DISCUSSION ON ARTILLERY. 
95 
Maxims during the campaign which are perhaps worth mentioning. 
The first is that in order to gain the greatest effect from the fire, the 
Maxims should certainly be for attack on the flank and not in a 
position where their fire will be liable to be masked by infantry ad¬ 
vancing. This was illustrated to a great extent at Atbara. The 
Egyptian Army Maxims when the infantry advanced, advanced with 
them and although they did enormously good service no doubt, yet their 
action was certainly cramped by the fact that they could only fire while 
the infantry halted; and as a matter of fact Soudanese troops when 
attacking a position do not halt very often or very long. From 
our Maxims on the other hand which were on tbe extreme left flank 
of our whole line we kept up a continuous rapid fire from the moment 
we came into action until the Zareba was finally captured and the 
whole thing was over. 
The Chairman :—What sort of range was it ? 
Lieut.-Colonel Hunter-Blair: —I cannot tell you. exactly Sir. It was 
not a long range; I should think it would be from 400 to 600 or 700 
yards, but I cannot tell you because by the f fire-hose ’ system you do 
not use your sights. 
The other point is that I am quite convinced in my own mind that 
six Maxims formed into one battery (as ours were) under one Com¬ 
manding Officer is a much more effective organisation than having 
them distributed by one’s or two’s among battalions or brigades. The 
advantage of having a small and compact unit in camp or on the 
march is an obvious one ; and when you come into action you 
have that small compact unit with the whole of your men pro¬ 
tected from shrapnel or infantry bullets, capable of keeping up a 
continuous fire of 2,500 rounds a minute (that is only a moderate 
computation—the actual official rate is more) and that tremendous 
fire directed by only six men, who are presumably trained to that 
particular work, and controlled (and easily controlled I can say from 
experience) by one battery commander who can distribute or concen¬ 
trate it at any particular moment as he may think necessary. 
I think Sir that is all I have to say. 
The Chairman :—What extent of front had your battery in action,— 
your Maxims ? 
Lieut.-Colonel Hunter-Blair :—It varied Sir. We had nothing laid 
down particularly. When we were in the ordinary normal formation in 
brigade we were wheel to wheel as close as we could get. When 
we were at Atbara we had about ten yards between the guns—that 
was to suit the ground that we came into action on. 
General Maurice, c.b. : —Were they infantry men or artillery men 
that you had ? 
Lieut.-Colonel Hunter-Blair :—They were all artillery men, all men 
out of my own battery at Cairo. 
The Chairman :—Had you two officers under you ? 
Lieut.-Colonel Hunter-Blair :—Yes Sir, two officers. 
The Chairman :—Might I ask you, were these Maxims ever em¬ 
ployed with cavalry ? 
