SILVER MEDAL PRIZE ESSAY, 1898. 
293 
The laying of stress on this point is by no means intended as a criti¬ 
cism of present methods, the outcome of so much thought and practical 
experience, and so well adapted to the armaments now in use. But 
there can be no doubt that the property of the Q.F. gun, of being 
always ready and able to fire, should be utilized, if it possibly can, in 
making improvements in this direction —autre temps autres mceurs — 
new armaments new methods—and that several new departures in 
ranging will be possible with Q.F. guns is evident. True we shall have 
to pay a price for the time that we shall gain, viz. : the expenditure, on 
the process of ranging, of what we should at present regard as a some¬ 
what reckless amount of ammunition ; but what is the value of a few 
shells compared with the tremendous interests at stake when Artillery 
has to get the mastery over Artillery or be itself destroyed. 
No ; time must be gained by every possible means, and the introduc¬ 
tion of a new armament would be useless were our tactics not modified 
so as to take full advantage of its peculiar properties and powers. 
3. Frontage .—The property which a Q.F. armament possesses, of 
delivering a vastly more powerful fire than has hitherto been possible 
from any given length of front, or conversely the smaller amount of 
frontage required, for the delivery of a certain amount of fire is one of 
very great importance. For the continental Powers, who have hitherto 
brought gigantic numbers of guns into the field, it will now be possible 
to reduce this number, and the crowding of large numbers of guns into 
positions too small for such numbers, or the squeezing out of batteries 
altogether from the artillery line on account of want of space—as was 
the case in the German line at Gravelotte for instance—will be less 
frequent than formerly. 
To a nation like ourselves, always too weak in artillery, and hitherto 
quite unable to compete in numbers of guns with the huge armaments 
of our neighbours, the increase of fire power from our limited number 
of pieces, taken in conjunction with a probable reduction in the 
numbers of those of our neighbours, is an unmixed advantage, as 
tending to bring matters more on an equality. Abroad, the gain in 
power of guns must be partially counterbalanced by a reduction in 
their present numbers, necessitated, as will be seen immediately, by 
difficulties as to ammunition supply for very large numbers of guns of 
this type. In our case owing to our smaller number of guns, we need 
think of no reduction, and the gain in fire power would be absolute. 
SECTION IV. 
The disadvantages of a Q.F. equipment for artillery in 
THE FIELD. 
These may be enumerated as follows :— 
1. The great expenditure of ammunition and consequently large 
amount necessary to be provided and always at hand. 
2. The excessive length on the roads of the ammunition columns and 
parks. 
3. The difficulty of keeping up the supply of ammunition to the guns 
at the required rate in action. 
4. The greater complication of gun and mounting rendering it unfit 
for service in the field. 
30 
