SILVER MEDAL PRIZE ESSAY, 1892 . 
543 
Artillery must ever be judged by the timely effect it produces and 
it is no defence of failure to say that the circumstances under which it 
finds itself are not contemplated in the drill-book. The principles 
upon which those circumstances are to be combated ARE enunciated in 
the drill-book, it is the fault of the commander if he fails to apply 
them properly. 
Pure standing gun drill, it is true, should be, and is, most rigidly 
laid down and no deviation from it should be allowed, because it must 
be the same under all circumstances, either with full or reduced num¬ 
bers. By its means onty can we attain and keep to a high state of 
“ Discipline under Fire,” but, beyond this mechanical function, much 
must be left to the judgment of Battery Commanders, in order to 
cultivate that individuality and power of initiative which is charac¬ 
teristic of a good commander in any station, and which is the only 
salvation when difficult and unforeseen circumstances arise. 
By a rigid and uniform system of drill only can we ensure the 
correct performance of their duties by the personnel should their com¬ 
mander become disabled. 
Freedom of action must not be looked upon as an excuse for the 
inception and practice of fancy methods of procedure, which are very 
often only the revival of exploded theories and should be most 
rigorously forbidden. The proper place for the development of these 
is at a School of Gunnery or with an experimental battery at a Practice 
Camp. It is highly subversive of good Fire Discipline for a com¬ 
mander, on assuming command, to find that his battery has been 
educated to act on principles that are unknown to him and are perhaps 
unsound. There is no desire to cramp inventive genius, but efficiency 
must be maintained at all hazards. 
Summary. 
To sum up, in answer to the problem, “ Fire Discipline ; its necessity 
and the best means of securing it.” 
Fire Discipline, like the conjunction “ que ” of my motto, is the 
bond of union between (fire) arms and men, and is indispensable if 
the two are to act in unison. 
To acquire it, everybody must know his duty thoroughly and confine 
himself thereto. 
The Section Officers must really be the trainers and commanders of 
their sections and responsible for everything therein. 
The Captain must be responsible for everything behind the line of 
guns. 
The Battery Commander, standing on the windward flank of his 
battery, can then, by the intermediation of these four, administer and 
apply his fire in any desired manner. If his attention is diverted by 
looking after the performance of subordinates, which may very well 
happen if he has assumed too much of their responsibility during 
training, then, unless he be a man of exceptional powers, the fire of 
the battery will break down, or, at all events, not be administered to 
the best effect. 
The onerous nature of his duty demands that he be relieved, as 
