375 
THE 
CHOICE, OCCUPATION AND CHANGE OF 
POSITIONS BY FIELD ARTILLERY, 
EY 
MAJOR E. S. MAY, R.H.A. 
(A Lecture delivered to the School of Gunnery at Shoeburyness on the 9th of April, 1897), 
Colonel E. M’Gr. Stewabt, C.B., A.-D.-C., in the Chaik. 
Colonel Stewart and Gentlemen —A few words on a question which, 
just at this moment, is attracting much attention may not come amiss 
from one who has devoted some time to its consideration, even if that 
may be the only warrant for the intrusion of his views upon you. Not 
only has the matter of positions provoked an unusual amount of dis¬ 
cussion of late at our exercises and manoeuvres, but we have recently 
seen opinions and recommendations and criticisms published in our 
“ Proceedings/’ which, while they testify to a widespread and keen 
interest in tactical problems, manifest also, if I may say so without 
presumption, the existence of misconceptions due perhaps to inadequate 
consideration of practical difficulties. Until these latter have been 
personally experienced, they are not infrequently passed over with too 
little notice. One officer in particular, who twenty years ago con¬ 
ferred a great benefit on the Regiment when he translated “Von 
Schell” for its use, has written about a method of bringing guns 
into action in Germany, which he warmly advocates, and I feel sure 
we will all study what he has said with that attention which 
everything that falls from his pen is entitled to receive. The method 
he describes is based on an unlimbering considerably behind a crest 
line and running the guns on by hand until they can just see their 
objective over the top. I shall speak of it now as the “creeping” 
system, not in any spirit of sarcasm, but simply to define it from the 
other methods which we have already terms to identify. Another 
writer has devoted many pages to the discussion of almost all possible 
positions and methods of occupying them, and yet perhaps has scarcely 
provided us with conclusions which are completely satisfying. 
You have all, I am sure, heard of or read these articles here and, I 
7. VOL, XXIV. 
