commanding officer -and administrative staff of the regiment, as well as -the “pom-pom” or one-pounder quick-firer, of -which one is included in the establishment of every -cavalry regiment. In this connection it is probable -that the experiences of the present European war -will lead to the adoption of a greater number of -these quick-firers, and in future each cavalry<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_19">19</a></span> -regiment will probably have at least two “pom-poms” -as part of its regular equipment. The -possession of these, of course, involves the training -of a gun crew for each weapon—a full complement -of gunners and drivers.</p> - -<p>For artillery, a brigade is divided into three -batteries, each of an approximate strength of 150 -men and six guns (the artillery battery corresponds -to the cavalry squadron and to the infantry -company) and, in addition, one ammunition -column, together with transport and auxiliary -staff, making up a total of about 600 officers, -non-commissioned officers, and men. This refers -to the field artillery, which forms the bulk of the -British artillery strength, and is armed with -18½-pounder quick-firing guns. The Royal Horse -Artillery is armed with a lighter gun, and is used -mainly as support to cavalry in single batteries. -It is so constituted as to be more mobile and -capable of rendering quicker service than the -R.F.A. Horse artillery is hardly ever constituted -into brigades, as is the field artillery. Horse -artillery, again, has no counterpart in the armies -of Continental nations, so far as mobility and -quality of armament are in question.</p> - -<p>Infantry reckons its numbers by battalions, of -which the war strength is approximately 1010<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_20">20</a></span> -officers, non-commissioned officers, and men per -battalion. Each battalion is divided into four -double companies, the “double-company system” -having been adopted in order to compensate for -a certain shortage of officers. The double company -may be reckoned at 240 officers, non-commissioned -officers, and men, roughly, and the remainder of -the total is taken up by two maxim-gun sections -and the headquarters staff of the unit. As in the -case of the cavalry “pom-pom,” it is more than -likely that the number of maxims or machine-guns -per battalion will be increased, as a result of the -experiences gained in the present Continental war.</p> - -<p>Engineers and departmental units are divided -into companies of varying strengths, according to -the part they are called on to play when the division -is constituted. Thus it is self-evident that an -average division will require more Engineers, who -do all the field work of construction and demolition, -than it will Army Ordnance men, who -attend to the equipment of the division—fitting -out with clothing, provision of transport vehicles, -etc. The number of men of departmental corps -allotted to each division in the field varies with the -strength of the division and with its distance from -its base of supplies.</p> - -<p>There is a permanent and outstanding difference<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_21">21</a></span> -between the British Army as a whole and any Continental -army as a whole. In the case of the Continental -army—no matter which one is chosen for -purposes of comparison, the conscript system -renders it a part of the nation concerned, identifies -the army with the nation, and incidentally takes -out the element of freedom. A man in a conscript -army is serving because he must, and, no matter -how patriotic he may be, there are times when this -is brought home to him very forcibly by the discipline -without which no army could exist. In the -British Army, on the other hand, the men serving -are there by their own choice; this fact gives them -a sense that the discipline, no matter how distasteful -it may be, is a necessity to their training—by -their enlistment they chose to undergo it. But the -British Army, until the present war linked it on -to the man in the street, was not a part of the nation, -but a thing distinct from the nation; it was a profession -apart, and none too enviable a profession, -in the opinion of many, but something to be avoided -by men in equivalent walks of civilian life.</p> - -<p>There are advantages as well as disadvantages -in the voluntary system by which our Army is -raised and maintained. As an advantage may be -set first the spirit of the men; having enlisted -voluntarily, and ascertained by experience that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_22">22</a></span> -they must make the best of it or be considered -utterly worthless, men in a voluntary army gain a -spirit that conscripts can never attain. They are -soldiers of their own free will, with regimental -traditions to maintain, and practice has demonstrated -that they form the finest fighting body, as -a whole, among all the armies of the world. On -the other hand, they have no political significance, -and are but little understood, as regards their -needs and the constitution of the force to which -they belong. In France, for instance, the rule is -“every citizen a soldier,” and it is a rule which is -observed with but very few exceptions. The -result is that every citizen who has been a soldier -is also a voter, and in the matter of army requirements -he votes in an understanding way, while the -British voter, with the exception of the small percentage -who have served in the Army, is as a rule -unmoved by Army needs and questions. To this -extent the Army suffers from the voluntary system, -though the quality of the Army itself under present -voluntary conditions may be held to compensate -for this. It is doubtful whether it does compensate.</p> - -<p>Further, the voluntary system makes of life in -the ranks a totally different thing from civilian -life. In conscript armies the discipline to which men -are subjected makes their life different from that of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_23">23</a></span> -their civilian days, but not to such an extent as in -the voluntary British Army. The civilian can -never quite understand the soldier; Kipling came -nearer than any other civilian in his understanding, -but even he failed altogether to appreciate the -soldier of to-day—perhaps he had a better understanding -of the soldier of the ’eighties and ’nineties, -before the South African war had come to awaken -the Army to the need for individual training and -the development of initiative. However that may -be, no man has yet written of the soldier as he really -is, because the task has been usually attempted by -civilians, to whom the soldier rarely shows his real -self. Soldiers have themselves given us glimpses of -their real life, but usually they have specialised on -the dramatic and the picturesque. It is necessary, if -one would understand the soldier and his inner life, -that one should have a grasp of the monotony of -soldiering, the drill and riding school, the barrack-room -routine, and all that makes up the daily life, -as well as the exceptional and picturesque.</p> - -<p>In the following chapters, showing as far as -possible the inner life of the Army from the point -of view of the soldier, an attempt has been made -to show the average of life in each branch of the -service. Exceptions occur: the quality of the -commanding officer makes all the difference in the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_24">24</a></span> -life of the unit which he commands; again, apart -from the influence exercised by the personality of -the commanding officer, that of the company or -squadron officer is a very potent factor in the lives -of the men under his command. The British -Army, fine fighting machine though it is, is not -perfect, and there are instances of bad commanding -officers, bad squadron and company officers, just -as there are instances of superlatively good ones. -Between these is the influence exerted by the mass -on the mass, from which an average picture may -be drawn.</p> - -<p>That picture is the portrait of the British soldier, -second to none.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_25">25</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="vspace"><a id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II<br /> - -<span class="subhead">THE WAY OF THE RECRUIT</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap1">The</span> way of the recruit, though still a hard one, -is not so hard as it used to be, for, especially -in the cavalry and artillery, various modifications -have been introduced by which the youngster is -broken in gradually to his work. This is not all to -the good, for under the new way of working the -training which precedes “dismissal” from recruit’s -training to the standing of a trained soldier takes -longer, and, submitting the recruit to a less strenuous -form of life for the period through which it lasts, -does not produce quite so handy and quick a man -as the one who was kept at it from dawn till dark, -with liberty at the end of his official day’s work to -clean up equipment for the next day. Still, the -annual training of the “dismissed” soldier is a -more strenuous business now than in old time, so -probably the final result is about the same.</p> - -<p>The recruit’s first requirements, after he has -interviewed the recruiting sergeant on the subject -of enlistment is to take the oath—a very quick and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_26">26</a></span> -simple matter—and then to pass the doctor, which -is not so simple. The recruit is stripped, sounded, -tested for full physical efficiency, and made to pass -tests in eyesight and breathing which, if he emerges -satisfactorily, proclaim him as near physical perfection -as humanity can get without a course of -physical culture—and that course is administered -during his first year of service. Kept under the wing -of the recruiting sergeant for a matter of hours -or days, as the case may be, the recruit is at last -drafted off to his depot, or direct to his unit, where -his real training begins in earnest.</p> - -<p>We may take the case of a recruit who had enlisted -from mixed motives, arrived at a station -whence he had to make his way to barracks in the -evening, in order to begin his new life; here are -his impressions of beginning life in the Army.</p> - -<p>He went up a hill, and along a muddy lane, and, -arriving at the barracks, inquired, as he had been -told to do, for the quartermaster-sergeant of “C” -Squadron. He was directed to the quartermaster-sergeant’s -office, and, on arrival there, was asked -his name and the nature of his business by a young -corporal who took life as a joke and regarded -recruits as a special form of food for amusement. -Having ascertained the name of the recruit, the -corporal, who was a kindly fellow at heart, took<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_27">27</a></span> -him down to the regimental coffee bar and provided -him with a meal of cold meat, bread, and coffee—at -the squadron’s expense, of course, for the provision -of the meal was a matter of duty. The -corporal then indicated the room in which the -recruit was to sleep, and left him.</p> - -<p>The recruit opened the door of the room, and -looked in. It was a long room, with a row of narrow -beds down each side, and in the middle two tables -on iron trestles, whereon were several basins. On -almost every bed sat a man, busily engaged in -cleaning some article of clothing or equipment; -some were cleaning buttons, some were pipeclaying -belts, some were engaged with sword-hilts and -brick-dust, some were cleaning boots—all were -cleaning up as if their lives depended on it, for -“lights out” would be sounded at a quarter-past -ten, and it was already past nine o’clock. When -they saw the recruit, they gave him greeting. -“Here’s another one!” they cried. “Here’s -another victim!” and other phrases which led this -particular recruit to think, quite erroneously, that -he had come to something very bad indeed. Two -or three were singing, with more noise than melody, a -song which was very old when Queen Anne died—it -was one of the ditties of the regiment, sung by its -men on all possible and most impossible occasions.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_28">28</a></span> -One man shouted to the recruit that he had -“better flap before he drew his issue,” and that -he could not understand at all. Translated into -civilian language, it meant that he had better -desert before he exchanged his civilian clothing -for regimental attire, but this he learned later. -They seemed a jolly crowd, very fond of flavouring -their language with words which, in civilian estimation, -were terms of abuse, but passed as common -currency here.</p> - -<p>The recruit stood wondering—out of all these -beds, there seemed to be no bed for him. After a -minute or two, however, the corporal in charge of -the room came up to him, and pointed out to him -a bed in one corner of the room; its usual occupant -was on guard for twenty-four hours, and the -recruit was informed that he could occupy that -bed for the night. In the morning he could go to -the quartermaster’s store and draw blankets, sheets, -a pillow, and “biscuits” for his own use. After -that, he would be allotted a bed-cot to himself. -Biscuits, it must be explained, are square mattresses -of coir, of which three, placed end to end, -form a full-sized mattress for a military bed-cot.</p> - -<p>Sitting on the borrowed bed-cot, the recruit was -able to take a good look round. The ways of these<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_29">29</a></span> -men, their quickness in cleaning and polishing -articles of equipment, were worth watching, he -decided. They joked and chaffed each other, they -sang scraps of songs, allegedly pathetic and -allegedly humorous; they shouted from one end -of the room to the other in order to carry on -conversations; they called the Army names, they -called each other names, and they called individuals -who were evidently absent yet more names, none -of them complimentary. They made a lot of noise, -and in that noise one of them, having finished his -cleaning, slept; when he snored, one of his -comrades threw a boot at him, and, since the -boot hit him, he woke up and looked round, but -in vain. Therefore he calmly went to sleep again, -but this time he did not snore. The recruit, who -had come out of an ordinary civilian home, and -hitherto had had only the vaguest of notions as -to what the Army was really like, wondered if he -were dreaming, and then realised that he himself -was one of these men, since he had voluntarily -given up certain years of his life to their business. -With that reflection he undressed and got into -bed. After “lights-out” had sounded and been -promptly obeyed, he went to sleep....</p> - -<p>His impressions are typical, and his introduction -to the barrack-room may serve to record the view<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_30">30</a></span> -gained by the majority of those who enlist: that -first glimpse of military life is something utterly -strange and incomprehensible, and the recruit -sleeps his first night in barracks—or stays awake—bewildered -by the novelty of his surroundings, -and a little afraid.</p> - -<p>In a few days the recruit begins to feel a little -more at home in his new surroundings. One of his -first ordeals is that of being fitted with clothing, -and with few exceptions, all his clothing is ready-made, -for the quartermaster’s store of a unit contains -a variety of sizes and fittings of every article -required, and from among these a man must be -fitted out from head to foot. The regimental -master-tailor attends at the clothes’ fitting, and -makes notes of alterations required—shortening -or lengthening sleeves, letting out here, and taking -in there. When clothes and boots have been fitted, -the recruit is issued a “small kit,” consisting -of brushes and cleaning materials for himself and -his clothes and equipment, even unto a toothbrush -and a comb. As a rule, he omits the ceremony -of locking these things away in his box when -he returns to the barrack-room, with the result -that most of them are missing when he looks on -the shelf or in the box where he placed them. For, -in a barrack-room, although all things are not<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_31">31</a></span> -common, the property of the recruit is fair game, -and he catches who can.</p> - -<p>Gradually, as the recruit learns the need for -taking care of such property as he wishes to -retain, he also learns barrack-room slang and -phrasing. In the Army, one is never late: one is -“pushed.” One does not eat, but one “scoffs.” -A man who dodges work is said to “swing the -lead,” and there is no such thing as work, for it is -“graft,” or “kom.” Practically every man, too, -has his nickname: all Clarkes are “Nobby,” all -Palmers are “Pedlar,” all Welshmen in other -than Welsh regiments are “Taffy,” all Robinsons -are “Jack,” and every surname in like fashion has -its regular nickname. But, contrary to the belief -entertained by the average civilian, the soldier -does not readily take to nicknames for his superiors. -For his own officers he sometimes finds equivalents -to their names through their personal peculiarities, -but if one spoke to a soldier of “K. of K.,” the -soldier would request an explanation, while “Bobs” -for Lord Roberts might be understood, but would -not be appreciated. The general officer and the -superior worthy of respect gets his full title from -the soldier at all times, and nicknames, except for -comrades of the same company or squadron, form -a mark of contempt, especially when applied to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_32">32</a></span> -commissioned officers. Sometimes the soldier finds -a nickname for a comrade out of a personal peculiarity, -as when one is particularly mean he gets -the name of “Shonk,” or “Shonkie,” which is -equivalent to “Jew,” with a reference to usury -and extortion.</p> - -<p>If a regimental officer gets a nickname, it may -be generally assumed that he is not held in very -great respect by his men. “Bulgy,” of whom -more anon, was a very fat young lieutenant with -more bulk than brains; “Duffer” was another -lieutenant, and his title explains itself—it was -always used in conjunction with his surname; -“Bouncer” was a major who had attained his -rank by accident, and left the service because he -knew it was hopeless to anticipate further promotion. -The officer who commands the respect of -his men does not get nicknamed, and the recruit -very soon learns to call his superiors by their -proper names when he has occasion to mention -superior officers in course of conversation with his -comrades.</p> - -<p>As a rule, the recruit is subjected to one or more -practical jokes by his comrades in his early days -as a soldier. In cavalry regiments, a favourite -form of joke is to get the recruit to go to the -farrier-major for his “shoeing-money,” a mythical<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_33">33</a></span> -allowance which, it is alleged, every recruit receives -at the beginning of his service. The pretext might -appear a bit thin if only one man were concerned -in the deception, but the recruit is assured by a -whole barrack-roomful of soldiers that “it’s a -fact, and no hank,” and in about five cases out of -ten he goes to the farrier-major, who, entering into -the spirit of the thing, sends the victim in to the -orderly-room sergeant or the provost-sergeant, and -from here the recruit goes to the next official -chosen, until he finds out the hoax. If a non-commissioned -officer can be found with the same -sense of humour as induced the shoeing-money -hoax, he—usually a lance-corporal—orders the -recruit to go to the sergeant-major or some other -highly placed non-com. for “the key of the square.” -As a rule, this request from the recruit provokes the -sergeant-major to wrath, and the poor recruit gets -a hot time. There is a legend of a recruit having -been sent to the quartermaster’s store to get his -mouth measured for a spoon, but it may be -regarded as legend pure and simple, for there are -limits to the credulity, even, of recruits, though -authenticated instances of hoaxes which have -been practised show that much may be done by -means of an earnest manner and the thorough -preservation of gravity in giving recommendations<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_34">34</a></span> -to the victim. Many a man has gone to the -armourer to get his spurs fitted, and probably more -will go yet.</p> - -<p>If a civilian takes a thorough dislike to his work, -he has always the opportunity of quitting it; if he -fails to satisfy his employers, he is either warned -or dismissed. In the Army, the man who dislikes -his work has to pocket the dislike and go -on with the work, while if his employers, the -regimental authorities, have any fault to find with -him, they do not express it by dismissal until -various forms and quantities of punishment for -slackness have been resorted to. The recruit gets -far more punishments than the old soldier, for the -latter has learned what to do and what to avoid, -in order to make life simple for himself; his -punishments usually arise out of looking on the -beer when it is brown to an extent incompatible -with the fulfilment of his duties, and, when sober, -he generally manages to evade “office” and its -results. But the recruit finds that the corporal in -charge of his room, the drill instructor in charge of -him at drill, the sergeant in charge of his section -or troop, the non-commissioned officer under -whose supervision he does his fatigues, and a host -of other superiors, are all capable of either placing -him in the guard-room to await trial or of informing<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_35">35</a></span> -him that he is under open arrest, and equally -liable for trial—and this for offences which would -not count as such in civilian life, for three-quarters -of the military “crimes” are not crimes at all in the -civil code. Being late on parade, a dirty button—that -is, a button not sufficiently brilliant in its -polish—the need of a shave, a hasty word to one -in authority, and half a hundred other apparent -trivialities, form grounds for “wheeling a man -up” or “running him in.” And the guard-room -to which he retires is the “clink,” while, if he -is so persistent in the commission of offences -as to merit detention, the military form of imprisonment, -he is said to go to the “glass house”—that -is, he is sent to the detention barracks -for the term to which he is sentenced—and his -punishment is spoken of as “cells,” and never -anything else. A minor form of punishment, -“confined to barracks,” or “defaulters’,” involves -the doing of the regiment’s dirty work in the few -hours usually devoted to relaxation, with drill in -full marching order for an hour every night, and -answering one’s name at the guard-room at stated -intervals throughout the afternoon and evening, -in order to prevent the delinquent from leaving -barracks. This the soldier calls “doing jankers,” -and the bugle or trumpet call which orders him out<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_36">36</a></span> -on the defaulters’ parade is known as “Paddy -Doyle”—heaven only knows for what reason, -unless one Paddy Doyle was a notorious offender -against military discipline in far-back times, and -his reputation has survived his personal characteristics -in the memory of the soldier.</p> - -<p>The accused, whoever he may be, is paraded -first before his company, squadron, or battery -officer, and the charge against him is read out. -First evidence is taken from the superior officer -who makes the charge, and second evidence from -anyone who may have been witness to the -occurrence which has caused the trouble. Then -the accused is asked what he has to say in mitigation -of his offence, and if he is wise, unless the -accusation is very unjust indeed, he answers—“Nothing, -sir.” Then, if the case is a minor one, -the company or squadron or battery officer -delivers sentence. If, however, the crime is one -meriting a punishment exceeding “seven days confined -to barracks,” the case is beyond the jurisdiction -of the junior officer, and must be sent to the -officer commanding the regiment or battalion or -artillery brigade for trial. In that case, the offender -is paraded with an escort of a non-commissioned -officer and man, and marched on to the verandah -of the regimental orderly room when “office”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_37">37</a></span> -sounds—almost always at eleven o’clock in the -morning. When the colonel commanding the -unit—or, in case of his absence, his deputy—decrees, -the offender is marched into the presence -of his judge; the adjutant of the regiment reads -the charge, the evidence is stated as in the case of -trial by a company or squadron officer, and the -colonel pronounces his verdict.</p> - -<p>Acquittals are rare; not that there is any injustice, -but it is assumed, and usually with good -reason, that if a man is “wheeled up” he has been -doing something he ought not to have done. Then, -too, the soldier’s explanations of how he came -to get into trouble are far too plausible; officers -with experience of the soldier and his ways come -to understand that he can explain away anything -and find an excuse for everything. It is safe, in the -majority of cases, to take a harsh view. However, -the punishments inflicted are, in the majority of -cases, light: “jankers,” though uncomfortable, -is not degrading to any great extent, and the man -who has had a taste or two of this wholesome -corrective will usually be a more careful if not a -better soldier in future.</p> - -<p>“Cells” is a different matter. Not that it lowers -a man to any extent in the estimation of his -comrades, but it is a painful experience, practically<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_38">38</a></span> -corresponding to the imprisonment with hard -labour to which a civilian misdemeanant is subjected. -It involves also total loss of pay from the -time of arrest to the end of the period of punishment, -while confinement to barracks involves only -the actual punishment, and, unless the crime is -“absence,” there is no loss of pay. Drunkenness is -punished by an officially graded system of fines, as -well as by “jankers” or “cells.”</p> - -<p>The average man, however, performs work of -average quality, avoids drunkenness, and keeps to -time, the result being that he does not undergo -punishment. Barrack-room life, for the recruit, is -a fairly simple matter. He makes his own bed, -and sweeps the floor round it. He folds his blankets -and sheets to the prescribed pattern; the way -in which he folds his kit and clothing, also, is -regulated for him by the company or squadron -authorities, and, for the rest, he is kept too busy -throughout the day at drill, and too busy throughout -the evening in preparing for the next day’s -drill, to get into mischief to any appreciable -extent. The recruit who involves himself in -“crime” is, more often than not, looking for -trouble.</p> - -<p>It has already been stated that a full day’s work -for the recruit is a strenuous business. If we<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_39">39</a></span> -take the average day of a recruit in, say, a cavalry -regiment, and follow him from réveillé to “lights -out,” it will be seen that he is kept quite sufficiently -busy.