PART I.

TRAINING OF THE RECRUIT.

1. Preliminary remarks.

1. The object of the recruits course of training at the depôt is to fit the soldier to take his place in the ranks of his company on joining his battalion.

For this purpose the recruit must be developed by physical exercises, and be trained in squad drill, rifle and firing exercises, in the estimation of ranges, and in skirmishing.

2. Syllabus of Training.

The following syllabus for the training of the recruit at the depôt is given as a guide, but it need not be rigidly adhered to:—

I.

Syllabus of Training.

60 days of 4 hours each.

Note.—The course of instruction of the recruit in musketry training, rifle exercises, bayonet fighting, and physical training will be found in “The Appendix to Training Manuals.”

II.

Instructions.

1. Recruits will be formed for instructional purposes in squads, the maximum number of men in each squad should not exceed twenty.

2. The squad instructors will be most carefully selected. They must be energetic, thoroughly well trained in the art of instruction, and intelligent. They will remain with the same squad throughout the period of training, and will carry out the whole of the instruction, in physical training, drill, rifle and firing exercises, and skirmishing, except as noted in above table.

3. Training in drill, physical exercises, rifle and firing exercises, and skirmishing, is to be as varied as possible; the work for each morning or afternoon should include more than one of these subjects.

4. Equipment will be issued on joining, but will not be worn on parade for the first month. Riffles will be issued as soon as the commanding officer directs, certainly not later than the first fortnight.

5. Marching will be carried out at the discretion of the commanding officer, and, as a rule, in connection with skirmishing practices.

6. At the conclusion of a recruit’s course the officer commanding the regimental district will inspect the recruits in all the branches of instruction. In conjunction with a medical officer he will examine all men considered too weak or awkward to join battalions, and submit a detailed report to the general officer commanding, with a recommendation as to whether such men be retained at the depôt for further instruction, or discharged.

7. The system of the training of the recruit is intended to develop gradually his mental and physical powers, officers commanding will, therefore, be held responsible that the principles of training herein laid down are complied with, and that instruction in musketry and skirmishing is not curtailed in favour of less essential practices.

8. The following directions in connection with the progress of the recruit are given for guidance of instructors and supervising officers:—

Doubling: this should not exceed—

At the end of the First Month.

Horizontal bar.—He should be able to pull to the chest twice, hands reversed, without assistance.

Parallel bars.—He should be able to press up six times running.

At the end of the Second Month.

Horizontal bar.—He should be able to pull to the chest at least six times, hands reversed.

Parallel bars.—He should be able to press up at least ten times.

Jumping.—Correct style of taking off (with either foot) and alighting is required. This is of more importance, up to this time, than great height or width of jump.

At the end of the Third Month.

Horizontal bar.—He should be able to pull to the chest at least ten times, hands reversed.

Parallel bars.—He should be able to press up at least fourteen times.

Jumping.—He should be able to jump a height of at least three feet.

III.

Lectures by Squad Instructors.

[To be invariably attended by an officer.]

First Fortnight.

1. Barrack room duties. Cleanliness and smartness expected from the soldier. Dress and clothing. Local orders. Good name of the regiment.

2. Fitting equipment. Laying down kits. Conduct in town. Position of provost; duty to obey and support him.

3. Names, rank, and position of officers. Saluting. Manner of making a complaint. Reporting sick and hospital rules. Church parade and behaviour in church.

4. Lectures are to be given to recruits on the fact that their prospects of civil employment in after life depends entirely on their conduct whilst in the army, and that no man can be registered for employment who is not discharged with a good character, and that preference will be given to such as have exemplary or very good ones, while for police or post office employment an additional certificate of absolute sobriety is necessary.

Second Fortnight.

1. The rifle. Names and use of its different parts. Cleaning and care of rifle.

2. Marching order, &c.

3. Hints on marching; boots, socks, clean feet, treatment of blisters. Drinking on the march. Falling out. Instances of long marching and endurance on part of the regiment.

Third Fortnight.

Skirmishing and marching.

Fourth Fortnight.

Skirmishing and use of the rifle.

Fifth Fortnight.

Skirmishing, and duties on guard,

Sixth Fortnight.

Recapitulation of previous instruction.

During the lecture hour, some time should be allowed for catechism on preceding week’s instruction.

