gilvy, R.N., always made his men
correct their final sighting of the gun for elevation from about six
paces in rear of the trail, and my experience is that this is a small
but important matter, especially for fine shooting say at a trench at
5,000 yards, which merely appears to one as a line on the ground. One
invariably finds that the gun, with the eye of a man laying close up
to the hind sight, is laid slightly short of the object; so this
should be noticed in the gunnery drill-book as regards field guns.
_Telescopic_ sights, the patent, I believe, of Lieutenant-Colonel L.
K. Scott, R.E., were sent out and used by us with the 12-pounders to
fire on the trenches at Spion Kop and Brakfontein, when fine shooting
was required. These sights had the cross wires much too thick, so we
substituted cobwebs picked off the bushes and stuck on with torpedo
composition, and these did admirably. Still this sight was not
altogether a success. The power of the telescope, especially in the
rays of the sun, was poor, and it took a man a long time to lay his
gun with it, thus further reducing the quick-firing power of the
12-pounder reduced already by the recoiling field carriage. As to the
4.7's, it was found that the ordinary Naval small telescope, fitted on
a bar and with light cross wires, could not be beaten as a sight for
ranges they had to fire at. It is a very good useful glass, and it
was, I believe, used both in Natal and elsewhere right through the
campaign, and I unhesitatingly give it the palm.

As to the system of firing and gear used, electric firing was very
successful as long as one had the gear for refitting and repairing and
an armourer attached to one's guns; this, of course, as the guns
became split up into pairs was impossible, and I may say that carting
electric batteries (which of necessity for quickness have to be kept
charged) in wagons or limbers over rocks and bad roads, and with
continual loading and off-loading, becomes a trouble and anxiety to
one. So for active service I should certainly recommend that
percussion firing should be regarded as the first and principal method
to be used with guns on the move, carrying also the electric gear for
use if guns are left for any time at fixed spots as guns of position.
I may here remark that when firing with electricity from a field
carriage the battery has to be placed on the ground, clear of recoil,
and therefore the wire leads must be adjusted in length according