OKEHAMPTON EXPERIENCES, 1893 . 
65 
mander could keep to whichever appeared best. This plan certainly 
answered very well, it is quick, and has the great merit of extreme 
simplicity, and, further, requires no new drill or knowledge from the 
battery. 
Ranging at short ranges by elevating wheel, without the Hammant 
indicator, was to have been tried by several batteries; it, however, only 
had a partial trial by one of the batteries of the last division. The 
wheels were marked in plain divisions, each division representing 50 
yards at a range of 1500 yards. It seemed to work well, and is, I 
believe, to be further tried. 
The use of range and fuze cards seems dying out, some Battery 
Commanders not even requiring them when working in degrees and 
minutes. This probably will become general when all sights and 
clinometers are marked in yards. 
The time taken to switch the fire from one target to another varied 
from 3 minutes to about 1; here again the value of clear definite orders 
was very apparent. 
The chief thing in switching the fire was not to point out the new 
target to the battery at large until the guns were loaded with percus¬ 
sion shell and could turn on at once. 
The change was from a near to a far target, whilst the battery was 
firing time shrapnel, ordinary fire, at the former; the simplest order was 
therefore, “ percussion shrapnel, load,” and then, as soon as the fire 
came round to the first gun, loaded with percussion shell, “ slow 
fire, range and target.” It seems perhaps wrong not pointing out 
the target first, but when this happened there was always delay as to 
what was to be done with loaded guns, and the change certainly worked 
smoothest and quickest when the above orders were adhered to. 
Of course there is no difficulty when the change is from a far to a 
near, the only order required being, “ slow fire, range and target.” 
The quickest change at Brigade Practice occupied 3 minutes, time 
being taken from the receipt of order by Brigade Division Commander, 
until each battery had fired one round on the new target: on some 
occasions as many as 9 minutes elapsed before a round was fired at the 
new target. On one Brigade day the target for one position consisted 
of a 6 and 4-gun battery. After the Brigade Division had been in 
action for some time, the Officer Commanding* was informed, that one of 
the batteries had limbered up and advanced. This naturally led to 
fire being concentrated on the remaining battery; when the fire 
appeared settled three 6 foot targets, supposed to represent a battery 
at a closer range, appeared, and after a time were turned off again. 
The latter remained visible, on an average for 10 minutes, and in that 
time concentration was attained twice, out of the four times it was 
attempted. 
The method of working a switch by appearing and disappearing 
targets, instead of simply giving the order to change, is a great im¬ 
provement, It certainly has the disadvantage that the rope is some¬ 
times cut and then they cannot be turned off, but when this happens 
there is always the order to fall back upon. It would be an advantage 
also, if some system of puffs could be arranged so as to draw the 
9 