</p> - -<p>Réveillé sounds anywhere between 4.30 and -6.30 a.m., according to the season of the year, and, -before the sound of the trumpet has ceased the -corporal in charge of the room will be heard inviting -his men to “Show a leg, there!” The -invitation is promptly complied with, for in a space -of fifteen minutes all the men in the room have to -dress, wash if they feel inclined to, and get out on -early morning stable parade to answer their names. -They are then marched down to stables, where they -turn out the stable bedding and groom their horses -for about an hour. The horses are then taken out -to water, returned to stables, and fed, and the -men file back to their rooms to get breakfast and -prepare for the morning’s drill. This latter involves -a complete change of clothing from the -rough canvas stable outfit to clean service dress -and putties for riding-school use. The riding-school -lesson is usually over by half-past ten, and -after this the recruit takes his horse back to the -stables, off-saddles, and returns to the barrack-room -to change into canvas clothing once more, -and enjoy the ten minutes, more or less, of relaxation<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_40">40</a></span> -that falls to him before the trumpeter sounds -“stables.” Going to stables again, the men -groom their horses, and when these have been -passed as clean by the troop sergeant or troop -officer the troopers set to work and clean -steel work and leather. The way in which this is -done in the Army may be judged from the fact -that, after a morning’s parade, it takes a full hour -to clean saddle and head dress and render them fit -for inspection. It is one o’clock before midday -stables is finished with, and then of course it is -time for dinner.</p> - -<p>For this principal meal of the day one hour is -allowed; but that hour includes the getting ready -for the afternoon parade for foot drill, in which the -cavalry recruit is taught the use of the sword and -all movements that he will have to perform dismounted. -This lasts an hour or thereabouts, and -is followed by a return to the barrack-room and -another change of clothing, this time into gymnasium -outfit. The recruit is then marched to the -gymnasium, where, for the space of another hour, -the gymnastic instructor has his turn at licking the -raw material into shape. Marched back to the -barrack-room once more, the recruit is free to -devote what remains to him of the minutes before -five o’clock to cleaning the spurs, sword, etc., which<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_41">41</a></span> -have become soiled by the morning’s riding-school -work. At five “stables” sounds again; the orders -for the day are read out on parade, and the men -march to stables to groom, bed down, water, -and feed their horses, a business to which an hour -is devoted. Tea follows, and then, unless the -recruit has been warned for night guard, he is free -to complete the preparation of his equipment for -the next day’s work, and use what little spare -time is left in such relaxation as may please him.</p> - -<p>In the infantry the number of parades done -during the day is about the same; there is, of -course, no “stables,” but the time which the -cavalryman devotes to this is taken up by musketry -instruction, foot drill, and fatigues. In the artillery -there is more to learn than in the cavalry, for a -driver has to learn to drive the horse he rides, and -lead another one as well, while the gunner has -plenty to keep him busy in the mechanism of his -gun, its cleaning, and the various duties connected -with it.</p> - -<p>To the recruit the perpetual cleaning, polishing, -burnishing, and scouring are naturally somewhat -irksome; and it is not until a man has undergone the -whole of his recruits’ training that he begins dimly to -understand the extreme delicacy and fineness of the -instruments of his trade—or profession. He comes<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_42">42</a></span> -gradually to realise that a rifle is a very delicate -piece of mechanism; a spot of rust on a sword may -impair the efficiency of the blade, if allowed to -remain and eat in; while a big gun is a complicated -piece of machinery needing as much care as a -repeater watch, if it is to work efficiently, and a -horse is as helpless and needs as much care as -a baby. At first sight there seems no need for -the eternal cleaning of buttons, polishing of spurs, -and other trivial items of work which enter into -the daily life of a soldier, but all these things are -directed to the one end of making the man careful -of trifles and thoroughly efficient in every detail of -his work.</p> - -<p>Old soldiers, having finished with foot drill -(known in the barrack-room as “square”) and -with riding school (which is allowed to keep its -name), have a way of looking down on recruits; -the chief aim of the recruit, if he be a normal man, -is to get “dismissed” from riding school, square, -and gymnasium, and the attitude of the old soldier -encourages this ambition. Usually a recruit is -placed under an old soldier for tuition in his work, -and it depends very much on the quality of the old -hands in a barrack-room as to what quality of -trained man is turned out therefrom. Service -counts more than personal worth, and in fact more<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_43">43</a></span> -than anything else in barrack-room life. The man -with two years’ service will get into trouble sooner -or later if he ventures to dictate to the man of three -years’ or more service, whatever the relative mental -qualifications of the two men concerned may be. -“Before you came up,” or “before you enlisted,” -are the most crushing phrases that can be applied -to a fellow soldier, and no amount of efficiency -atones for lack of years to count toward transfer -to the Reserve or discharge from the service to -pension.</p> - -<p>So far as the infantry recruit is concerned, foot -drill and musketry, together with a certain amount -of fatigues, comprise the day’s routine. With foot -drill may be bracketed bayonet drill, in which -the recruit is taught the various thrusts and -parries which can be made with that weapon for -which the British infantryman has been famed -since before Wellington’s time. Both in the cavalry -and infantry, every man has to fire a musketry -course once a year; the recruit’s course of musketry, -however, is a more detailed and, in a way, a more -instructive business than the course which the -trained man has to undergo. The recruit has to -be taught that squeezing motion for the trigger -which does not disturb the aim of the rifle; he -has to be taught, also, the extreme care with which<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_44">44</a></span> -a rifle must be handled, cleaned, and kept. It may -be said that the recruits’ course is designed to lay -the foundation on which the trained man’s course -of musketry is built, and at the end of the recruits’ -course the men who have undergone it are graded -off into first, second, and third class shots, while -“marksmen” are super-firsts.</p> - -<p>On the whole the first year of a man’s service is -the hardest of any, so far as peace soldiering is -concerned. There is more reason in this than -appears on the surface. A recruit joins the army -somewhere about the age of twenty—the official -limit is from eighteen to twenty-five; it is evident -that in his first year of service a man is at -such a stage of muscular and mental growth -as to render him capable of being moulded much -more readily than in the later military years. It -is best that he should be shaped, as far as possible, -while he is yet not quite formed and set, and, -though the process of shaping may involve what -looks like an undue amount of physical exertion, -it is, in reality, not beyond the capabilities of such -men as doctors pass into the service. It is true -that the percentage of cases of heart disease occurring -in the British Army is rather a high one, but -this is due not to the strenuous training, but in -many cases to excessive cigarette-smoking and in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_45">45</a></span> -others to the strained posture of “attention,” -combined with predisposition to the disease. The -recruit has a hard time, certainly, but many men -work harder, and the years of service which follow -on the strenuous period of recruits’ training are -more enjoyable by contrast.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_46">46</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="vspace"><a id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III<br /> - -<span class="subhead">OFFICERS AND NON-COMS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap1">The</span> higher ranks of officers have very little -to do with the daily life of the soldier. Two -or three times a year the general officer commanding -the station comes round on a tour of inspection, -while other general officers and inspecting officers -pay visits at times. The highest rank, however, -with which the soldier is brought in frequent -contact is the commanding officer of his own -regiment or battalion. This post is usually held -by a lieutenant-colonel, as by the time an officer -has attained to a full colonelcy he is either posted -to the staff or passed out from the service to half-pay -under the age limit.</p> - -<p>By the time a man has reached the rank of -lieutenant-colonel he is, as a rule, far more conversant -with the ways and habits of the soldier -than the soldier himself is willing to admit. It -would surprise men, in the majority of cases, if -they could be made to realise how intimately the -“old man” knows his regiment. The “old man”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_47">47</a></span> -is responsible for the efficiency of the regiment in -every detail, since, as its head, he is responsible -for the efficiency of the officers controlling the -various departments. He is assisted in his work -by the second-in-command, who is usually a major, -and is not attached to any particular squadron or -company, but is responsible for the internal -working and domestic arrangements incidental to -the life of his unit. These two are assisted in their -work by the adjutant, a junior officer, sometimes -captain and sometimes lieutenant, who holds his -post for a stated term, and during his adjutancy -is expected to qualify fully in the headquarters -staff work which the conduct of a military unit -involves. So far as commissioned officers are -concerned, these three form the headquarters -staff; it must not be overlooked, however, that -the quartermaster, who is either a lieutenant or a -captain, and has won his commission from the -ranks in the majority of cases, is also unattached -to any particular squadron or company. He is, or -should be, under the control of the second-in-command, -since, as his title indicates, he is concerned -with the quarters of the regiment, and with -all that pertains to its domestic economy. He -cannot, however, be regarded as a part of the -headquarters staff; his position is unique, somewhere<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_48">48</a></span> -between commissioned and non-commissioned -rank, and it is very rarely that he is accorded -the position of the officer who has come to the -service through Sandhurst.</p> - -<p>The colonel and the second-in-command, as a -rule, know their regiment thoroughly; they know -the special weaknesses of the company or squadron -officers; they are conversant with the virtues and -the failings of Captain Blank and Lieutenant -Dash; they know all about the troubles in the -married quarters, and they are fully informed of -the happenings in the sergeants’ mess. Not that -there is any system of espionage in the Army, but -the man who reaches the rank of colonel is, under -the present conditions governing promotion, keen-witted, -and in the dissemination of all kinds of -news, from matter for legitimate comment to rank -scandal, a military unit is about equivalent to a -ladies’ sewing meeting. The colonel and the -second-in-command know all about things because, -being observant men, they cannot help knowing.</p> - -<p>To each squadron of cavalry, battery of artillery, -or company of infantry is allotted a captain or -major as officer commanding, and, in the same -way as a colonel is responsible for the efficiency of -his regiment, so the captain or major is responsible -for the efficiency of the squadron, battery, or<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_49">49</a></span> -company under his charge. The squadron or -company officer is usually not quite so conversant -with the more intimate details of his work as is the -lieutenant-colonel. For one thing, he has not had -so much experience; for another, he may not have -the mental capacity required in a lieutenant-colonel; -the squadron or company officer is -usually a jolly good fellow, mindful of discipline -and careful of the comfort of his men, but there -are cases—exceptions, certainly—of utter incompetency. -A battery officer, on the other hand, -is of a different stamp. Of the three arms, the -artillery demands most in the way of efficiency -and knowledge; the mechanism of the guns -creates an atmosphere in which officers study and -train to a far greater extent than cavalry and -infantry officers. The battery officer, in nine cases -out of ten, is quite as competent to take charge of -an artillery brigade as the cavalry or infantry -lieutenant-colonel is to take charge of his regiment -or battalion.</p> - -<p>Next in order of rank are the lieutenants and -subalterns, youngsters learning the business. The -lieutenant, having won his second star, is a reasonable -being; the subaltern, fresh from Sandhurst -or Woolwich, and oppressed by the weight of -his own importance, is occasionally “too big for his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_50">50</a></span> -boots,” a bumptious individual whom his superiors -endeavour to restrain, but whom his inferiors in -rank must obey, though they have little belief in -his judgment or in his capability to command -them intelligently. This may appear harsh judgment -on the subaltern, but experience of things -military confirms it; Sandhurst turns out its pupils -in a raw state; they have the theory of their -work, but, just as it takes years to make a soldier, -so it takes years of actual military work to make -an efficient officer, and the trained man in the -ranks generally views with extreme disfavour the -introduction of a raw subaltern from Sandhurst -into the company or squadron to which he belongs, -though very often the young officer shapes to his -work quickly, wins the respect and confidence of -his men, and adds materially to the efficiency and -well-being of his troop or section. Again, a young -officer may not be popular among his men in -time of peace, but may win all their respect -and confidence on the field, where values alter -and are frequently reversed from peace equivalents.</p> - -<p>Lieutenants and subalterns are given charge of a -troop in the cavalry, a gun or section—according -to the number of young officers available—in a -battery and of a section of men in an infantry<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_51">51</a></span> -company. Nominally in command of their men, -they are in practice largely dependent on their -senior non-commissioned officers for the efficiency -of the men under their command. An officer’s -real efficiency, in peace service, does not begin -until he “gets his company” or squadron: in -other words, until he is promoted to the rank of -captain.</p> - -<p>Next in grade of rank to the commissioned -officers stands the regimental sergeant-major, who -is termed a warrant-officer, since the “warrant” -which he holds, in virtue of his rank, distinguishes -him from non-commissioned officers. He has, -usually, sixteen years or more of service; he has -even more knowledge of the ways of the regiment -than the commanding officer himself, and his -place is with the headquarters staff, while his -duties lie in the supervision and control of the non-commissioned -officers and their messes and training. -His position is peculiar; the etiquette -of the service prevents him from making close -friends among non-commissioned officers, while -that same etiquette prevents commissioned -officers from making a close friend of him. The -only non-commissioned officer who stands near -him in rank is the quartermaster-sergeant, -who is directly under the control of the quartermaster,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_52">52</a></span> -and is also a member of the headquarters -staff.</p> - -<p>From this point of rank downward the ways of -the different arms of the service diverge. In the -infantry, the chief non-commissioned officer of a -company is the colour-sergeant, who is responsible -both for internal economy and efficiency at drill. -In the cavalry and artillery the presence of horses -and the far greater amount of equipment involved -divide the work that is done in the infantry by -the colour-sergeant into two parts. In the cavalry -each squadron, and in the artillery each battery, -is controlled, so far as drill and efficiency in the -field is concerned, by a squadron sergeant-major -and a battery sergeant-major, respectively, while -the domestic economy of the squadron or battery -is managed by squadron quartermaster-sergeant or -battery quartermaster-sergeant.</p> - -<p>Next in order of rank come the sergeants, the -non-commissioned equivalent to troop and section -officers, but of far more actual importance than -these, since parades frequently take place in the -absence of the troop or section officer, while the -troop or section sergeant is at all times responsible -to his superiors for the efficiency of his men. The -rank of sergeant is seldom attained in less than -seven years, and thus the man of three stripes<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_53">53</a></span> -whom Kipling justly described in his famous -phrase “as the backbone of the Army” is a man -of experience and fully entitled to his post.</p> - -<p>Next in order of rank to the sergeant is the -corporal, whose duties lie principally in the -maintenance of barrack-room discipline, though -he is largely responsible for the training of squads -and sections of men in field work. Often in the -cavalry he is given charge of a troop temporarily, -and in the artillery, though each gun is supposed -to be in charge of a sergeant, it happens at times -that the corporal has charge of the gun. The -lowest rank of all is that of lance-corporal, aptly -termed “half of nothing.” Men resent, as a rule, -any assumption of authority by a lance-corporal—and -yet the lance-corporal has to exercise his -authority at the risk of being told he was a private -only five minutes ago. Bearing in mind the -material from which the Army is recruited, it is -not surprising that a large percentage of lance-corporals, -having tried for themselves what non-commissioned -rank feels like, give it up and revert -to the rank of private. There are certain advantages -in being a lance-corporal; there is a distinct -advantage, for instance, in being “in charge of the -guard” instead of having to do sentry go; another -advantage arises in the matter of fatigues: the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_54">54</a></span> -lance-corporal—so long as he behaves himself—merely -takes his turn on the roll after the full -corporals in charge of a fatigue party; he is a -superintendent, not a worker, so far as fatigues -are concerned. The chief disadvantage consists in -the way in which his former comrades regard him. -As one concerned in their training and discipline -he is no longer to be considered as a comrade -and equal by the privates; in many infantry -units, lance-corporals are definitely ordered not -to fraternise with the men, although they perforce -sleep in the same rooms and share the same -meals.</p> - -<p>The sergeants of each unit—taking the regiment -or battalion as a unit—have their own mess, in the -same way that the officers have theirs. They take -all their meals in the mess, and they sleep in -“bunks”; their separateness from the rank and -file is thus emphasised and their control over the -men rendered more definite and easy by this -separateness. In each unit there is also established -a corporals’ mess, but this is merely a recreation -room in the same way that the canteen forms a -recreation room for the privates. Corporals and -lance-corporals take their meals with the men and -sleep in the same rooms as the men. This, especially -in the case of lance-corporals, diminishes<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_55">55</a></span> -authority, but at the same time it renders easier -the maintenance of barrack-room discipline and -the control of barrack-room life, for which corporals -and lance-corporals are held responsible.</p> - -<p>Mainly in connection with the development of -initiative which arose out of the experience gained -from the South African war, a system of understudies -has been created among non-commissioned -officers and senior privates. Each rank in turn is -expected to be able to assume the duties of the -rank immediately above it, in case of necessity, -and all are trained to this end. It may be remarked -that certain certificates of education must be -obtained by non-commissioned officers; as soon -as a lance-corporal gets his stripe he is expected -to go to a military school in the evenings until he -has obtained a second-class certificate of education, -the qualifications for this being equivalent to those -evidenced by the possession of an ordinary fourth-standard -school certificate. The higher ranks of -non-commissioned officer—that is, all above the -rank of sergeant—are expected to qualify for a -first-class Army certificate of education, which is -quite equivalent to an ex-7th standard council-school -certificate.</p> - -<p>Further, every non-commissioned officer must -obtain certificates of proficiency in drill and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_56">56</a></span> -musketry, showing that he is a capable instructor -as well as fully conversant with drill on his own -account. The way to promotion is paved with -certificates of various kinds. There are courses in -signalling, scouting, musketry, drill, and the -hundred and one items of a soldier’s work; these -courses qualify for instructorship, and some of -them are open only to non-commissioned officers. -The passing of such courses, increasing the efficiency -of the non-commissioned officers concerned, is -evidence of fitness for further promotion, and is -rewarded accordingly.</p> - -<p>Technically speaking, the post of lance-corporal -is an appointment, not a promotion, and therefore -the lance-corporal can be deprived of his stripe on -the word of his commanding officer. With the -exception of the rank of lance-sergeant, which -admits a corporal to the sergeants’ mess and takes -him out of the barrack-room without a corresponding -increase of pay, all ranks from corporal upward -count as promotions, and can only be reduced by -way of punishment by the sentence of a court -martial. A regimental court martial, which has -power to reduce a corporal to the ranks and inflict -certain limited punishments on a private, is composed -of three officers of the unit concerned. A -district court martial, with wider powers, including<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_57">57</a></span> -the reduction of a sergeant to the ranks, is composed -of three officers; the president must not -in any case be below the rank of captain, and -usually is a major, and he and the two junior -officers who form the tribunal usually belong to -other regiments than that of the accused. -Military law differs in many respects from civil -law; there is, of course, no such thing as a trial by -jury; the adjutant of the regiment to which the -accused belongs is always the nominal prosecutor, -but in actual practice the witnesses for the -prosecution are of far more importance than is he. -Evidence for the prosecution is taken first, then -the evidence for the defence; the accused, if he -wishes, can speak in his own defence; if the court -is satisfied of the innocence of the accused, he is at -once discharged; if, on the other hand, there is -any doubt of his innocence, he is marched out -while the court consider their finding and sentence, -and the latter is not announced until the two or -three days necessary for confirmation of the proceedings -by the general officer commanding the -station have elapsed.</p> - -<p>The promulgation of a court-martial sentence -is an impressive ceremony. The regiment or -battalion to which the accused belongs is formed -up to occupy three sides of a square, facing<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_58">58</a></span> -inwards. The accused, under armed escort, -together with the regimental sergeant-major and -the adjutant of the unit, occupy the fourth side -of the square, and the adjutant reads a summary -of the proceedings concluding with a recital of -the sentence on the accused. In the case of a -private the ceremony is then at an end, and the -regiment is marched away, while the accused -returns to the guard-room under escort. In the -case of a non-commissioned officer the regimental -sergeant-major formally cuts the stripes from off -the arm of the accused. It is to be hoped that in -the near future this court-martial parade, degrading -to the accused man, and not by any means -an edifying spectacle for his comrades, will be -abolished, for a record of the court martial and of -the punishment inflicted is always inserted in the -regimental orders of the day.</p> - -<p>Fortunately, however, court martials are infrequent -occurrences, and, so far as the non-commissioned -officer is concerned, life is a fairly -pleasant business. There is plenty of hard work -to keep him in good health, but there are also -many hours that can be spent in pleasant recreation, -and the man who takes his profession -seriously may now hope to attain to higher rank. -Promotions to commissions from the ranks have,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_59">59</a></span> -in the past, been infrequent; but the prospect is -now much more hopeful, and, in any case, the -non-commissioned officer can look forward to a -pension which will serve as a perpetual reminder -that his time has not been wasted.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_60">60</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="vspace"><a id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV<br /> - -<span class="subhead">INFANTRY</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap1">The</span> old-time term, light infantry, has little -meaning at present as far as difference in -the stamp of man and the weight of equipment -carried is concerned; one infantry battalion is -equal to another in respect of “lightness,” except -that some Highland battalions, recruiting from -districts which provide exceptionally brawny -specimens of humanity, obtain a taller and -weightier average of men. Varieties of equipment -in the old days made infantry “heavy” and -“light,” but the modern infantryman is kept as -light as possible in the matter of equipment in -all units.