§ 72 Mr. DOUGLAS HALLasked the Secretary of State for War (1) whether one of the officers of the Second Wessex Howitzer Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, Territorial Force, although he was for four and a-half years, up to the present year, an officer of the brigade and attended five camps, had only one opportunity to practice on a land range and to gain experience with fuse and shrapnel; (2) whether he will state the establishment strength of the 2nd Wessex Howitzer Royal Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, Territorial Force, on the 1st May, 1913; the actual strength of the brigade on that day; the numbers that attended the annual training and practice camp at Okehampton in 1912; and (3) whether, on the occasion of the 2nd Wessex Howitzer Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, Territorial Force, undergoing annual training at Okehampton in 1912, there were so few gunners that a batters before firing at the ranges was obliged to borrow gunners from another battery to snake up the necessary gun complement?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for WAR (Colonel Seely)On May 1st, 1913, there were ten officers and 253 non-commissioned officers and men on the strength out of an establishment of fifteen officers and 371 non-commissioned officers and men. Six officers and 174 non-commissioned officers and men attended the annual training in 1912. During the training in 1912 the two batteries of the brigade practised independently, and owing to the shortage of gunners present had to borrow from each 1707 other the numbers eight and nine to complete the detachments. It is possible that as the brigade practised seawards in 1909 and 1910, and did not practise in 1911 and 1913, an officer had only one opportunity of practise on a land range, but I would point out that fuse and shrapnel are used at sea ranges.