Hints to Officers on Command Discipline and Care of the Men 1916

8/8/2019 Hints to Officers on Command Discipline and Care of the Men 1916

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HINTS TO OFFICERS on Command, Discipline,

a n d C a r e of t h e Me n .

....

1. Exercising Command.

11. The Character of the Officer and his

Relations with the Men-Leadership,

Knowledge.Sense of D u t y .

Self-respect. -.

Relalions wiih his Men.Knowing his M e n .I”iti.li”%

Orders.

111. Discipline-

Example of the Officer.Public Opin ion .Comradeship.

D r i l l as an Aid to Discipline.Discipline of Officers.

IV. Care of the Men-

The%lhicn’r Clothing and Equipment.Their Food.T h e i r H e a l t h .T he ir Conduct.

C.3803. ‘



Th ese Hin t s to Officers a re in tend ed fo r th e

in fo rm at ion of L ieu ten an t s Com manding Platoons,

or similar Units of o ther Arms, b u t t h e y a r e also

to som e ex t e n t ap pl icabl e t o t h e d u t i e s an d re-

sponsibilities of Non-commimioned Officers.

These H in t s will also be useful t o Senior Offioem

in in s truc t ing the i r junio rs . The ac tua l command

of &he men is p roper ly exerc ised only th rough the

Lieu tenan t s , 50 t h a t it i s m o s t i m p o r t a n t t h a t

they should realize th ei r responsibil it ies, a n d lea rnhow to meet them.

H U B E R T FOSTER,

Brigadier-General ,

Chief of t h e G en era l Staff.

M elbourne, 1 s t M arch , 1916 .



HINTS TO OFFICERS

ON COMMAND, DISCIPLINE, AND CARE OF

THE MEN.

1.-EXERCISING COMMAND.

An officer newly commissioned has much to

learn besides his t r a i u i u g i n t h e f i e l d . He is

i gno ran t of t h e a r t of commaud , of discipline, ofhis proper re la t ions to h is super iors or his men.

H e c m ha rd ly be a l ive to t he r es ponsibi li ti es laidon him, and knows l i t t le of his mora l dut ies ,which are not la id down in Anny Manuals, a n dcannot be tested by examinat ions or inspections.

M a n y a young o the r s eems to t h i n k t h a t to bea n ofticer simply means receiving salutes, gett ingmore pay, a mess to feed in , aud be t te r quar te rs ,and t h a t his duties are to come on p a ra d e a t t h er igh t t ime , and dr i l l or march wi th his men. Aman who so t h inks ha s no idea of tho responsi-bilities of his position o r t h e d u ti es he has unde r -taken . Until h e realizes bo th, he is no u s e wha t -ever a8 an oscer .



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The fac t i s tha t an off icer has powers de legated

to him by the .Sta te , and corresponding dut iesand responsibil i t ies . . A ll officers going on. act iveservice sliould remember tha t men by en l i s t ingh a v e p l a c e d i n t h e h a n d s of the i r count ry the i rl iber ty , the i r comfor t , the i r hea l th , and perhapstheir liveu, fo r which t h e G overnm ent is respon-s ib le . T h e G overn m ent de legates to i t s oficersau tho r i ty t o contro l a n d d ispose of th e troops ,

and th i s au thor i ty ca r r ie s wi th i t responsibilityFor the exerc ise of t h a t a u t h o r i t y i n a properway, with due regard t o the needs o f war nndthe wclfaro of th e troops. A n y . m isu se of t h i sau th or i ty has a had effect on t he mora l andphys icd condi t ion of his command , fnd makes it

a less contented and effective mac hine f o r w ar,which tends to dim inish t h e sfficiency of t he who le

a rmy.T h e r i g h t u se of this authori ty consis ts in exer-

cis ing command well . 'An oflicer is really an in-dividual whose t rade is t o exerci se command, a n dif h e w ill n o t l ea rn t h a t t r a d e h e is only a shamofficer, n well-paid impostor carrying badges ofrank . He may he a f ight ing m an a n d m i g h t

make a good pr iva te in th e ranks, b u t as an officerbe i s rea l ly worth nothing to h is country .

L e t us therefore cous ider what exerc is ing com-mand means . It does not, as probably civil iansth ink, mean mere ly ge t t ing obeyed. What , t h e r e



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is beyond mere obedience in exercis ing commandmay be easily seen. You h e a r t h a t o n e u n i t iswel l commanded, another badly ; th is does n o tm e a n t h a t in t h e . o n e o rd e rs are obeyed, andn o t i n t h e o th e r , b u t t h a t t h e officer co m m an d in gth e b e t te r u n i t is g e t ti n g t h e m o st o u t of t h eme n , th a t they a re do ing be t t e r work wi thou tfrict ion or shouted o rders and rep r imand s . T h a t

u n i t mill be co nten ted a nd efficient, an d a de-p en d ab l e i n s t ru m en t i n wa i .

In th e o t he r company th e cap ta in will be shou t -ing , repr imanding , and harass ing h is men to l i t t leeffect . ne gives orders w i thout d ue thought , an dlater forgets or co u n te rm an d s t h em ; h e im p ed eshis subordinatcs’ act ion, b lames them when he

has made a mistake , i s obs t inate when he shouldgive w ay, a nd. weak when he should b e f irm , Hedemoralizes his co m pa ny , hin de rs its t ra in ing ,ruins discipl ine, and spreads a,n atmosphere of dis-conten t and d is loyal ty to the Servico. ‘He millnever have in hand tbe dependable company I r i scomrade h as unders tood bow t o f o r m . One knowshow t o command; the o ther does no t , and i s l ike

a b a d w orkman us ing forc e awkw ardly , spo il inghis mater ia l , fa i l ing in h is job, an d t h en b l am in gh is tools . The lat ter character is t ic is typical of B

poor officer, who inv aria bly p ut s th e fa i lu re on t oth e incompetence, d isobedience, or w a n t of loyaltyof his subordinates .



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A well commanded uni t is n o t a n a u t o m a t o nplayed on by ik commander , but a l iving or-ganism, where the o5cer impresses his will andpersonal i ty on his command, . and the men col-labora te wi th h im in do ing wha t they have to doin th e bes t way. Th ei r m ere obedience goes b u ta small way towards t h a t end . If a u n i t is to d ocfficient work, each s o l d i e r in it baa to do much

inore t h a n m erely obey orders ; he has go t to' ' pl;ty t h e g am e" wi ll ingly a n d in te l ligent ly , a n dso contr ibute h is sliarc to the common task in t h es p ir it t ha t h is t r a in ing ha s t au gh t h im, an d . hisorders havc indica ted .