</p> - -<p>Certain battalions possess and are very proud -of distinctions awarded them for feats on the field -of battle. Thus it is permitted to one infantry -regiment, including all its battalions, to wear -the regimental badge both on the front and -the back of the helmet in review order, also -on their field-service caps, to commemorate an<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_61">61</a></span> -action in which the men were surrounded and -fought back to back until they had extricated -themselves from their perilous position—or rather, -until the survivors had extricated themselves. In -another regiment, the sergeants are permitted to -wear the sash over the same shoulder as the officers, -in view of the fact that on one occasion all the -officers were killed, and the non-commissioned -officers took command, with noteworthy results. -Yet another distinction, but of a different kind, -is the concession made to Irish regiments in -allowing them to wear sprigs of shamrock on -St. Patrick’s days.</p> - -<p>In the “review order” or full dress of modern -infantrymen—and in fact of all British soldiers—there -are certain buttons and fittings which serve -no useful purpose, and soldiers themselves, even, -sometimes wonder why these things are worn. The -reason is that, in old time, all these fittings had a -use; the buttons on the back of the tunic supported -belts which are no longer worn, or covered pockets -which no longer exist. There is a reason also in the -officer wearing his sash on one shoulder and the -sergeant his on another, and in the same way there -is a reason for every seemingly useless fitting in a -soldier’s review uniform—it perpetuates a tradition -of the particular battalion or regiment concerned,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_62">62</a></span> -or it keeps alive a tradition of the service as a whole. -To the outsider, these may appear useless formalities, -but they are not so in reality; the soldier -is intensely proud of these things, which make for -<i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">esprit de corps</i> and maintain the spirit of the Army -quite as much as material advantages.</p> - -<p>The actual spirit in which the infantryman views -his work is a difficult thing to assess. One noteworthy -example of that spirit is the case of Piper -Findlater, who, wounded beyond the power of -movement at Dargai, sat up and piped—an -amazing piece of courage and coolness under fire. -Yet that same Piper Findlater, invalided home and -out of the service, could display himself on a music-hall -stage, an action which was incomprehensible -to the civilian mind. But, to the average infantryman, -there was nothing incongruous in the two -actions—one was as much the right of the man as -the other was to his credit, and Findlater was -typical of the British infantryman.</p> - -<p>Under the present system, each infantry regiment -is divided into two or more battalions. Under -the old system, each battalion was distinguished -by a number, but the numbers have been abolished -in favour of names of counties or districts, and two -or more battalions form the regiment of a county -or division of a county. It is very seldom that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_63">63</a></span> -these two or more portions of the same regiment -meet each other, for, in the case of a two-battalion -regiment, one battalion is usually on foreign -service while the other is domiciled in England, and -the home battalion feeds the one on foreign service -with recruits as needed to keep the latter up to -strength. A notable exception to this rule occurred -in the case of the Norfolk Regiment a few years -ago, when the first and second battalions met at -Bloemfontein, one outward bound at the beginning -of its term of foreign service, and the other about -to start for home.</p> - -<p>The infantryman is fitted for what constitutes -the greater part of his work, when the season’s -“training” is over, by what is known as “route -marching.” In this, a battalion is started out at -the beginning of the route-marching season on a -march of a few miles, in light order—carrying -rifles and bayonets only, perhaps. The distance -covered is gradually increased, and the weight of -equipment carried by the men is also increased, -until the men concerned are carrying their full -packs and marching twelve or fourteen miles a -day. Service conditions are maintained as far as -possible, so as to make the men fit for long marches -at any time; by this means the men’s feet are -hardened and the men themselves brought<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_64">64</a></span> -thoroughly into condition, while weaklings are -picked out and marked down for future reference. -“Falling out” on a route march without good -and sufficient reason means days to barracks for -the offender, at the least, and “cells” is a possibility.</p> - -<p>The work of the infantryman is less complex -than that of any other branch of the service: he -has to be trained to march well and to know how -to use his rifle and bayonet. Principally, given the -physical endurance for the marching part of the -business, he has to learn to shoot, and the simplicity -of his duties is compensated for by the -thoroughness with which he is taught. Then, -again, discipline is of necessity stricter in infantry -units than in other branches of the service; the -cavalryman, with a horse to care for as well as -himself and his arms and equipment, and the -driver or gunner of artillery, with “two horses -and two sets” (of saddlery) or his gun or limber -to mind, is kept busy most of the time without -an excess of discipline, but the infantryman in -time of peace is concerned only with himself, his -arms and equipment, and his barrack-room—a -small total when compared with the cares of the -man in the cavalry or artillery. By way of compensation, -the infantryman is made to give more<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_65">65</a></span> -attention to his barrack-room; he is restricted, -in a way that would not be possible in the cavalry -or artillery, in the way in which he employs his -leisure hours, and parades are made to keep his -hands out of mischief, as well as to train him to -thorough efficiency.</p> - -<p>A brigade of infantry, consisting of four battalions, -looks a perfectly uniform mass of men on, -say, a service, dress parade, but intimate knowledge -of the characteristics of the men in each battalion -reveals a world of difference; each regiment has -its own traditions, and each battalion differs -widely from the rest in its methods of working, its -way of issuing commands, and its internal arrangements. -There is a standard of bugle calls for the -whole Army, but practically every infantry battalion -infuses a certain amount of individuality -into the method of sounding the call. The buglers -of the Rifle Brigade, for instance, would scorn to -sound their calls in the way that the East Surreys -or the York and Lancaster battalions sound theirs, -and conversely a York and Lancaster or an East -Surrey man would smile at the bugle call of the -Rifle Brigade battalion. The districts from which -men are recruited, too, account for many little -peculiarities in the ways of different battalions. -There is obviously a world of difference between<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_66">66</a></span> -the way in which a man of the King’s Own Yorkshire -Light Infantry will view a given situation, -and the view adopted by a man of the East Surreys, -for one is “reet Yorkshire,” while the other is -Cockney all through. Dialects and regimental -slang combined make the language of the one -almost unintelligible to the other, and, while each -arrives at precisely the same end by slightly varying -means, each claims superiority over the other.</p> - -<p>The spirit of the British infantryman, with very -few exceptions, consists mainly in his belief that -he is a member of the best company in the very best -battalion of infantry in the service. As for his -particular arm of the service, he points with pride -to the fact that he comes in from a march and gets -to his food while the poor cavalryman is still fretting -about in the horse lines, and <em>he</em> has no two -sets of harness to bother about after a field day. -He slings his equipment on the shelf and goes off -to his meal when the field day is over, while the -poor gunner is busy with an oil rag, keeping the -rust from eating into his gun and its fittings until -the time comes to clean it. Thus the infantryman -on his advantages, and with some justice, too.</p> - -<p>But in the barrack-room the cavalryman and -artilleryman have the advantage. They can make -down their beds and snooze when work is done,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_67">67</a></span> -secure from interruption until “stables” shall -sound and turn them out to care for their “long-faced -chums.” The infantryman, on the other hand, -has to prepare for barrack-room and kit inspections -at all times; he has to wet-scrub and dry-scrub -the floors, blacklead the table trestles and legs of -forms, whitewash himself tired on articles which, -to the civilian eye, appear already sufficiently -coated with whitewash, pick grass off the drill -ground, and carry out a host of orders which seem -designed for his especial irritation, though in -reality they are designed to keep him at work -and prevent him from being utterly idle. In certain -hours, the infantryman must be made to work to -keep him in condition, and if the work of a necessary -nature is not sufficient to keep him employed, -then work is made for him. It must be said that, -owing to the existence of undiscerning commanding -and other officers, a lot of this work, although -undoubtedly it fulfils its purpose, is irritating to -the last degree, and might with advantage be -exchanged for tasks which would exercise the -intelligence of the men instead of rousing their -disgust. Grass-picking is an especially detested -form of labour which is common in some battalions -of the infantry. In most units, however, men are -put to useful occupations; in some stations where<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_68">68</a></span> -available ground admits, gardens are allotted to -the men, who cultivate creditable supplies of -vegetables for the use of their messes and flowers -for decorative purposes.</p> - -<p>Another favourite form of exercise, in which -the infantryman is indulged with what appears -to him unnecessary frequency, is kit inspection. -At first sight, it would seem that the -circumstance of an officer inspecting the kit and -equipment of his men is not one which would -cause an undue amount of trouble, but the reverse -of this is the case in practice. Each man has to -lay down his kit to a regulation pattern; at the -head of the bed, on which the clothing and equipment -is laid out, the reds and blues and khaki-coloured -squares represent much time spent by -the man in folding each article of clothing to the -last half-inch of size and form, prescribed by the -regulation affecting the way in which kit must be -laid down for inspection. Then come the underclothing, -knife and fork, razor, Prayer Book and -Bible, brushes, and other odds and ends with -which every man must be provided. If any -article is deficient from the official list, the man is -promptly “put down” for a new article to replace -the deficiency—and for this he has to pay. The -upkeep of a full kit is most strictly enforced, and,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_69">69</a></span> -in addition to the completeness of the kit, the -amount of polish on the various articles calls for -much attention on the part of the inspecting officer. -A knife or fork not sufficiently bright, boots not -quite as well cleaned and polished as they might -be, or brass buttons displaying a suspicion of dullness, -lead at the least to an order to show again at -a stated hour—not the single article, but the whole -kit—while repeated deficiencies, either in the quantity -of the articles or in the evident amount of care -bestowed on them, will lead to defaulters’ drill or -even cells.</p> - -<p>Kit inspection counts as a “parade,” and not as -a “fatigue.” The latter term is used to imply all -kinds of actual work in connection with the maintenance -of order in the battalion, and varies from -washing up in the sergeants’ mess to carrying coals -for the barrack-room or married quarters. To -each unit, as a rule, there is a coal-yard attached, -and from this a certain amount of coal is issued -free each week for cooking purposes, while in the -winter months a further amount is allotted to the -men to burn in the barrack-room stoves. If the -allowance is exceeded—and since it is a small one -it is usually exceeded—the men club round among -themselves to purchase more, at the rate of a penny -or twopence a man. The fetching of this extra<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_70">70</a></span> -coal does not count as a “fatigue” in the official -sense.</p> - -<p>A roll is kept of all men liable for fatigue duty, -and each man takes his turn in alphabetical order -in the performance of the various tasks that have -to be done. As these tasks differ considerably in -nature and extent, it follows that the alphabetical -way of ordering the roll is as fair as any, though -artful dodgers, getting wind of a stiff fatigue ahead, -will get out of doing it by exchanging their turns -with those men who would otherwise get an easier -task. As a rule, sergeants’ mess fatigue is one of -the least liked, except on Sunday mornings, when -it releases the man who does it from church parade—of -which more later.</p> - -<p>For the actual housemaid work of the barrack-room, -a roll is usually kept in each room, and the -men of the room take turns at “orderly man,” as -it is called. This involves the final sweeping out -of the room after each man has swept under -his own bed and round the little bit of floor which -is his own particular territory. It involves the -care of and responsibility for all the kits in the -room while the remainder of the men are out at -drill, and also the fetching of all meals and washing -up of the plates and basins after each meal. The -orderly man of the day is not supposed to leave the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_71">71</a></span> -room during parade hours, except to fetch meals -for the rest; it is his duty, after all have gone out, -to put the boxes at the foot of the beds in an exact -line, that there may be nothing to disturb the -symmetry of things when the orderly officer or the -colour-sergeant comes round on a morning visit of -inspection. In a home station, as far as infantry -is concerned, practically all barrack-room inspections -take place before one o’clock in the day, and -in the afternoons such men as are in the barrack-room -have it to themselves. It is the rule in some -battalions, however, that no beds may be “made -down” before six o’clock—a harsh rule, and one -which serves no useful purpose, unless it be considered -useful to keep a man from lying down to -rest.</p> - -<p>While guard duty is kept as light as possible in -mounted branches of the service, it is allowed to -assume large proportions in the infantry. In a -cavalry regiment, the “main guard,” which mounts -duty for twenty-four hours and has charge of the -regimental guard-room and prisoners confined -therein, is composed at the most of a corporal and -three men, but in the infantry the main guard of a -battalion consists of a sergeant, a corporal or lance-corporal, -and six men, providing three reliefs of two -sentries apiece. Guard duty is done in “review<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_72">72</a></span> -order.” That is to say, the men dress up in their -best clothes, with the last possible polish on metal-work -and the best possible pipeclay on all belts and -equipment that permit of it; and the inspection to -which the guard is submitted before taking over its -duties is the most searching form of inspection -which the soldier has to undergo after he has been -dismissed from recruits’ training. The men of the -guard do turns of two hours sentry-go apiece, and -then get four hours’ rest, except in very inclement -weather, when the periods are reduced to one hour -of duty and two hours of rest. Experience has -placed it beyond doubt that the “two hours on -and four hours off” is the best way of doing duty -in reliefs; it imposes less strain on the men, who -have to keep up their duty for a day and a night, -than any other form in which it could be arranged.</p> - -<p>Certain men in infantry units—and in fact in all -units—are excused from the regular routine of -duty in order to fill special posts. Noteworthy -among these are the “flag-waggers” or regimental -signallers, a body of men maintained at a certain -strength for the purpose of signalling messages -with flags, heliograph, or lamps, by means of the -Morse telegraphic code, and also with flags at short -distances by semaphore. Bearing in mind the -average education among the rank and file, it is<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_73">73</a></span> -remarkable with what facility men learn the use -of the Morse code. Against this must be set the -fact that only selected men are employed as -signallers; these are taught the alphabet, and the -various signs employed for special purposes, by -being grouped in squads, and, after their preliminary -instruction is completed, they are sent -out to various points from which they send -messages to each other, under conditions approximating -as nearly as possible to those which obtain -on active service.</p> - -<p>In order to maintain the signallers of a unit in -full practice and efficiency, the men are excused -from all ordinary parades for a certain part of the -year; during manœuvres they are attached to the -headquarters staff of their unit and carry on their -work as signallers, not as ordinary duty-men. The -wagging of flags is only a part of their duty, for -they have to learn the mechanism and use of the -heliograph, since, when sunlight permits of its use, -this instrument can be employed for the transmission -of messages to a far greater distance than -is possible even with large flags. Lamps for signalling -by night are operated by a button which alternately -obscures and exhibits the light of a lamp -placed behind a concentrating lens. The practised -signaller is as efficient in the use of flags, lamps,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_74">74</a></span> -and heliograph as is the post-office operator in the -use of the ordinary telegraph instrument, though -the exigencies of field service render military -signalling a considerably slower business than -ordinary wire telegraphy.</p> - -<p>Another course of instruction which carries with -it a certain amount of exemption from duty in the -infantry is that of scout. The practised scout is -capable of plotting a way across country at night, -marching by the compass or by the stars, making -a watch serve as a compass, military map-reading—which -is not as simple a matter as might be -supposed—and of making sketches in conventional -military signs of areas of ground, natural defensive -positions, and all points likely to be of interest and -advantage from a military point of view. The work -of the signaller has been going on for many years, -but the training of scouts is a movement which has -come about and developed almost entirely during -the last twelve years, which, as the Army reckons -time, is but a very short period. It may be -anticipated that the practice of scouting and the -training of scouts will develop considerably as -time goes on.</p> - -<p>Needless to say, the orderly-man is excused all -parades during his day of duty as such. Only in -exceptional circumstances are cooks taken for<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_75">75</a></span> -parades, and such men as the regimental shoemaker, -the armourer and his assistants, and other -men employed in various capacities, attend the -regular duty parades very seldom. On field days -occasionally, and also on certain commanding-officers’ -drill parades, the orders of the day -announce that the battalion will parade “as -strong as possible.” This means a general sweep -up and turning out of men employed in various -ways and excused from parades as a rule, and their -unhandiness owing to lack of practice sometimes -results in their being relieved from their posts and -returned to duty, while frequently it involves their -doing extra drills in addition to their regular work.</p> - -<p>The duty-man affects to despise the man on -the staff, but this affectation is more often a -cloak for envy. “Staff jobs,” as the various forms -of employment in a unit are called, generally mean -extra pay; in nineteen cases out of twenty they -mean exemption from most ordinary parades and -from a good deal of the ordinary routine work of -the unit concerned; in almost all cases they mean -total exemption from fatigues. Under these -circumstances it is not to be wondered at that the -secret ambition of the average infantryman at -duty, when he has relinquished all hope of promotion, -is to get on the staff.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_76">76</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="vspace"><a id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V<br /> - -<span class="subhead">CAVALRY</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap1">Practically</span> any man of the twenty-eight -cavalry regiments of the line will announce with -pride that he belongs to the “right of the line.” -By this claim is meant that if the British Army -were formed up in line, the regiment for which -the claim is made will be on the right of all the -rest. As a matter of fact this claim on the part -of the cavalryman is incorrect, for when the Royal -Horse Artillery parade with their guns, they take -precedence of all other units, except the Household -Cavalry.</p> - -<p>British cavalry is divided normally into three -regiments of Household Cavalry and twenty-eight -cavalry regiments of the line. These latter are -subdivided into seven regiments of Dragoon Guards, -three of Dragoons, and eighteen regiments of Lancers -and Hussars. Theoretically, Lancers take precedence -over Hussars, but in actual practice the -two classes of cavalry are about equal. Dragoon -Guards and Dragoons rank as heavy cavalry;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_77">77</a></span> -Lancers are supposed to be of medium weight, and -Hussars light cavalry. In reality Dragoon Guards -and Dragoons are slightly heavier than other -corps—except the Household Cavalry, who are -heaviest of all—but Lancers and Hussars are of -about equal weight, both as regards horses and -men.</p> - -<p>The possession of a horse and the duties involved -thereby render the work of a cavalryman vastly -different from that of an infantryman. In the -matter of guard duties, for instance, it would be -possible in time of peace to abolish all infantry -guard duties without affecting the well-being of -the units concerned. In cavalry regiments, on the -other hand, it is absolutely necessary that a certain -number of men should be placed on night guard -over the stables, since horses are capable of doing -themselves a good deal of harm in the course of a -night, if left to themselves. This is only one -instance of the difference between cavalry and -infantry, but it must be apparent to the most -superficial observer that a vast difference exists -between the two arms of the service.</p> - -<p>Cavalrymen affect to despise the infantry, whom -they term “foot sloggers” and “beetle crushers,” -while various other uncomplimentary epithets are -also applied at times to the men who walk while the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_78">78</a></span> -cavalry ride. Each section of the cavalry has its -own particular prides and prejudices. The Household -Cavalry, for instance, consider themselves -entitled to look down on the regiments of the line; -line cavalrymen, conversely, affect to despise the -men of the Household Brigade, who, they say, -count it a hardship to go to Windsor and never -get nearer to foreign service than Aldershot. -Further, a Dragoon Guard considers himself -immensely superior to a mere Dragoon; both -look down—a long way down—on the thought of -service in the Lancers, and all three affect to -despise the idea of serving as Hussars. In the -meantime the Hussars declare that Dragoons are -big, heavy, and useless, while Lancers are not -much better, and the Hussar is the only perfect -cavalryman. All this, however, is a matter of -good-humoured chaff, and in reality Dragoons and -Lancers, or Dragoons and Hussars, or any two -regiments belonging to different branches of the -cavalry, when placed side by side in the same -station, respect each other’s qualities without -undue regard to their particular designations.</p> - -<p>Among the many little legends and traditions of -the cavalry, that attaching to the Carabiniers -(Sixth Dragoon Guards) is as interesting as any, -though not a particularly creditable one. It is<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_79">79</a></span> -alleged that some time during the Peninsular -Campaign this regiment misbehaved itself in some -way, and the sentence passed on it was to the -effect that officers and men alike should no longer -wear the red tunic common to Dragoon and Dragoon -Guard regiments. Thenceforth a blue tunic was -substituted for the more brilliant red, and in -addition a mocking tune was substituted for the -ordinary cavalry réveillé, while the band was ordered -to play before réveillé each morning—possibly the -band was guilty of exceptionally bad behaviour in -order to merit this extra-special punishment. In -any case the blue tunic, the réveillé and the band-playing -have persisted unto this day, and even yet -it is unsafe to inquire too closely of a Carabinier -into the reason of his wearing a blue tunic while -all others of his kind wear red, although the regiment -elected to retain the blue tunic when a -further change of colour was proposed.</p> - -<p>Another tradition is that of the 11th Hussars, -who on one historical occasion were supposed to -have covered themselves in gore and glory to such -an extent that the original colour of their uniforms, -and especially that of their riding-breeches, was no -longer visible. For this meritorious feat, which is -more or less authentic, the regiment was granted the -privilege of wearing cherry-coloured riding-breeches<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_80">80</a></span> -and overalls, and this privilege, like the Carabiniers’ -blue jacket, still survives. It is hardly -necessary to add that the “Cherry-picker,” as the -11th Hussar names himself, is considerably prouder -of his cherry-coloured pants than is the Carabinier -of his jacket. A different explanation of the colour -is that it was adopted in honour of the Prince -Consort, and since the regiment still retains as its -title “The Prince Consort’s Own,” the latter is -more probably correct.