112 
SPEED IN FIRING WITH GARRISON GUNS. 
There is often no time for many details to be entered, but in that case 
practice can usually be commended. 
(8) Garrison Gunners should receive every encouragement to make 
themselves acquainted with the use of boats and launches, and to get 
accustomed to sea work and the management of targets. At many 
stations they have few facilities for this, and then targets are not run 
well. There are few more melancholy sights than a sea-sick helpless 
range party, while their records under such conditions are not trust¬ 
worthy or full enough to be of much use. Officers should take such 
opportunities as may offer of seeing practice from our war ships, and 
the way in which ships are likely to manoeuvre in attacking and firing. 
Many hints as to quick shooting may be picked up. Naval officers will 
often take an Artillery officer out to see quarterly practice on a wish 
being expressed ; also in Torpedo Boats, which certainly teach the 
necessity of avoiding delay when using the smaller quick firers. 
(9) Means are almost universally wanting for practising laying at 
night. Artillery will fail in night work, and especially with Q.F. guns 
intended to ward off torpedo boat attacks, if deprived of the means of 
lighting up the water area over which they fire. Each group of Q.F.’s 
needs a fighting light, or an enemy’s torpedo boats will slip in with 
ease. It would probably be wise to hand over all lights which bear on 
water areas to the Artillery ; but even if search lights and fixed beams 
are not so treated, gun fighting lights must be under the complete con¬ 
trol of the Garrison gunners who are responsible for keeping the water 
areas covered by these guns free from intrusion. 
In conclusion there may be some who might urge that firing at great 
speed may be all very easy at some places, but that it cannot be practised 
in localities where foul ranges are the rule and fair open water the 
exception. Such a plea for slowness should not be entertained for a 
moment. It is when practising over very foul ranges that the necessity 
for rapid smart work is made most manifest. Companies detailed to 
practice in such places are entitled to much sympathy, but it is fre¬ 
quently from want of decision and organization that their troubles 
arise. They are often kept for hours, more or less constantly at the 
guns, officers and men naturally getting slacker and slacker as time 
wears on without a round being fired, but nevertheless chance after 
chance of pouring in a few rounds is obviously permitted to escape ; 
sometimes from doubt (not always illfounded) in the mind of the O.C. 
of his ability to instantly stop fire should danger arise ; more frequently 
from slowness in some form or other, either on his part or that of some 
of those under him ; or* what is perhaps a still more common cause of 
delay, want of practical experience, decision, and power of grasping the 
situation on the part of the Danger Officer. The latter holds a most 