Th e r i gh t exercise of command wil l be discussedunder three heads : -

.I. T he o5 ce r ' s cha rac t e r an d h i s r e la t ionswi th h is men.

11. Discipline.

111. Care of the m e n .





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y e t secure th e respect of his men when they real izet h a t h e is a ct ua te d b y a sense of d u t y i n e v e r y -th in g t h a t he does, w i thout th ink ing of. h i s owninterests , comfort , or safety.

The off icer must have self-respect . It i s pre-sumed t h a t n o m an ho lds a commission un less tw othin gs ab ou t h im a r e certain- tha t h e will speak

I R e Irzcth, a n d t h a t h e w i l l 'ob'eg orders. It isnev er t h ou g h t possible t h a t a n offioer will tel l a

lie, in speech o r wri t ing , or be gui l ty of d i rec tdisobedience of orders, or f lagrant neglec t of d u ty .O f course, a l l officers will n o t be p erfec t ; the irdu ty may be bad ly done ; t hey may be weak orcare le ss an d have o the r f au l ts ; b u t i t m us t bepossible t o t ak e fo r g ran t ed t he ir t ru th fu lness an dobedience.

Th e reason why se l f- respect on th e p ar t of t h eofficer is so i m p o r t a n t i s t h a t h e m u s t b e c a p a b l e-of feeling ashamed of bad work, neglect of d u t y ,or of anything going wrong fo r which he -is re-sponsible.. T h a t sense of shame, when you cometo think of it, is really the only means seniorofficers have of controll ing their juniors. It isbecause this is taken for g r a n t e d t h a t officers in

th e Br i t i sh service a r e t rus ted , a n d for th e m t h e r ea r e no m i n o r p u n is h m e n ts as t h e r e a r e f o r officersin most foreign armies. I€ i s a ss um e d t h a t t h e i rsense of d u ty a nd h ono ur will p reven t them be-in g g ui lty of even sm all de relictio ns of d u ty , if



9 only ' because sma ll fa u l t s will probab ly escapenotice an d pu nish m ent . Oficers are t hu s on the i rhonour to ca r ry ou t the i r work p roper ly , wi thou tbe ing cons tant ly watched, and should fee l soashamed of a n y f a i l u r e t h a t th e y w ill try a n davoid it at all oost.s.

It will now be d e a r t h a t t h e r i g h t e x e r c i s e of

command res ts on character , which is more im-por tant than even in te l l igence in an o 5 c e r , a son it. largely depends his personal influence overhis men.

Officers' Relations with the Men.O 5 ce rs of every un i t in th e Forces of th e Em -

pi re shou ld t ry to k ee p u p t h e h i gh s t an d a r d of

good rela t ions between al l ranks which has a l-ways marked th e B r i t i sh A rm y, where officersand men und ers tand, l ike , an d reepect each o ther .I n n o coiintry i n t h e world cou ld 05ce r s box a n dplay footba l l wi th the i r men, as they a lways haved o n e i n t h e B r i t i s h A r m y .

The fo llowing hin ts m ig h t be taken to h e a h : -

Remember the re is n o gulf be twean 05cers andmen. AI1 are comrades in arms- t ,ha t is, fellow!ahourem a t a common task-to be at t h e enem y.Famil ia r i ty , we know, breeds contempt . I n in-t ercourse wi th your m en , do n o t be b o familiarnor ye t a loo f; t ry and t ak e th e midd le course,which demands tac t , good na ture , and earn of



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m anne r , and is impdssible for a @If-conscious,va in , or p e t ty n a t u r e . T h e r i g h t a t t i t u d e i s giveni n F i e l d .Service I legu ln t imw :-‘‘ Officers shouldb e firm,b u t k i n d ly .”

Encourage comradeship . iu all r anks , and p r idein th e u n i t t hey belong to . There fore, keep u pt h e d i gn i ty of your command, however smal l , for

it. hap a personali ty of its own, worthy of respect ,a n d a real fac tor of energy in war . Ap proach yo urcommand in t ak ing charge as if you w e r e pm udof it. Be courteous t o it, but soldierl ike. in wordaud bea r i ng . When y o u inspect , look t h e men inthe eyes ; do not mere ly walk down the ranks.W hen you d ismiss you r men , d o no t t u rn away asif you had d ropped a t i r e some burden . . Never

humi l i a t e your command , nor any ind iv idua l i nit, b y sneer ing or looking supercilious. N ev ernllors yourself to be i r r i t ab le . Never be lacka-dais ical and casual in the presence of the m en .Never loll abou t w hen t hey a r e a t w ork . Donot wa lk on a foo tpa th while they m arch on arough o r m uddy r oad . D o not smoke, ea t , dr ink ,or talk, unless th e men are allowed to. D o n o t

loosen clothing or Lelta, or wear grea t -coa t , un-less the m en mag too. Return every soldier’ss a lu t e . T h e m a n h as a r ig h t t o t h a t , th ou gh h eca nn ot well exact. i t . N ot to do so is to abuseyour posi t ion, and disobey regulat ions; i n a word ,to show yourself both r u d e an d undiscipl iued.



Always have cons ide ra tion to -yo ur men i n t ra in -

in g or on th e m arch. Exerc ise con stant fore-thoug h t abou t t he i r wan t s . Neve r have t o say,‘‘ O h, I f m g o t . ” Do not worry them over tnf ies .Avoid unnecessa ry fa t ig u e in banging a bo ut w a i t -ing. Do n o t expose them nee’dledlessly t o badweather , which gives t rou ble in c leaning k i t , a ndcauses i l l-heal th a n d discon tent . T he n, whenspecial e fforts a r e dem anded an d unusual ha rd-ships to be faced, your command wil l respond toy o u r call. Give pra i se spa r ing ly , bu t when it isdeserved, le t it be genu ine . Pe rpe tu a l b lame i sd i shea rt en ing . I n r ep r imand ing o r punishing, becalm an d impersonal . Rem emb er t,o punish is ad u t y , n o t a pr ivi lege , an d i s th e las t resource tobe used to keep up discipline.