</p> - -<p>From the beginning to the end of his service the -cavalryman never gets quite clear of riding school. -Riding-school work forms the chief portion of his -training as a recruit, when he is taught to ride -both with and without stirrups, to take jumps with -folded arms, to vault on to a horse’s back, and, in -brief, to do all that can be done with a horse. -Supposing him to be an average horseman, he -comes back to riding school annually, at least, to -refresh his memory with the old riding-school -lessons, while, if he is a really good horseman, he -is set to training remounts, in the course of which -he has to train practically unbroken horses to do -their part in the work which he himself has learned -on the back of a horse already trained. The best -riders of all in a regiment are singled out as “rough -riders” or riding-school instructors, and their duty<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_81">81</a></span> -is to take charge of rides of remounts, to instruct -men and horses too, and to pay particular attention -to the breaking in of especially unmanageable -young horses.</p> - -<p>The riding-school training adopted in the British -cavalry is based on the system inaugurated by -Baucher, the famous French riding-master who -came over to England and revolutionised all ideas -with regard to horsemastership in the early part -of the nineteenth century. Under this system a -horse is taught to obey pressure of leg and rein to -the fullest possible extent, and the bit mouthpiece -forms only a part of the rider’s means of control. -By this means the horse is saved a good deal of -unnecessary exertion, which is an important thing -as far as cavalry riding is concerned, since the -object of the cavalryman on active service is to -save his horse as far as possible against the need -for speed or effective striking power.</p> - -<p>Following on the work of the riding school the -cavalryman is taught on the drill ground to ride in -line of troop at close order. Theoretically the interval -between men is “six inches from knee to -knee,” but in practice the knees of the men are -touching. When a troop of men can keep line -perfectly at a gallop, a squadron line is formed; -the culminating point of cavalry training is perfection<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_82">82</a></span> -of line in the charge, of which the rate of -progression is the fastest pace of the slowest horse. -A charge produces its greatest effect when the men -ride close together and keep in line, the object -being to effect a definite shock by throwing as -much weight as possible against a given point at -as great a pace as possible. The impact of the -charge, in theory, carries the men who make it -through and beyond the enemy against whom they -have charged, when they are expected to break up -their formation and re-form, facing in the direction -from whence they have come.</p> - -<p>The training which a man has to undergo in -order to fit him for participating in these shock -tactics is necessarily long and severe. In addition -to this, cavalry training is directed toward a multiplicity -of ends. In any military action infantry -have their definite place, which involves bearing -the full brunt of attack, maintaining the defensive, -or in exceptional circumstances assuming the -offensive and charging with the bayonet. Cavalry, -however, very rarely bear the full brunt of a sustained -attack, as their organisation and equipment -render them unfit for prolonged defensive operations. -They are used, generally on the flanks of -a field force, for making flank attacks and pursuing -retreating enemies; they are also used in small<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_83">83</a></span> -bodies, known as patrols, as the eyes and ears of -an army. Preceding other arms of the service in -the advance, they spy out and bring back information -of the position and strength of the enemy, -avoiding actual contact as far as possible. Work -of this kind calls for such initiative and self-reliance -on the part of the rank and file as infantrymen -are seldom called on to exercise.</p> - -<p>Further, all cavalrymen are expected to be as -proficient in the use of the rifle as are infantrymen, -while they have also to learn the use of the sword, -and Lancers still carry and use the lance, which, -carried by a certain proportion of the men in the -ranks of the Dragoon Guards and Dragoons at the -end of the last and beginning of the present -century, is no longer used by them. It will be -seen from the foregoing that a properly trained -cavalryman must be a thoroughly intelligent individual, -and must be capable of greater initiative -and possessed of more resource than his brother -on foot. In many directions, also, he is required -to exercise more initiative than the artilleryman, -who is always protected by an escort either of -cavalry or infantry, and is called on to think for -himself and work the gun himself only when all -his officers and non-commissioned officers have -been shot to stillness.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_84">84</a></span> -At first sight it would appear that the Lancer has -an immense advantage over the man armed only -with a sword, but in actual practice the man with -the sword is slightly better off; the Lancer gets one -effective thrust, but, if this is parried or misses its -object, the man with the sword can get in two or -three thrusts before the Lancer has the chance for -another blow. Thus Dragoons and Dragoon Guards -lose little by the absence of the lance, since they, -in common with all other cavalry regiments, still -carry the sword. The American Army, by the way, -is the only one so far which has tried the experiment -of arming the rank and file of its mounted units -with revolvers or pistols; in the British Army -revolvers are carried only by sergeants and those -of higher rank, and the rank and file trust to cold -steel for mounted work, reserving the rifles which -they carry for use on foot.</p> - -<p>The bane of the cavalryman’s life in his own -opinion is stables, where he spends about four -hours each day in grooming, cleaning, sweeping -out, taking out bedding and bringing it in, and -various other duties. Grooming in a cavalry regiment -is a meticulous business; the writer has -personal knowledge of and acquaintance with a -troop officer who used to make his morning inspection -of the troop horses with white kid gloves on,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_85">85</a></span> -and the horses were supposed to be groomed to -such a state of cleanliness that when the officer -rubbed the skin the wrong way his gloves remained -unsoiled. Such a state of perfection as this, of -course, is possible only in barracks, and it is hardly -necessary to say that the officer in question was -not exactly idolised by his men. Like most youths -fresh from Sandhurst, he was incapable of making -allowances.</p> - -<p>On manœuvres and under canvas generally, -grooming is not expected to be carried to such a -fine point as this; on active service it frequently -happens that there is no time at all for grooming; -but the general rule is to keep horses in such a -state of cleanliness as will avert disease and assist -in keeping the animals in condition. During the -South African war it was found that grey and white -horses were dangerously conspicuous, and animals -of this colour were consequently painted khaki. -It is not many years since a proposal was made -that the 2nd Dragoons, known in the service as the -Scots Greys, from the nationality of the men and -the colour of the horses, should have their grey -horses taken from them and darker coloured -animals substituted. From the time of the founding -of this regiment its men have been proud of -their greys, and the order necessitating their disappearance<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_86">86</a></span> -caused a certain amount of outcry, in -spite of the fact that modern military conditions -rendered the substitution desirable. Regimental -traditions die hard, and the Scots Greys elected to -remain “Greys” in reality, while they will retain -their name as long as the regiment exists.</p> - -<p>The cavalryman, far more than the infantryman, -makes a point of wearing “posh” clothing on -every possible occasion—“posh” being a term -used to designate superior clothing, or articles of -attire other than those issued by and strictly conforming -to the regulations. For walking out in -town, a business commonly known as “square-pushing,” -the cavalryman who fancies himself will -be found in superfine cloth overalls, wearing nickel -spurs instead of the regulation steel pair, and with -light, thin-soled boots instead of the Wellingtons -with which he is issued. It is a commonplace among -the infantry that a cavalryman spends half his pay -and more on “posh” clothing, but probably the -accusation is a little unjust.</p> - -<p>There is in the cavalry a greater percentage of -gentleman rankers than in any other branch of the -service, and there are more queer histories attaching -to men in cavalry regiments than in units of -the other arms. The gentleman ranker usually -shakes down to a level with the rest of the regiment.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_87">87</a></span> -It has never yet come within the writer’s knowledge -that any officer accorded to a gentleman -ranker different treatment from that enjoyed by -the majority of the men, in spite of the assertions -of melodrama writers on the subject. Favouritism -in the cavalry, as in any branch of the service, is -fatal to discipline, and is not indulged in to any great -extent, certainly not to the benefit of gentlemen -rankers as a whole. Work and efficiency stand -first; social position in civilian life counts for -nothing, and the gentleman ranker who joins the -service with a view to a commission must prove -himself fitted to hold it from a military point of -view.</p> - -<p>The gentleman ranker is frequently a remittance -man, and in that case he is certain of many friends, -for the frequenters of the canteen are usually short -of money a day or two before pay-day comes round, -and thus the man with a well-lined pocket is of -material use to them. Disinterested friendships, -however, are too common in the Army to call for -comment, and many and many a case occurs of -one cavalryman, quick at his work, helping another -at cleaning saddlery or equipment after he has -finished his own, without thought or hope of -reward.</p> - -<p>The mention of saddlery takes us back to stables,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_88">88</a></span> -where the cavalryman goes far too often for his -own peace of mind, although, as a matter of fact, -the three stable parades per day which he has to -undergo are absolutely necessary for the well-being -of the horses. The really smart cavalryman is -conspicuous not only for keeping his horse in -exceptionally good condition, but also for the way -in which he keeps the leather and steel-work of his -saddle and head-dress. Regulations enact that all -steel-work in the stables shall be kept free from -rust, and slightly oiled, and leather-work shall be -cleaned and kept in condition with soft soap and -dubbin only. This regulation, however, is honoured -in the breach rather than in the observance, for -by the use of brick-dust followed by the application -of a steel-link burnisher steel-work is given the -appearance of brilliantly polished silver, and -various patent compositions are used on leather to -give it a glossy surface, this latter with very little -regard for the preservation of the leather. All this -means a lot of extra work in the stable for the -cavalryman; it is induced in the first place by one -man desiring to give his outfit a better appearance -than the rest. The squadron officer approves of -the polish and brilliance—or perhaps the troop -officer is responsible—and as a result all the men -take up what is merely extra work with no real<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_89">89</a></span> -resulting advantage. In some extra-smart units -the men are even required by their superiors to -scrub the stable wheelbarrows and burnish the -forks used for turning over the bedding, but this, -it must be confessed, is not a general practice. At -the same time, the fetish of polish and burnish is -worshipped far too well in cavalry units, with the -occasional result that efficiency takes second place -in time of peace to mere surface smartness.</p> - -<p>As has already been stated in a different connection, -the barrack-room life of the cavalryman is -easier than that of the infantryman. Kit inspections -and arms inspections take place at stated -intervals, and barrack-rooms are kept clean, -though not kept with such fussy exactness as in -infantry units. The trained cavalryman in normal -times finishes the main part of his work at midday. -He then has his dinner, and after this makes down -his bed as it will be for the night. Unless it is his -turn for fatigue, he generally snoozes through the -afternoon until about half-past four, when it is -time to get ready for stable parade. In India -especially a cavalryman has a light time of it, for -there is allotted to each squadron a definite number -of syces, or native grooms, who assist the men as -well as the non-commissioned officers in the care -of their horses, and who do a good deal of the necessary<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_90">90</a></span> -saddle-cleaning. Cavalry serving in Egypt -also get a certain amount of assistance in their -work, and, on the whole, a cavalryman is far better -off on foreign service than he is in a home station. -The advantages of the home station consist mainly -in the presence of congenial society among the -civilians of the station. The soldier abroad is a -being apart, and for the most part civilians leave -him very much alone. There remains, however, -the ever-present football by way of consolation.</p> - -<p>As in infantry units, bodies of signallers and -scouts are necessary to the establishment of every -cavalry regiment. Signallers, for the period of -their training, are excused from all duties connected -with horses and stable work. Cavalry scouts, on -the other hand, have to use their horses in the course -of their training, and thus attend stables like the -rest of the men, although stable discipline in their -case is somewhat relaxed. The cavalry scout -requires more training than the infantry scout; -with his horse he is able to go farther afield, and -his work is more definitely that of reconnaissance -and the obtaining of information which may be of -more use to a brigade or divisional commander -than that any infantryman is capable of obtaining -without a horse to carry him.</p> - -<p>To his other accomplishments the cavalryman<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_91">91</a></span> -is expected to add some slight knowledge of -veterinary matters, in order that, when forced to -depend on himself and his horse, he can find -remedies for simple ailments, and keep the horse -in a state of fitness. The shoeing-smith and farriers -who form a special department of every cavalry -regiment are under the control of the veterinary -officer included in the establishment of each cavalry -unit, and the veterinary officer constitutes the -final court of appeal when anything affecting a -“long-faced chum” is in question.</p> - -<p>Sufficient has been said about the cavalryman -on duty to show that his tasks are legion. His -fitness to perform them has been attested on recent -battlefields as well as on earlier historic occasions. -Off duty and in time of peace he is, in the main, -a fairly pleasant fellow, often a very shy one, and -usually capable of using the King’s English in -reasonable fashion. The average cavalryman has -a sufficiency of aspirates, and, in the matter of -intelligence, the nature of the duties he is called -upon to perform voices his claims quite sufficiently.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_92">92</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="vspace"><a id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI<br /> - -<span class="subhead">ARTILLERY AND ENGINEERS</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap1">The</span> Royal Artillery of the British Army is -divided into three branches, known respectively -as Horse, Field, and Garrison Artillery. -In normal times the Royal Horse Artillery consists -of some twenty-eight batteries, distinguished by the -letters of the alphabet, together with a depot and -a riding establishment. On parade the Horse -Artillery batteries take precedence of all other -units, with the exception of Household Cavalry. -The Royal Field Artillery consists of 150 batteries -and four depots, and the Royal Garrison Artillery -consists of 100 companies and nine mountain -batteries.</p> - -<p>“A” Battery of the Royal Horse is officially -designated the “Chestnut” troop, from the colour -of its horses, and the Horse Artillery as a whole is -one of the few corps of the service which retains -the stable jacket for parade use. In the case of -the R.H.A. this garment is of dark blue with yellow -braid, and the head-dress of the horse gunner is<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_93">93</a></span> -a busby with white plume and scarlet busby-bag, -similar to that of the Hussars. The Field and -Garrison Artillery wear tunics in full dress, and -their helmets are surmounted by a ball instead of -a spike.</p> - -<p>While the weapon of the Field Artillery is the -18½-pounder quick-firing gun, and gunners ride on -the gun and limber, the R.H.A. is armed with the -13-pounder quick-firing gun, and its gunners are -mounted on horseback. The object of this is to -obtain extreme mobility. The Royal Horse are -expected to be able to execute all their manœuvres -at a gallop, and to get into and out of action more -quickly than the Field Artillery. They are designed -specially to accompany cavalry in flying-column -work; their mobility is only achieved by a sacrifice -of weight in the projectile which the gun throws, -and they are only expected to hold a position supported -by cavalry until the heavier guns come -into play. The horse gunners may be regarded as -the scouts of the artillery, in the sense in which the -cavalry are the scouts of the whole army.</p> - -<p>Since, in the Royal Horse, gunners as well as -drivers are mounted, the number of horses to a -battery is greater than in the Field Artillery, and -work is consequently harder. Officers of the Royal -Horse are specially selected from the R.F.A., to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_94">94</a></span> -which they return on promotion, and the rank and -file are picked men, chosen for physique and -smartness. It is a maxim of the service that the -work of the R.H.A. is never done, and when one -takes into account the fact that gunners have a -horse and saddle apiece to care for as well as their -gun, while drivers have two horses and two sets -of harness apiece to keep in condition, it will be -seen that there is a certain amount of truth in the -statement. In old times, when field-day and -manœuvre parades were carried through in review -order, the horse gunner was eternally in debt over -the matter of the yellow braid with which his -stable jacket is adorned, for these jackets are -particularly difficult to keep clean. The general -adoption of service dress for working parade has -neutralised this disability. The horse gunner of -to-day is a very good soldier indeed in every respect, -both by real aptitude for his work and by compulsion.</p> - -<p>Not that the men of the Field Artillery are not -equally good soldiers, for they are. The Field -Artillery, however, divides itself naturally into -two branches, drivers and gunners. Each driver -has two horses and two sets of harness to manage, -and, if the cavalryman has reason to grouse at the -length of time he spends at stables, the driver<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_95">95</a></span> -of the “Field” has more than four times as much -reason to grouse. Moreover, the cavalryman is -permitted to clean his saddlery during the official -stable hour, but drivers of the R.F.A. are expected -to concentrate their attention on their horses -during the time that they are officially at stables; -they can stay in the stables and get their sets of -harness cleaned and fit for inspection in their own -time. They are then at liberty to clean up their -own personal equipment, and, until the turn for -guard comes round, have the rest of their time to -themselves.</p> - -<p>Gunners of the R.F.A. have all their time taken -up by the care of the gun, its fittings and appointments, -as well as by the various separate instruments -connected with the use of a gun. For instance, all -arms of the service possess and make use of range-finding -instruments, known as mekometers, but -in the artillery the mekometer is a larger and -more complicated affair, for the range of the gun is -several times greater than that of the rifle, and -range finding is consequently a far more complex -business. The simple gunner must understand -this, just as he must understand the business of -“laying” or adjusting the sights of the gun to the -required range, the use of telescopic sights, the -delicate mechanism of the breech-block, the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_96">96</a></span> -method of putting the gun out of action or -rendering it useless in ease of emergency, and a -hundred and one other things which involve -really complicated technical knowledge, and lie in -the province of the commissioned officer rather -than in that of a private soldier. The reason for -teaching these things to the private soldier lies in -the accumulated experience which shows that on -many occasions all the officers and non-commissioned -officers of a battery have been blown to -pieces by the enemy’s fire, and there have remained -only a few private soldiers to do their own work -and that of their officers as well. It is to the eternal -credit of the Army, and especially to that of the -artillery, that men thus placed have never once -failed to do their duty nobly, and the present war -has already afforded more than one instance of -single men sticking to their guns to the last. -Desertion of the guns has never yet been charged -against British artillery, nor is it ever likely to be.</p> - -<p>Field-guns are always accompanied by an -escort, sometimes of cavalry, but more often of -infantry, for the gunner is admittedly helpless -against infantry at close range or against charging -cavalry. The charge of the Light Brigade at -Balaclava forms an instance of what cavalry can -do against unescorted guns, and, though the pattern<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_97">97</a></span> -of gun in use has changed for the better, the projectile -being far more powerful, and the number of -shells per minute far greater, such feats as that of -the immortal Light Brigade are still within the -range of possibility.</p> - -<p>The business of the gunner in an army assuming -the offensive is to open the attack. The fuse of the -shrapnel shell is so timed that the missile, which -contains a quantity of bullets and a bursting -charge of powder, shall explode immediately over -the position held by the enemy. When a sufficient -number of shells have been fired to weaken resistance, -the infantry advance in order to drive the -enemy from the chosen position. In defensive -action the use of the gun lies in retarding the -advance of the enemy, and inflicting as much damage -as possible before rifles and machine-guns can come -into play.</p> - -<p>For this business ranges must be taken swiftly -and accurately. Loading must be performed -expeditiously, and, though the pneumatic recoil -of the modern field-gun renders it far less liable -to shift in action, the sights must be correctly -aligned after each shot. A gun crew must work -swiftly and without confusion, and peace training -is devoted to attaining that quickness and thorough -efficiency which renders a battery formidable in war.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_98">98</a></span> -There is, perhaps, less show about the work of a -gunner than in that of any other arm of the service -with the exception of the Royal Engineers. A -good bit of his work is extremely dirty; cleaning -a gun, for instance, after firing practice with -smokeless powder, is a hopelessly messy business, -and the infantryman, who pulls his rifle through -and extracts the fouling in about five minutes, -would feel sorry for himself if he were called on to -share in the work of cleaning the bore of an -18½-pounder after firing practice. There is a -considerable amount of drill of a complicated -nature which the field-gunner has to learn in -addition to ordinary foot-drill; there is all the -mechanism of the gun to be understood; there -are courses in range-finding, gun-laying, signalling, -and other things, and on the whole it is not surprising -that it takes at least five years to render a field -gunner thoroughly conversant with his work. The -finished article is rather a business-like man, -quieter as a rule in his ways than his fellows in the -cavalry and infantry, rather serious, and little -given to boasting about the excellence of service -in the Royal Field Artillery. He knows his worth -and that of his arm too well to waste breath in -declaring them.</p> - -<p>The driver of the Field Artillery has even more<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_99">99</a></span> -of riding-school work to do than the average -cavalryman. It would be idle to say that he is a -better rider, for the average cavalryman is as good -a rider as it is possible for a man to be. Artillery -horses, however, are heavy and unhandy compared -with cavalry mounts, and the driver has not only -to drive the horse he rides, but has also to lead and -control the horse abreast of his own. The principal -responsibility for the path which the gun takes lies -with the lead or foremost driver, though almost -as much responsibility is entailed on the man -controlling the wheel or rearmost horses, and, -compared with these two, the centre driver has an -easy time of it in mounted drill and field work.</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding the extremely hard work to -which drivers of artillery are subjected, the same -trouble over harness as obtains over cavalry -saddlery is experienced in some batteries. “Soft -soap and oil” are the cleaning materials prescribed -by the regulations, but certain battery commanders -enforce the use of steel-link burnishers on -steel-work, and brilliant polish on leather, the last-named -polish being obtained by the use of a -mysterious combination of heel-ball, turpentine, -harness composition, and, according to legend, old -soldiers’ breath. The mixture is known among -the drivers as “fake,” and “fake and burnish”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_100">100</a></span> -is synonymous with unending work in the stables. -It is the fetish of smartness, a misdirected enthusiasm, -which brings things like this to pass and -inflicts extra work on men whose energies should -be devoted solely to the attaining of fitness for -active service, where “fake and burnish” have -no place.</p> - -<p>The Royal Horse and Royal Field Artillery are -the only branches of the service in which substantial -prizes are given annually to encourage -men in their work. In each battery three money -prizes are offered for competition among the -drivers; the amounts offered are substantial, and -the general result is a spirit of healthy emulation, -though far too often, and with the full sanction of -the battery officer, this degenerates into the “fake -and burnish” craze. This, however, is not the -fault of the prize-giving system, but of the officers -who not only permit, but encourage and even -order this unnecessary work, which, while entailing -added labour on the men, assists in the deterioration -of the leather-work in harness. For all leatherwork -requires constant feeding with oil in order to -keep it fit and pliant, while the “fake” dries the -fibres of the leather and starves it, rendering it -liable to cracking and perishing.