138 OKEHAMPTON EXPERIENCES, 1892. 
Rate of Fire. 
The Commandant has, during practice this year, laid great stress on 
the necessity for increasing the rate of fire. There has certainly been 
a marked improvement in this respect, and if figures are to be trusted 
there has been no consequent falling off in accuracy. When the cor¬ 
rect range and fuze have been obtained the rate of fire might be 
ordered by the Commander as “Ordinary” or “Regular Fire, at — 
seconds interval.” Section Commanders would very soon get into the 
way of roughly estimating an interval of 10, 20 or 30 seconds. 
The greatest rate of fire that can be maintained at a fairly easy 
target, on ordinary ground and with effective brakes, is probably about 
one round per gun per minute. During the past season this rate has 
very rarely been achieved. Tiie chief obstacles to rapidity are excessive 
recoil and slow fuze setting. The former would tell far more seriously 
on service where long periods in action may be expected. At practice 
delay was chiefly consequent on the great amount of work thrown on 
No. 3. The drill-book says that after “ Ordinary Fire ” is ordered, 
fuzes will be set by No. 5. As a matter of fact this work always 
devolved on No. 3, since the number of shell brought up in theportablo 
magazines was always sufficient to finish the series. It was instructive 
to note the variation in different batteries in the time from length of 
fuze being ordered to the firing of the next round. This interval 
varied from 30 seconds in a quick firing battery to 1 minute in a slow 
one. 
Brigade Practice. 
During the practice of each division two days were devoted to Brigade 
Service Practice, except in the case of the 5th Division, who only had 
one day, owing to lack of ammunition. The chief lessons afforded by 
the practice are that reconnoitring a position for three batteries is not 
the work of a moment, and that orders take some time to filter through 
to the gun detachments, and must therefore be issued in advance of the 
moment when their fulfilment is required. The full power of the 
weapon in the hands of the Brigade Commander can only be thoroughly 
developed if the fire of each battery is promptly available for any 
change of objective required. Last year the fire effect of the brigade 
was poor compared with that of single batteries. This year, on the 
contrary, the brigade practice shows relatively greater results than 
the battery service practice. It is hardly necessary to lay stress on 
the great advantage gained by batteries being commanded by a Lieut.- 
Colonel whose methods they know and to whom their capabilities are 
equally familiar. Almost as important is it that the Brigade Com¬ 
mander and his Adjutant should be mutually acquainted. It takes 
some little time to fall in with the ways of a new commander, and 
for a Lieut.-Colonel to discover how far he may rely on his new 
Adjutant, and the degree of minuteness required in the drafting of 
his orders. 
The 4th Division took part in the combined field operations before 
referred to. The field-works against which fire was directed consisted 
of a breast-work of heavy timbers faced with earth, light shelter- 