T h e m en a re good jud es of the i r o5cers ’ char -acters , and are cons tan t?y watching and cri t icis.i ng them. Th i s shou ld de t e r o fh e r s f rom show-

ing themselves fussy,. undecided, sclfish, or con-cei ted. Th ey shou ld avoid affectation, an d neverpose in at t i tude, voice, or m a n n e r . T h a t is as u r e m a r k of a second-ra te man. It never de-

ceives the men, even i f it does the i r brother offi-cers, an d is alway s r a th e r r idicnlouu. Nom rid i-cule is de t r imenta l to respec t, an d th u s in juresdiscipline. Do n o t be pompous t o i n sp i r e awewhich your prope r charac ter would n o t w arra nt .Do n o t p n t on t he mas t e r fn l pose by be ing



1brusque and omerbaaring. On the o t h e r h a n d ,

avoid " smooging " and popu la r i t y hun t ing , andd o n o t try to hu m bu g people . Th e m e n will seet h r o u g h it all .

It is sometimes possible . t o hoodw ink you rsuperiors as t .o your pemonal wo'r th, and the wayyou do y o u r d u t y , if you have soma intell igence,m o u g h ar t fu lness, an d few scruples ; b u t you. will

not impose on your men, nor conceal your ignor-ance or your weakness. Pose is deception, and isunwor thy of a n officer, who should never t ry toseem o the r than ha rea l ly is.

It is hardly possible. fo r men to render wi l l ingobedience, or listen pat ient ly to an ' officer whomthey f ind arrogant , pompons, or fussy , and sus -pec t to be iguo ran t or foolish. If a n officer is

preoccupiod w ith his own perso nality, an d isgoverned by egotism and vani ty, o r worse , b y h isinte 'res ts an d pe t ty am bit ions , and is self-seekingor spi tef ul , his d u ty will suffer . Exercise of com-mand is a public responsibi l i ty , and not a per-sonal privilege, an d ou gh t t o be sincere, serious,and loyal to super iors and subordina tes .

Knowing the Men.

A good platoon officer will knom his mon inti-mately an d thorou ghly. Soon afte r he is ap-pointed he should, of coursa, know every man by



\s igh t a.nd name. He should be able to ca l l t heroll of ]lis platoon by heart, which, on service,may be very handy on emergency or i n t h e d a r k.B u t t h a t is elementary -he ough t to know hismen's charactem and qual if icat ions ; their goodp oin ta a n d t h e i r f a u l ts . T h a t i s i m p o r t a n t o nservice, where all & o r b of extraordinary cases turnup where a special is t is wan ted . A n o fi ce r ough t

t o be ab le to pick out a man fo r any unexpec tedjob, especially in the A.I.F., which comprisesmen of a l l sorb of t rades and exper ience. Agood office r will als o le a rn a grea t dea l abou t h i smen 's private ci rcumstances ; what they have beena t in civil l i fe ; whemuner hey a r e m arrie d an dhave famil ies ; where they come from, and so o n .

But the g rea t ob jec t o f knowing the men welli s t h a t it i s a lmost essential f o t jus t ice in deal ingwi th them. It may fa l l t o every officer to haveto r ep rimand or punish , and if he does it withou tknowing th e man ' s na tu re , h e i s su re t o be un-jus t . A high-spir i ted man, unused to contro l incivil life, m u s t he t r ea t ed v i th t ac t fu l f i rmness .O n e man may do wrong in t ra in ing because he i s

slow t,o learn ; anothe r because he is s tup id . Thes smen on ly want to have th ings pat ien t ly expla ined .A no the r m an m ay b e careless an d neglectful , a!-though sh a rp enough , and h e r equ ires r a th e r appea l ing to on the mora l s idc to show him whatharm liis fa i lure i s doing .



I n learn ing t o exercise comm and, tlie /officei

must. use some knowledge of h u m a n n a t u r e . 130mus t neve r fo rge t t ha t t he men are human l ikehimself--subject to the same influences,’ tempt&tions , and faul ts . It is impor tan t , the re fore , t os tudy them, an d to ge t i n to th e way of t r e a t ingthem all as comrades, even if of lower rank, bcav

ing in mind tha t , l ike the off icer , they are a l lse rvan ts of t h e n a t io n .

Initiative.I n exercis ing comm and, self-re liance, judc-

m ent , an d ta c t a r e essentia l. It is a good plani n d i 5 c u l t cases to say t o yourself , ‘‘ W h a t w ouldmy Capta in , or my Colonel, or the General wishme to do i f they were he re? ’ ’ Then ac t as i f you

were yourself in khese o5cers’ position givingorders to a l i eu tkn au t in your place . T h a t willteach you t o ac t on y ou r own in i t ia tive , a n d p rc-v e n t you awai t ing orders . An bflicer shouldnever do mere ly h i s immedia te and ba re du ty ,a n d t h e n sit down and wash his hands of t h e jo bbecause some supe rior h as n o t tho u gh t of every-th ing , or given fu l l orders . T h e m om ent an of6cer

seeing something going wrong begins to t h ink ,‘‘ A t any r a t e , I am not responsible,” he i s no tdo ing h i s du ty , if h e can i n any way in te r fe re w i t hgood effect. I n sho r t , a good officer will never “letthings sl ide.’’ He shoiild be ready to go beyond



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l e t t e r o f hi s o rders, an d obey G e m in

awai t ing fu r t h e r inst ruc tions, andact ion f rom dread of responm-displeasing h i s superlor officer.

It i s /necesss ry to emphasize t h e f a c t t h a t a nofficer is responsible for his subordinates’ actioni n c a r r y i n g o u t t h e i r d u t y , md has n o r i g h t toshel ter l i imself from blame by throwing it ont h e m . c)t&ers are a p t to excuse themselves for

. someth ing wrong in the i r un i t by p o i n t i n g o u tt.hat a s ubord ina t e ha s no t done w ha t he was toldt o d o, or ha s m isled his officer. This is n o excuse.Super io r commanders do no t wish to h e a r a b o u tthe junior’s re la t ions wi th his subordinates , whoa r e p laced un der h im to he used in ca r ry ing ou this wofk. It is for h is j udgm en t t o make p rope ruse o f them, and t ra in them to. he lp h im, andunt i l they a re thoroughly competen t , he shou ldwatch them, and check the i r work . If t hey faila,nywh&re, it is the off icer’s faul t fOT n o t havingexpla ined wha t they were to do, o r t ra ined themto do 3 , an d their failure will not, be held to bean excuse fo r h im.

