4X2 
COMMENDED ESSAY, 1899. 
necessitate all officers having a good knowledge of this important sub¬ 
ject ; the syllabus of examination in depression range finding is very 
complete, and a good understanding of the practical working of posi¬ 
tion finding instruments will be ensured. 
It is however, a very great pity that such a mystery is made of the 
internal mechanism and electrical connections of the latter, as other¬ 
wise officers would not so often condemn an excellent instrument on 
account of faults which might easily be remedied. If you wish a man 
to appreciate a thing you must let him understand it, or distrust will be 
the consequence! 
We would suggest that the local course in position finding for offi¬ 
cers should include, in addition to the practical work required for ex¬ 
amination, a full description of the instrument and its connections, the 
interior of gun arm box, dials, etc., without going into small mechani¬ 
cal details, the ordinary methods of setting up and levelling, and the 
necessary adjustments. Circuits should be traced, the method of 
identifying wires explained, and the faults likely to occur and their 
cause pointed out. 
Another important part in the training of junior officers should be 
signalling. “ The subject of communication is the most vital one to 
the tactics of coast defence.”* 
We are now tremendously dependent on electrical communication 
and all know how treacherous these sometimes prove and the delays 
caused thereby. We must have an alternative system in case of break¬ 
downs, and the semaphore has been adopted as the simplest, and also 
as allowing of ready communication with Her Majesty’s ships. Every 
officer should know sufficient about this to be able to communicate 
himself or keep the trained signallers in hand, and seeing that it can 
be readily learnt in a very short time, it would not be too much to ask 
of every officer before promotion that he should be able to read at 
the rate of about eight or ten words a minute. They should also 
understand the employment of international code signals, and if, as is 
probable, the Morse code is re-introduced for night work, a certain 
number should be given special instruction in it. 
D. Officers generally. 
Under favourable circumstances, after three years in the Garrison 
Artillery, an officer should be fairly well up in his work, and his regu¬ 
lar instruction may be said to cease, practice and experience taking its 
place, while courses will perfect him in details. 
We have nevertheless such a diversity of armament, and such a 
variety of service, that each change of station means a good deal to 
be learnt, especially as regards the special form of defence required 
and the tactical working of the guns; we also have so many officers 
employed in various ways, who may not have had opportunities of 
keeping in touch with the latest changes, that it is impossible to frame 
any but the broadest rules for their instruction. All that can be done, 
is to give them every facility of bringing themselves up-to-date, which, 
* Brig.-General A. A. Saunders R.A., “ Report of School of Gunnery.” 1895 . 
