'All Sir Garnet'

[Old Tom]

The coincidence of an article in today's Times on a new book ' A Military Miscellany' including a cartoon of a figure in a cocked hat with the title - 'All Sir Garnet' Sir Garnet Wolseley was known for his ideas on army improvements - and a reference to the Field Pocket Book for Auxilary Forces 1873 by Sir Garnet in another part of the forum (for which I am grateful to Glen) leads me to make a quote from the Pocket Book.

The pocket book was written by Sir Garnet, when AAG Horse Guards at the suggestion of Macmillan and Co to provide a small book at a price within the reach of all ranks.

I have not read anything like the whole book but in the section on infantry training my eye lighted on at page 56 includes ' The days when a stiff deployed line of men, shoulder to shoulder, could advance under fire are past, and the officer who would dare to attempt such an operation under fire of breach-loading rifles should be tried for murder or lodged for life in a lunatic asylum'

The quote is out of context for the BEF in 1916 when weapons had improved faster then the industrial capacity and competence to provide them and ammunition in the quatities needed. However it is a small bite of food for thought.

Old Tom

[centurion]

On the other hand the pocket book plays down the need for substantial trenches putting the emphasis on open order and manoeuvre and discounting the effect of artillery

perhaps as W S Gilbert suggested Sir Garnet's skill was in "slicing a cannibal"