FAULTY TRAINING!

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3053, 14 April 1917, Page 2

FAULTY TRAINING!

THE TERRITORIAL CAMPS ADVERSE CRITICISM IN GENERAL ORDERS Somo features of the work done in tho Territorial camps this year are adversely criticised in General Orders, issued yesterday. The Commandant directs the attention of officers and men of the Territorial Force to certain rules, and states that strict compliance with tho following instructions must be insisted upon: — "Syllabus of "Training.—The' Syllabus of Training issued from Headquarters shows, the maximum standard of efficiency to which units will be allowed to go. Until tho squad, section, and other minor training of a unit is entirely satisfactory, no endeavour must be madeto proceed to higher training. All attempts. to do so on the'part of unit commanders must be firmly discouraged. Higher training without individual and complete efficiency is profitless and fatal to success. ■ . "The 'B' Syllabus of Training'must be adhered to by tho majority of units during 1917. "Officers.—Officers who are obviously unfitted to instruct will be placed in a squad and drilled by tho sergeant-major oi a unit until passed as efficient by the adjutant. Tiioy are not to be permitted to drill a. unit until so qualified. The practice of permitting young officers to assume the control or a unit on parade,' or tho role of a spectator, must be abolished. • "N.C.O.'s.—N.C.O.'s who aro not qualified to instruct will bo placed in ■a squad under the best available instructor until passed as efficient by_ tho adjutant. They "will not be permitted to drill a unit until so qualified. "Training—As it is obvious; that only faulty and bad .training- can be-expept-ed from officers and 1 n.c.o.'s who are inexperienced, in. addition to the loss of confidenco ,and indiscipline which, results in the soldier, the -withdrawal of officers and n.c.o.'s into instructional " squads will not affect the efficiency of the units. It may, however, result in the efficient officers and n.c.o.'s having to supervise and givo instruction to larger units'.' At the present abnormal time this must bo expected, and it is obviously better that ono efficient instructor givo good and practical instruction to a hundred soldiers than four incapable instructors givo bad and useless instruction to the samo number. . Inexperienced officers and n.c.o.'s must not bo allowed to experiment and practise upon inexperienced soldiers. V "Extra Regimental Employments.— The practice of permitting a large number of all ranks to escape training by unnecessary fatigues,' guards, and other duties in camp, and of' allowing officers' servants and mess orderlies.to remain off all parades, must be stopped. Permanent duties in camp which prevent a soldier from attending parados (such as cooks and sanitary men) must be filled by trained soldiers. One officer's servant only should be allowed to remain off parade, who will be responsible for all the officers' tents, and all mess orderlies, with the exception of" thoso absolutely necessary, should attend every parade. .''"•■'• "In pno camp recently it was'found that over fifty men were idling in camp during training-hours. In a well-or-ganised' battalion of a thousand men tho maximum number of soldiers. allowed off parade or camp duties would bo under twenty. To allow untrained soliders 'to escape training' in "this manlier is, most reprehensible. large 'number'" of' young soldiers ■ continually -report -sick in order to avoid fatigues or drill.. "Care must be taken that the. ftaily sickparade* takes place at a sufficiently early hour to allow all 'those who are found fit for duty by the medical officer to parade 'with their • companies. To allow young soldiers to escape- parade and early rising by reporting sick for trifling reasons is to court indiscipline and inefficiency. / "Captain of the Day and Orderly Officer.—Tho captain of the day will attend all parades, and the orderly officer and quartermaster should be the only officers allowed in camp during

training-time. "Staff Instructors. —Staff instructors must not be used for work other than instructional. They must aitend every parado, and he so distributed as to ensure that all ranks benefit iby their instruction. On no account will they he.permitted to undertake administrative duties within the unit whioh interfere with their proper duties of instruction. "Bands. —While bands are encouraged and their value is recognised andappreciated,' care must be taken that all members of a band receive military training . and instruction in first, aid. This is a most necessary part, of a battalion's training.". .