</p> - -<p>The branch of the Artillery of which least is<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_101">101</a></span> -heard is that of the Royal Garrison Artillery, whose -hundred companies are scattered about the British -Empire in obscure corners, engaged in the work of -coast defence and the management of siege guns. -It is fortunate for the garrison gunners that they -have no “long-faced chums” to worry about, for -they are admittedly the hardest-worked branch of -the service as it is. Gibraltar houses several -companies; you will find some of them managing -the big guns at Dover, and at every protected port. -They are big men, all; strong men, and lithe and -active, for their work involves the hauling about -of heavy weights, combined with cat-like quickness -in loading and firing their many-patterned -charges. The horse and field gunner have each to -learn one pattern of gun thoroughly, but the -garrison gunner, employed almost entirely in -garrisoning defensive fortifications, has to learn -the use of half a hundred patterns, from the little -one-pounder quick-firer to the big gun on its -disappearing platform, and the 13·4-inch siege-gun. -The horse and field gunner may complete their -education some day, for the pattern of field-gun -changes but seldom, and the present pattern is not -likely to be improved on for some years to come. -The garrison gunner, however, is the victim of -experiment, for every new gun that comes out,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_102">102</a></span> -after being tested and passed either at Lydd or -Shoeburyness, is handed on to the garrison gunners -for use, and there is a new set of equipment and -mechanism to be mastered. In order to ascertain -the quality of their work, one has only to get permission -to visit the nearest fort, when it will be seen -that the guns are cared for like babies, nursed and -polished and covered away with full appreciation -of their power and value.</p> - -<p>Garrison gunners suffer from worse stations than -any other branch of the service. They are planted -away on lonely coast stations for two or three years -at a time, and Aden, the bane of foreign service in -the infantryman’s estimation, is a pleasant place -compared with some which garrison gunners are -compelled to inhabit for a period. Lonely islands -in the West Indies, isolated places on the Indian and -African coast, forts placed far away from contact -with civilians in the British Isles—all these fall -to the lot of the garrison gunner, and the nature of -his work is such that, unlike his fellows in the field -and horse artillery, he gets neither infantry nor -cavalry escort.</p> - -<p>Reckoned in with the Garrison Artillery are the -nine Mountain Batteries, which, organised for -service on such hilly country as is provided by the -Indian frontier, form a not inconspicuous part of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_103">103</a></span> -the British Army. In these batteries the guns are -carried in sections on pack animals; Kipling has -immortalised the Mountain Batteries in his verses -on “The Screw Guns,” a title which conveys an -allusion to the fact that the guns of the Mountain -Batteries screw and fit together for use. The use -of these guns can be but local, for they are not -sufficiently mobile to oppose to ordinary field-guns -on level ground, nor is the projectile that they -throw of sufficient weight to give them a chance -in a duel with field-guns. They are, however, -extremely useful things for the purpose for which -they are intended; they form a necessary factor -in the maintenance of order on the north-west -frontier of India, and, together with their gun -crews, they instil a certain measure of respect into -the turbulent tribes of that uneasy land.</p> - -<p>A consideration of the various branches of the -service would be incomplete if mention of the -Royal Engineers were omitted. The Engineers are -looked on as a sister service to the Royal Artillery, -and consist of various troops, companies, and -sections, according to the technical work they are -called on to perform. Thus there are field troops -of mounted engineers for service with cavalry, -field companies for duty with the field army, -fortress companies for service in conjunction with<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_104">104</a></span> -the garrison gunners, balloon sections and telegraph -sections for the use of the intelligence -department, and pontoon companies for field -bridging work. Every engineer of full age is -expected to be a trained tradesman when he -enlists, and the special qualifications demanded -of this branch of the service are acknowledged by a -higher rate of pay than that accorded to any other -arm. The motto of the Engineers, “Ubique,” is -fully justified, for they are not only expected to be, -but are, capable of every class of work, from making -a pepper-caster out of a condensed-milk tin to -throwing across a river a bridge capable of conveying -siege-guns. There is no end to their -activities, and no end to their enterprise, and in -the opinion of many the Engineers, officers and -men alike, are the most capable and efficient body -of men in any branch of the Government service.</p> - -<p>Their work is little seen; to their lot falls the -task of constructing the barbed-wire entanglements -with the assistance of which infantry -battalions can put up a magnificent defence against -any kind of attack; the Engineers are responsible -for the construction of the bridge by means of -which the cavalry arrive unexpectedly on the -other side of the river and spoil the enemy’s plans -by getting round his flank; it is the Engineers,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_105">105</a></span> -again, who repair the blown-up railway line and -permit of the transport of trainloads of troops to -an unexpected point of vantage, thus again upsetting -the plans of the enemy. One hears of the -magnificent defence maintained by the infantry; -one hears of the brilliant exploits of the cavalry on -the flank of the enemy; one hears also of the skill -of the commander who moved the troops with such -suddenness and disconcerted his enemy; but the -work of the Engineers, who made these things -possible, generally goes unrecognised outside -military circles, and the Engineers themselves -have to reap their satisfaction out of the knowledge -of work well done.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_106">106</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="vspace"><a id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII<br /> - -<span class="subhead">IN CAMP</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap1">In</span> going to camp, transferring from the solid -shelter of barracks to the more doubtful -comfort of crowding under a canvas roof, the -soldier feels that he is getting somewhere near the -conditions under which he will be placed on active -service. The pitching of camp, especially by an -infantry battalion, is a parade movement, and as -such is an interesting business. It begins with -the laying out of the tents in their bags, and the -tent poles beside them, near the positions which -the erected tents will occupy. The bags are -emptied of their contents; men are told off to -poles, guy ropes, mallets and pegs; the tents are -fully unfolded, and, at a given word of command, -every tent goes up to be pegged into place in the -shortest possible space of time. At the beginning -of a given ten minutes there will be lying on -otherwise unoccupied ground rows of bags and -poles; at the end of that same ten minutes a -canvas town is in being, and the men who are to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_107">107</a></span> -occupy that town are thinking of fetching in their -kits.</p> - -<p>Under ordinary circumstances, from four to -eight men are told off to occupy each tent, but on -manœuvres and on active service these numbers -are exceeded more often than not. During the -South African war the present writer once had -the doubtful pleasure of being the twenty-fourth -man in an ordinary military bell-tent. The next -night and thereafter, wet or fine, half the men -allotted to that tent made a point of sleeping in -the open air. It was preferable.</p> - -<p>Life in camp is an enjoyable business so long as -the weather continues fine and not too boisterous; -discipline is relaxed to a certain extent while -under canvas, open-air life renders the appetite -keener, and one’s enjoyment of life is more -thorough than is the case in barracks. Wet -weather, however, changes all this. The luxury -of floor-boards is a rare one even in a standing -camp, and, no matter what one may do in the way -of digging trenches round the tent and draining -off surplus water by all possible means, a moist -unpleasantness renders life a burden and causes -equipment and arms to need about twice as much -cleaning as under normal circumstances.</p> - -<p>Camp life breeds yarns unending, and in wet<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_108">108</a></span> -weather, or in the hours after dark, men sit and -tell hirsute chestnuts to each other for lack of -better occupation. If the weather is fine there -are plenty of varieties of sport, including the ubiquitous -football to occupy spare minutes, but yarns -and tobacco form the principal solace of hours -which cannot be filled in more active ways. There -is one yarn which, like all yarns, has the merit of -being perfectly true, but, unlike most, is not nearly -so well known as it ought to be. It concerns a -cavalry regiment which settled down for a brief -space at Potchefstroom after the signing of peace -in South Africa.</p> - -<p>Some months previous to the signing of peace, a -certain lieutenant of this regiment, known to his -men and his fellow officers as “Bulgy,” became -possessed of a young baboon, which grew and -throve exceedingly at the end of a stout chain -that secured the captive to one of the transport -wagons of the regiment. Bulgy’s servant was -entrusted with the care of the monkey, which, -after the manner of baboons, was a competent -thief from infancy, and inclined to be savage if -thwarted. On one occasion, in particular, Bulgy’s -monkey got loose, and got at the officers’ mess -wagon; it had a good feed of biscuits and other -delicacies, and retired at length, followed by the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_109">109</a></span> -mess caterer, who expostulated violently both -with Bulgy’s servant and with Bulgy’s monkey, -until a tin of ox-tongues skilfully aimed by the -monkey caught him below the belt and winded -him. After that, as Bret Harte says, the subsequent -proceedings interested him no more.</p> - -<p>Well, the regiment arrived at Potchefstroom and -settled down under canvas, with an average of -eight men to a tent and the horse lines of each -troop placed at right-angles to the lines of tents. -Bulgy’s monkey was given a place away on the -outside of the lines, with the other end of his chain -attached to a tree-stump, and there, for a time, -he rested, fed sparingly and abused plentifully by -Bulgy’s servant. In the regiment itself money -was plentiful at the time, and it was the custom in -the tents which housed drinking men for the eight -tent-mates to get in a can of beer before the canteen -closed. Over the beer they would sit and yarn -and play cards until “lights out” sounded.</p> - -<p>One night, eight men sat round their can of beer -in a tent of “A” Squadron, to which, by the way, -Bulgy belonged. These eight had nearly reached -the bottom of the can. They had blown out all -the candles in the tent save one, which would -remain for illumination until “lights out” sounded. -The last man to unroll his blankets and get to bed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_110">110</a></span> -had just finished, and was sitting up in order to -blow out the last remaining candle, when the flap -of the tent was raised from the back, and a hairy, -grinning, evil face, which might have been that of -the devil himself, looked in on the sleepy warriors. -They, for their part, were too startled to investigate -the occurrence, and the sight of that face prevented -them from stopping to unfasten the tent flap in -order to get out. They simply went out, under the -flies, anyhow; one man tried to climb the tent pole, -possibly with a vague idea of getting out through -the ventilating holes at the top, but he finally -went out under the fly of the tent like the rest, -taking with him the sting of a vicious whack which -the hairy devil aimed at him with a chain that it -carried. While these eight men were fleeing -through the night, the devil with the chain came -out from the tent, and, seeing a line of startled -horses before it, leaped upon the back of the -nearest horse, gave the animal a thundering blow -with its chain, and hopped lightly on to the back -of the next horse in the row, repeating the performance -there. In almost as little time as it -takes to tell, a squadron of stampeding horses -followed the eight men of the tent on their journey -toward the skyline, and in the black and windy -dark the remaining men of “A” Squadron turned<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_111">111</a></span> -out to fetch their terrified horses back to camp, -and, when they knew the cause of the disturbance, -to curse Bulgy’s monkey even more fervently -than Bulgy’s servant had cursed it. The end of it -all was that eight men of “A” Squadron signed -the pledge, and Bulgy left off keeping the monkey; -it was too expensive a form of amusement.</p> - -<p>This is a typical camp yarn, and a military camp -is full of yarns, some better than this, and some -worse.</p> - -<p>In camp, more than anywhere else, the soldier -learns to be handy. The South African war taught -men to kill and cut up their own meat, to make a -cooking fire out of nothing, to cook for themselves, -to wash up—though most of them had learned -this in barracks—to wash their own underclothing, -darn their own socks, and do all necessary mending -to their clothes. It taught cavalrymen the value -of a horse, in addition to giving them an insight -to the foregoing list of accomplishments. It was, -for the first year or so, a strenuous business of -fighting, but the last twelve months of the war -consisted for many men far more of marching and -camp experience than actual war service. It was -an ideal training school and gave an insight into -camp life under the best possible circumstances; -its lessons were invaluable, and much of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_112">112</a></span> -practice of the Army of to-day is derived from -experience obtained during that campaign.</p> - -<p>One failing to which men—and especially young -soldiers—are liable in camp life consists in that -when they return to camp, thoroughly tired after -a long day’s manœuvring or marching, they will -not take the trouble to cook and get ready for -themselves the food without which they ought not -to be allowed to retire to rest. In the French Army, -officers make a point of urging their men to -prepare food for themselves immediately on their -return to camp, but in the English Army this -matter is left to the discretion of the men themselves, -with the result that some of them frequently -go to bed for the night without being properly fed. -This course, if persisted in, almost invariably leads -to illness, and it is important that men under -canvas should be properly fed at the end of the -day as well as at the beginning and during the -course of their work.</p> - -<p>When under canvas in time of peace, the authorities -of most units reduce their demands on -their men in comparison with barrack life. It is -generally understood that a man cannot turn out -in review order, or in “burnish and fake,” with -the restrictions of a canvas town about him. In -some units, however, this point is not sufficiently<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_113">113</a></span> -considered, and as much is asked of men as when -they have the conveniences of barracks all about -them. The result of this is sullenness and bad -working on the part of the men; the short-sightedness -of officers leads them to press their demands -while men are in the bad temper caused by too -much being put upon them, and the final result -is what is known technically in the Army as an -excess of “crime.” A string of men far in excess -of the usual number is wheeled up in front of the -company or commanding officer to be “weighed -off,” and the number of men on defaulters’ parade, -or undergoing punishment fatigues, steadily increases. -Although in theory the soldier has the -right of complaint, if he feels himself aggrieved, to -successive officers, even up to the general officer -commanding the brigade or division in which he -is serving, in practice he finds these complaints -of so little real use to him that he expresses his -discontent by means of incurring “crime,” or, in -other words, by getting into trouble in some way. -There is no accounting for this habit; it is the -way of the soldier, and no further explanation can -be given. Squadrons of cavalry have been known -to cut all their saddlery to pieces, and companies -of infantry to render their belts and equipment -useless, by way of expressing their discontent or<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_114">114</a></span> -disgust at undue harshness. The relaxation of -discipline and the absence of barrack-room -soldiering when under canvas is a privilege which -the soldier values highly, and it ought not to be -curtailed in any way.</p> - -<p>A pleasant form of camping which many units -on home service enjoy is the annual musketry -camp. It happens often that there is no musketry -range within convenient marching distance of the -place in which a unit is stationed, and, in that case, -the unit sends its men, one or two companies or -squadrons at a time, to camp in the vicinity of -the musketry range allotted to their use. The -firing of the actual musketry course is in itself an -interesting business, and it brings out a pleasant -spirit of emulation among the men concerned. -Keenness is always displayed in the attempt to -attain the coveted score which entitles a man to -wear crossed guns on his sleeve for the ensuing -twelve months, and proclaims him a “marksman.” -In addition to this there is the pleasant sense of -freedom engendered by life under canvas, and the -access of health induced thereby. The soldier, in -common with most healthy men, enjoys roughing -it up to a point, and life in a musketry camp -seldom takes him beyond the point at which -enjoyment ceases.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_115">115</a></span> -Infantry units serving in foreign and colonial -stations are frequently split up into detachments -consisting of one or more companies, and serving -each at a different place. This detachment duty, -as it is called, as often as not involves life under -canvas, and it may be understood that life under -the tropical or sub-tropical conditions of foreign -and colonial stations can be a very pleasant -thing. Here, as in home stations, sufficient work -is provided to keep the soldier from overmuch -meditation. Time is allowed, however, for sport -and recreation, and, even when thrown entirely -on their own resources for amusement, troops are -capable of making the time pass quickly and -easily.</p> - -<p>While on the subject of camping there is one -more yarn of South Africa and the war which -merits telling, although it only concerns a bad -case of “nerves.” It happened during the last -year of the war that a column crossed the Modder -River from south to north, going in the direction -of Brandfort, and camp was pitched for the night -just to the north of the Glen Drift. At this point -in its course the Modder runs between steep, cliff-like -banks, from which a belt of mimosa scrub -stretches out for nearly a quarter of a mile on each -side of the river. After camp had been pitched<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_116">116</a></span> -for the night, the sentries round about the camp -were finally posted with a special view to guarding -the drift, the northward front of the column, and -its flanks. Only two or three sentries, however, -were considered necessary to protect the rear, -which rested on the impenetrable belt of mimosa -scrub along the river bank.</p> - -<p>One of these sentries along the scrub came on -duty at midnight, just after the moon had gone -down. He “took over” from the sentry who -preceded him on the post, and started to keep -watch according to orders, though in his particular -position there was little enough to watch. Quite -suddenly he grew terribly afraid, not with a -natural kind of fear, but with the nightmarish kind -of terror that children are known to experience in -the dark. His reason told him that in the position -that he occupied there was nothing which could -possibly harm him, for behind him was the bush, -through which a man could not even crawl, -while before him and to either side was the -chain of sentries, of which he formed a part, -surrounding his sleeping comrades. His imagination, -however, or possibly his instinct, insisted -that something uncanny and evil was -watching him from the darkness of the tangled -mimosa bushes, and was waiting a chance to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_117">117</a></span> -strike at him in some horrible fashion. He tried -to shake off this childish fear, to assure himself -that it could not possibly be other than a trick of -“nerves” brought on by darkness and the need -for keeping watch, when—crash!—something -struck him with tremendous force in the back and -sent him forward on his face.</p> - -<p>Half stunned, he picked himself up from the -ground, and the pain in his back was sufficient to -assure him that he had not merely fallen asleep -and imagined the whole business. With his -loaded rifle at the ready he searched the edge of -the mimosa bush as closely as he was able, but -could discover nothing; he had an idea of communicating -with the sentry next in the line to -himself, but, since there was no further disturbance, -and nothing to show, he decided to say nothing, -but simply to stick to his post until the next relief -came round.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the uncanny sense of terror returned -to him, intensified. He felt certain this time that -the evil thing which had struck him before would -strike again, and he felt certain that he was being -watched by unseen eyes. He was new to the -country; as an irregular he was new to military -ways, and he promised himself that if ever he got -safely home he would not volunteer for active<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_118">118</a></span> -service again. The sense of something unseen and -watching him grew, and with it grew also the -nightmarish terror, until he was actually afraid to -move. Then, by means of the same mysterious -agency, he was struck again to the ground, and -this time he lay only partially conscious and quite -helpless until the reliefs came round. The sergeant -in charge of the reliefs had an idea at first of -making the man a close prisoner for lying down -and sleeping at his post, but after a little investigation -he changed his mind and sent one of his men -for the doctor instead.</p> - -<p>The doctor announced, after examination, that -if the blow which felled the man had struck him -a few inches higher up in the back he would not -have been alive to remember it, and the man -himself was taken into hospital for a few days to -recover from the injuries so mysteriously inflicted. -In the morning the column moved off on its way, -and no satisfactory reason could be adduced for -the midnight occurrence.</p> - -<p>But residents in that district will tell you, unto -this day, that one who has the patience to keep -quiet and watch in the moonlight can see -baboons come up from the mimosa scrub and -amuse themselves by throwing clods of earth and -rocks at each other.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_119">119</a></span> -It is a good camp story, and I tell it as it was -told to me, without vouching for its truth. Any -man who cares to go into a military camp—by -permission of the officer commanding, of course—and -has the tact and patience to win the confidence -of the soldiers in the camp, can hear stories equally -good, and plenty of them. For, as previously -remarked, camp life breeds yarns.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_120">120</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="vspace"><a id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII<br /> - -<span class="subhead">MUSKETRY</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap al"><span class="smcap1">Although</span> the musket of old time became -obsolete before the memory of living man, -the term “musketry” survives yet, and probably -will always survive for laconic description of the -art and practice of military rifle-shooting. Musketry -is the primary business of the infantry soldier, -and it also enters largely into the training of the -cavalryman, who is expected to be able to dismount -and hold a desired position until infantry -arrive to relieve him.</p> - -<p>So far as the recruit is concerned, by far the -greater part of the necessary instruction in musketry -takes place not on the rifle range, but on -the regimental or battalion drill-ground, where the -beginner is taught the correct positions for shooting -while standing, kneeling, and lying. He is taught -the various parts of his weapon and their peculiar -uses; he is taught that when a wind gauge is -adjusted one division to either side, it makes a -lateral difference of a foot for every hundred yards<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_121">121</a></span> -in the ultimate destination of the bullet. He is -taught the business of fine adjustment of sights, -taught with clips of dummy cartridges how to -charge the magazine of his rifle. The extreme -effectiveness of the weapon is impressed on him, -and the instructor not only tells him that he must -not point a loaded rifle at a pal, but also explains -the reason for this, and usually draws attention to -accidents that have occurred through disregard of -elementary rules of caution. For long experience -has demonstrated that the unpractised man is -liable to be careless in the way in which he handles -a rifle, and the recruit, being at a careless age, and -often coming from a careless class, is especially -prone to make mistakes unless the need for caution -is well hammered home.