Orders.

Giving orders is an impor t an t e l emen t i n exer-cising com m and. ,The following remarks applyequal ly to regu la t ions made fo r good orde r i nC ~ orD o n t h e m a r c h , a n d to orders for definiteac t ion in t ra in ing or in Wtle.



E ve ry o rde r p laces t h e recipient in a s i tu t ionof res tra in t to . which h a will su bm it wheq

,Bcon-

vinced from his knowledge of t h e imu e r t h p t t h eord er is necessary. T he ref ore , before issuing a norde r , be sure it is necessary, expedient, add pos-sible to enforce . Nothing looks weaker anddimin ishes conf idence l ike changing yo ur m ind , o rgiv ing counte r o rders. Rem ember orders are t obe obe ed imp lic it ly , an d a t once. They should

never xave to be given twice. It requires prac-t i c e a n d ju d g me n t to issue good orders, whichshould a lways b e -

Clear-comple~concise-courteous. .

Clear orders a re those which can no t be misin-te rpre ted . If they a re , the fault l ies probably ont h e inan who gave them, no t ou t l i e ' r ec ip ien t .

CompZete ode r s have no th ing omi t ted .Concise OTdeTs conta in no t a word too mu ch ,

and have n o repet i t ion or verbiage , which bothersthe rec ip ien t , and ma k e s t h e o rd e r s h a rd e r tounders tand and remember .

Cour teous orders do n o t i r r i t a t e a n d th ere fo reendange r due e sccu t ion . In giving ordersverbal ly , let t h e t o n e b e even a n d c alm , h u t fi rm .Never g ive orders in anEer or under i r r i ta t ion .Note and co r rec t your fau l t s of manner . Neve rt h r e a t e n ; i t . i s w e n k , f o r t h e o rd e r s h o u ld imp lyt h a t o b e d j e n ~ eo it is p r e w v e d l O n t h e o th er h an d



17 do no t inv i te hesi ta t ion in execution by t h eform of the order or its tone . Some officers giveorders as if apologizing for their necessity. It iswell not to give reasom in orders , as it provokasa rgumen t .

When issuing an order involving somewhatcomplicated or lengthy execut ion , have enough

irnaginat iou to realize all the steps involved int h e process . Som e m ay depend on you, some ono the rs no t und e r you r command. M ake a r range -mentw for insur ing all necessary co-operation.D o no t leave d i f f icul t poin ts to your subord ina te ,hoping he wil l f i nd s ome necmary s to re s , o rmeans of execution, which you a r e to o lazy o rs tupid t,o ar rang e fo r yourse l f. Th ink when your

subord ina te wil l g e t the order , an d g ive h im t imeto execute it before you blame him fo r d i s -obedience. It m ay require s ome th ink ing ou t orplann ing .

, In.-DISCIPLINE.

Discipline is essen tial , n o t only fo r t h e 0u cca~ s

of a n a r m y , but for i t s very exis tence. W it h o u tdiscip line, t roops form ra th er no t so much a mili-t a ry fo rce a s a mob, wi th a l l its notorious unre-l iabi l i ty and ineffect iveness ; f o r a mob is alwaysau i r respons ib le and i r resolu te body, incapable ofconoerted action and sustained effort .

0.3003.-B



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H a d it n o t been fo r th e h igh s ta te of d iscip line. of the Er i t i sh Arm y du r in g i t s twe lve days’ re.

t r e a t f rom Mons . it would have dis in tegra tedd u r i n g t h e a r d u o u s m a r c h e s i t h a d to m a k e bday and by n igh t th rough unknown count ry , wi t ;cons tan t and heavy rea rguard f igh t ing .

Discipline is f a r f rom being mere obedienceto orders . T ha t , a s W el lington sa id , i s only i t s

foun dat ion. Disc ipl ine i s th e concent ra ted sp i r i tof m m e of the highest qualities of a good soldier,a n d s h o u l d equally inspire his higher act ivi t iesan d h is everyday work . F rede r ick t h e G rea tcal led i t “ h e soul of a n army.^" It m a y he con-cisely described as the “ ns tinc t of du ty .”

Disc ipl ine implies sub ordina t ion t o autho r i ty ,

se l f - respect , and de terminat ion to do one’s dutyi n s p i t e of th e d iscomforts, hardships , an d dangersof war . B u t d i sc id ine impl ies m ore th a n physicalfor t i tude . It implies the m o ra l o n d u ra n c e . t h a tcan bear neglect or inj’ustioe, and can see othersin comfor t and safe ty whi le watching, suffer ing,or dy ing for them. Such a r e th e v i r tues of a nideal soldier of every rank.

The object of discipl ine is t h a t d u t y s h a l l b eperformed in te l ligently a n d energet ica l ly . T h ediscipl ine of a uni t depends on the off icer com-mand ing i t , who, a s F.S.R.Says, “ r e q u i r e s as t r o q c h a r a c t e r to command the respec t of h ismen, wi th whom he should be in close touch andsympa thy.”



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I n t h e last w o r d s w e . 6 n d a new human touchin regula t ions , and see how far we have movedfrom the old concept ion of discipline as coercionfounded on fear. Freder i ck the G rea t used t osay: ‘‘ A man sh,ould be more a f ra id o f h i s o5certh an of th e enemy.” T h a t idea , s t il l ru l ing inG e r m a n y , is obviously wrong. If you w a n t m ento f ight , you m u s t k e e p up t he i r sp i r i t and

courage.. You w a n t th em to be af ra id of nei therm an nor devil. Ho w can you ge t t ha t r e su l t i f

you ‘ t ry to disc ip l ine them by fear of punishmenta n d t h u s b r ea k t h e i r s p i r i t ?

Dis i ip l ine to-dav is f o r f ree men, giving wil l ingserv ice to thei r count ry , and wi l l ing obedience toorders. D u e subord ina t ion is qui te compat ib lewi th th e se l f- respect of a free m an of sp i r i t , who

u n d e r s ta n d s t h a t i t i s e sse ntia l f o r his co-opera-t ion in tlie g re a t work in hand-beating th eenemy.

Such d isc ip l ine must be self-enforced. It is

q u i t e possible to toacb a m a n to discipline himself,and d i rec t his activi t ies to a r i g h t end, by develop-ing his personali ty, his wil l , and his self-control .