The lectures on the principles of skirmishing and marching should always, if possible, be illustrated by incidents taken from actual warfare.

The Recruit on joining his Company.

A recruit after a course of three months’ training at the depôt should be sufficiently trained to be able to take his place in the ranks of his company, but until he has acquired a thorough knowledge of musketry, and can handle his rifle with skill and confidence under all conditions and in all positions, his daily instruction in musketry will be continued.

The following will be the course:—

SQUAD DRILL.

3. Method of Instruction of the Recruit.

1. When once the various motions have been learnt, it will be the exception and not the rule, especially with auxiliary forces, to instruct recruits by numbers.

2. The instructor muse be clear, firm, and concise in giving his directions. He must be patient, making allowance for the different capacity of the men whom he is training; and always bearing in mind that careful individual instruction is the best means of developing the intelligence, and therefore the foundation of military efficiency.

3. The instructor, who will invariably carry a whistle and, if the squad is receiving rifle instruction, a rifle, will teach as much as possible by illustration, either performing the movements himself, or causing them to be performed by a smart recruit, placed facing the squad. He will be careful, in order to stimulate the intelligence and interest of the recruits, to explain clearly, in simple terms, the reason of every movement and formation, and its application in the field.

4. Instructors should be encouraged, in giving the details of the different movements, to use their own words. So long as the instruction is clearly understood by the men it is quite immaterial whether the phrasing of this manual is adhered to.

5. When first taught his positions, the recruit should be properly placed by the instructor; when more advanced, he should not be touched, but made to correct himself when admonished. He should not be kept too long at any one exercise. Squad drill should be intermixed with instruction in the handling of the rifle and with physical training, and close order drill with skirmishing.

6. Short and frequent drills are preferable to long lessons, which exhaust the attention both of the instructor and recruit. Recruits should be advanced progressively from one exercise to another, and should not be kept back by men of inferior capacity, who should be moved into a less advanced squad.

4. Words of Command.

1. Every command must be distinctly pronounced and sufficiently loud to be heard by all concerned.

2. Every command that consists of one word must be preceded by a caution. The caution, or cautionary part of a command, must be given deliberately and distinctly; the last or executive part, which, in general, should consist of only one word or syllable, must be given sharply; as A pause will invariably be made between the caution and the executive word.

3. When the last word of a caution is the signal for any preparatory movement, it will be given as an executive word, and separated from the rest of the command by a pause; thus, as though there were two separate commands, each with its caution and executive word.

4. When the men are in motion, executive words must be completed as they are commencing the pace which will bring them to the spot on which the command has to be executed. The caution, therefore, must be commenced accordingly.

5. Young officers and non-commissioned officers will be frequently practised in giving words of command. They should always, even when on fatigue duty, bear in mind the obligation of setting an example of soldierly smartness to those beneath them. Slovenly and indistinct words of command result in slackness and hesitation on the part of the men.

6. The cautions and commands in this manual are, as a rule, given with regard to one flank only, but the same principle applies equally to movements to the other flank, which should also be practised.

In squad drill the words printed in italics in the margin are the commands to be given by the instructor.

Squad drill, with Intervals.

5. Formation of squads.

1. A few men will be placed in single rank at arm’s length apart; while so formed, they will be termed a squad with intervals.

2. If necessary, the squad may consist of two ranks, in which case the men in the rear rank will cover the intervals between the men in the front rank, so that in marching they may take their own points, as directed in S. 13.

3. Recruits will, in the first instance, be placed by the instructor without any dressing; when they have learned to dress, as directed in S. 8, they will be taught to fall in, as above described, and then to dress and to correct their intervals. After they have been instructed as far as S. 23, they may fall in as directed in S. 24.

4. Recruits formed into a squad will be directed to observe the relative places they hold with each other; while resting between the exercises they will be permitted to fall out and move about; they will be instructed on the words Fall in to fall in as they stood at first. This should be constantly practised.

Recruits will be instructed singly as well as together in all exercises as far as S. 23.

