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The following notes were recorded at Pretoria in June, 1902, so as to indicate briefly the general scope of the administrative work dealt with by the Artillery branch of the Head Quarter Staff in South Africa during the war. It must be remembered that in addition to the normal proportion of horse and field artillery allotted to an army of the same size, the artillery* in South Africa comprised a siege train and a large number of other guns of various natures, ranging from the 9.2" mounted on a railway truck to the pompom, and including many which were not of service pattern. [* See list of units in Appendix I., and of guns in Appendix II. below.] | 1 |
As regards personnel, the general administration was complicated by the presence of many units provided by colonial forces or improvis-ed from the Royal Artillery to meet the special requirements of the campaign. 1 Further, the demobilization of units no longer required had to be undertaken during the campaign; and this involved arrang-ing for the winding up of their pay and equipment accounts, the distribution of the personnel and the custody of their records while hostilities were still in progress. | |
In addition to the above purely artillery matters, certain other subjects were specially allotted to the artillery staff by the Commander-in-Chief. For the above reasons, the work done was necessarily more complex than if the administration had been confined to that of the Artillery of an army organized on ordinary lines. | |
For convenience of reference, these notes have been divided under the following headings :
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The allotment of gunsImperial and Colonial, heavy, field, and pompomsto the various columns in the field, to the lines of com-munication, and to garrisons. | 5 |
Provision of guns or pompoms as required for the new columns constantly being formed or re-formed. | |
Responsibility that guns were in no cases placed in posts with in-sufficient garrisons, or taken out with columns of inadequate strength.
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Posting and appointment of officers, including Militia and Colonial. | |
Questions dealing with the non-commissioned officers and men of Royal, Militia, and Colonial Artillery (except Cape Colonial), including their posting and transfer. | |
Upkeep of personnel of units. | 10 |
Distribution of drafts to units, including the allotment and control of the 600 Army Service Corps drivers sent out for duty with artillery. | |
Supply of artificers, including the distribution and administration of all specially enlisted artificers sent to South Africa, whether employed with artillery or other branches of the service. | |
Regulation of promotion to the rank of staff serjeant from serjeant for all Royal Artillery units in South Africa, and to the rank of farrier of all | |
Measures to ensure the return to their units of all men who became separated from them through sickness or other causes. | |
Supervision of the arrangements for the despatch of time-expired men from the base to England, and also for the forwarding of the documents of all men sent homeincluding invalids. | 15 |
Care and custody of the base kits of units and drafts; this required constant attention owing to the frequent changes in personnel. | |
The preparation and despatch of batteries and companies to India and the Colonies while hostilities were still in progress. | |
The difficulties of dealing with all the above were much enhanced by the splitting up of brigade divisions and batteries with widely separated columns, and the changes in the designations of units as the war went on. 2
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Arrangements, in co-operation with the Ordnance Department, for the provision of spare guns, carriages, fittings, and technical stores generally, and for their issue to units either direct from the ordnance depots or through ammunition columns; with the precautions for their safety from capture or miscarriage in transit. This was much complicated by the large number of different natures of guns, and by the fact that many were not of service pattern. Also for the despatch home of all guns and equipment no longer required. | |
Arrangements for the periodical inspection of guns by Ordnance Inspecting Officers, and for their exchange so as to keep those show-ing signs of wear in posts where they would probably not be required for heavy firing, until they could be replaced altogether and sent home. | 20 |
The supply of a proportion of general stores for ammunition columns and parks to re-issue to batteries, and the establishment of repairing workshops at advanced bases when the advanced ordnance depots were not sent on with the troops. | |
The investigation of all damages sustained by guns or equipment.
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Organization of the pompoms in sections; fixing the establishment of the latter, and supplying them with personnel, horses, and mules. Alterations in pattern of carriages, limbers, &c, and demands on England for equipment required.
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The distribution and allotment of all machine guns, and the control of demands from home. This was complicated by the fact that there were three sorts of machine guns in use (excluding captured ones), and many more different sorts of carriages.
