OKEHAMPTON EXPERIENCES, 1894: 
BY 
MAJOR A. J. HUGHES, R.A. 
(A Lecbure delivered at the Royal Artillery Institution, 11th October, 1894). 
COLONEL R. D. E. LOCKHART, R.A., IN THE CHAIR. 
THe CaatrmMan—Gentlemen, the subject to night and the lecturer 
are both well known to you. I only ask you to take note of anything 
that occurs to you in the lecture that you may disagree with, or which 
you may think specially worthy of notice, or which you do not quite 
understand. 
GrntLEMEN—It was with great diffidence that I accepted the kind 
invitation to deliver a lecture on this year’s Okehampton Experiences, 
for now that the system of practice is so well-defined and known, the 
changes from year to year are very small and, consequently, I am afraid 
you will find the lecture in a great measure a repetition of those of 
former years. 
The system of issuing schemes, giving orders, &c., was very similar 
to that of the two previous years. 
The chief alterations in the practice were— 
First, there were more changes of fire when in action and, there- 
fore, fewer changes of position. 
Secondly, the targets were more diverse. 
BrigaDE Practicr. 
The interest in the Brigade practice centred rather in the fire 
tactics, transmission of orders, &c., than in the actual shooting, for 
owing to the necessity of using up the common, nothing else was em- 
ployed. No results were therefore taken, and when the effect is certain 
to be unknown, not much interest can be shown in the actual shooting. 
Orders were generally written and sent by dismounted orderlies. 
One Brigade-division had a system of mounted orderlies, which ap- 
peared to work well. When in action the orderlies of the Officer 
Commanding the Brigade-division remained mounted, some little dis- 
tance in rear of, but within sight of, the Officer Commanding; one of them 
always keeping a watch on the Adjutant. When an order had to be 
sent, the Adjutant having written it, started off with it towards the 
orderlies, seeing him coming, one of them at once galloped up, took the 
order, and returned to await his turn again. 
Owing to the varieties of carriages, sights and clamps now in use, 
great care has to be taken in sending orders for range and fuze from 
one battery to another, and mistakes arose on several occasions; in 
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