BRITISH TERRITORIALS

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1049, 11 February 1911, Page 13

BRITISH TERRITORIALS

SERIOUS SHORTAGE.. • By TeleEr*ph-fere»» Association—Copyright ..:.■•.:■- "London, February 9. At tho end'of January tho Tcrritor- ' ials wcro 1514 officers and 44,106 men ; bhort of tho full establishment. As: it was originally conceived (says the f'Daily Mail .year Book"). Mr. Haldauo's schemo of a Territorial Army was to have given' Britain "a nation in arms" and a force which' he himself, in ■■ one of.his Earlier speeches, estimated at ', SUO.OOO men, including its reserves. It was to have been supplemented by u scheme of military training'in schools, which would have produced, in .all probability, a steady* stream of recruits. The scheme, however," was greatly, modified' in execution.' .Military training in schools was eliminated, to satisfy the Labour'party.' Tho strength of the army wa9 fixed'at a figure winch military authorities pronounced the bare .■'.- minimum sufficient "for the defence of" tho United Kingdom. , '"■• - Of the Territorial Army in July, 1909, 86,000 men.were below the age of 20; -' 162,311 were aged ■'. 20 or more j and of these 62,506 were serving on a one year's engagement., At the. same date 671 officers and 67,087 men had'never fired a recruits' cour6« of musketry* and 1805 officers and 53,367 men had not fired the trained soldiers'" course. The recruits' - course consists of firing 20 rounds of ball . on tho rifle Tange. '.(■■ . It. followed, that'in 1909 nearly half the Territorial Army-.had received no ■ thorough training in shooting. There v has been some improvement since, but '.';■-. the conditions of'musketry training ore - still most'unsatisfactory.' In the words of a Territorial officer, "tho Territorial gets no ckanco. of'shooting at any ranee •of iover 500 yards." Yet he is taught ':'• 'that rifle'fire ineffective at any, distance '■:■ between! HOO'-'arid 1600' yards." I The distinguished' German military ' critic,, Colonel Qaedke, who was present < at the' British manoeuvres 1910, com- • mented very favourably upou tho work •-'."■ of the Territorial Artillery and the Teo- '■■"• jhanry'iengaged in the. operations; -Ho ; thought, however, it would be some time •. before the' Artillery became really efficient; "'Of the Ycbmanry, he said that they "acquitted ■'• themselves well and faced the ouemy.admirably"; they "mado good uso of 'tho. ground and aimed their rifles ' calmly and :,- coolly. ..." They ' changed, front with accuracy, when required, arid displayed unflagging'zeal." The; weakest!.-point'.in-the Territorial "•" force he considered, to bo tho igno?anco •of both, officers, and m*n . in. outpost ,: work.;.-"- i ;/■'•'-..