6. Position of Attention.

The exact squareness of the shoulders and body to the front is the first principle of the position of Attention. The arms should hang easily from the shoulder, elbows to the rear; the fingers together, slightly bent, and their tips touching the thigh lightly, behind the seam of the trousers; the hips drawn back, and the chest advanced, but without constraint. The heels must be in line and closed; the knees well braced back; the toes turned out so that the feet may form an angle of 45 degrees; the weight of the body on the fore part of the feet. The head is to be held erect, but not thrown back; the chin to be slightly drawn in; and the eyes looking straight to the front.

7. Standing at ease.

When the recruit falls in for instruction he will be taught to place himself in the position above described.

No deviation from the position of Stand at ease will be permitted unless the command Stand—easy is given, when the men will be permitted to move their limbs, but without quitting their ground, so that on coming to Attention there will be no loss of dressing.

When there is no special reason for ordering Stand at ease before Stand—easy, the order to Stand—easy will be given without it. On the caution Squad being given to men standing easy, every soldier will at once assume the position of standing at ease.

8. Dressing a squad with intervals.

A line will similarly be dressed by the left.

9. Turnings.

10. Saluting.

(A) Saluting to the front.

Caution.—Salute, by numbers.

Caution.—Salute, judging the time.

(B) Saluting to the side.

Cautions.—Right (or Left) hand salute.

The salute will always be with the hand further from the person saluted.

The procedure will be as described in (A), except that as the hand is brought to the salute, the head will be turned towards the person saluted.

Recruits should be practised in marching two or three together, saluting points being placed on either side. When several men are together, the man nearest to the point will give the time.

When a soldier passes an officer he will salute on the third pace before reaching him, and will lower the hand on the third pace after passing him; if carrying a cane he will place it smartly under the disengaged arm, cutting away the hand before saluting.

A soldier, if sitting when an officer approaches, will rise, stand at attention, and salute; if two or more men are sitting or standing about, the senior non-commissioned officer or oldest soldier will call the whole to Attention and alone will salute.

When a soldier addresses an officer, he will halt two paces from him, and salute as in (A). He will also salute before withdrawing.

When appearing before an officer in a room, he will salute without removing his cap.

A soldier, without his cap, or when carrying anything that prevents him from saluting, will, if standing still, come to attention as an officer passes; if walking, he will turn his head smartly towards the officer in passing him.

A soldier, when riding a bicycle, will turn his head smartly towards an officer in passing him.

Warrant and non-commissioned officers who wear the sword will always salute with the right hand.

Marching.

11. Length of pace, and time.

1. Length of pace.—In slow and quick time the length of a pace is 30 inches. In stepping out, it is 33 inches, in double time, 40, in stepping short, 21, and in the side step, 15 inches.

When a soldier takes a side pace to clear or cover another, as in forming fours, S. 40, the pace will be 30 inches.

2. Time.—In slow time, 75 paces are taken in a minute. In quick time, 120 paces, equal to 100 yards in a minute, or 3 miles 720 yards in an hour. In double time, 180 paces, equal to 200 yards a minute. The time of the side step is the same as for the quick step.

Distances of 100 and 200 yards will be marked on the drill ground, and non-commissioned officers and men practised in keeping correct time, and length of pace.

Marching in slow time will be practised only when required for ceremonial purposes.

12. The drum, and pace stick.

No recruit, or squad of recruits, is to be taught to march without the constant use of the drum, and pace stick.

The drum will first beat the time in which the men are to march, when the squad is halted; then, from time to time, when it is in motion. While the drum is beating, at the halt, the men will give their attention to the time; when it ceases, the instructor will put the squad in motion.

In order to ascertain whether the time is beaten correctly, a pendulum should be used.

The length of the pace in marching will be corrected with the pace stick, the accuracy of which should occasionally be tested by measurement.

13. Position in marching.

In marching, the soldier must maintain the position of the head and body, as directed in S. 6, with the weight on the fore part of the feet. He must be well balanced on his limbs. In slow time his arms and hands must be kept steady by his sides, care being taken that the hand does not partake of the movement of the leg, and the toes must be pointed downwards. In quick time his arms will swing naturally from the shoulder, the right arm swinging forward with the left leg, and the left arm with the right leg. The hand must not be swung in advance of the leading foot, across the body, nor be raised higher than the waistbelt. The movement of the leg must spring from the haunch, and be free and natural.

Both knees must be kept straight, except while the leg is being carried from the rear to the front, when the knee must necessarily be a little bent, to enable the foot to clear the ground. The foot must be carried straight to the front, and, without being drawn back, placed firmly on the ground, but so as not to jerk or shake the body.

