The 
Q.-M.-S.’s 
camp colour 
party. 
The hour of 
starting. 
574: MARCHING AT HOME AND ABROAD. 
The Government and private transport, with the exception of officers’ 
private carts, etc. should be parked in a place told off daily, and the 
feeding and watering of the animals carefully seen to; the Farrier 
going round and inspecting all the animals at each camping ground. 
The Q.-M.-S. with the camp colour party, and the grain grinding 
machines should proceed the afternoon before to the next halt, to lay 
out the camp, draw supplies and get everything ready. 
In a regiment the Q.-M. of course may be in charge of the 
advance party. ‘The camp grounds and horse lines being marked out 
with thin cords and large and small flags (regimental colours). He 
should see to the rations (mens and horses), get the grass in, or procure 
what he can in lieu of it if very bad; he should make arrangements for 
watering, damming up a nullah, hiring bullocks to fill a trough, if 
there be one, or what not (a few canvas drinking troughs should be 
carried by each squadron or battery, they are most useful), he should 
see the cooking places marked out; the cooks go on ahead every 
afternoon under the cook orderlies, so as to be in time to prepare 
breakfasts. It is well to give the cooks the quickest and best carts of 
the transport and every advantage you can, for much depends on them. 
In my battery I have a spring cart into which I put a horse to carry 
the cook orderly and cooking gear, but a mule cart is as good or 
better. 
The Q.-M.-S. should arrange about water for drinking, and set up 
filters which he carries on with him, and the conservancy men under 
him will see to the digging and marking out of the latrines, these 
should be marked ont by flags, a portion of the regimental conservancy 
establishment marches with the advance party. 
He should send for letters if there be a post-office and in fact make 
all arrangements possible. The regiment or battery will probably 
march in about 11.30 a.m. if the roads be good, or perhaps a little 
before; the breakfasts should be ready about 2 of an hour after that 
time; the Q.-M.-S. however will get instructions daily from the C.O. 
at about what time to expect him. 
The time to start is about 8 a.m., not before 7.80 at earliest, 
unless the march is known to be a very long and tedious one, or there 
are more troops on the road; it is bad for both men and horses to 
start earlier, neither is anything gained by so doing. When I first 
marched in India in 1875, in the Bombay Presidency, there was an 
insane habit of starting at 4.30 and 5 a.m. in fact in the middle of the 
night, I never knew why, perhaps the doctors ordered it; I believe in 
those days regiments always paraded about that hour; now, thanks to 
Sir George Greaves they know better; of course in those parts, or in 
Madras, if marching very late in the season, you might perhaps start at 
6.30, though personally I am against starting before 7.30 unless under 
special circumstances. 
Any man, whether white or black, should be punished who hammers 
a tent peg, or makes a noise before reveille sounds, unless this is done 
you will have the men and syces hammering up pegs, and harnessing 
up horses before 5 a.m. and there willbe no rest ; on no account either 
should a horse be stripped, or a saddle put on, before boot and saddle 
sounds, half-an-hour before the time to march off ; fifteen minutes after 
