COMMENDED ESSAY, 1 899, 413 
if they have once mastered the elements of Garrison Artillery work, 
should not be difficult. 
At stations where there is an Instructor in Gunnery, it should be 
part of his duty to show officers, joining there for the first time, round 
the works, explaining the general principles upon which the guns are 
fought, ammunition supplied, ranges found and passed, and fire con¬ 
trolled. 
The general knowledge of all officers should be kept up by frequent 
lectures and practical work under the superintendence of Lieut.-Colon- 
els and their staff, special attention being paid to their training in the 
following subjects:—* 
A. Communications .-—There should be frequent skeleton mann¬ 
ings of all the works, communications, range finding instruments, etc. 
This, if properly carried out, is a most effective way of teaching officers 
their particular duties, and it is a great pity it is not more often resort¬ 
ed to as a form of drill. Faults in telephones are discovered, Battery 
Commanders get in touch with their observers, and Gun Group Com¬ 
manders learn their duties in predicting and giving words of command, 
almost as efficiently as if the guns were manned ; it is besides the only 
way in which practice can be obtained in manning all the works at 
the same time, and allowing the Fire Commander to get used to direct¬ 
ing fire, as the men available are rarely sufficient to do this with full 
detachments. On these occasions frequent casualties of all sorts 
should be imagined and prepared for. A certain form of attack like¬ 
ly to take place should be represented, any available boats or tugs 
being sent out as targets. If notes are taken as to the time fire was 
opened from each group, the ranges ordered, messages received, and 
number of rounds fired, they afford valuable data for judging the effi¬ 
ciency or otherwise of those concerned and for pointing out mistakes 
which should be remedied. 
B. Tactics .—This is a subject little studied as a rule, and which 
should form an important part of all training. Very few officers have 
any real idea of the tactics that would be adopted by hostile torpedo- 
boats in raiding harbours at night,* or of the formations and evolutions 
of ships attacking forts, and the best means of meeting such attacks. 
Personal study of operations in the past and acquaintance with the 
ways and opinions of the Navy, is very necessary; artillery officers 
should on every possible occasion be attached to Her Majesty’s Ships 
during naval manoeuvres and be allowed on board torpedo-boats when 
simulating the attack of a harbour, t 
We so rarely carry out combined operations, that we have little 
notion of the part the Navy would play in assisting us in defence, and 
are consequently apt to omit it from our plans, whereas in war time it 
would have to be taken into consideration. If occasionally part of the 
Naval Manoeuvres could be devoted to the attack of coast fortresses 
the advantage to all concerned would be very great, and we would get 
a better idea of what to be prepared for. Frequent night attacks by 
* R.A.I. “ Proceedings,” Vol. XXVI., No. 1, ” Coast Defence against Torpedo-Boat Attack ** 
By Major-General J. B. Richardson, R.A. 
t Idem. 