Although several recruits may be drilled together in a squad with intervals, they must act independently, precisely as if they were being instructed singly. They will thus learn to march in a straight line, and to take a correct pace, both as regards length and time, without reference to the other men of the squad.

Before the squad is put in motion, the instructor will take care that the men are square individually and in correct line with each other. Each recruit must be taught to take a point straight to his front, by fixing his eyes upon some distant object, and then observing some nearer point in the same straight line, such as a stone, tuft of grass, or other object.

14. The Quick March.

15. The Halt.

16. Stepping Out.

This step is used when a slight increase of speed, without an alteration of cadence, is required; on the command Quick—March the usual pace will be resumed.

17. Stepping short.

18. Marking time.

At the halt, the word of command will be Quick, Mark—Time.

19. Stepping back.

The step back should not exceed four paces.

20. Changing step.

This may be required when any part of a squad, or a single soldier, is stepping with a different foot from the rest.

To change step when marking time, two successive beats will be made with the same foot.

21. The Double March.

The recruit will be taught to mark time in double time, the hands being raised and the fists clenched as when marching in double time, but the arms kept steady. From the halt, the word of command will be Double, Mark—Time.

22. The Side step.

Caution.—Right (or Left) close.

Soldiers should not usually be moved to a flank by the side step more than twelve paces.

23. Turning when on the march.

2. A soldier will always turn to the right on the left foot; and to the left on the right foot. If the word Turn is not given as the proper foot is coming to the ground, the soldier will move on one pace and then turn.

3. Making a half turn to the right, or left.—Recruits will also be practised in making a half turn to the right or left on the words Right or Left—Incline, and then moving on (without checking their pace) in a diagonal direction, taking up fresh points, at once, to march on, and turning in the original direction on the word Left or Right—Incline.

4. Turning about.—On the command About turn, recruits will also be taught to turn about, which must be done by each man on his own ground, in three paces, without losing the time. Having completed the turn about, the soldier will at once move forward, the fourth pace being a full pace of 30 inches.

Squad drill, in single rank.

24. Formation of the squad in single rank.

At this stage of the instruction a few recruits will be formed in single rank, each man being allowed a space of 30 inches. The accuracy of the spacing should be frequently tested by the instructor.

25. Dressing when halted.

When soldiers are on the alignment they have to occupy, and it is necessary to correct their dressing, the command Right (or Left)—Dress will be given, on which each man will look towards the flank by which he is ordered to dress with a smart turn of the head, as described in S. 8. Each man will then move up or back to his place successively, commencing with the man nearest the named flank, carrying his body backward or forward with the feet, moving to his dressing with short quick steps, without bending backward or forward. His shoulders must be kept perfectly square, and the position of Attention, retained throughout.

The instructor should invariably fix upon some object on which to dress his line.

It will be found useful to accustom men to dress on an alignment oblique to any well-defined adjacent line.

26. Turnings.

The recruit will next practice in single rank, judging the time, without any pause between the motions, the turnings he has been taught by numbers.

27. Marching in Squad.

Before a squad is ordered to march, the directing flank or man must be indicated by the caution, By the right, By the left, or By No.-. During the march, the shoulders must be kept perfectly square to the front, the body steady, eyes off the ground. Each man will preserve his position in the general alignment by an occasional glance towards the directing man.

The squad will first be taught to march straight to the front, by the right, by the left, or by any man. It will then be practised in all the varieties of step in quick time, and in marking time, after which it will be exercised in double time.

The recruit will be practised in changing the pace, without halting, from quick to double, on the command Double—March, and from double to quick. In breaking from double into quick time, on the command Quick—March, the arms will be dropped to their usual position.

The instructor will ensure that the recruit on the flank, or the named number, according to the caution, selects two distant points to march on, and before approaching the first takes another in advance on the same line, and so on. By occasionally remaining halted in rear of the directing man, and fixing his eyes on the distant objects, the instructor can ascertain if the squad is marching in the original direction.

When a soldier finds himself a little behind, or before, the other men of his squad, he must be taught to recover his place in the rank gradually, and not to rush to it.

28. The Diagonal March. (Plate I, Fig. 1.)