144 
MOUNTAIN ARTILLERY DRILL, 1837 . 
home acting elsewhere, an expansion of the depot nucleus attached to 
it, and then left behind, would be necessary to act both as a depot and 
as a first reserve for the whole Mountain Artillery force then abroad. 
It also appears desirable that the garrison company stationed in 
Egypt and to which a mountain equipment is attached should, on com¬ 
pletion of its foreign tour, be invariably relieved by a company from 
home which has previously acquired some slight knowledge of the drill 
with mountain guns and its new duties with the same. 
To provide modestly for the above requirements without extra 
expense to the State, it appears desirable to select a company stationed 
in the south of England and to issue, as part of the movable armament 
of the sub-district to which it is attached, two mountain guns with 
two pair of ammunition boxes and one set of cradles (without saddlery). 
Then to train in the winter months (so as not to interfere with the 
spring and summer Garrison Artillery drills) a class of selected N.-C.O/s 
and men in the service of the guns and the theory of Mountain 
Artillery work. A few rounds of shrapnel for these guns should be 
allowed as part of the annual elementary practice of the company. 
The guns would be, moreover, most useful as movable armament on 
account of their easy transport to any point on the coast threatened 
by landing of hostile boat parties. A small reserve would thus be 
formed for the above purposes. 
Our present screw gun, although a satisfactory man-slayer, has both 
in Chitral and Matabeleland shown itself of very little use against 
obstacles such as u sungas ” and “ koppies.” The double shell of the 
7-pr. gun of 200 lbs. was, however, effective on many occasions at short 
ranges against the former, in the last Afghan war. Our mountain gun 
of the future should therefore be one of 425 lbs. jointed, throwing 
a 12-lbs. shell with the initial velocity of our present screw gun; 
each ammunition box to carry seven rounds of shell and cordite 
cartridges, the cradles to be of aluminium and steel and pads stuffed 
with cork shavings. 
Some writers are urging the introduction into our Mountain Artillery 
of the 4-in. R.M.L. jointed howitzer. I cannot agree with them. In 
my opinion this piece, requiring a large number of pack animals for 
the transport of its equipment and ammunition, should be regarded as 
constituting a part of a special light colonial siege equipment, for em¬ 
ployment as a special service, in our small Colonial or Indian Expeditions, 
where some fortified position, such as may be met with in irregular 
warfare, has to be breached. Its organization and equipment bears 
the same relation to the Mountain Artillery, that in India the heavy 
batteries do to the Field Artillery proper, and it should be manned and 
formed by the siege branch of the Regiment. 
I, however, quite agree that our minimum home and colonial estab¬ 
lishments of Mountain Artillery should be four batteries; that is, 
sufficient for ei one division for all arms,” and a depot, stationed 2 at 
Home, 1 in Egypt and 1 in Natal. The uniform and equipment of 
personnel to be exactly similar to the batteries in India, which it is 
not at present. 
