ORGANISATION OF A GARRISON COMPANY. 509 
In the above distribution, following the example of the Horse and 
Field Artillery, I have made each division or group as complete in 
itself as possible with its gun detachments, range-finders, dial readers, 
lift men, &c.,; purely fort details as Fort Commander's staff, I have 
kept as much as possible in the same sub-division. 
It will probably be queried, why are so many N.-C. officers and 
gunners accounted for as “ spare '' instead of detachments for more 
guns being provided ? My reply is, I have endeavoured to suggest not 
a purely paper organisation, but one which can be carried out under 
ordinary circumstances. 
Last year when every endeavour was made to send my battery to 
Golden Hill for its annual course as strong as possible, but 100 all told 
out of an establishment of 150 could be got together, and we had 
even less the year before at the annual training at Portsmouth. 
In the above table it will be noticed that 15 N.-C. officers (exclusive 
of Sergeant-Major, Quarter-Master Sergeant, and Pay Sergeant) and 
70 gunners are put down as spare, and this allowance will not be found 
too great for casuals, vacancies, men on courses, unrelievable employed 
men, such as clerks in regimental and district offices, servants to 
regimental and district staff, &c., besides men necessarily employed in 
the company as cooks, &c. 
An average of 12 N.-C. officers is generally unavailable for parade 
even when the company is going through its annual course. 
I always think it a matter of regret that, in arranging manning 
tables for our coast defences, the paper establishment not the average 
number of effectives is taken as a basis of calculation. 
For a short parade on the barrack-square a greater number of men 
can usually be got together than for manning a fort some distance off, 
which, especially if practice is carried out, is often a day's work. 
Of course if the company was up to its full establishment and at a 
station where it had to find but few employments, a fifth division or 
group might be formed, and, as I have stated above, if the guns of the 
fort it had to man were of a lighter nature a division or group might 
consist of three sub-divisions instead of two. 
(3.) As regards barrack accommodation, messing, &c.: 
To carry out any such system as this as far as interior economy goes, 
the number of barrack rooms available should, ideally speaking, corres¬ 
pond with or be double of the number of sub-divisions. In the case I 
am describing 8 very large rooms or 16 small ones would be the num¬ 
ber. This however could be rarely arranged. 
My own company has at present 14 rooms; putting the attached 
men of which there are a considerable number, in 2 rooms, I allot 3 to 
each division of the company, each sub-division with its No. 1 and 
effectives being as far as possible in one room, the employed men and 
non-effectives of both sub-divisions being in the other. 
The No. 1 of the sub-division is responsible for the kits, equipment, 
&c., of all men of his sub-division at head-quarters whether they are 
in his room or not. 
The duties of subaltern officers with regard to their divisions to be 
the same, as far as possible, as in the mounted branches except as 
Allowance 
for Non- 
effectives. 
Barrack 
accommo¬ 
dation. 
