396 
THE MILITARY FORCES OF QUEENSLAND. 
had not done much more than this was due to his compulsory absence 
during four months of the year. 
While I was in camp, I took the opportunity of visiting Lytton Fort, 
a strong work supplied with modern armament including quick-firing 
guns, which commands the entrance to the Brisbane River; it is in the 
charge of the Regular Artillery, and it was here that the Militia Garrison 
Battery carried out their practice during the camp. The method of 
fighting the fort, adopted in the Force, is the system of coast defence 
invented by Major-General G. A. French, R.A., with a few modifica¬ 
tions ; this is probably known to many officers, and to give a detailed 
account of it would be beyond the province of this article; it will be 
sufficient if I state briefly the chief advantages that are claimed, and I 
think with justice, for the system. 
1. The elimination of the Gun Group Commanders prediction. 
2. Should the front of the target be obscured by smoke, the sys¬ 
tem at once slides insensibly into a Position Finding system, 
as simple as the Depression Range Finder, and as accurate as 
the Watkin method. 
3. The plant required is very inexpensive. 
In support of this last point I may mention that Major Byron has had 
all the necessary plant built in the battery workshops; and of the ac¬ 
curacy of every detail the excellent practice made by the Garrison batt¬ 
ery this year, was sufficient proof. 
My remarks so far have dealt almost entirely with the Militia portion 
of the troops. The Permanent Force of Queensland consists of one 
battery of Garrison Artillery called the “A. Battery,” with a proportion 
of horses for the purposes of instruction in mounted and battery drill. 
It is under the command of Major Byron. There is also usually an 
officer of the Royal Artillery attached to it. Lieutenant E. H. Willis, 
R.A., at present holds the billet, but he was away on duty at the time I 
write of. The strength on the 1st June, 1898, was 134 men. The 
standard of height and chest measurement is very high ; and as regards 
physique, I have certainly never seen a finer body of men; they are 
taken from a higher class than is the average soldier in the Imperial 
army, most of them know some trade, and they are all intelligent men of 
good character; crime is, in fact, practically unknown in the battery. 
And it is just as well that they are above the average in intelligence, 
as the amount of things they have to do and to know would tax an 
ordinary man’s power to the utmost. In/ addition to a Garrison Bat¬ 
tery’s legitimate work in looking after the defences, &c., there is one 
permanent section of Field Artillery maintained, the twelve drivers of 
which have to be found from the total strength given above ; moreover, 
the submarine mining arrangements form part of the duties of this 
most universal of batteries, and the following quotation fiom the 
Defence Force Regulations will show the amount of knowledge which 
the Government expects from the higher ranks : — 
“ Although A. Battery is organised as a battery of Artillery and must 
“ at all times be thoroughly efficient thereas, the Officers and Non- 
“ Commissioned Officers, will be expected to be able to instruct mem- 
“ bers of other branches of the Defence Force. Those attached special- 
