SPADE AND RIFLE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2038, 25 March 1907, Page 1

SPADE AND RIFLE.

General French has 'ordered that the infantry under his command at Aldershot aro to pay more attention to entrenching, and not leave such work to the engineers. He considers that among the lessons to be learned from the Russo-Japanese war are that overy infantry soldier must be provided with an entrenching tool, that he should be as expert in the use of his entrenching tool as with his rifle, and guard it with the same jealous care, and that every position taken up must be entrenched and obstacled. In the latter war the first line of the Japanese infantry would advance in extended order, lie down, begin to dig, advance again, and begin to dig again. The supports would then occupy the first line of trenches dug, and so on. General French wants his infantry to learn to do this sort of thing. In attracking the infantry soldier will have to act independently in selecting suitable ground for throwing up bis trench, but when acting on the defensive, he will have officers to guide him. General French points out for the defensive purposes the ordinary shelter trench will no longer suffice. The Russians dug these at Penlin and Yusrhulin, although they had forty-eight hours in which to ent.

Tench themselves. The result was that they had to evacuate the trenches. The infantry soldier in future must dig his shelter trench, making it as inconspicuous ns possible by covering it with boughs or grass, or whatever grows on the surrounding land, construct military pits in front put up barb wire and other obstacles. erect bomb-proof shelters behind, and make communicating trenches to them. “In fact, from the moment he takes up a defensive position he must make up his mind to work hard, and to do all that hard work and skill can do to make his position as impregnable as possible. In the late war if was generally found that an entrenched position with good obstacles in front was practically unassailable by day. To attain the above object the infantry soldier must bo ‘educated’ in the use of his entrenching tool, and be proud of his proficiency with it, and realise that it is for his own safety to be proficient, and not consider that it' is to save or assist the engineers.” The British column of the future will resemble a Homan army, in that wdien camp is- pitched the men will set to work to entrench as a -matter of course.