Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1917-05-30

big, broad smile.
~~~~~~-~~~--~~-~~~-~~~~-~
the three Fates handed around their
solitary eye in the story of Perseus.
Many rifles were too worn to shoot
with sufficient accuracy for musketry
practice and there was no opportunity
to cultivate in the soldier personal
pride in his own rifle and the knowl-
edge of its idiosyncrasies. This scarcity
of rifles in the early days prolonged the
training.
In the artillery it was quite as bad.
In October. 1914, the artillery of one d.
vision of the first new army had only
six 1S-pounders altogether instead of
its full complement of 81 another had
only few of the obsolete 15-pounders !;
In March, 1915, some divisions had only
two guns per battery; even In May,
when the full complement of guns had
arrived for the first new army divi-
sions, the equipment of dial sights, etc,
for indirect laying was still deficient
The second new army was at that date
In very much the same state, except
that in their case the howitzer brigade
had not been delivered. The third and
fourth new armies were still worse off
For months the gunners in some di-
visions had to learn what they could
of the mechanism of rifle without
even seeing one. Some enthusiastic Of
ficers provided dummy wooden guns at
their own expense and obsolete guns
were utilized for the same purpose.
When some such guns as these were
available there were no artillery in
strVments such as dial sights, range
finders, directors and so on, without
which modern battery is almost help
less, except those that could be impTo-
vised by an ingenious Timber gunner.
Similarly horses, harness and the prop
er wagons were hardly ever complete
for any battery of the first three
armies till on the very eve of their de-
parture over sea. Noncommissioned
officers fit to train recruits were sadly
lacking. Those having experience
could not be spared from their regi-
ments at the front. The most that
could be done was to have one expert
eRcsd man In each unit and this only
by employing 200 officers of the Indian
army home on leave and retired officers
t'dug out" as they were popularity
called). Some of these did important
serviee and others were of little value,
not being up-to-date and lacking the
capacity of making themselves so. The
Infantry drill had been altered and the
double company substituted for the old
single company; in artillery the
changes had been even more notable by
the introduction and almost exclusive
use of indirect laying, which required
in artillery officers and nOncommis-
stoned officers facilities of rapid obser-
walton and calculation again the CO.
operation of artillery and ajrplanes
was a closed book to all the olu school
gunners; the use of telephones and
signals had been developed in a manner
unknown to quite recent generations
of officers.
To secure officers required the
courses at Woolwich and Sandhurst
were reduced and the age limit low
cred. A certain number of commissions
were granted directly TO university
graduates and ex-warrant and noncom-
missioned officers were given commits
sions. There were at the beginning of
the war - senior otlcers' training
corps. Some of the best trained men
from the senior corps were given regu-
lar commissions at once and large nun
bers received temporary commissions"
Tor service with the new battalions. A
great many senior boys from the cadet
corps of the schools were also given
temporary commissions. 1t is an indi-
cation of the value of these o. r. C's
at a critical junction of the war, that