•M-J J.V • 
NIGHT WARFARE. 
B 
By Pathfinder. 
f^fOr^K discussing tiie fiiUire of Night Warfare 
it will be necessary to consider : (i) the growth 
and development of rapid night marching and 
the ability of all ranks to find their way at night 
with ease and accuracy ; (2) the development 
and fuiure of aircraft. 
As an aeronaut in Ladysmith during the siege, I 
had plenty of opportunities to foresee the great power 
which aerial reconnaissance would have over warfare in 
the future, and that it would force armies to move and 
light more and more under the cover of darkness. 
When subsequently serving in the Western Trans- 
vaal, I frequently accompanied Colonel Benson, who 
was on Lord .Methuen's Staff, upon long night recon- 
naissances, and we found that most Colonials, Basutos, 
&c., were quite at home at night, whereas men from the 
British Isles appeared quite helpless in the dark. Colonel 
B'.nson was the officer who led the attack at Magers- 
fontein, and he told me about the great difficulties of 
attacking when the direction, &c., was dependent on 
two or three individuals with a compass. If we 
Britishers could only get the same power of finding our 
way at night which most Colonials possess we foresaw 
it must have a far-reaching influence on night warfare. 
Secrets of Uncivilised Tribes. 
On my return to London in 1903, I went through a 
six months' course at the Royal Geographical Society 
under Mr. Reeves, the chief instructor, and we en- 
deavoured to discover the secret of how all uncivilised 
tribes never lose their way at night. I had previously 
found out from natives that they instinctively used the 
same biggest lights in the heavens from which they got 
their bearings. At that time, to get a star's bearing a 
sextant with logarithm or other tables were an absolute 
necessity for most Europeans. Many of the highest 
navigating authorities, including Captains Nansen, 
Scott, Armitage, Blackburn, and Smith, took a keen 
interest in the' problem, but it was not until about 1906 
that we were able to get the bearings of the biggest stars 
without the help of any instrument or book. They were 
got mechanically with the help of the orthographic pro- 
jection of a sphere— Mr. Reeves's astronomical compass 
originated from this method. 
In igog I got into communication with Captain 
Blackburn, the nautical adviser to the New Zealand 
Government, and with the help of his A. B.C. tables we 
easily worked out the position of heavenly bodies and 
then practised the scouts of the regiment in rapid night 
marching. At the end of that year we commenced to 
make a calendar giving the true bearings of the largest 
stars in the heavens for every month and hour of the 
night, for use in Indian latitudes. The system was 
fully explained in " Marching or Flying by Day 
and Night," published by Rees of Regent Street. 
Several regiments tested the accuracy of tliis system 
and they found it almost perfect, the only disadvantage 
being that it was necessary to have the time-table of 
direction stars with you when engaged In night opera- 
tions. In 1910 the editor of the Cavalry Journal had 
asked me to write an article on " Aerial Reconnaissance 
jn War," In which I endeavoured to point out the great 
Influence aircraft would exert In the future. He then 
asked me to send an account of our researches and dis- 
coveries up to date in the solution of the problem of 
•" How to find your way at night." With the help of 
Mr. Reeves and Captain Blackburn, we completed a 
time-table of direction stars for latitudes N 20 to 35, and 
the system was tested at the Staff College, Quetta, and 
the Cavalry School, Saugor, with excellent results. 
They found it was possible to move accurately at any 
V»ce you like and that there was no difficulty whatever 
in recognising the direction stars, and they reported thiS 
the system was a most eminently sound one, ,Wo had 
still not got it absolutely perfect, for It was necessary t* 
have the time-table of direction stars handy, unless yoa 
had a very good memory and could remember the bear- 
the bearings on half a sheet of notepaper thus : 
Simple Bearings. 
This difficulty was got over by noting beforehand 
the bearings on half a sheet of notepaper thus : 
120 
135 
I St August. Altair, lat. 50. 8 p.m. t? ^ xj 9 P-"'- p f jx 
So, with the help of a watch, you only had to look at the 
star and it gave you your true direction. Authoritieai 
then pointed out that private soldiers very often did not 
have watches, and if these watches were very wrongs 
the bearing would also be incorrect. 
In 191 1 Captain Weatherhead, Naval Instructor,, 
R.N., brought out a little book, with a foreword by Sir 
Robert Ball, in which he tried to solve the problem by 
(i) marking a Pole ; (2) transit of a known star ; (3) by 
simul transit stars. 
In 1914 Sir Douglas Haig wrote the foreword 
commending " Marching or Flying by Night," without 
a compass, with time-table of direction stars, for India,, 
to the notice of officers and men, which was a further 
encouragement to get the system perfected before tha 
European war-cloud had burst. But fate decreed other, 
wise, for the time-table for Europe was only completed 
by the end of 1914. 
I was invalided from France in 1915, and as so many, 
officers and men at the front had profited by the simpl« 
use of the heavens in the retreats from Mons and 
Antwerp, as well as on other occasions, the value of th© 
system, If we could only get it perfect, became apparent 
to all ranks. 
After giving three or four public lectures I founj 
young boys and quite uneducated people could recognisd 
Certain stars at sight after a few nights' practice, and on« 
boy also noticed when looking through the tables iit 
" Marching by Night " that many direction stars had 
almost identical courses'. It struck me t^at if you 
only use a few easily recognised stars that have similar 
courses and bearings throughout the night, the privata 
soldier would be able to recognise these just as easily aa 
the boy of ten, and the foHowing was the solution to the 
problem which had taken so many years to perfect. 
A Natural Method. 
The natural method to find your way at night is 
from the heavens, and if you get into the habit of look- 
Ing at the following guiding stars you soon Icnow theit 
paths and positions, and where they rise and set. 
It will not only be a fascinating pastime and amus»*- 
ment when out at night, but you will find it exceedingly 
useful, and after a short time you have no difficulty in 
finding your way. 
Stars rise eastwards and set westwards, so if you 
face the rising stars your shoulders then point north and 
south. Get behind any object, such as a building or 
tree, and you will easily see whether they are rising or 
setting. Should you only catch a momentary glance 
of one of the direction stars hereafter mentioned, you 
can obviously at once know your direction, and can find 
your way at night, without a map, watch, or compass, as 
follows : 
On a fairly clear night suppose you arrive in d 
motor-bus at an unknown town in January, prior to an 
attack by your regiment. .You have no idea where you 
are and must rely solely on the heavens. 
You look up as you are advancing, and see Regulus 
rising, so you know you are going about cast. After 
15 