Cbmpulsion is a t times n ece ssae , no doub t , fo rp rope r con t ro l , bu t it adds no t h i ng to t b e i n w a rd.life f r o m . which t r u e d isc ip line spr ings . Cont ro lf rom outs ide rea l ly does very l i t t l e for the char -acter-ven worse th a n nothing-because i t im -pla nts a h a b i t of only carry ing o ut mechanically



20

the l i teral orders received. H o w useless compul-sion i s by i ts elf can he-seen f rom th e fac t t h a tthe moment the compuls ion i s removed ita effectceases. True discipl ine properly implanted goeson ex ercising its power even when th e m an is awayf r o m t h e e y e of his superior .

T o in s t il s uch d isc ip line i s , p e r h ap s more diffi-cu l t than in the o ld days when d i sc ip l ine meant

coercion, b u t t h e officer ca n show his m e n t h eva lue of disc ip l ine in war , making them under -s tand t h a t i t is th e t e s t o f a good so ld ie r , because111 w ar it leads Eo co-operat ion and concentrat ionof e f fo r t t li rcughou t t h e a rmy , and th u s to succew.

I n a d d it io n t o t h i s i ns tr u ct io n t h e r e are t h r e einfluences constantly affecting the soldier, which,

when proper ly d i rec ted , grea t ly ass is t in c rea t ingdisc ip l ine in t h e u n i t . These are :-

The E x a m p l e of the Officei..P u b l i c O p in io n i n t h e U n i t .Comradesh ip Am ong th e M en .

FACTORS O F DISCIPLINE.

The Example of the OBcers.The discipl ine of a body of t roops depends oni t s officers, wh'o crea te it and ma in ta in it b y t h e ircharac te r and example . Th e i r exam ple he lps tofo rm d iscipline am ong t h e m en ; the i r cha rac te r is

shown in t h e m e t ho d of exercis ing command.



‘\ 2 1

E x a\

ple i s a lways a t work as a n inf luence on

men .5

an -esp ecia l ly m an i n t h e mass-is a nimi ta t ive an imal . Ex am ple widens m an’s ideas

\as to w h y t h u m a n n a t u r e i s c ap ab le of, a n d s t im u -lates him, wh ere m ere ins tru ct ioo would fa i l an da p p ea ls t o a u t h o r i ty o r t o his conscience fall flat.It has been said : - ‘ I E x a m p l e is the school ofmankind; they wi l l learn at no other.”-Burke.

A s sold iers a re keen an d accura te judges oftheir officers’ characters, the officer should be tohis men th e l iv ing em bodim ent of all soldierlyqual i t ies . D eterm inat io n, energy, an d self-controla r e t h e f a c to r s of success in war. If these fight.ing qual it ies me n o t possessed in a high degree bysoldiers , the best t ra ining, organizat ion, and pre .

para t ion for war , and even super io r n u m b e rs willnever make up fo r the i r lack in a n a rm y. Thesemoral qual i t ies , which may be summed u p i n oneword-character-are the refo ra cssential i n t h e06icer, so t h a t h e m a y in sp ir e t h e m e n b y h isexample. E v en . th e smal ler m a t te rs shou ld notbe t h o u g h t u n i m p o r t a n d d r e s s , b e a r i n g , p u n c -tu al i t y , m ethod, a nd order . T h e officer should

a lways ac t a s i f h e we re un de r his superior’s eye ,and keep s t r i c t wa tch on his conduct before themen in h is hear ing , manner , and ta lk .

A p a r t f r o m t h e i n f l u e n c e a n d e x a m p l e of t h e0 5 c e r t h e r e &retwo grea t forces a lways ac t ing in



la body of troops, which, if proper ly aroused and

well-directed, will havo a good effect on th.6 con-d u c t of th e ind iv idual sold ier.

/hese are p h l i c opjlzkom and oomrarleslup

I

Public Opinion.

P ub l ic opinion a s we know i t in civil life is apowerfu l a id in keep i ng up r i gh t behav i ou r . , It

is the collective conscience of t h e body imposingi t s own s tandards of conduct , and very ef fect ivei n dev is ing pun i shmen t f o r depa r t u r e f rom t hem.

E ve ry one hesi tates t o fly in t h e face of publ icop in ion , and d reads t h e shame which wil l be in-curred by f lout ing i t . In a body of t r o o p s t h a td r e a d of shame i s one of t h e s tronges t fo rces ac t-in g on t he man , . and t ends to make h i m behavewell, in spi te of the most pressing claims of se l f -in teres t .

Publ ic opinion soon c o m e s i n t o b e i n g i n , a n y

g r o u p of m en, and is a force no t to be despised.It .is real ly m ore powerful i n swaying th e ind i-v idual so ld ie r tha u ' r egu la t ion s an d pun i shm ent s .T h e p o i n t i s to d i r ec t it t o r i g h t e n d s , SO a s t okeep the so ld ie r f rom conduct de t r imen ta l to theeniciency of the uni t he forms par t of . .



Comradeship.

\learly allied to public opinion is ConLTodesRip,

w h i c ~ ,even the mos t ca re less and un th ink ingsoldie). soon finds out to be absolutely necessaryfo r h i s \comfor t aud sa fe ty . I n w a r each man hasall tlie time to re ly on his comrades performingtheir duty, and wil l soon learn to r ea liz e t h a t h emus t also do his du ty by t hem and n o t f a i l t hem .

I n ba t tl e men toge the r will d o t h ings t h a t noind iv idua l man , or only t l ie very bravest , couldpossibly do. Th is com radeship spr ing s from t h ef a c t t h a t t h e m en a r e un d er go in g r is ks a n d h a rd -ships i n comm on, Soldiers learn to know an desteem each other when they have to l ive, andsuffer, and figlit , and very often die , together .This creates confidence in each oth er . B y th es t ra in of war t hey l ea rn t h e va lue of union andco-op erat ion, an d begin, therefore , to apprec ia teLhe va lue of discipline.