</p> - -<p>At first glance, a rifle is an extremely simple -thing. You pull back the bolt, insert a cartridge, -and close the bolt. Then you put the rifle to your -shoulder and pull the trigger—and the trick is done. -But first impressions are misleading, and the recruit -has to be trained in the use of the rifle until he -understands that he has been given charge of a -very delicate and complex piece of mechanism, of -which the parts are so finely adjusted that it will -send its bullet accurately for a distance of 2800 -yards—considerably over a mile and a half. In<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_122">122</a></span> -order to maintain the accuracy of the instrument -the recruit is taught by means of a series of lessons, -which seem to him insufferably long and tedious, -how to clean, care for, and handle his rifle. An -immense amount of time and care is given to the -business of teaching him exactly how to press the -trigger, for on the method of pressing the quality -of the shot depends very largely. The musketry -instructor gives individual instruction to each man -in this, and the man is made to undergo “snapping -practice”—that is, repeatedly pressing the trigger -of the empty rifle until he has gained sufficient -experience to have some idea of what will happen -when the trigger is pressed with a live cartridge in -front of the bolt.</p> - -<p>When the recruit has been well grounded in the -theory of using a rifle, he is taken to the rifle range -for actual practice with real ammunition. He -starts off at the 200 yards’ range with a large target -before him, and, in all probability, the first shot -that he fires scores a bull’s-eye. He feels at once -that he knows a good bit more about the use of a -rifle than the man who is instructing him, and at -the given word he aims and fires again. This time -he is lucky if he scores an outer; more often than -not the bullet either strikes the ground half-way -up the range, or goes sailing over the back of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_123">123</a></span> -butts, and the recruit, with a nasty painful feeling -about his shoulder, has an idea that rifle-shooting -is a tricky business, after all. The fact was that, -with his experience of “snapping,” he had learned -to pull the trigger—or rather, to press it—without -experiencing the kick of the rifle; that kick, felt -with the first real firing, caused an instinctive recoil -on his part in firing the second time. Later on he -learns to stand the kick, and to mitigate its effects -by holding the rifle firmly in to his shoulder, and -from that time onward he begins to improve in -the art of rifle-shooting and to make consistent -practice.</p> - -<p>For the recruits’ course, the targets are naturally -larger and the conditions easier than when the -trained man fires. At the conclusion of the -recruits’ course, the men are graded into “marksmen,” -who are the best shots of all, first-class, -second-class, and third-class shots, and they have -to qualify in each annual “duty-man’s” course of -firing in order to retain or improve their positions -as shots. Before the new regulations, which made -pay dependent on proficiency on the range, came -into force, there was a good deal of juggling with -scores in the butts; one company or squadron of -a unit would provide “markers” for another, and -since the men at the firing point shot in regular<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_124">124</a></span> -order, it was a comparatively easy matter to -“square the marker” and get him to mark up a -better score than was actually obtained. Under -the present rules governing proficiency pay, however, -a man’s rate of pay is dependent on his -musketry, and third-class shots suffer to the extent -of twopence per day for failing to make the requisite -number of points for second class. In consequence -of this, supervision in the butts is much -more severe, and there is little opportunity of -putting on a score that is not actually obtained. -A case occurred two or three years ago, the 5th -Dragoon Guards being the regiment concerned, in -which the men of a whole squadron made such -an abnormally good score as a whole that, when -the returns came to be inspected, it was suspected -that the markers had had a hand in compiling -what was practically a record. The squadron in -question was ordered to fire its course over again, -and the markers were carefully chosen with a view -to the prevention of fraud in the butts. After two -or three days of firing, however, the repeat course -was stopped, for the men of the squadron were -making even better scores than before. The -incident goes to show that there is little likelihood -of frauds occurring at the butts under the present -system of supervision, and incidentally demonstrates<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_125">125</a></span> -the shooting capabilities of that particular -squadron of men.</p> - -<p>Bad shots are the trial of instructors, who are -held more or less responsible for the musketry -standard of their units—certainly more, if there -are too many bad shots in any particular unit. -The bad shot is usually a nervous man, who cannot -keep himself and his rifle steady at the moment of -firing, though drink—too much of it—plays a -large part in the reduction of musketry scores. -At any rifle range used by regular troops, during -the carrying out of the annual course, one may -see the musketry instructor lying beside some man -at the firing point, instructing him where to aim, -pointing out the error of the last shot, and telling -the soldier how to correct his aim for the next—generally -helping to keep up the average of the -regiment or battalion. As a rule, there is no man -more keen on his work than the musketry instructor, -who is usually a very good shot himself, as -well as being capable of imparting the art of shooting -to others.</p> - -<p>The great musketry school of the British Army, -so far as home service goes, is at Hythe, where all -instructors have to attend a class to qualify for -instructorship. Here the theory and practice of -shooting are fully taught; a man at Hythe thinks<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_126">126</a></span> -shooting, dreams shooting, talks shooting, and -shoots, all the time of his course. He is initiated -into the mysteries of trajectory and wind pressure, -taught all about muzzle velocity and danger zone, -while the depth of grooving in a rifle barrel is mere -child’s play to him. He is taught the minutiæ of -the rifle, and comes back to his unit knowing -exactly why men shoot well and why they shoot -badly. He is then expected to impart his knowledge, -or some of it, to the recruits of the unit, and -to supervise the shooting of the trained men as -well. In course of time, constantly living in an -atmosphere of rifle-shooting, and spending more -time and ammunition on the range than any other -man of his unit, he becomes one of the best shots, -though seldom the very best. For rifle-shooting is -largely a matter of aptitude, and some men, after -their recruits’ training and a duty-man’s course on -the range, can very nearly equal the scores compiled -by the musketry instructor.</p> - -<p>Since shooting is a matter of aptitude to a great -extent, it follows that the present system, punishing -men for bad shooting by deprivation of pay -and in other ways, is not a good one. It has not -increased the standard of shooting to any appreciable -extent; men do not shoot better because -they know their rate of pay depends on it, for they<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_127">127</a></span> -were shooting as well as they could before. Certainly -the man who can shoot well is of greater -value in the firing line than the one who shoots -badly, but, apart from this, all men are called on -to do the same duty, and the third-class shot, if -normally treated, has as much to do, does it just -as well, and is entitled to as much pay for it as the -marksman. There can be no objection to a system -which rewards good shooting, but that is an entirely -different matter from penalising bad shooting, as -is done at present.</p> - -<p>The penalties do not always stop at deprivation -of pay. In some infantry units a third-class shot is -regarded as little better than a defaulter; he has -extra drill piled on him—drill which has nothing -at all to do with the business of learning to shoot; -he is liable for fatigues from which other men are -excused, and altogether is regarded to a certain -extent as incompetent in other things beside marksmanship. -This, naturally, does not improve his -shooting capabilities; he gets disgusted with things -as they are, knows that, since his commanding -officer has determined things shall be no better for -him, it is no use hoping for a change, and with a -feeling of disgust resolves that, since in his next -annual course he cannot possibly put up a better -score, he will put up a worse. It is the way<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_128">128</a></span> -in which the soldier reasons, and there is no -altering it; the way in which men are disciplined -makes them reason so, and the determination to -make a worse score since a better is impossible is -on a par with the action of a cavalry squadron -in cutting its saddlery to pieces because the men -are disgusted with the ways of an officer or non-commissioned -officer. Thus, in the case of unduly -severe action on the part of commanding officers, -the pay regulations, which make musketry a factor -in the rate of pay, have done little good to shooting -among the men.</p> - -<p>When actually at the firing point, a soldier is -taught that he must “keep his rifle pointing up -the range,” for accidents happen easily, and, in -spite of the extreme caution of officers and instructors, -hardly a year goes by without some accidental -shooting to record. The wonder is not that this -sort of thing happens, but that it does not happen -more often, for, until a soldier has undergone active -service and seen how easily fatal results are produced -with a rifle, it seems impossible to make him -understand the danger attaching to careless use of -the weapon. One may find a man, so long as he is -not being watched, calmly loading a rifle and -closing the bolt with the muzzle pointed at the ear -of a comrade; it is not a frequent occurrence, but<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_129">129</a></span> -it happens, all the same. And, in consequence, -accidents happen.</p> - -<p>The range and the annual course are productive -of a good deal of amusement, at times. There is a -story of an officer who pointed out to a man that -every shot he was firing was going three feet to the -right of the target, and who, after having pointed -this out several times, at last ordered the man to -stop firing while he telephoned up to the butts and -ordered that that particular target should be moved -three feet to the right. Whether the result justified -the change is not recorded. Cases are not uncommon -in which a man fires on the wrong -target by mistake, especially at the long ranges, -and there is at least one well-authenticated case of -a man who put all his seven shots on to the next -man’s target, and of course scored nothing for himself. -For the law of the range is that if a man -plants a shot on another man’s target, the other -man gets the benefit of the points scored by that -shot. The markers in the butts must mark up -what they see, for if they were compelled to go by -instructions from the firing point and had to disregard -the evidence of the targets, a musketry -course would be an extremely complicated business, -and would last for ever.</p> - -<p>One oft-told story is that of the recruit who sent<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_130">130</a></span> -shot after shot over the back of the butts, in spite -of the repeated instructions of the musketry instructor -to take a lower aim. At last, probably -being tired of being told to aim low, the recruit -dropped his rifle muzzle to such an extent that the -bullet struck the ground about half-way up the -range and went on its course as a whizzing ricochet. -“Missed again!” said the instructor in disgust.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said the recruit, “but I reckon the target -felt a draught that time, anyhow.”</p> - -<p>The recruits’ course of musketry ends on the -short ranges, but when the duty-man comes to fire -for the year he is taken back, a hundred yards at -a time, until he is distant 1000 yards from the -target. This distance, 1000 yards, is considered -the limit of effective rifle fire, though a good shot -can do a considerable amount of damage at 2000 -yards, and the limit of range of the Lee-Enfield -magazine rifle, the one in use in the British Army, -extends to 2800 yards. The weight of the bullet -is so small, however, that at the long distances -atmospheric conditions, and especially wind, have -a great influence on the course of its flight, while -the power of human sight is also a factor in limiting -the effective range. Even at 1000 yards a man -looks a very small thing, while at 2000 yards he is -a mere dot, and it is impossible to take more than<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_131">131</a></span> -a general aim. More might be accomplished with -more delicately adjusted sights and wind-gauges, -but those at present in use are quite sufficiently -delicate for purposes of campaigning, and telescopic -sights, or appliances of a delicate nature for -bettering shooting, are quite out of the question -for use by the rank and file. Most of the shooting -of the Army is done at ranges between 500 and -1000 yards, and, whatever weapon science may -produce for the use of the soldier, it is unlikely -that these distances will be greatly increased, -since even science cannot overcome the limitations -to which humanity is subject.</p> - -<p>Up to a few years ago, the old-fashioned “bull’s-eye” -targets were employed at all ranges and for -all purposes, but they have been practically discarded -now in favour of targets which reproduce, -as accurately as possible, the actual targets at -which men have to aim in war. The modern -target is made up of a white portion representing -the sky, and a shot on this portion counts for -nothing at all; the lower part of the target is dull -mud-coloured, and in the middle, projecting a little -way into the white portion, is a black area corresponding -roughly in shape and size to the head -and shoulders of a man. Shots on this black -portion, which may be considered as a man looking<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_132">132</a></span> -over a bank of earth, count as “bull’s-eyes,” and -shots on the mud-coloured portion of the target -have also a certain value, for it is considered that -if a shot goes sufficiently near the figure of the man -to penetrate the earth that the target represents, -such a shot under actual conditions would possibly -ricochet and kill the man, and in any case would -fling up such a cloud of dust or shower of mud and -stones as to wound him in some way, or at least -put him out of action for a few minutes. Further, -rapid individual fire plays a far greater part in -modern rifle-shooting than it did a few years ago. -The “volleys,” which used to be so tremendously -effective in the days of muzzle loading and slow -fire at short ranges, are little considered under -present conditions; with the development of -initiative, and the introduction of open order in -the firing line, men are taught to fire rapidly by -means of exposing the targets for a second or two -at a time, two shots or more to be got on the target -at each exposure. In the musketry course of ten -years ago there was very little rapid firing, but -now it takes up more than half of the total of -exercises on the range.</p> - -<p>Apart from the annual course of musketry which -men are compelled to undergo, they are encouraged -to practise shooting throughout the year by means<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_133">133</a></span> -of competitions, financed out of regimental funds, -and offering prizes to be won in open competition. -Competitors are graded into the respective classes -in which their last course left them, and prizes are -offered in each class, though why silver spoons -should be offered to such an extent as they are is -one of the mysteries that no man can explain. Certain -it is that in nearly every shooting competition -held, silver spoons are offered as prizes—and a -soldier has little use for an ordinary teaspoon, -silver or otherwise.</p> - -<p>The scores put on by men of the Army, taken -in the average, go to prove that British soldiers -have little to learn from those of other nations in -the matter of shooting. The “marksman,” in -order to win the right to wear crossed guns on his -sleeve, has to put up a score which even a Bisley -crack shot would not despise, and yet the number -of men to be seen walking out with crossed guns -on their sleeves is no inconsiderable one, while -first-class shots are plentiful in all units of the -cavalry and infantry. Artillerymen, of course, -know little about the rifle and its use; their -weapon both of offence and defence is the big gun, -and in the matter of rifle-shooting they trust to -their escort of cavalry or infantry—usually the -latter, except in the case of Horse Artillery. Taken<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_134">134</a></span> -in the mass, the British soldier has every reason -to congratulate himself on the way in which he -uses his rifle, and the present Continental war has -proved that he is every whit as good at using the -rifle in the field as he is on the range, though, in -shooting on active service, the range of the object -has to be found, while in all shooting practice in -time of peace it is known and the sights correctly -adjusted before the man begins to fire.</p> - -<p>An adjunct to the course of musketry is that of -judging distance, in which men are taken out and -asked to estimate distances of various objects. -Even for this there is a system of training, and men -are instructed to consider how many times a hundred -yards will fit into the space between them and -the given object. They are taught how conditions -of light and shade affect the apparent distance; -how, with the sun shining from behind the observer -on to the object, the distance appears less than -when the sun is shining from behind the object on -to the observer. They are taught at first to estimate -short distances, and the range of objects -chosen for experiment is gradually increased. In -this, again, aptitude plays a considerable part; -some men can judge distance from observation -only with marvellous accuracy, while others never -get the habit of making correct estimates.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_135">135</a></span> -An interesting method practised in order to -ascertain distance consists in taking the estimates -of a number of men, and then striking an average. -With any number of men over ten from whom to -obtain the average, a correct estimate of the distance -is usually obtained. Another method consists -in observing how much of an object of known -dimensions can be seen when looking through a -rifle barrel, after the bolt of the rifle has been -withdrawn for the purpose. Since, however, the -object of training in judging distance is to enable -a man to make an individual estimate, neither of -these methods is permitted to be used in the judging -when points are awarded. The award of points, -by the way, counts toward the total number of -points in the annual musketry course.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_136">136</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="vspace"><a id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX<br /> - -<span class="subhead">THE INTERNAL ECONOMY OF THE ARMY</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap b"><span class="smcap1">Given</span> such a conscript army as can be seen in -working in any Continental nation, there is -a very good reason for keeping the rate of pay for -the rank and file down to as low a standard as -possible, for the State concerned in the upkeep of -a conscript army puts all, or in any case the -greater part, of its male citizens through the mill -of military service, and not only puts them -through, but compels them to go through. It thus -stands to reason that, as the men serve by compulsion, -there is no need to offer good rates of pay -as an inducement to serve; further, it is to the -interest of the State concerned to keep down the -expense attendant on the maintenance of its army -as much as possible, and for these two reasons, if -for no other, the rate of pay in Continental armies -is remarkably small.</p> - -<p>With a volunteer army, however, the matter -must be looked at in a different light. It is in the -interest of the State, of course, that expenses in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_137">137</a></span> -connection with its army should be kept as low as -possible, but there the analogy between conscript -and volunteer rates of pay ends. If the -right class of man is to be induced to volunteer -for service, he must be offered a sufficient rate of -pay to make military service worth his while—in -time of peace, at any rate. The ideal rate of pay -would be attained if the State would consider itself, -so far as its army is in question, in competition -with all other employers of labour, and would offer -a rate of pay commensurate with the services -demanded of its employees. By that method the -right class of man would be persuaded to come -forward in sufficient numbers, and the Army could -be maintained at strength without trouble.</p> - -<p>The British Army is the only voluntary one -among the armies of the Western world, and for -some time past it has experienced difficulty in -obtaining a sufficiency of recruits to keep it up to -strength, as was evidenced by the series of recruiting -advertisements in nearly all daily papers of -the kingdom with which the year 1914 opened. -Statistics go to prove that recruiting is not -altogether a matter of arousing patriotism, but is -dependent on the state of the labour market to a -very great extent. In the years following on the -South African war, there was a larger percentage<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_138">138</a></span> -of unemployed in the kingdom than at normal -times, and consequently recruiting flourished; -men of the stamp that the Army wants, finding -nothing better to do, and often being uncertain -where the next meal was to come from, enlisted, -and the Army had no trouble in maintaining itself -at strength, although the rate of pay that it offered -was lower than that earned, in many cases, by the -ordinary unskilled labourer. Gradually, however, -commercial conditions began to improve, and for -the past year or two, in consequence of a very -small percentage of unemployment among the -labouring classes, recruiting has suffered—the -Army does not offer as much as the ordinary -civilian employer, either in wages or conditions of -life, and consequently men will not enlist as long -as they can get something to do in a regular way. -Hence the War Office advertisements, which had -very little effect on the recruiting statistics, and -were wrongly conceived so far as appealing to the -right class of man was in question. It was not till -Lord Kitchener had assumed control of the War -Office that the advertisements emanating from -that establishment made a real personal appeal to -the recruit; the two events may have been -coincidence, for the war has pushed up recruiting -as a war always does; again, there may have been<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_139">139</a></span> -something in the fact that Kitchener, as well as -being an ideal organiser of men, is a great psychologist.</p> - -<p>However this may be, the fact remains that, -although the War Office by the mere fact of its -advertising has entered the labour market as a -competitor with civilian employers, it has not yet -offered any inducement equal to that offered by -civilian employers. The rate of pay for the rank -and file is still under two shillings a day, with -lodging and partial board, for in time of peace the -rations issued to the soldier do not form a complete -allowance of food, and even the messing -allowance is in many cases insufficient to provide -sufficient meals—the soldier has to supplement -both rations and messing out of his pay. When all -allowances and needs have been accounted for, -the amount of pay that a private soldier can fairly -call his own, to spend as he likes, is about a shilling -a day—and civilian employment, as a rule, offers -more than that. Moreover, modern methods of -warfare call for a more intelligent and better -educated man than was the case fifty years ago; -the soldier of to-day, as has already been remarked, -has not only to be able to obey, but also to exercise -initiative; a better class of man is required, and -though the factor of numbers is still the greatest<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_140">140</a></span> -factor in any action that may be fought between -opposing armies, the factor of intelligence and elementary -scientific knowledge is one that grows in -importance year by year. The mass of recruits, in -time of peace, is drawn from among the unemployed -unskilled labourers of the country; though, by the -rate of pay given, the country effects a certain -saving, this is more than balanced by the difficulty -of educating and training these men—to say -nothing of the expense of it. A higher rate of pay -would attract a better class of man and provide a -more intelligent army, one of greater value to the -State. And, even assuming that the class of man -obtained at present is as good as need be, still the -rate of pay is insufficient; the work men are called -on to perform, the responsibilities that are entailed -on them in the course of their work, deserve a higher -rate of pay than these men obtain at present.</p> - -<p>An illustration of this will serve far better than -mere statement of the fact. It is well known that -for years past there has been some difficulty in -obtaining a sufficiency of officers for cavalry -regiments, but what is not so well known is that, -when a troop of cavalry is short of a lieutenant to -lead it at drill and assume responsibility for its -working, the troop-sergeant takes command and -control of the troop. At the best, the pay of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_141">141</a></span> -troop-sergeant cannot be reckoned at more than -four shillings a day, and on that amount of salary—twenty-eight -shillings a week—he is given charge -and control of somewhere about thirty men, -together with horses, saddlery, and other Government -property to the value of not less than £1800. -For the safety and good order of this amount of -property he is almost entirely responsible, as well -as being charged with the superintendence, instruction, -and control of the thirty men or more -who comprise the troop under his command.</p> - -<p>The fact is that the world has moved forward -tremendously during the past thirty or forty years, -while, except for small and inadequate changes in -the rates of pay, the Army has stood still. Labour -conditions have altered in every way, and the -cost of living has increased, forcing up the wage -rate. The Army has taken note of none of these -things, but has gone on, as regards pay and -allowances, in the way of forty years ago. The -necessity for an advertising campaign proved that -the old ways were beginning to fail, and efforts -were being made to overcome the shortage of men -without increasing the rates of pay—vain efforts, -if statistics of the amount of recruiting done before -and after the beginning of the advertising campaign -count for anything.