OKEHAMPTON, 1895. 85 
from the great zeal and great anxiety to come out well. There is no doubt that 
this has diverted us somewhat from service practice; it is quite possible to direct 
this zeal into its proper channel: it has been talked over by several battery officers, 
and schemes have been put forward by them to bring the whole of the service practice 
into the Competitive ; but it would be impossible to work it every day, the strain 
would be so great on the staff. That is one proposal; I think it is not practi- 
cable; we should require a separate staff, or two or three, to keep it up, anfl the 
strain on the batteries also would be very great. There is another plan that might 
answer, and that is to have some marks, say 100, given to the Commandants at 
Glenbeigh and Okehampton, and for those marks to be allotted for the service— 
the whole of the service practice—keeping of course the fire discipline marks in 
the Competitive as at present merely forming an extra lot of marks for the service 
practice. I hope that something of that kind may be introduced next year and 
that it will meet the difficulty. 
Then another very important point which Captain Headlam also criticized was 
the Brigade Division practice. We want more and I hope we shall have more of it. 
One cannot help feeling in that matter for the Brigade Division Commander. 
The Brigade Division is the only tactical unit in the service of which the Com- 
mander has no permanent staff whatever. He has no Adjutant; he has to take 
an Adjutant from one of the batteries. He has no Sergeant-Major; he has to go 
to one of the batteries for a Sergeant-Major. One feels for him in that situation. 
How can he keep up continuity of drill and training, especially from the tactical 
point of view, without a proper staff. Iam sure when the authorities realize 
this, it will be put right, and I am certain it will have a good effect on the 
Brigade Division practice. 
Masor Ricu—There was a point in the Lecture that was very interesting to 
me because last year I was on the Cavalry Manceuvres, and I ask this for instruc- 
tion—it is a doubtful point I think as to cavalry ranges—close ranges at 1500 
yards. In the drill-book a certain ranging system is laid down against cavalry, 
but from my own experience the moments are so fleeting in which you get the 
chance of shooting at cavalry on the move, always on the move—if you fire one 
shot they are on the move—that I should like to ask Colonel Marshall, whose 
opinion I value more than most men’s, whether it is not right to open with time 
shrapnel. The Lecturer carefully pointed out to us that the hard and fast rule 
which is laid down about ranging in our drill-book is not always likely to be of 
advantage on service or anywhere else. I do not think myself that in that sort of 
thing one would go through a ranging process very often. That is the only thing 
J should like to be instructed on. 
CotoneL Marsuatt—The Chairman says that I may answer you at once. I 
think that it is legislated for in the drill-book; you can open at once with time 
shrapnel at short ranges. 
Masor Hunr—There are one or two points that I should like to ask the 
Lecturer about. 
I did not follow what Captain Headlam said about being in somebody else’s 
hands with regard to wagon supply. It seems to me that if the Battery Com- 
mander orders the wagor supply and the Captain sticks half a mile away ona 
hill with the wagons, it is a simple thing for him to send on to the battery and 
say “‘ I cannot go on; ” but if it is left for the Captain to order the supply as he 
likes, the limbers will not know what to do: they will come into action and will 
not see where the wagons are and there will be no command at all. I have never 
considered the matter before, but from the lecture I do not see how any other 
person but the Battery Commander can do it. 
I want also to ask whether there is to be any elasticity allowed as to the distance 
