25

H.—l9a

(In not fall back but, as a ruie, continue to move on bravely under the fire of their own comrades as well as of the enemy. Sometimes they decline to fall back until the actual assault is imminent. \<>\v, a scout is not much used in the attack once the enemy has been located. Nor does an average man ordered out from the ranks thereby become a scout. He should be the best soldier in the company, so that he may feel some confidence when he meets an enemy's scout " on his own " that he is the better man of the two. Again, when once the attack has got within rifle range of the enemy's position, individuals in advance of the company are very apt indeed to mask its fire. I suggest, then, that in the attack the use of scouts be restricted to use on the flanks of the advance, so soon as they have located the enemy. Occasionally, no doubt, even when heavy fighting has begun, a company commander may be able to work forward a scout to select the next best fire position. But all stereotyped handling of scouts, or sending them out in a formal extended line, is anathema to the principles of scouting, which insist that the man selected must be as independent as a New-Zealander, as cunning as a fox, and as brave as a lion—that he must act " on his own " and bring back a scalp in the way of news of the enemy or of the ground, every time he goes out on the warpath. I 1(5. Attempts, of which T saw several, to carry out the final fire fight from so great a range as 600 yards will probably end in failure. At that distance it is very difficult to obtain the fire mastery that makes a successful assault possible. Infantry in defence were, on the whole, well placed, and some of the trenches that I saw were admirably concealed, but there was too much tendency to rely on the Engineers for siting and con structing fire-trenches. This work should be within the province of an Infantry commander. Where there is time to construct elaborate earthworks head-cover should be provided. Without head-cover the defender of a trench is not much better off than his attacker, who can make use of natural cover. With head-cover a man has a moral as well as a physical advantage. Advanced positions aim at making the enemy deploy prematurely, and may succeed in breaking up the attack, but there is a considerable moral disadvantage in the eventual retreat of the advanced troops on to, or through, the men holding the main position : a point that is apt to be lost sight of on manoeuvres. 117. The ceremonial work that I saw was generally well done. After South Africa there were some who considered the days of ceremonial over ; since then there has been a reaction, and it is acknowledged that ceremonial has its uses. There is the shoulder-to-shoulder feeling that men miss nowadays in their extended work ; there is also the advantage of giving the civil population a good show ; and, thirdly, an inspecting General can form an impression from carefully watching ceremonial work—not of field training of course, but of spirit and discipline. That impression, I may say, was in my case a very happy one. The rank and file are of good physique and bear themselves well. lam confident they are steady fellows, who would stand a lot of hammering and hardly know they were being hammered. 118. After a comparatively short period of continuous training the Infantry would, in my opinion, be ready for war as regards their tactical efficiency. But there is another attribute that is vitally aeceesary. Discipline- tl c modi m discipline of respect —is a plant of slow growth; if this discip!i..e is to stand the searching test of war, those in authority must have gained the respect of their men through a long period of peace training. For this reason I recommend that the best of the noncommissioned officers should be offered every inducement to serve on after their compulsory years of training are finished. Army Service Corps. 119. The large camps this year have made great demands on the Army Service Corps, whose task has not been made lighter by the bad weather. The very highest credit is due to the Army Service Corps officers of the districts and to their men. They have done first-class service, although, as a rule, undermanned to an extent that would fill a labour union with horror. When the Army Service Corps units are up to their normal strength, a suitable system of calling the men up to camp in relays will enable the necessary duties to be carried out as efficiently and with much less strain on the personnel. I am not sure that qflite enough care is taken at present in selecting men of the most suitable trades for this branch. Much of the Army Service Corps' work in of a highly technical nature, and expert knowledge is essential. This matter will no doubt receive careful attention. Medical Corps. 120. The field ambulances are organized on the right lines, and every use is made of men whose civilian training fits them for the work. Here we have an admirable object-lesson of the value of expert civilians running an equivalent branch in the Army. For instance, I came across a number of medical students in the ranks working under an officer who was their lecturer in their college. Half the terrors of being wounded disappear under such excellent conditions. Musketry. 121. In the initial stages of the present scheme of training it was not possible properly to take in hand the musketry instruction of the troops till last year. Last year 15,852 men of the Territorial Force fired a musketry course. The proportion of Cadets who fired last year was comparatively small, owing to the fact that only twelve rifles were available for each company. This year a considerably larger proportion of the Territorial Force (the exact figures are not yet to hand) have completed their annual course, and, rifles having been issued to every Cadet, the majority of the latter have also completed their course.

4—H. 19a.