It i s qui te easy for of f icers to t ra in men in tha tview of regard ing disc ip l ine . They can b e shownhow necessary i t i s for t l ie welfare of t l ie whole

un i t , and of each man individual ly .It

is a well-k no w n p r ov erb in t h e N a v y t h a t " a s t r i c t sh ip isa comfor table ship " to serve i n . T he same th ingapplies b s t r ic t regiment . A l l orders, howevertr ivial they may seem, go to produce regular i tya n d pu nctua l i ty which economize th e t ime an d



24E

Is t rength of t h e m e n . I f t h e r e a r e a g r e a t q u m -her of t r iv ial s lacknesses on the par t of t.he men,owing to w a n t of good order a nd system i$ t h ereg iment , they will entail by their cumula t iveef fect appreciab le hardsh ips , de lays , a n d f i i lu res .Marches, f o r instan ce, will he nee dless l i long ,unless th e re is good m arch discipl ine. D ist r ibu-t ion of food and supply of ammuni t ion wi l l beslow, unless all t h e m e n a r e d o i n g t h e i r share ofd u ty . W he n i n act ion, of course, obedience tothe l eas t t r iv ia l o rder is m o st im p o r t an t . A n yone can u nders tan d how im po r tan t s i lence i s d u r-in g a n ig h t m arch m ean t t o su rp r i s e t h e en em y .A care less sen t ry will enda nger th e arm y. Th eofficer must bring al l this home to t h e m e n , f o r" when th e m an in t h e r a n k s u n d e rs ta n d s a l l t h a t

disc ipline involves-safety, h eal th , efficiency, a n dvictory-it is eas i ly main ta ined ." (Colonel Hen-derson on War.)

Drill an aid t o Discipline.

For newly raised men the f i rs t means of im-plant ing discipl ine is stiff dri l l in close ordermovements . Much of w h a t is pract ised has, ofcourse, no direct bearing on fighting, as, f o r in-s tance , a t t i tu de and d ress ing , accu ra te un i fo rmi tyin h an d l in g a rm s a n d t u rn in g , an d w o n ; b u tpract ice in these po in ts i s valuable in formingright . hab i ts in a soldier. He l ea r ns t o a t te n d to



25 \ : .

th e voice of h i s commander and to obey h im wi th -

ou t hesi ta tion , wh i le t h e com mander in tu rn ac-qu i re s con fidence and th e ha b i t of command .When act ion habitual ly fol lows the word of com-m and i t becomes inst inc tive, and th e h ab i t ofobedience is form ed. O n ge t t ing th e accustomeds t imulus of an order, brain , nerves, and musclework in the accustomed way. So no one need

th ink he is wast ing t im e when a t d r i ll . ne is,g e tt in g t h e h a b i t of obedience, which is the f o u n -'dat ion of discipline, and of real use in war .

Only by th i s hab i t of discipline which has he-come an ins t inct , can a body of m en respond cer-ta in ly to t h e s t im u l u s of an order , and so remaina m e n a b le t o t h e c o n tr ol of the i r l eader and keeptheir cohesion, un de r t h e s tr ain which f ight ing

lays on t h e nerves. Stiff dr il l is necessary, becauseno man has ye t d i scovered any o ther means bywhich soldiers can acquire the habit of discipline,wi thout which they cannot be contro l led inba t t l e , an d will n o t be re liable in di5cul t ies ,hardships , and sudden dangers .

H a b i t i s second na tu re , a n d th i s app lie s tomoral habits as well as physical ones. H ab its a r eformed by repet i t iou of acts t i l l they become in-s t inct ive , when the mere idea of something t o b edone i s fo llowed a t once by th e idea of doing it,The so ld ier ' s t ra in ing gradual ly forn:s his habi ts ,and shou ld be ca r r i ed ou t so a s t o f o rm goodhab i t s and not bad ones.. On t h e physical side,



I26

t r a i n i n g i s a school of co rrec t actio n un d er all t h e

varying circumstances the soldier wil l meet inwar . On t h e moral side, t h e man 's t ra in ing wil ldevelo h is sold ierly ins t incts , un t i l a t las t hen a t u r aTly follows the impulses of good order, self-re str ain t , enduran ce, an d .co-operat ion wit.h hiscomrades . T hu s t h e r ig ht sor t of t ra in ing willno t only teach t h e sold ier h is t rad e , h u t a lso forma tradit.ion of d u t y, t h a t is discipline in t h e

broadest sense, too s t rong and deeply implantedto give way under any s tress of circumstance.

In ca r ry ing ou t t r a in ing th e 05 ce r shou ld no t bea mere faul t-f inder. It is easy to cri t icise andblam+far eas ier th an t o i n s t r u c L b u t it teachesLittle . T h e ins t ru cto r should ra th er exp la in andencourage. 'As F.S.R. says :-" Criticism ahould

be k indly , helpfu l , and cons t ruct ive ." Do n o tb l a m e t h e m e n t i l l y o u a r e q u i t e s u r e t h a t i t i sno t your own fa u l t they wen t wrong . T he m anmay no t have been taugh t to d o w ha t you to ldh im to do. Be pa t i e n t , Some a re no t so intelli.g e n t .and quick to t h i n k a n d a c t as ot,hers. Neverfo rge t t h a t t h e men a re hum an beings like you r-self , and l iable to human weaknesses and errors .

Discipline of 'Officers.T h e officer nesds discipl ine as m uch as t h e

pr ivate , o r more, b oth for tho sake of example tohis men, and because unless he is well disciplined



he cannot effect ively exercise command, W a n t obdisc ip line, a g re a t f a u l t i n th e p r iva te , is in theofficer a crime-the m ore heinous because it isless likely to be de tec ted than in the case of theprivate . T h e officer i s t ru s te d mo re an d watchedless, which should m ake h im th e m ore anx ious .notto f a i l his com m ande r and be tr ay t h e trust placedin him.

A n y w a nt of discipl ine i n i n officer ca nn ot fa i lto . reac t on his men, as it will, im p air his capa cityfor ins t i l l ing discipl ine in hi s command . T h em an who has l ea rned how to obey knows from per-sonal exper ience how i rksome an order can be i f

unnecessary or mistaken, and how hard it is n o tt o r e sen t it.

Discipline in the off icer means loyalty to hissuper iors , even t hough 6 e m ay t h i nk t hem tir&some, weak, or even s tupid . d e mnst not a l lowhimself to show by word or m a n n e r t h a t h e d e -spises or disagrees with his superiors, which wouldunderm i& au tho r i ty an d in ju re d iscip line. Stillmore must he a to id c r i t i c i sm of their plans or

orders , and grumbl ing; a l l tha t spreads d i saf fec-tion and corrodes discipline. He must nev er showan easy-going sp i r i t in ca r ry ing ou t du t i e s , norgive ha l f -h ea r ted , gru dg ing obedience. H i ssu pe rio r officers must be able to depend upon h imwi th conf idence , and he must not fa i l them.



