MILITARY NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1289, 18 November 1911, Page 12

MILITARY NOTES.

f (Edotd Br EcmsLOif.] ON THE HYTHE MODEL. THE COMMONWEALTH SCHOOL OV MUSKETRY. Major Heritage, now commandant "t the lately-established Commonwealth Musketry School at Randwick riflo range, Sydney, recently contributed an article to tho Commonwealth "Military Journal," cm the subject of mnskctry training, in which ho made quite clear his' ideas on tlw bull's-eye target. "The bull's-eye, or elementary target, is callwl by foreign nations the 'school' tarBot," hn observes. "It is very useful to leach a recruit to ehoot, but after ho hue .learnt to do so, the bullWo is of no luturo military va-lue-practico at it only letting a man's steadiness. . . , J.ull *«y« shooting is an interesting pasUm», and offers as eaey mark, the tarpt becoming bigger the further we go back. I have nothing to My against it us a pastime, but this pastime should not bo wnKidornd in any way a training for war. . . , But wo a.r« a conservative nation, and tho black frying-pan, that was the Inrgrt in the days of archery, and in tho J'eninsnla War, offers now an almost impenetrable harrier to sound musketry training. Many golf player* are govl crir.keters, but who wonlri select a cricket team on their form it golf, yet bull's-eye shooting has less in common with service Bho&ting than cricket has with golf." The Commonwealth School of Mr* ketry, by the way, w&k opened for inspection last week, and an interesting article on the work of the school appeared in the columns of the "Sydney Daily Telegraph" a few rUy3 after, when tho "scholars" had fairly sottM to the collar. "Tho musketry claw (teiys th* writer) is divided into squads, to each of which is permanently detailed one of the non-coms, of tho staff of the Afusketry School, and as in selecting thin staff the commandant had tho choiro of the whole of the instructional staff of the Commonwealth, it may bo conceded that the instruction, modelled on the plan of the Hytho School of Musketry, is the best obtainable. The course for the permanent forces extends over six weeks, and except for Saturday afternoon and Sunday each minute of the day from early morninj till nightfall is —with intervals for meals—occupied with instruction in r.ne form or another; in the evening the commandant delivers lectures upon various musketry subjects. An entrance examination' (written) in held on the first day to test the preliminary knowledge of those attending the course, and an entrance test is also mado in judging distance and acuity of vision. After the first week an examination in judging distance is held, and thereafter three similar examinations at intervals of a week, all four counting towards marks. During the progress of the school an examination is held in range-finding with the m*ko meter, and after the Srst fortnight an examination on tho mechanism of the rifle, which has to be stripped, taken to piece!;, and. put togctluer again b; the students. This is a qualifying examination, and a certain standard has to be reached in it. There is aixrat the middle of the course a practical examination in aiming and firing, and aWo i written examination in nwchauism. Then, towards the end of the course there is an examination in Tanging, judging distance, and control of tire combined, and at the conclusion of the course, a final examination in all subjects. The course, though exacting, is an eitrenie.y interesting one, and officers of the citizen forces who may be privileged to go throueh the four weeks course prescribed for them may look upon themselves as fortunate. "The work of tho rehool to date, co>itinues the writer, "has consisted purely of preliminary instruction in the principles of aiming and firing, which are tho foundation of all good shooting, and the division of the olasses into , small squads enables the instructor to give individual attention to each man in tho squad, Tho physical training with fixed bayonets is for tho purpose of hardening the muscles bo that the rifle may bo held to tho shoulder properly, and tho man bo able to bear the strain of prolonged rapid ftro. One of the sergeant-major instructors at practice one morning reached a speed of 35 shots (nil effective) in one mimito, and Major Heritage hopes he may yet bo able to fire 40. In such a test as this the rifle is not removed from Hie shoulder except to recharge tho meclizine. It is hold closely pressed into tho shoulder with the left hand, and the bolt Of tho riflo is manipulated with the thumb and forefinger, the middle finger being used to press the trigger. It can easily Ijn understood that the muscles must be well trained and in good condition to stand tho strain of such a test. "The aiming praotice with tho ball rest is introduced for tho purpose of correcting tho student's errors in aiming. _ Iho instructor lies down with a miniature target diso stuck in tho ground in frynt of his eye. Tho student, with the rifle resting in a groove in tho top, of tho wooden boll in the box, takes α-imat the centre of tho diso, and the instructor, looking through a hole in tho centre of the disc, nnd along tho eights of tho nilo into tho student's eye. can,observe when the nim is correct. The aiming practice with the tripods is instruction in aiming off lie target for windage allowance. Tho targets in use for this practice aro khaki uVuros, full length, standing, with a small bull's-oyc target at tho foot as an annms? mark. The students arc told to aim wo many inches or foc-t to iho right or left, as tlio caso may bo, and when mm has been taken, tho correct distance ir. measured, and a flan ie stuck in tho ground on tho mark, or the fatigue man who measures Iho distance stands on the snol. the instructor is then able to 6how end]i student tlio amount of his error. Firing from behind cover, standing, knnelwg, sitting, or lying as the caso may be, according to the height of the cover available, is also taken. Tho man on the extreme left hns sufficient cover to lie in the correct firing position, but the man next to him has only an isolator «'j °< ""J 0 / , - and has to lie straight bohnid it. Ihe cover looks from a little distance like a mnvpart of sandstone. It is really constructed of ammunition bnxos filled with, sand. Later on, the school will Rive demonstrations of firinu. nnd will earn; out experiments in fire effects and formations, vulnerability of formations, tho limits of effectual firo and of individual fire, and lire control nnd direction prncticjw. A now 30vds. range has been constructed for miniature shooting at various wrvwtargols, and for experimental purposes.