COMMENDED ESSAY, 1897 . 365 
SUGGESTED SYSTEM OF PRACTICE. 
The various natures of practice at present consist of the following : — Nature of 
elementary, company or service, competitive, regimental and station. practlce ‘ 
The first three, classed as “ company practice,” are chiefly intended 
for the instruction of a company as a unit. The other two are for the 
purpose of testing the working of the higher commands, communica¬ 
tions, ammunition supply, etc., and to ensure the efficiency of guns and 
mountings by firing them occasionally ; they should always take place 
in combination with one another, upon the same day, and come under 
the head of “ combined practice.” 
Every company should be struck off duty for a week, if possible 
immediately after their annual course, for “ company practice.” To 
make this really interesting and instructive, and in order to have 
conditions as nearly representing service as possible, it is necessary that 
every man in the company, who would have to take his place in the 
works in action, should do so at practice. 
Under present circumstances, in many cases this becomes practically 
an impossibility ; there is all the routine work of barracks to be carried 
on ; men employed in various ways often are not relieved, as it is 
considered that there are sufficient to man the guns without them, and 
that just for a day or two of practice, it is not worth while taking them 
away from their employment. In this manner, at certain stations, a 
good number of men may be several years without seeing a shot fired. 
All employed men should be relieved for the week, and no duties 
whatever such as guards, etc., be required of the others. To ensure 
this all the more, companies should, if possible, carry out their “ company 
practice ” at one of the schools of instruction or at a “ practice station.” 
There are many places at home where it is excessively difficult to practice 
practice at all, owing to the amount of shipping about and the con- statlons - 
sequent constant interruption of fire, which entirely prevents any chance 
of representing service conditions ; the ranging is greatly handicapped ; 
the men are kept waiting about for hours, and everyone gets annoyed 
with the whole work, and only too glad to fire off a stray round now 
and then and go home. 
At such a station as Sheerness, in certain states of the tide, it becomes 
hopeless even attempting practice, and at others, Plymouth for instance, 
the conditions are almost as bad. On the other hand there are stations 
where firing can be carried on almost without interruption. A certain 
number of these should be selected as “practice stations,” not necessarily 
being schools of instruction, and at least every other year all companies 
should carry out their “company practice” at one of them. 
For some years past the Portsmouth companies have practised from 
the Isle of Wight forts, and all reports seem to agree as to the great gain 
in fire discipline, etc., of all concerned. The same thing has been tried 
by sending a company from Dover to Newhaven. and proved a great 
success. The men are all the better for a week in camp, and thoroughly 
appreciate having no fatigues to find ; they get very keen about their 
drill and work, and feel that their time has been really well spent; the 
officers have a chance of getting their men in hand, and know that they 
can make plans for drill and practice without the probability of having 
them all upset at the last moment. 
In all practice a marked difference must be made according to the objectives 
form of attack represented and the means employed to meet it. war time - 
48 