28

He m u s t aIso be loyalto

his brother officers andt o h is men. Al l a l ike a re h is fel low-labourers a tth e common task , a n d en t i tl ed to a l l his assis tancef o r th e good of th e service ; there fo re h e mu s tnever be envious or jea lous of his comrades, orsuperci l ious or vindictive to his men. He m u s tn o t be biased by his l ikes an d dislikes, o r thinEof h is own interreats, or be calculat ing or self-

seeking in h i s ac t s , , .No officer must al low himselfto sneer a t h is comrades or his men, or run themdown. It is not , perhaps , to be expec ted tha tp r iva te t a lk among fr iends will not be p r e t t yf rank and jocu la r , bu t c r i t i c i sm and jokes aboutbr ot he r officers a n d men should nev er cloak ahost i le note or a desi re t o in jure .



a9

1V.-CARE OF THE MEN.The Lieu tenan t commanding a p la toon (or

s imi la r smal l u n i t ) is t h e officer in im m edia te con-t a c t w ith t h e m e n , a n d m u st u n de r st an d t h a t h eis th u s th e ag en t of h i s super io rs, a n d of t h enat ion , as to every th ing connec ted wi th them.H e m u s t g r a sp t.he f a c t t h a t h e is responsible for

every th ing th a t concerns h i s men w i th whom,as

the F ie ld Sorv ice Regu la t ions my. " h e m u s t bein close touch and sympathy." He h a s to bn n o ton ly the i r l eader a nd ins t ruc to r . b u t also. the i rhelper, adviser, and friend.

T his respon sibili ty for th e men is unl imi ted an dunceasing, and cannot be passed on to t h aN.C.O.'s. If t h e officer does n ot feel i t , a n d n e -glects i t , he is worse than uselem, and is doingharm to the serv ice . It const i tutes the essent ialdiffere'nce be tw ee n t h e ogcei - a n d t h e priuate, w hohas no responsibil i ty for o t h e r m e n , b u t o n l y forhis own conduct , and has only to act in obedienceto his orders .

The officer, on t he con t ra ry , has to hold hisun i t toge ther , hea l thy and oou ten ted , fit in mindand body to march and f igh t. He h a s , t h e r efore, to be cons tan t ly in touch wi th h i s men ,know where each is a t w o rk , a n d see t h a t n o n eare ever absen t wi thou t l eave. W hen a u n i t i s



30 newly raised, h e ha s to e q u ip a n d t r a in it, f o r h e

will be held responsible t h a t each m an is a rmed ,c lo thed, and equipped, and knows his work. Heis a t all t imes responsible for the men’s food,she l te r , and r e s t ; f o r t he i r comfort , hea l t h , an dell iciency in ca m p a n d on t h e m a r c h ; for their dis-c ip line a n d conduct.; for t h e way. they d o th e i rd u ty ; an d i n p resence of the enemy fo r the i r effec-t i v e act ion, the i r safe ty , and the i r l ives .

T h e officer’s responsibil ity is th u s double. Ont h e o n e h a n d , he is responsible to his superiort h a t h is comm and is a n ef ficient m achine for waras r ega rds its t ra ining, discipl ine, equipment , andh e a l t h ; on t h e o t he r h a n d , i t is necessary for thecon ten tm ent and wel fa re of h i s command th a t heshou ld ta k e care of his men’s intere sts in everysense.

Care for the Men.

Cons ide ra t i on and though t fu lness fo r h i s mena r e i m p o r t a n t q u a li ti es i n a n 0 5 c e r , a n d a g r e a ta id in exerc ising command an d acqu i r ing inf luenceover them.

T h e 0 5 c e r m u st see t h a t each of his m en knowst h e n u m b e r of his p la toon, company, ba t ta l ion ,and. br igade (or s imi la r un i t s in o the r a rms) , and



31 knows by name and s igh t the officers who com-

mand each, and t h a t he unde r st ands t he cond i-t ions he i s serv ing under ab rcgards mi l i tary l a w ,and t h e pay , c lo th ing , an d equ ipment he is e n -t i t led to.

T h e m an m u s t be t o ld tha t any compla in t s hemay have can be addressed to the off icer of hisplatoon, who wil l hear them pat ien t ly , and

remedy them. T h e men will hav e d i5 cu l t i es an dt roub les ; some m ay be t riv i a l, . an d can be dis-missed; some the men c a n b e t a u g h t how t orem edy themselves. B u t some wil l he genu i negrievances or wants , and these the officer m u s tt r y to set r igh t h imse lf , if h e c a n ; if no t , he mus tcall his superior’s a t ten t ion to them , an d h eshould not res t un t i l he has taken every poss ib les t ep to get them remedied. The f a c t of the officerbe ing though t fu l of his m en, and a lways ready to

d o his best to help them i n their difficulties, willmake them real ize that when thei r t roubles arenot remedied tbey are unavo idab le . The men

will t hen endure hardsh ips , f a t igue , and p r iva-tim, when real ly necessary, without complaining.

Clothing and Equipment.The officcr mus t s ee t ha t each man on joining

gek every ar t icle he is ent i t led to , and must alsoinspect f r o m t ime to t ime, so as t o i n s u r e t h a t



32

t h e man does no t lo se or sell his th ings . No

c lo th ing is - to be taken over by t h e m an t i l l h i5officer has seen it filled; if t h a t is done , the rewill no t be men go ing abou t w i th new boob cu topen because too t ight , or in c lo th ing too b ig ,making them look r idiculous . In these cases thoclothes seem to have been jus t thrown at the menb y t h e Q . M . S . , an d t h e o5cer has neg lec ted h i sd u t y .

T t i s t h e officer’s b u s h e s also to s e e t h a t t h em an’s c lo th ing is marked , to preven t misappropr ia-t ion. T h e man’s r if le and each p a r t of his equip-ment shou ld have a number s tamped on it, sot h a t t h e m a n can be held responsible for it.

On service, arms and equ ipment mus t be con .

s tant ly inspected , to see they are clean and ser-viceable, especially th e haversack a n d m ater-bo tt le , and to insure t h a t each man has his fielddress ing , i ron ra t ion , and ident i ty d isk .

