424 
REMARKS ON MAKING OR BREAKING. 
many are the difficulties in the Garrison Artillery ? The perpetual cry 
“ I have no officers, I have no men ; ” the number of courses (that 
bane of the Garrison Artillery) ; subalterns come and go so rapidly 
that a company O.O. gives it up in despair of even having an officer 
per half company, much less per section, and the changes become so 
frequent (at home at any rate) that identifying a section with a subal¬ 
tern becomes impossible ; then, again, the splitting up of companies to 
suit the barrack accommodation (so often scattered about in old case¬ 
mates, buildings, huts of all sizes), the detachments, the employments, 
the fatigues, &c. Unless a company is struck off duty to undergo its 
annual course, a subaltern can never get hold of his men to teach or 
drill them, or even to know their names. 
The first step then in obtaining keen and smart officers in the 
Garrison Artillery is by keeping them more permanently with their 
companies, giving them command of sections, and giving them men to 
drill with : the Horse and Field Artillery batteries get the majority of 
their men every day of the week, why cannot the Garrison Companies? 
The abolition of all courses away from their companies is very much to 
be desired, and relief from the majority of employments an absolute 
necessity. There is very much more variety of drill, more interesting 
work of all sorts, and many more opportunities for the exercise of 
“ nous ” and the display of zeal and ability in the Garrison Artillery 
than in any other branch of the service; manning of works and forts, 
siege and movable armaments, machine guns, shifts and repository 
work, foot drill, carbine practice, signalling, range-finding, &c., &c. 
In what other corps is there such endless variety ? How can such 
service be called dull or monotonous ? It is most disheartening for 
a company C.O. to be always foiled by want of officers and men. 
To turn now to the other aspect, the social side. 
How to prevent the young subaltern mis-spending his leisure time ? 
Most Garrison Artillery stations are very sadly handicapped by having 
none of the attractions and means of recreation and amusement which 
the cadet had at the Academy and the boy had at School. An uncom¬ 
fortable mess, without billiard room or racquet court, and very often 
no field for cricket or football, and outside every attraction to lead him 
into habits the opposite to manly or sporting. What is required is, 
firstly, a proper tone, encouragement, help and example from the 
seniors in mess (when there are any) ; secondly, a mess establishment 
as comfortable and. attractive as possible; thirdly, a billiard room, 
racquet court and regimental games' fund including cricket, football, 
&c., for as certainly as none of these are forthcoming in barracks so 
certainly will they be sought for in the town accompanied, perhaps, by 
undesirable companions and other evils. Colonel 0*Callaghan's des¬ 
cription of the club abroad is perfectly true, such a club was the ruin 
of several and the curse of many, in a station where the writer was a 
few years ago. 
As regards the danger of running the risk of making young officers 
gun-shy ” by current scientific literature, it is difficult to understand 
how such a treatise as “ The Tactical Working of Coast Artillery ” can 
appear unintelligible to those who have successfully passed through the 
