372 
COMMENDED ESSAY, 1898. 
complication of gun, mounting and ammunition, and of loss of fire 
control, with the additional efforts therefore likely to be demanded of 
the personnel of Q.F. batteries, have also been brought forward. 
It may be urged as an argument against attempting to introduce a 
Q.F. field equipment that the present guns are good enough, being 
already superior in fire effect to those which were used with such 
success by the Germans in 1870. This may be true under present cir¬ 
cumstances, but should some Power succeed in producing a really good 
equipment of the kind, and should the Artillery of that Power arrive 
at success in the handling of their new weapons (both apparently quite 
possible hypotheses), the present guns will certainly not be good enough 
when arrayed in battle against the new guns. It has been pointed out 
in the second part of this essay that more or less successful attempts 
have been already made to produce a satisfactory Q.F. field equipment, 
and it is believed that experiments on a large scale are in progress in 
several foreign countries with the object of introducing some such 
equipment for service with their field armies. Presumably, therefore, 
the Artillery authorities of those countries consider the increase of 
power to be obtained by the use of these guns worth striving for, in 
spite of the numerous attendant disadvantages. By their experiments 
they probably hope to overcome some of these disadvantages to a greater 
or less extent, and at the same time to bring out the capabilities of the 
new guns. 
It is therefore to be hoped that we also may carry out experiments 
on these lines : remembering that if successful the power of our guns 
will be so much enhanced as to go far towards making up for the 
smallness of their numbers ; while if others are successful and we are 
not, disparity of numbers may some day be increased by disparity of 
power into the bargain. 
Experiments, and experiments on a large scale, are necessary if we 
wish to decide whether it is worth while to have Q.F. field guns : for 
there is so much to be said theoretically on both sides of the question 
that without some practical trial it appears impossible to answer it, one 
way or the other. I think it has been shown however that it is worth 
while to try (if we are to judge by the example set by other countries), 
beginning perhaps by endeavouring to obtain a Q.F. equipment for 
Horse Artillery acting with Cavalry, where it seems the fullest advan¬ 
tage is likely to be reaped. The points to be looked to and the 
principles it seems right to follow in the production of a suitable 
equipment have been given above. It is to be hoped that in this matter 
our motto will be that of this essay, “ Nec temere, nec timide ”—while 
we avoid rash enterprises and profit by the mistakes of others, let us 
at the same time have no hesitation in making trial of a form of weapon 
which though it doubtless has many drawbacks has as certainly much 
to be said in its favour. 
