FIELD ARTILLERY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 80, 28 December 1907, Page 10

FIELD ARTILLERY.

■ E BATTERY. ••/.■' j The E Battery of - Field. 'Artillery (Christchurch) has also just' concluded a".most successful course . of- instruction-at-. Taitapu, 20 miles from. Christchurch; - where' the annual service'practice was carriod"out.' The shooting was excellent,''the 'officers who were present. describing : the. practice as one of- the finest exhibitions of .artillery, practice-.they had witnessed. The ranges varied from 2500 to-4000 yards;' andf in"'nearly /every case the targets'were invisible to the-gun-layers.' The Battory has a?llfllstrCla»' in fire

discipline, and • second-class in fire effect, l which is accounted a' very good performance forVfiald battery, it being almost impossible for a volunteer field Wttery to' qualify as first-class' under, ser/ico conditions. ■: The Battery only qualified.as third-class last 1 year, and" was'-.graded '"B'. ; ':' ; '.' ':• The" following extract . from 'the Christ-' chiirch' "Press" gives an interesting account of r £he ; service* '■ practico' 'operations; liy tho Battery atY'T&itapu.' After a" short wait the order was sent that tho enemy-' had been sighted, arid,.Captajiv-Dun-can *tb" tho" gate,,' aild r|dis;monnW?:*adriihcmg;' about" SOO • yards^acifoss : !the' paddock','' follower' by sS6rgti'.-Malj6lc!'-lie-■zarcl carrying-' tho-'' ! This 'reason for dismounting'at the gate ;'v/hs v th'at: v no' notico should-be given to tho'cnemy that-he-'h'ad beori discovered,'for it would bo almost impossible* to see a couplo -of men in khaki, at a'distance' of about 4000' yards. Captain' Duncan having observed'"tho target',' took .liisMiricv through tho' Director,- and .tho"-Bat-' 'tery' 'were 1 ordered' up into" action/ They' camo up-in grand stylo/- , tho guns'being' i swung into position smartly. -Tho order rang out 3600, 350,0, 4000, .and'the section ;oommandcrs wero soon'busy-with their, gun 'detachments. "Fire, N0.., I..gun"., was : .quickly 'given. After a J ' few 'dhots 'tlib; isorreot range; 1 3900'yards, was picked up, '.'and' 'now tho shrapnel sa'rig as it over'th'e targot with regularity. Tho fuse-setting' .was first-class, as '.was the ■ laying" In - a

few minutes tlio "order was givon, "Stop firing," as tho target had disappeared. But ;this was only a ruso on tho -part of tho onomy; ho had managed'to advance'his infantry'ovor tho rough ground, arid after a short wait a target sprang up at another position.' Captain' Duncan quickly located it, although tho. onlooker's could not-seo-it, and ho opened firo at 3500, 3700, and 3800 yards, thus forming. a test bracket. which was succ'oseful, and sooii tho. guiis -wero. poppering away-at 3500 yards.' , Again .tho fuso-sotting .was .first-class.. .... ; :■ >- "As.".this series closed/-" tlio'': -'first'serious, loss to' th'O'-ißottery •: ■■ tcokV 'plaqd, -' : ife -cdirimandor ■ being • I "easualtied, :, r'jt ; bbih'g ;'-'supposetf that- ho hilrbc^n'-'Hit''by;.the;-enemy: Several other casualties -'took':'place';, •■'and : Lieut. Beattio*. at on'co took •' ' Again tho 'enemy's infantry we'ro' saipposed to have advanced, .'arid tho : Battery ' went forward' to moet them. . Good shooting again resulted, Lieut. Beattio proving that ho was well able to keep up tho fino work Captain Duncan had begun. The' enemy was now silenced for a time, and'tho Battory, wero. retired; Directly a new position had been taken up, tho onomy' was signalled, and Lieut. Beattie. having obsorved him, opened firo,' using tho bracket system. As tho Battery wero taking up thoir new position, thrco horses wore declared killed. This caused little delay, as tho horses • wero simply unharnessed and turned adrift, tho guns moving ..up into; thoir position. ; . .Liout. Beattio was , now' "casualtied" • as woro several of tho gunners, but" Lieut.

Clinio stopped up into'tho ' position,'.and took command with confidcnco. This confidence was not by any means premature, as was :shown a-s soon .as. ho.,ga.vo liis :ordcr to oppn firo.: Shod after. ?heir the heads ."of tho' .enemy's- infantry, which :.w:ero. 'entirely'riddled, j arid \thu's.--. tho I practice :'.witli.'as. niuch.brilliancy as it started. .Captain."Richardson, .addressed ."the., Bat-, tory lat ..the-close. of. tho practice,, commend-, ing .them for.! tho good work.done, .. •• -...■

(first-class). ..Last year'the ."company ' was, graded.as third-class.,.. , DUNEDIN NiAVALS. The.,D.unedin .Navals have also made a. considerable all'round improvement as the. following comparison will sliow'i—' . ' 190G-7 1907-8;, Figure of. Merit: . . Q..F. Guns ... ... ... .65 .736 Heavy Guns ... .726 .918' 'Percentage of Hits: Q.F. Guns ... ... ... 50 60 Heavy Guns .... 03 . 82 PETONE N'AVALS. • Comparing this with_ the" phenomenal shooting"Jby tlio 'Potone 'Navals at.'Fort lielburne ' recently, the contrast "is-oxtitsihely-interesting :' — • '■ ■ . 1906. 1907. ' Percentage of hits to rounds fired ... • 92.5 ■ 100 Hits per gun per minute. .887 1.2 Rate, of fire in rounds •per minute ... .9 1.2 Mean range, yards... ■-... 3725 ■ 3900 Figuro of Merit ... .... . .895 . 1.28 Class .... .... ... ... ....; 1. 1 That tho Jay. mind may clearly apprehend precisely- what tho figures for 1907. would moan to a: hostilo ship,: tho following sketches, kindly handed to .'"Echelon" by .Captain Richardson, have, been drawn:. The dots show - where the projectiles of each of the three series of 12 .rounds fired from tho 8-incli B.L. guns . at: E-ort. Ivclb.uriio-'. would • have struck the ship;-. ; Figure 3: isj'full of grim- significance. -'...v: ,• v.. .. /...".