Men’s Food. .The o 5 c e r shou ld constant ly see th a t t h e men’s

meals a re served a t the r ight t ime, well cooked,and proper ly d iv ided among them, and also see

t ha t t he men have mew k i t to e a t their mealswi th , and th a t t hey keep i t clean . Of course,



33 tho company cook and ki tchcn is u n d e r the Cap-

t a in , b u t by f ind ing o u t wh a t is wrong , and com-pla in ing to t h e Cap ta ir i, t h e L ieu t enan t can ge t itp u t r igh t . On service, he m u s t t h i n k of how his

. men a re to g e t wa te r , food , and fue l to cook it.

Men's Health.

Offirers can d o a good deal for, the i r men 's

hea l th , whether in t ra i n in g c a m p or a t t h e f r o n t .They can do their beat to see t h a t t h e m en g e twarmth and she l t e r , and fac i l i t i e s f o r dry ing we tc lothes , and w ashing. They can ma ke t h e menobey the orde r s a s to sani ta t ion an d c leanlinessof clothe,^ and person, which abe so essential toheal th.

T e nts , a n d t h e g r o u n d a r o u n d , a r e to b e k e p tt idy an d f ree of d i r t , a ll scrap s of food be ing p u tin t .he rubbish t ins , and no greasy or soapy waterbe ing th rown near t en t s . Th i s i s t.o avoid breed-ing flies. B lan ke ts to be folded a f te r be ing a i red ,and occasionally washed.

T h e officer should see th a t h is m en shave da i ly ,wash when their work is done , keep the i r ha i rshort, change the i r socks , and keep the i r fee tc lean ; tha t thc i r towels , shirts, and socks are fre-

q u e n t l w a s he d ; t h a t t h ei r boots are c leaned andd u b d .



34

The officer m u st 888 t h a t t h e m en learn t o look

a f te r themselves. Th ey should k now how to. mend, d a rn , cook, an d how to t ake care o f the i r

a rms a.nd k i t . W hen men a re dead- t ir ed , there isa great incl inat ion to res t wi thout c leaning rifles,a n d doing things which are absolutely necassaryfor heal th , such as washing-especially t h e fee &and mak i ng a r r angemen t s t o keep warm o r d ry .

Off icers must teach men that they must no t l e tthe i r hea l th su f fe r hy any neglect , because thei rcountry will be deprived of t he i r gerviceg whilet h e y a r e ill. As a French General recent ly sa id ,'' O m h a s a r i g h t to be d e a d b u t none to b e ill ."

I n th i s connexion one comes to the two greatevils of al l bodies of soldiers. .One i s d r ink , and

the other disease. !I!& only t h i n g , p e i h a p , ano 5 c e r c an d o a b o u t e i th e r of these evi ls i s topo i n t ou t to the men how t h e cha ract e r andphysique essential to e5ciency in w ar cann ot heacq uired, or ke pt , if men give way to self- indul-gence i n dissipat.ihin m d d rin k. A good soldiero u g h t to have too mush sel f - respect to misconducthimself in grow ways. It can he po in ted o u t howrid icu lous i t is for a man who has vo lun teered toundergo a l l the d iscomfor t s of war , no t to men-tion t h e risk of lo sing h is limbs a u d 'h i s li fe , to heiinable or u n w i l l i n g t o p u t a l i t t l e r es t r a in t onhimself, a n d m ak e som e sacrifice, so as to keep fit.



35 T h a t s o r t of advice wi l l be wasted on a cer ta in

class of man, but some wil l l isten to it, a n d it willhelp a l i t t le to diminish the ev i l .

Officer’s Responsibility for the Men’s Conduct.

It may seem hard to hold the officer responsibleFor t he way h i s men behave when he is n o t w i tht.hem, b u t i n p ra ct ic e i t is a f a c t t h a t t h e b e t te rt,he &cer t h e be t t e r conduc ted will be h i s men .

I n t h e we ll-commanded un i t t he r e w ill h e lessabsence w i thout leave, drunkenness , a n d o thermi l i tary crimes t h a n i n the uni t commanded byan indifferent officer.

T h e o ffice r can no t p rev en t th e misconduct wheni t actual ly occurs , but he can d imin i sh the p s i -hi l i ty of i t s occurrence by the inf luence he hasover his men to keep t hem s t r a i gh t . He can in-

stil a good sp i r i t in t h e u n i t , a n d t r y to m a k e t h emen proud of belonging to it, and ashamed of

t a rn ish ing ita good name by doing what wl l l d is-kcred i t it, W he n a n officer who know s how to

command i s l iked and respected by his men, theywill hesitate to vex h im by bad conduct and in -c u r h i s d is ple as ur e. F r o m s u ch a u o h c e r t h emen will feel disapproval a pun i shment , and re -

buke a severe one.To i n f luence the men’s conduct the officer can

also appeal to thei r reasonableness . He can showth e m an t h a t if l ie does wrong he i s rea lly help-ing the enemy. If he goes absent f rom camp,



se

his tr ai n in g suffers, an d t h e efficiency of his

platoon is dimin ished ; if. h e d r i n k s o r ge t sdiseased, he becomes physically less fit; if he fa i l sto obey camp orders for cleanl iness , the generalhea l th suffers . On service, misconduct 1s stillm ore harm ful . Therefore offendeis a r e punishedfor the i r own good, and in th e in te res t of thewhole force.

It wil l be men how vi ta l a p a r t bf an o5cer ' sd u ty i t i s to look af te r h i s men , an d , in doing so,h e m us t never a llow his own convenience o r com-fort to in te r fere . As General Birdwood said tohis Anzacs las t October , " It i s u p to t h e h o n o urof ev ery com m ande r of m en to look af te r th e com-f o r t a n d h e a l t h of his men be fore he beg ins toth ink of himself." Nothing is a s u re r mark of apoor officer than f inding him get t ing water or ameal, or making himself warm and comfortable ,before h e h as seen t h a t h i s men (a n d homes) a r eshel tered, w a t e r e d , and f ed .

An of icer who looks af te r h i s men be fore het h inks of himself, a nd who exp ects them t o g o to

him wi th all their t roubles , if he is at the s a m et i m e a m an who will s t an d 'n o nonsense, an d knows

his work, will have an eff ic ient an d contentedcommand .

Documents

Hints to Officers on Command Discipline and Care of the Men 1916