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General responsibility to the Commander-in-Chief for all ammuni-tion in South Africa, including small-arm. | 25 |
Preliminary arrangements at the base, in co-operation with the Ordnance Department, for the distribution of ammunition as regards the amounts to be held in ordnance charge, and carried in the field; and for demands on home as required. Subsequent arrangements for the fixing of the positions of ammunition depots, and of the amounts to be held in each; the establishment of new depots ready for impending movements; the evacuation or reduction of those likely to be threatened, or no longer of importance; the prevention of unnecessary accumulations or movements, and precautions for safety in transit where movements were necessary. | |
Arrangements for the supply of the ammunition carried in the field, including the necessary changes in the proportion of gun and small-arm ammunition to be carried in accordance with the changes in the military situation; and the settlements of the amounts to be held in charge of units in garrisons and on the lines of communication. | |
The complete reorganization of the ammunition park as an im-mobile unit providing ammunition depots at rail-head and other im-portant points, in advance of the Ordnance Depots. | |
The reorganization of the ammunition, columns according to the progress of the campaign, and finally the abolition of the Divisional, and Corps Troop columns, and the formation of "local" ammunition columns to provide for mobile forces. | |
Arrangements with general officers commanding districts for the supervision of all issuesespecially to irregular corps, stock riders, national scouts, and so forthand special arrangements for supplies required by the Intelligence | 30 |
Arrangements with the Ordnance Department for the periodical inspection of all ammunition in the hands of the troops, and in am-munition columns, and for the replacement of all found unserviceable. Measures to ensure care in the treatment of ammunition in the hands of the troops. | |
Investigation of all accidental explosions of ammunition. The whole of the above were rendered much more difficult by the multiplicity of different natures of ammunition to be dealt with: namely, seventeen sorts of artillery ammunition, and four of small-arm, or in all twenty-one different natures of ammunition.
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Arrangements with the Assistant Inspector of Remounts for meet-ing the requirements of the artillery generally. Making out estimates of probable expenditure. | |
Fixing the establishments of units according to circumstances, and controlling the issues of all riding and draught animalshorses, mules, and oxensupplied to the artillery. | |
Supplementing the supply from the Remount Department by utilising horses from brigade divisions on the lines of communication, and by the replacement of horses in ammunition columns, and (tem-porarily) in batteries with mules, with the necessary arrangements for providing mule harness and native drivers. | 35 |
Arrangements for the supply and movement of remounts from the advanced remount depots to the troops in the field, and their distribution to units as required. | |
The formation of regimental remount depots, in which horses ob-tained from the Remount Department were conditioned and trained before issue to units; and where horses which required short rest and treatment were also received from units. At the end of the war there were 7616 horses in units, and 2359 in the depots, and the number which passed through these regimental depots between 1st January, 1901, and 31st May, 1902, was over 25,000.
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Reorganization of the whole of the artillery transportboth battery and ammunition columnat the commencement of the campaign, so that additional supplies might be carried. All arrangements connected with the administration and supply of the transport required by artill-ery units.
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Distribution of guns and detachments for armoured trains, and general superintendence of the mounting of the guns. Arrangements with the Ordnance Department for the provision of the special am-munition and spare parts required for the guns on armoured trains at suitable depots.
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Careful register of the enemy's guns, with all captured by, or from, them, so as to be able to furnish the Commander-in-Chief with an estimate of the | 40 |
Identification of captured guns and ammunition, and their disposal, with accurate record of the particulars in each case. | |
Arrangements for placing captured guns in the field, including the provision of ammunition, sights, range-tables, &c. | |
All correspondence on the subject of guns allotted as trophies, and arrangements with the Ordnance Department for their delivery as required.
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Military administration of the Dynamite Factory, Modderfontein, near Johannesburg; including the decision as to the amount of dyna-mite to be manufactured, and the mines to be supplied; and also the collection of all money | |
Control of all explosives in the Transvaal and Orange River Colony and all questions connected with their importation. Precautions for safety in store and transit.
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All arrangements connected with the formation of the Artillery Mounted Rifles, and their maintenance in the field. | |
Fixing the organization of the various corps; deciding on their equipment; and supplying the necessary staffs, signallers, &c. | |
Provision of horses on formation, and arranging for the supply of trained remounts through the regimental remount depots.
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Notes: Note 1: Thus the personnel of the artillery of the Rhodesian Field Force consisted of a mixture of Regulars, Yeomanry, and Colonials; while the equipment comprised three different sorts of 15-prs., with non-interchangeable breech fittings, sights, carriages, &c. Back. Note 2: The maximum strength of the Artillery in the field was reached about October, 1900, when the personnel numbered about 15,000 of all ranks. Over 1,000 officers of the Regiment took part in the campaign. Back.
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