221 
EXTRACT EROM REPORT ON THE BELGIAN SIEGE AND 
GARRISON ARTILLERY, BY MAJOR AND BT.-LT.-COL. 
H. BRACKENBHRY, R.A., DATED 9™ SEPTEMBER, 1876. 
[COMMUNICATED BY THE DEPUTY-ADJUTANT-GENERAL, E.A.] 
Practical 
instruction 
of the 
Belgian 
artillery. 
The poly- 
gone of 
Brasschaet. 
Description 
of the 
establish¬ 
ment and 
practice 
ground. 
Although the foregoing remarks comprise all the subjects named in my 
instructions, I may, perhaps, be allowed to add a few notes on the practical 
instruction of the Belgian artillery. 
At Brasschaet, about 12 miles from Antwerp, is situated the artillery 
instructional establishment, which comprises a school of gunnery (ecole de 
tir), for officers and non-commissioned officers, and a practice ground 
(Polygone d’exercice), for field and siege (garrison) batteries. 
A large tract of sandy barren heath, slightly undulating, about 3000 yds. 
in length, and increasing in breadth from about 400 yds. at the southern end 
to 1000 yds. at the northern end, is enclosed and surrounded by plantations 
of young timber. At the southern end are the buildings, including quarters 
for the staff, barracks for officers and men, and stables for the horses of the 
batteries under instruction, mess rooms for officers and non-commissioned 
officers, and a few class rooms. 
The remainder of the space is occupied by the practice ground, upon 
which are constructed works representing portions of permanent works, 
casemates, land and coast batteries, and works representing the approaches 
and batteries of an attack. 
The establishment is under Major-General Terssen—an officer of scientific command, 
attainments, who is at once Commandant of the Ecole de Tir and of the ant - 
Polygone d’Exercice and member of the Permanent Committee of Experi¬ 
ments with rifled artillery. Division of 
tbe year 
The year is divided into three parts of four months each. into three 
^ x parts. 
Eour months are devoted to a course of gunnery for officers and non-com- Course of 
missioned officers. Each regiment of field or siege artillery sends yearly foTJmJers 
three officers and three non-commissioned officers to this course. The school a g d c 2g C * 
is but recently established, and the instruction of the officers has commenced 
with the Captains Commandant, and will proceed downward in the scale of 
rank. 
Eour months are devoted to the practice of field and siege batteries. Practice of 
Every battery in the army attends the Polygone every year for 17 days. e tl00pa ’ 
Each battery has at least three different kinds of practice, of at least 50 or 
60 rounds each. 
the Experi¬ 
ments and 
vacation. 
The remaining four months are devoted to the experiments of 
Permanent Committee, and to the vacation of the Staff. 
I had no opportunity of learning the programme of the course of gunnery Source of 
for the officers and non-commissioned officers; but if it may be judged by S|remaS 
'what we learnt of the practice of the batteries, its whole bearing would be 
eminently practical. We were fortunate enough to find the practice by siege 
28 
