Topic: Drill and Training
Infantry Training, 1914
Appendix II – Syllabus for a Six Months' Course of Instruction or Recruit Training
1. The following syllabus of recruit training is gven as a guide to officers charged with the training of recruits. It is not intended that it should be followed regidly.
2. Special Reserve recruits perform the first four months on the course.
Syllabus of training.
(The first, fourth and seventh fortnights are shown, to see the entire syllabus as provided in the 1914 edition of Infantry Training, click here, or on the image at right.)
| Employment | Hours | Remarks | |
| First Fortnight | Physical Training | 10 | For the first week under qualified instructors (See "Manual of Physical Training") |
| Squad drill without arms | 17 | For the first week it is recommanded that all squad drill should be with intervals and in slow time only. | |
| Musketry | 10 | ||
| Lectures | 5 | ||
| Total | 42 | ||
| Fourth Fortnight | Physical Training | 10 | Physical training under qualified instructors. Running training under squad instructors in accordance with the pronciples explained in "Manual of Physical Training," Section IX. |
| Running training | |||
| Squad drill | 10 | ||
| Musketry | 16 | ||
| Extended order drill | 5 | ||
| Marching order | 1 | ||
| Night work | 2 | ||
| Lectures | 3 | ||
| Total | 47 | ||
| Seventh Fortnight | Physical Training | 10 | Physical training under qualified instructors. |
| Squad, platoon, and company drill | 8 | ||
| Musketry | 10 | ||
| Field work, including instruction in night operations | 12 | ||
| Guards and sentries | 2 | ||
| Route marching | 5 | Marching order, without packs (See Sec. 112) | |
| Entrenching | 2 | Recruits should first be taught to construct cover for themselves with the entrenching inplement and then to improve to gradually with the entrenching tools. | |
| Lectures | 3 | ||
| Total | 52 |
Eleventh and twelfth fortnights as for tenth fortnight.
2. Lectures to recruits.
1. Lectures should frequently be delivered by officers; with a view to retaining the attention of recruits they should not as a rule exceed half an hour in length, should take place at suitable hours, and should be made as attractive as possible
2. The lectures at the commencement of the recruit course of training should be mainly on elementary interior economy, sanitation, discipline, regimental distinctions, the meaning and importance of a military spirit; subsequently they may also be on the work of the period, and should then if possible be illustrated by incidents taken from actual warfare, which should emphasize the value of a military spirit in war.
3. The following are some of the subjects suggested as suitable for lectures to infantry recruits:—
- Barrack room duties.
- Cleanliness and smartness expected from the soldier.
- Dress and clothing.
- Local orders.
- Good name of regiment and army.
- Conduct when out of camp or barracks.
- Position of provost, and duty to obey and support him.
- Duty when ordered as escort.
- Names, ranks, and position of officer.
- Regimental colours.
- Saluting.
- Manner of making a complaint.
- Reporting sick and hospital rules.
- General conduct while in the army.
- Immediate physical and material advantages of moderation and sobriety.
- The advantages of physical fitness.
- Prospects of civil employment in after life affected by conduct while in the army.
- Registration for employment dependent of good character on discharge, preference being given to exemplary or very good characters. For police and post office employment as additional certificate of absolute sobriety is necessary.
- Fitting equipment.
- laying down kits.
- Marching order.
- Hints on marching; boots, socks, clean feet, treatment of blisters. Drinking on the march.
- Falling out. Instances of long marching and endurance.
- Sanitation and hygiene.
- The rifle and elementary theoretical instruction in musketry.
- Duties on guard.
- Movements in extended order and use of the rifle.
- Co-operation, comradeship, disregard of self and their importance in war.
- Observation and the use of the ears and eyes by day and night.
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