Summary and 
Conclusion. 
350 SILVER MEDAL PRIZE ESSAY, 1895. 
be expended by them. Such combined practice where feasible would 
be of great benefit to the Volunteers, and invaluable to the Comman- 
ders of the higher units as giving them an opportunity of practically 
testing their Commands. 
It may perhaps appear somewhat strange, that when asked what is 
the most suitable system of training together the Garrison Artillery 
forces, we reply that the best system seems to be not to train these 
forces together, but to train each unit separately; and yet the consider- 
ations given above point to this. If we emphasise the intention 
already expressed that the Company drill and training should be 
wherever possible with the very guns that they will be called upon to 
man in time of war, and that this is intended to apply as much to the 
Militia and Volunteers as to the Royal Artillery I think it will be seen 
that the work of the Battery Commands should be satisfactorily and 
efficiently carried out, and that this is really all that is required from 
the ordinary rank and file. ‘The kind of co-operative action required 
to work the units of a Fire Command together does not necessitate 
more than individual action of the units guided by one master mind. 
To work a gun all the men in the detachment must work in unison, to 
work a group of guns, the gun detachments must work in combination, 
while to fight a Battery Command the guns must be worked not only 
in combination but in harmony. But where several Battery Commands 
are fought under a Fire Commander, each Battery Command works 
independently though it may be in support of the others: each has its 
particular portion of the work to be done allotted to it, and the actual 
doing of this depends on its own training and efficiency, not on previous 
training with the other commands, it is less concerted than combined 
action. Where then is the necessity for training these forces together, 
beyond that already mentioned of affording the officers an opportunity 
of learning their duties and positions? but this can be done without 
elaborating a system of training which is not required and which 
would be difficult to arrange so as to be of practical value. Under the 
system here advocated no difficulty should be experienced in training 
each unit at the times, and places most convenient to it; no unit will 
have to wait in order to complete or perfect its training till a time or 
place suitable or convenient to other units can be arranged. This is 
certainly a practical advantage gained. 
The adoption of some such system of training as here advocated 
would entail but little alteration in the existing methods of drill and 
organisation. In fact the only alteration required is the recognition of 
the use and importance of the lighter guns of Coast Fortress Armament 
in carrying out the work of defence that will most usually be necessary, 
and the consequent desirability of having the elementary system of 
training based on their requirements: the need for a further special 
training is due to the multitorm character of Garrison Artillery duties. 
And here it is curious to note how easily the proper signification of a 
term may be lost, and how much there really is in a name if the mean- 
ing it connotes is not allowed to drop out of sight. We call that 
portion of the Royal Regiment of Artillery which has no mounted 