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_142">142</a></span> -We may leave these larger considerations to -come down to a view of the interior working of a -unit, its pay, feeding, and general life. All arrangements -as regards pay for infantrymen are managed -by the colour-sergeants of the companies, while in -the cavalry and artillery the squadron or battery -quartermaster-sergeants have control of the pay-sheets. -These non-commissioned officers are -charged with the business of drawing weekly the -amount of pay required by their respective -companies, squadrons, or batteries, and paying out -the same to the men under the supervision of the -company, squadron, or battery officers. The -presence of the officer at the pay-table is a nominal -business in most cases, and the non-commissioned -officer does all the work, while in every case he is -held responsible for any errors that may occur. -Each man is given a stated weekly rate of pay, -and at the end of each month there is a general -settling up, at which the accounts of each man are -explained to him; he is told what debts he has -incurred to the regimental tailor, the bootmaker, -or for new clothing that he has been compelled to -purchase to make good deficiencies; in every unit -each man is charged two or three pence a month—and -sometimes more—by way of barrack damages, -which includes the repair of broken windows, etc.,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_143">143</a></span> -and altogether the compulsory stoppages from pay -generally amount to not less than two shillings -per man per month.</p> - -<p>The system of pay is a complicated one. As a -bed-rock minimum there is a regular rate of pay -of a shilling and a penny a day for an infantryman, -and a penny or twopence a day more for the other -arms of the service. On to this is added the -messing allowance of threepence a day, which is -spent for the men in supplementing their ration -allowance of food, and never reaches them in coin -at all; there is a clothing allowance, which goes to -defray the expense attendant on the renewal of -articles of attire; there is yet another allowance -for the upkeep of clothing and kit; there is the -proficiency pay to which each man becomes -entitled after a certain amount of service, and -which consists of varying grades according to the -musketry standard and character of the man; this -ranges from fourpence to sixpence a day; and -then there is badge pay, which adds a penny or -twopence a day to old soldiers’ pay so long as -they behave themselves. The colour-sergeant or -quartermaster-sergeant has to keep account of all -these small items, and it is small matter for -wonder that many a worried officer or non-com., -puzzling his brains over the intricacies of a pay-<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_144">144</a></span>sheet, -expresses an earnest wish that the whole -complicated system may be swept away, and a -straightforward rate of pay for each man substituted.</p> - -<p>The Army Pay Corps, a non-combatant branch -of the service, is charged with the business of -auditing and keeping accounts straight, and this -corps forms the final court of appeal for all matters -connected with the pay of the soldier. The Royal -Warrant for Pay, a bulky volume published -annually, is the manual by which the Pay Corps -is guided to its decisions, and from which the -harassed colour-sergeant or quartermaster-sergeant -derives inspiration for his work.</p> - -<p>In all units serving at home, and in most of -those serving abroad, a system of messing is -established regimentally to supplement the ration -allowance. Rations for the soldier, by the way, -consist in England of one pound of bread and three-quarters -of a pound of meat with bone per day, -and all else must be bought out of pay and messing -allowance. In colonial stations the ration allowance -is enlarged to include certain vegetables, and -in India the scale is still more liberal, but it is -obvious that the English ration of bread and meat -is not sufficient for the needs of the soldier, nor will -the official messing allowance of threepence per<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_145">145</a></span> -day per man altogether compensate for ration -deficiencies. Beyond doubt, however, the provision -of necessaries has been brought to a very -fine art in the Army, and, with an efficient cook-sergeant -in charge of the regimental cookhouses, -and capable caterers to supervise purchases for -the messing account, with an allowance of fourpence -a day per man the rank and file can have a -sufficiency of plain, wholesome food.</p> - -<p>The sergeant-cook in charge of the cookhouses of -each unit must have passed through a course at the -Aldershot school of cookery before he can undertake -the duties of his post, but he is the only trained -cook in each unit. Men are chosen as company -cooks or squadron cooks haphazard, and often -with too little regard to their fitness for their posts. -In spite of all disadvantages, though, the average -of cooking in the Army is good, especially when -one considers the unpromising material with which -the cooks have to deal. The contract price for -Army meat is not half that paid per pound by the -civilian buyers; it is, of course, all foreign meat -that is supplied in normal times.</p> - -<p>While the single men of the Army draw their -meat supplies daily, married quarters’ rations are -drawn on stated days, and, as the majority of the -occupants of the married quarters are non-commissioned<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_146">146</a></span> -officers and their wives, it follows -naturally that, in getting their exact ration with -regard to weight, they are given every consideration -with regard to the quality of meat cut off from the -lump. On married quarters’ days the troops get a -surprisingly small allowance of meat and a -surprisingly large allowance of bone, for the -regulation governing supply enacts that “three-quarters -of a pound of meat <em>with bone</em>” shall be -allowed for each soldier. That “with bone” may -mean that two-thirds of the allowance or more is -bone, though the soldier has in this matter as well -as in others the right of complaint if he considers -that he is being subjected to injustice in any way. -The quality of meat supplied, and its correct -quantity, is supposed to constitute one of the cares -of the orderly officer of the day, for the orderly -officer, together with the quartermaster or the -representative of the latter, is supposed to attend -at the issue of rations of both bread and meat.</p> - -<p>In this connection a word regarding the duties -of the orderly officer will not be out of place. -These duties are undertaken by the lieutenants and -second lieutenants of each unit, who take turns of -a day apiece as “orderly officer of the day.” It -has already been remarked that an officer does not -really begin to count in the life of a unit until he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_147">147</a></span> -has attained to the rank of captain and to the -experience gained by such length of service as -makes him eligible for captaincy. In no one thing -does this fact become so clear as the way in which -the duty of orderly officer of the day is performed -in the majority of units. It happens as a rule -that a lieutenant performs his turn of orderly -conscientiously and well; at times, however, -it happens that a subaltern, impatient at the -fiddling duties involved in the turn of orderly, -regards complaints on the part of the men as -trivial and annoying, neglects to see that real -causes of grievance are properly remedied, and -lays the foundations of deep dislike for himself on -the part of the men of the unit. One of the duties -falling to the orderly officer is that of visiting the -dining-rooms of the regiment or battalion and -inquiring in each room if the men have any -complaints to make with regard to the quality or -quantity of the food supplied. If any complaint -is made, it should be at once investigated, and, if -found justifiable, remedied.</p> - -<p>But the subaltern doing orderly duty far too -often does not know—because he has not troubled -to learn—the way to set about remedying a just -complaint; a very common form of reply to a complaint -by the men is, “I will see about it,” and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_148">148</a></span> -that is all that the men ever hear, while they are -careful never to make a complaint to that -particular officer again, since they know he is not -to be depended on. The attitude of some junior -officers towards the men making a complaint is -at times one of suspicion; the officer seems to -imagine that the man is doing it for amusement, -and not until he has grown a little, and incidentally -passed out from the rank in which he takes his -turn as orderly officer, does he come to understand -that men only make complaints to their officers -about things which are absolutely beyond their -own power to remedy. Frivolous or unjustifiable -complaints, when proved to be such, are very -heavily punished, and consequently men abstain -as a rule from making them.</p> - -<p>The orderly officer is not concerned alone with -the food of the men; he is supposed to visit the -barrack-rooms and see that everything is correct -there; he has to visit the guard of his unit once -by day and once by night, and see that the guard is -correct and the articles in charge of the guard are -complete according to the inventory on the guard-board; -he is supposed to visit all the regimental -artificers’ establishments once during the day to -see that work is being carried on properly, and he -is even concerned with the quality and issue of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_149">149</a></span> -beer in the canteen, while at the end of his day’s -duty he has to fill in and sign a report to the effect -that he has performed all his duties effectively—whether -he has or no. His work, correctly carried -through, is no sinecure business.</p> - -<p>Mention of the canteen takes us on to another -point of military economy, that of supplies of -varying kinds apart from the actual ration bread -and meat. In each unit serving at home, a canteen -is established for the supply to the troops of -articles of the best possible quality at the lowest -possible price “without limiting the right of the -men to purchase” in other markets, according to -King’s Regulations on the subject. In effect, however, -the tenancy of a regimental canteen by a -contractor is a virtual monopoly, and, unfortunately -for the troops concerned, the monopoly -is often made a rigid one. There is a “dry bar,” -or grocery establishment, at which men can -purchase cleaning materials for their kits and all -articles of food that they require; there is a -“coffee bar,” where suppers are sold to the men -and cooked food generally is sold; and there is the -“wet canteen,” whose sales are limited to beer -alone, and where the boozers of the unit congregate -nightly to drink and yarn. In old time the wet -canteen used to be a fruitful source of crime—as<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_150">150</a></span> -crime goes in the Army—and general trouble, but -moderation is the rule of to-day, and excessive -drinking is rare in comparison with the ways of -twenty years or so ago. The wet canteen of to-day -is a cheerful place where men get their pints and -sit over them, forming “schools,” as the various -groups of chums are called, and drinking not so -much as they talk, for they seek company rather -than alcohol.</p> - -<p>For the teetotallers of each unit, the society -known as the Royal Army Temperance Association -has established a “room” in practically every -unit of the service; at a cost of fourpence a month -a man is given the freedom of this room, and at -the same time invited to sign the pledge, which he -generally does. In any case, if an A.T.A. man is -caught drinking to excess, he forfeits his membership -of the Association and the right to use its -room. In the room itself a bar is set up at which -all kinds of temperance drinks are sold, together -with buns and light eatables. In the Army, a man -refraining from the use of intoxicants is said to be -“on the tack,” and is known as a “tack-wallah.” -Members of the R.A.T.A. are designated “wad-wallahs,” -or “bun-scramblers,” by the frequenters -of the canteen, who are known as “canteen-wallahs.” -The word “wallah” is a Hindustani<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_151">151</a></span> -one which has passed into currency in the Army, -its original meaning being the follower of any -branch of trade or employment. In the same way, -numbers of Hindustani terms are in general use; -“roti” is almost invariably used in place of -“bread,” “char” for “tea,” and “pani” for -“water,” all being correct Hindustani equivalents. -“Kampti,” meaning small, and “bus,” equivalent -to “enough” or “stop,” come from the same -language, while “scoff” in place of “eat” is -derived from South Africa, where it is common -currency even among civilian white folks.</p> - -<p>Married “on the strength” in the Army carries -with it a number of advantages for the married -man. It is a little galling, in the first place, to have -to satisfy one’s commanding officer as to the -respectability of the intended wife before marriage, -but it is not so many years ago that there was -good reason for this. Once married, the soldier is -granted free quarters for himself and wife, and the -wife is allowed fuel and light up to a certain -amount, together with rations, and an additional -allowance is made in the event of children being -born. Curiously enough, however, the size of the -quarters allotted to the married men and their -families is not determined by the number of -children in the family, but by the rank of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_152">152</a></span> -married man; not many private soldiers venture -to marry, for their rate of pay is so low as to make -the experiment an extremely risky one, although -the wife of the soldier gets—if she wishes it—a -certain amount of the single men’s washing -to do, by way of supplementing her husband’s -pay.</p> - -<p>Married “off the strength”—that is, without the -permission of the officer commanding the unit—is -doubly risky, for the wife of the man who marries -thus gets no official recognition; her husband has -to occupy a place in the barrack-room, for no -separate quarters can be allotted to him; he has -at the same time to find lodgings somewhere among -the civilian inhabitants of the station for his wife—and -children, if there are any—and, if he is a -good character, he may be granted a sleeping-out -pass, which confers on him the privilege of sleeping -out of barracks—and this is a privilege that he -must beg, not a right that he can claim. As the -married establishment of a regiment or battalion -is necessarily small, men frequently get married -“off the strength,” though how they manage to -exist and at the same time provide for their wives -on military pay is a mystery. The most common -explanation is that the wife, whatever work she -has been engaged in before her marriage, continues<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_153">153</a></span> -it after; the hardest part of the business is that -neither wife nor husband, in these circumstances, -can count on the possession of a home as those -married “on the strength” understand it.</p> - -<p>The private soldier married “on the strength” -usually has entered on his second period of service—that -is, he has finished the twelve years for which -he first contracted to serve, and has re-enlisted to -complete twenty-one years with a view to a pension. -Generally he manages to get a staff job of some -sort, from employment on the regimental police to -barrack sweeper, or anything else that will get him -out of attending early morning parades as a rule—though -all staff men have to attend early parades -when the orders of the day say “strong as possible.” -The rule in most units is that the staff jobs are -distributed among the older soldiers, for these are -supposed, and with justice, to be better able to -dispense with perpetual training than the younger -men. As a rule, the appointment of any young -soldier to a staff appointment—except such posts -as that of orderly-room clerk, for which special -aptitude counts before length of service—is the -cause of considerable bitterness among the older -soldiers who are still at duty, and is usually -attributed to rank favouritism, whether it is due -to that or no.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_154">154</a></span> -In cavalry regiments especially, the ordinary -duty-men look for amusement when the staff men -are “dug out” to undergo the ordinary routine of -duty, either by way of annual training or on the -occasion of a “strong as possible” parade. The -duty-man has his horse every day, and horse -and man get to know each other, but the staff-man, -attending stables only on the occasion of his being -warned to attend a duty parade, has as a rule to -take any horse that is “going spare,” as they call -it, and usually the horse that nobody else has -taken up for riding is not a pleasant beast. -And the staff-man may be a bit rusty as -regards drill and riding, so that the two things -combined produce the effect of involuntary dismounting -in the field or at riding school occasionally—or, -as the soldier would say, “dismounting -by order from hind-quarters.” Taken on the -whole, the staff-man’s day at duty is not a pleasant -one, while, if he ventures to complain to his -comrades or grumble in any way, he gets more -ridicule than sympathy. Usually the duty-man -affects to consider the staff-man an encumbrance, -and in the cavalry even signallers, during the time -that they are excused riding and attending stables, -are told that it is “easy enough to wag a little bit -of stick about—why don’t you come down to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_155">155</a></span> -stables and do a bit?” The reply generally -makes up in forcibility for a deficiency in elegance, -for the trooper is capable of maintaining his -reputation as regards the use of language—of -sorts.</p> - -<p>A form of staff employment which calls for a -particular class of man is the post of officer’s -servant; it amounts to the regular work of a valet -for “first servant,” and that of a groom for -“second servant,” and is not always an enviable -post, especially if the officer in question is short-tempered -or “bad to get on with.” Officers’ -servants occupy quarters away from the duty-men, -and in the vicinity of the officers’ mess in the -case of single officers; married officers’ servants -are provided with quarters in their masters’ -houses. In addition to the officers’ servants, there -is in each unit a regular staff of mess waiters both -for officers’ and sergeants’ messes, while all non-commissioned -officers from the rank of sergeant -upward are permitted to employ a “bâtman” -from among the men serving under them. The -sergeant’s bâtman, though, is not excused from duty -as is the officer’s servant, but has to get through -all his own work, and then clean the sergeant’s -equipment, keep his bunk in order, groom his -horse, and clean his saddle (in cavalry and artillery<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_156">156</a></span> -units), as well as attend all parades from which -the sergeant has no power to excuse him. Every -staff job carries with it a certain amount of extra-duty -pay, and this, in addition to the fact of being -excused from at least some of the ordinary parades -of the duty soldier, causes a post on the staff to -be sought after by most men. There are some, -though, who prefer to be at ordinary duty, and -the man who is going in for promotion usually -avoids staff employ, for the two do not go -together.</p> - -<p>Among non-commissioned officers as well as -among the rank and file there is a certain amount -of staff employment, but it is a smaller amount, -and a good deal of it is unenviable business. The -post of provost-sergeant, for instance, although it -carries extra-duty pay, is naturally not a popular -business, for having control of the regimental -police and being responsible for the punishments -of delinquents on defaulters’ drill and punishment -fatigues does not tend to increase the popularity -of a non-commissioned officer. The business of -postman in a regiment is usually entrusted to a -corporal; as a rule, the oldest corporal is chosen -to fill this berth, and one just concluding his term -of military service is practically certain to get it -as soon as it falls vacant. But staff jobs for non-<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_157">157</a></span>coms. -are far fewer, relatively, than for the rank -and file, and, outside the artificers’ shops, the -regimental orderly room and quartermaster’s store, -practically every non-com. is at duty.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_158">158</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="vspace"><a id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X<br /> - -<span class="subhead">THE NEW ARMY</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap1">In</span> the course of these pages the remark has -already been made that the British Army is -in a state of flux; this is true mainly as regards -numbers and organisation, but with regard to -discipline and training no very great changes are -possible. Methods of training may alter, and do -alter for the better from time to time, but the -basic principles remain, since an army can be -trained only in one way: by the use of strict -discipline and of means calculated to impart to -men the greatest possible amount of instruction -in the shortest space of time. The more quickly -a man absorbs the main points of his training, the -better for him and for the army whose effectiveness -he is intended to increase.</p> - -<p>In the new army of to-day, from which it is -intended to draft effective men into the firing -line at the earliest possible moment, rapidity of -training is a prime essential. At the outset, owing -to the enormous numbers of men who flocked to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_159">159</a></span> -the colours, training was no easy matter, and -for some time to come instructors will be scarce -when compared with the multitude of men who -require training. In order to combat this, instructors -have been asked to re-enlist from among -ex-soldiers who, past fighting age themselves, are -yet quite capable of drilling the new men. A -minor drawback arises here, however, in that such -of the instructors as left the colours before a certain -date are out of touch as regards modern weapons -and drill. For instance, the field gun at present -in use in the British Army was not generally -adopted until after the conclusion of the South -African campaign; in the case of the cavalry, -again, important modifications have been brought -about in drill and formations during the last ten -years, while the charger loading rifle with wind -gauge is comparatively an innovation both as -regards cavalry and infantry. It is not intended -to imply that drill instructors who finished their -colour service ten or twelve years ago are of no use, -for, in the matters of imparting elementary drill -and the first principles of discipline to the -recruits, they are invaluable and far too few. But, -in more advanced matters, it must be conceded -that the sooner the new army can instruct itself -the better, for the proverb about an old dog and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_160">160</a></span> -new tricks may be applied to re-enlisted instructors -and the new army, which is a whole bag of new -tricks.</p> - -<p>It is essential that the new army should train -itself at the earliest possible moment, and for this -reason there are endless opportunities for the man -with brains who enlists at the present time. The -re-enlisted drill instructor will not accompany the -men of the new army into the field, and, as an army -increases, a relative increase must be made in the -number of its non-commissioned officers, while -there are also vacancies by the hundred for commissioned -officers. For the average man, however, -it is useless at the present time to depend on -influence and back-door methods for promotion. -Worth is all that will count, and an ounce of -enlistment to-day is worth a ton of influence that -might have been exercised yesterday. It is as -true of the new army as of any other profession -that there is plenty of room at the top. The way -to get there is by enlistment to-day and hard and -patient application to one’s work for a matter of -weeks or months.</p> - -<p>No man can tell how long the new army will last, -or what will be the conditions of service and -strength of the army after the proclamation of -peace. One thing, however, is certain. Not while<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_161">161</a></span> -a first-class power remains on the continent of -Europe will conscription cease altogether between -the Urals and the Atlantic, or between Archangel -and Brindisi. It is quite probable that when -peace comes again, universal conscription will -cease, for there will no longer be an embodied -threat in central Europe—the Powers will have -no more of that, and the burden of armaments -on the old scale must cease. On the other hand, -however, nations will maintain sufficient forces -to enable them to insist on international justice; -the threat of the sword will always form the final -court of appeal from the decisions of any arbitration -body, and, while this is so, a British army -must always be maintained. The existence of -primal human instinct is fatal to the idea of total -disarmament; war may not come again, for that -is a contingency with regard to which none can -prophesy, but the fact remains that the best -provision for peace is ample preparation against the -chances of war.</p> - -<p>Thus the man who looks for a career out of the -British Army need not look in vain, for there will -always be sufficient of an army, if only for colonial -and foreign service, to furnish capable men with all -the careers that they may desire. The other -reason for enlistment, less selfish and more vital,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_162">162</a></span> -has been expressed by many voices and by means -of many pens; the country has called, and there -are ugly names for those who, without sufficient -claims of kin to form cause for exemption, refuse -to answer the call.</p> - -<p>With regard to the composition of the new army -it may be said that the standing of the men has -altered materially since the outbreak of hostilities, -though this is in keeping with the trend of thought -and feeling that has been evident since the end of -the South African campaign. Up to the end of -the nineteenth century there still remained obscure -provincial centres in which it was supposed that -only wastrels would enlist, with a view to getting -an easy means of livelihood; farther back, this -conception of the Army was a very common one. -It is hard to say at what period of British history -such an idea gained currency, unless the employment -of mercenaries previous to the time of the -French Revolution may have given it birth. For, -long before Waterloo, the British soldier gave -ample proof of the stuff of which he is made, and -there is not a battlefield of history from which -there has not come some instance of self-denial or -devotion to a comrade which attests among the -ranks of the British Army the existence of the -highest principles by which humanity is actuated.