Musketry Training

[Icox67]

Hi. A question on instructor training, if I may...

If a soldier was selected, for whatever reason, to undergo Musketry Instructor training (i.e. to become an Instructor Sergeant of Musketry or similar title), did he require to attend a formal course at a Musketry School, such as the "School of Musketry" in Hythe? I'm referring in particular to the period mid-1915.

I would imagine that, once trained, he could instruct new recruits back in his local training area, but that Instructor training for him would most likely not be available, other than in formal locations.

(If anyone thinks this post would be better viewed in another forum, please let me know as I couldn't see one that included topics specific to training).

Thanks,

Iain

[Jim Hastings]

Hi Iain,

By 1915 the School of Musketry at Hythe had been going for over 50 years and the Corps of Instructors of Musketry would still have had formal training during wartime. In 1914 a Machine Gun Training Centre was set up at Grantham too.

Even today, unless you are a qualified instructor a soldier, however experienced, is not allowed to instruct/pass on Skill at Arms (as Musketry is now called) to others.

Formal training in mid 1915 (in fact throughout the war) would still have been essential I would have said.

Cheers

Jim

[Ron Clifton]

Hello Iain

From at least mid-1917, there were formal war establishments (i.e. approved staffing compositions) for Infantry Schools and Musketry Camps at both Corps and Army level in the BEF in France, so the kind of training you mention could be carried out in theatre.,

There may also have been less formal arrangements of this kind before the.

Ron

[jasonmarkwebber]

I find it interesting that they still called it musketry, what with rifles being the norm for 60-70 years?

[Jim Hastings]

Hi Jason,

There is a long post about it, debated about a month ago, if you put 'musketry' in the search facility I'm sure it'll pop up

Cheers

Jim

[Icox67]

Were there many Schools for Musketry instruction in UK, in 1915 (I'm referring to dates pre-conscription) ??

[Icox67]

Hi again.

Just to add to my question above, the School of Musketry in Hythe gets a lot of mentions, so was obviously very prominent, but were there other training places for Instructors in UK pre-1916 (I can't imagine all instructors went through one school.

Also, how long was the course to become an instructor? Did all successful course attendees become "Sergeant Instructors of Musketry"?

Thanks,

Iain

[Jim Hastings]

The School was based in Hythe, but trained instructors were then sent on to Depots and back to Regiments to pass on their skills - still the process today. Hythe was the school, until it moved to Warminster in 1968.

Hope this helps Iain

[Icox67]

Hi Jim, Apologies if this seems to be asking the obvious, but from your last post above, do you mean that Hythe was the ONLY School in UK where soldiers were taught to become Musketry instructors?

Cheers,

Iain

[Jim Hastings]

No worries Iain, yes to my knowledge Hythe was the ONLY place to instruct the instructors.

Cheers

Jim

[TonyE]

What about Bisley?

The NRA ranges at Bisley were Schools of Musketry in both wars.

Regards

TonyE

[Jim Hastings]

Very true Tony!

Didn't they concentrate on sniper training, supplemented by instructors from Hythe?

[Sniper]

Bisley was used as a School of Musketry from 1914 onwards and later also as a specialist School for Sniping run by Philip Richardson and Henry Lattey, the inventor of the Lattey optical sight.

Many members of the National Rifle Association (NRA) were taught by Hythe instructors to be instructors and by November 1914, some 5,000 men of the New Armies and the Territorial Forces had spent three months in the Camp, practising on the ranges, and Richardson was able to confirm that he had seventy-seven Officers and 261 N.C.O.s available for transfer as fully-trained Sniping instructors to their battalions and, by February 1915, 154 out of 198 officers and 559 out of 767 N.C.O.s had qualified.

Many of the well-known Bisley shots were among these, including Fremantle, Roupell and Johnson at Divisional level and Viscount Deerhurst, Hamilton-Leigh, Lattey and Nix as Brigade Instructors

Tom Fremantle, later Lord Cottesloe, was the Chief Instructor of the Ripon Training Centre and Command School of Sniping at Brocton Camp by the beginning of 1916.

There were other Schools of Musketry and Schools of Sniping in the UK during the course of the war

Regards,

Sniper

[John-B-Rooks]

_{The adjutant of the School of Musketry in Dublin was Lt Col Frank Bourne DCM, better known as the Colour Sergeant at Rorke's Drift. Having retired as adjutant of the Hythe school in 1907, he returned to the colours in 1914 and awarded this posting (with promotion) which he held for four years. His service was rewarded by appointment to OBE.}

_{Cheer ho}

_John.