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_163">163</a></span> -But, up to the end of the nineteenth century, -civilians could not understand the Army. Kipling -taught them a little, but Kipling’s soldiers are all -hard drinkers with a tendency to the slaughter of -aspirates, and various other linguistic eccentricities. -As character studies, Kipling’s soldiers are -masterly works, but they bear little relation to -the soldier of to-day, who, even as an infantryman, -is required to be an educated man in certain -directions, since he lives in a welter of wind gauges -and trajectory, decimal points and mathematical -calculations with regard to the accomplishment of -his duties. The public as a whole has been -waking up to these facts slowly—very slowly—but -it has taken the world-catastrophe of a general -European war to shake the public entirely from -its apathy, and cause it to realise that the Army -is an agglomeration of men in the highest sense of -that little three-lettered word. There is to-day -among all ranks and classes a realisation of the -good that is, and always has been in the Army; -there is a new interest in soldiers, in military -movements, and in all that pertains to the theory -and practice of war, and this augurs well for the -future of members of the new army, both on duty -and among their friends. Counting from the day -that the nation wakened to the good that is in the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_164">164</a></span> -Army, and the possibility of soldiers being at root -like other men, military uniform has become a -matter for pride to its wearer, and respect from -those who from any cause are unable to assume -the uniform. As this war has knit together -motherland and colonies, so, by means of this war, -the soldier has come to his own. The new army -is not a thing apart from the nation: it is the -nation.</p> - -<p>The new army means an increase not in numbers -alone, for we may accept as a principle that the -best will rule in a mass composed of all sorts from -best to worst—that is, if we grant relative equality -in the numbers of best and worst, and of each -intervening grade. Periods of commercial prosperity -have left the Army dependent mainly on -the unemployed for its recruits, with a corresponding -loss in education and moral tone, but the -new army is composed of men of all grades, -actuated for the most part by the highest possible -impulses, and asking only to be allowed to give -of their best. Enlisting in this spirit, it is inevitable -that these men should look upward, and -thus the best will rule. For purposes of rule the -Army needs the very best, for its own sake and -that of the future of the nation’s manhood. In -gaining the best and their influence, the Army will<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_165">165</a></span> -increase in social standing and moral tone as well -as in numbers.</p> - -<p>No man comes out from the Army as he went in; -there are many types, and with the enormous -increase in numbers at the present time, the -number of types will increase as well as the number -of representatives of each type. Country youths, -town dwellers, agricultural labourers—who often -make the best and keenest soldiers—men who know -nothing of what labour is like, skilled artisans, -and men from the office—all come to the ranks of -the Army, which, shaping them to compliance -with discipline, still leaves the stamp of individuality. -The soldiers of the new army will come -back to their ordinary avocations bearing the -stamp of military training, stronger physically, -and different in many ways—mainly improved -ways. But the metal on which the stamp of the -Army is impressed will remain the same, for one -is first a man and then a soldier. The instances of -Prussian brutality evident to-day, and an eternal -disgrace to the German nation, do not prove -anything against the Prussian military system, -but afford evidence that brutality is ingrained in -the Prussian before he goes up as a conscript to -begin his training. So, whatever the characteristics -of a man may be, the Army cannot make a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_166">166</a></span> -brave soldier out of a cowardly civilian, and it -cannot make a good man into a bad one; it -accentuates certain traits of character and drives -others into the background, but it neither destroys -nor creates. It is a training school which, taken -in the right way, brings out all that is best in a -man, stiffens him to face the battle of life as well -as the battles of military service, and strengthens -self-confidence and self-respect. The men who -are seen to have suffered in character during their -military training are by no means examples from -which one can cite the result of discipline and -army work, for it is not the training that is at -fault, but the inherent weakness of the men themselves. -The social standing of the majority of -recruits joining the new army renders it ten times -more true of the Army of to-day than of the Army -of yesterday, that military training gives more -than it demands, inculcates habits which, followed -in after life, are invaluable, and makes a man—in -the best sense of the word—of each one who joins -its ranks.</p> - -<p>One thing that officers and men alike in the new -army should be made to realise is that the possession -of a good kit carries one half of the way -on active service—the things that carry the other -half of the way are not to be purchased. But the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_167">167</a></span> -man who has undergone the rigours of active -service understands the value of good boots, good -field-glasses, well-fitting and suitable clothing, -and really portable accessories to personal comfort. -These things, and an intelligent choice of -them, go far to make up the difference between the -man successful at his work and the failure, for -although a bad workman is said to quarrel with -his tools a good workman cannot do good work -with bad tools. In the peculiarly exacting conditions -entailed on men by active service, kit and -equipment should be of the best quality obtainable, -and the choice of what to take and what to leave -behind is evidence, to some extent, of the fitness of -the man for his work. The most important item -of all is boots, and in fitting boots for active service -one should be careful to select a size that will -admit of the wearer enjoying a night’s sleep without -removing his footwear. Care of the feet, and -retention of the ability to march, are quite as -important as shooting abilities, for the man who -cannot march with the rest will not be in it when -the shooting begins. For the rest, it is wise to -try, if not to follow, as often as possible the tips -given, by men who have been on active service, -with regard to the choice of kit and the little -things that make for comfort—that is, as far as<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_168">168</a></span> -compliance with these “tips” is compatible with -keeping the size of one’s outfit down. The seasoned -man, when talking of such subjects as kit and -comfort, usually speaks out of his own experience, -and his advice is worth following. The golden -rule in the choice of an outfit for service is simply -“as little as possible, and that little good.”</p> - -<p>This rule, by the way, used to be applied to the -British Army in another way: the new army, -however, makes a difference in the matter of size.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_169">169</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="vspace"><a id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI<br /> - -<span class="subhead">ACTIVE SERVICE</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap1">The</span> popular conception of active service is of -a succession of encounters with the enemy. -Desperate deeds of valour, brilliant charges by -bodies of troops, men saving other men under fire, -the storming of positions, and the flush of victory -after strenuous action enter largely into the -civilian conception of war.</p> - -<p>The reality is a sombre business of marching -and watching, nights without sleep and days -without food; retracing one’s steps in order to -execute the plan of the brain to which a man is -but one effective rifle out of many thousands, -marching for days and days, seeing nothing more -exciting than a burnt-out house and the marching -men on either side and to front and rear—and then -the contact with the enemy. A vicious crack from -somewhere, or the solid boom of a piece of artillery; -somewhere away to the front or flank is the enemy, -and his pieces do damage in the ranks; there is a -searching for cover, some orders are given, perhaps<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_170">170</a></span> -a comrade lies utterly still, and one knows that -that man will not move any more; there is a -desperate sense of ineffectiveness, of anger at this -cowardly (as it seems) trick of hitting when one -cannot hit back. There is the satisfaction of -getting the range and firing, with results that may -be guessed but cannot be known accurately by -the man who fires; there is the curious thrill that -comes when an angrily singing bullet passes near, -and one realises that one is under fire from the -enemy. In a normal action, there is the sense of -disaster, even of defeat when one’s side may in -reality be winning, for one sees men dying, -wounded, lying dead—one knows the damage the -enemy has inflicted, but has no idea of the damage -ones own force has inflicted in return. Often, -when it begins to be apparent that the enemy is -nearly beaten, there comes the order to retire; -one does not understand the order, but, with a -sullen sense of resentment at it, retires, ducking -at the whizzing of a shell, though not all the -ducking in the world would avail if the shell were -truly aimed at the one who ducks, or starting -back to avoid a bullet that whizzed by—as if by -starting back one could get out of the way of a -bullet!</p> - -<p>After a day of action, or after the chance has<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_171">171</a></span> -come to rest for a while after days of action, one -gets a sense of the horror of the whole business—the -tragedy of lives laid down, in a good cause -certainly, but the men are dead, and one questions -almost with despair if it is worth while. So many -good men with whom one has joked and worked and -played in time of peace have gone under—and there -are probably more battles yet to fight. It is not until -a war has concluded, and men who have served -are able to get some idea of the operations as a -whole, that they are able to understand what has -been done and why it has been done. Men who -came back wounded from Mons and Charleroi, -away from the magnificent three weeks’ retreat -that was then in progress for the British and -French armies, were, in many cases, fully convinced -that they had been defeated—that their -armies were beaten, and had to retreat to save -themselves from destruction. The man in the -ranks cannot understand the plan of the staff who -control him, for he sees so very little of the whole; -at the most, he knows what is happening to a -division of men, while engaged in the retreat to -the position of the Marne were, at the least, twenty -divisions on the side of the Allies. Had one of these -been utterly shattered in a set battle, the other -nineteen might still have won a decisive victory,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_172">172</a></span> -and, if news of that victory had not come through -for a day or two, the survivors from the shattered -division would have spread tidings of a defeat—which -it would have been, to them. The man in -the ranks sees so little of the whole.</p> - -<p>Here the war correspondent makes the most -egregious mistakes, for, untrained in military -service himself, he takes the word of the man in the -ranks—the man on the staff of army headquarters -is far too busy and far too discreet to talk to war -correspondents—and out of what the man in the -ranks has to say the war correspondent makes up -his story. Though the man in the ranks may -believe his own story to be true, though he may -tell of the operations as he conceives them, he may -be giving an utterly false impression of what is -actually happening. The man in the ranks is one -cog in a machine, and he cannot tell what all the -machine is doing at any time, least of all when a -battle is in progress.</p> - -<p>Every battle fought differs from all other battles, -for no opposing forces ever meet under precisely -identical conditions twice. Thus it is useless to -speak of a typical battle except in the broadest -general sense, and useless to attempt to describe -a typical battle, or action of any kind. Usually, -the artillery get into action after cavalry have<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_173">173</a></span> -reconnoitred the enemy’s position; the guns shell -the enemy until he is considered sufficiently -weakened to permit of infantry attack, and then -the infantry go forward, even up to the rarely -occurring bayonet charge. If their advance -dislodges the enemy, the cavalry are set on to turn -retreat into rout; if, on the other hand, the -attacking force is compelled to retire, the cavalry -cover the retreat, and, in order to make good in a -retreat, a part of a force is taken back while the -remainder hold the enemy in check. In modern -actions, artillery fire their shells over the heads -of their own infantry at the enemy, distance and -trajectory permitting of this. By trajectory is -meant the curve that a projectile describes in its -flight; both rifles and big guns are so constructed -and sighted that they throw their projectiles -upward to counteract the pull of gravity, and the -missile eventually drops down toward its object—it -does not travel in a perfectly straight line. But -it is bad for infantry to be in front of their own -guns, with their own artillery shells passing over -them, for too long—<i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">morale</i> suffers from this after -a time, since a man cannot distinguish in such a -case between his own artillery’s shells and those -of the enemy. Whenever possible, the artillery in -rear of an infantry force are posted slightly to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_174">174</a></span> -either flank; circumstances, however, do not -always admit of this.</p> - -<p>On mobilisation for active service, the first -thing that happens in the British Army is the -calling up of the reserves. All men enlist, in the -first case, for a certain number of years with the -colours and a further period “on the reserve.” In -this latter force, they are free to follow any civilian -avocation, but on mobilisation must immediately -report themselves at headquarters—wherever their -headquarters may be—and take the place appointed -to them in the mobilised army. Then comes the -business of drawing war kit and equipment from -stores. As a battleship clears for action, so the -Army rids itself for the time of all things not -absolutely necessary on active service, exchanges -blank ammunition for ball, sharpens swords and -bayonets, and in every way prepares for stern -business. Each man is issued with a little -aluminium plate which he is compelled to wear, -and on which are inscribed such particulars as his -name, regimental number, unit, etc., so that in -case of his being killed on the field he can be -identified and the news of his death transmitted -to his next of kin. Each man, too, is issued with -an “emergency ration,” which is a compressed -supply of food amply sufficient for one day’s meals,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_175">175</a></span> -so that in any tight corner, where provisions are -not obtainable, he may be able to hold out for at -least one day without being reduced to starvation. -The opening and use of this ration, except by -permission of an officer, counts as a crime in the -Army, unless a man is placed in such a position -that no officer is at hand to sanction the opening -of the package, when the matter is perforce left -to the man’s discretion.</p> - -<p>Marching on service is a different matter from -marching in time of peace. Not only is there the -strain of ever-possible attack, but there is also, -for cavalry and infantry, the weight of service -armament and equipment to be considered. Every -man carries in his bandoliers 150 rounds of ammunition -for his rifle—not a bit too much, when -the rate of fire possible with the modern rifle is -taken into account. But 150 rounds of ball -cartridge is a serious matter when one has to carry -it throughout the day, and, when active service -opens, it is easy to understand why only really fit -men are passed by doctors into the Army. So far -as the rank and file are concerned, it is power to -endure that makes the soldier on active service; -bravery is needed, initiative is needed, but staying -power is needed most of all.</p> - -<p>There may be days of solid marching without<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_176">176</a></span> -a sight of the enemy. One may form part of a -flanking force whose business is to march from -point to point, fighting but seldom, but always -presenting a threat to the enemy or his lines of -communication, and thus ever on the move, with -very little time for sleep or eating; again, one may -be placed with a force which has to march half -a day to come in contact with the enemy, and to -fight the other half of the day; or yet again, it may -be necessary to march all night in order to take a -position—or be shot in the attempt—at dawn. In -time of peace and on manœuvres, officers take care -that compensating time is allowed to men, so as -to give them the normal amount of rest; on -active service, the officer commanding a force -spares his men as much as he can, and gives them -all the rest possible, but he has to be guided by -circumstances, or to rise superior to circumstances -and cause himself and his men to undergo far -more than normal exertions. War, as carried out -to-day, requires all that every man has to give in -the way of staying power, and now, as in the days -of the battle-axe and long-bow, physical endurance -is the greatest asset a man can have on active -service. The hard drinker in time of peace and -the man who has been looking for “soft jobs” all -the time of his peace service soon “go sick” and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_177">177</a></span> -become ineffective; they may be just as brave -as the rest, but they lack the staying power -requisite to the carrying on of war.</p> - -<p>Men’s impressions of being under fire vary so -much that every account is of interest. “My -principal impression was that I’d like to run away, -but there was nowhere to run to, so I stuck on, -and got used to it after a bit.” “I felt cold, and -horribly thirsty—I never thought to be afraid till -afterwards.” “It was interesting, till I saw the -man next to me rolled over with a bullet in his -head, and then I wanted to get up and go for the -devils who had done that.” Thus spoke three men -when asked how they felt about it. My own impression -was chiefly a fear that I was going to be -afraid—I did not want to disgrace myself, but to -be as good as the rest.</p> - -<p>One man, who came back wounded after the -day of Mons, described how he felt at first shooting -a man and knowing that his bullet had taken effect—for -in the majority of cases, with a whole body -of men firing, it is difficult to tell which of the -bullets take effect. This, however, was a clear -case, and the man could not but know that he was -responsible for the shot.</p> - -<p>“I had four men with me on rear-guard,” he -said, “and we were holding the end of a village<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_178">178</a></span> -street to let our chaps get away as far as possible -before we mounted and caught up with them. We -could see German infantry coming on, masses of -them, but they couldn’t tell whether the village -street held five men or a couple of squadrons, so -they held back a bit. At last I could see we were -in danger of being outflanked, so I got my men -to get mounted, and just as they were doing so a -German officer put his head round the corner of -the house at the end of the street—not ten yards -away from me. I raised my rifle, shut both eyes, -and pulled the trigger—it was point-blank range, -and when I opened my eyes and looked it seemed -as if I’d blown half his face away. I felt scared at -what I had done—it seemed wrong to have shot -a man like that, though he and his kind drive -women and children in front of their firing lines. -It seemed to make such a horrible mess, somehow. -I got mounted, and just as I swung my leg over the -horse, a fool of a German infantryman aimed a -blow at me with the butt end of his rifle—I don’t -know where he sprung from—and damaged my -arm like this. If he’d had the sense he could have -run me through with a bayonet or shot me, but I -suppose he was too flurried. But that officer’s -face after I’d shot him stuck to me, and I still -dream of it, and shall for some time, probably.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_179">179</a></span> -He who told this story is a boy of twenty-two or -three, and he has gone back to the front to rejoin -his regiment, now—with three stripes on his arm, -instead of the two that were his at the beginning -of the campaign.</p> - -<p>On forced marches, and often on normal marches -as well, all the things that one considers necessities—with -the exception of sufficient food to keep one -in condition—go by the board. One sleeps under -the stars, with no other covering than a coat and -blanket; one lies out to sleep in pouring rain, -with no more covering; tents are out of the -question, for there is no time to pitch and strike -them. One goes for days without a wash, and for -days, too, without undressing. There were two -scamps in the South African campaign who -promised each other, for some mysterious reason, -that they would not take their boots off for a -month, and they ran into such a series of marches -and actions that, even if they had not made the -compact, they would only have been able to remove -their boots three times in the course of that month. -The smart soldier of peace service goes unshaven, -unwashed, careless of all except getting enough of -food and sleep at times; and when a lull comes in -the operations, so that he gets a day or even an -hour or two to himself, a bath is a luxury undreamed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_180">180</a></span> -of by the man who can have one every -morning and consider it a mere usual thing.</p> - -<p>If in time of peace the soldier considers a rifle -carelessly, and even resents having to carry it -about with him, he looks on it differently on -service, knowing as he does that his life may -depend on the quality of the weapon and his -ability to use it at almost any minute of the day -or night. The confirmed “grouser” of peace time, -who will make a fuss over having to put twenty -rounds of blank ammunition in his bandolier to go -out on a field-day, will swing his three bandoliers -of ball cartridges on to his person without a word -of complaint, for he knows that he may need every -round. Values alter amazingly on service; the -man with a box of matches, when one has been -away from the base for a few days, is a person of -importance, and a mere cigarette is worth far -more than its weight in gold. In General Rundle’s -column during the South African war, half a -biscuit was something to fight for, and the men -who thought it such had many a time thrown -away the same sort of unpalatable biscuits and -bought bread to eat instead. An ant-heap acquired -a new significance, for it might be the means of -saving a man’s life at any time, and among mounted -men a “fresh” horse, which might give its rider<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_181">181</a></span> -some trouble at the time of mounting, was no -longer to be avoided, for by its freshness it showed -that it had plenty of spirit and go about it, spirit -that might take a man out of rifle range at a -critical moment, when the slower class of mount -might come out of action without its rider.</p> - -<p>This reversal of the circumstances of ordinary -life produces lasting effect on men; no man who -has undergone the realities of active service comes -back to the average of life unchanged. The -difference in him may not be apparent at a casual -glance, but it is there, for the rest of his life. He -has looked on death at close quarters, and, whatever -his intelligence may be—whether he be gutter-snipe -or ’Varsity man, sage or fool—he has a -clearer realisation of the ultimate values of things. -One may count the Army in peace time as a great -training school out of which men come moulded -to a definite pattern, and yet retaining their -individuality. But active service is a fire through -which men pass, emerging on the far side purified of -little aims to a greater or less extent, according -to the material on which the fire has to work. For -many—all honour to them and to those who mourn -their loss—it is a destroying fire.</p> - -<p>So far as the limits of space will permit, there -is set down in these pages a record of what military<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_182">182</a></span> -service amounts to for the rank and file, in peace -and war. It is necessarily incomplete, for the -story of the British Army of to-day, apart from its -history of great yesterdays, is not to be told in -any one book—there is too much of it for that. -There are those who belittle the Army and its ways -and influence on the men who serve, but one who -has served, with the perspective of time to give -him clearness of vision, can always look back on -the Army and be glad that he has learned its -lessons, accomplished its tasks; the men who -would belittle it are themselves very little men, -too little to be worthy of serious notice. The -British Army is a gathering of brave men, fighting -in this year of grace 1914 in a noble cause, and -fighting, as the British Army has always fought, -bravely and well.</p> - -<p class="p2 center wspace small"> -WILLIAM BRENDON AND SON, LTD.<br /> -PRINTERS, PLYMOUTH -</p> - -<div class="chapter"><div class="transnote"> -<h2 class="nobreak p1"><a id="Transcribers_Notes"></a>Transcriber’s Notes</h2> - -<p>Punctuation and spelling were made consistent when a predominant -preference was found in this book; otherwise they were not changed.</p> - -<p>Simple typographical errors were corrected; occasional unbalanced -quotation marks retained.</p> - -<p>Ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines were retained. -Inconsistent hyphenation was not changed.</p> - -<p>Page <a href="#Page_173">173</a>: <em>morale</em> was printed as <em>moral</em>; changed here.</p> -</div></div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The British Army From Within, by -Evelyn Charles Vivian - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BRITISH ARMY FROM WITHIN *** - -***** This file should be named 52974-h.htm or 52974-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/9/7/52974/ - -Produced by Brian Coe, Charlie Howard, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -book was produced from images made available by the -HathiTrust Digital Library.) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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