Sir John Monash, Personal Files Book 11, 8 January - 31 January 1916, Part 2

(*4AB/1898*)
NEW ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIAN DIVISION.
No.G.16.  
Divisional Headquarters,
Moascar Camp,
12th January, 1916.
To : All Brigades,
C.R.A., C.R.E.
-------------------------------------------
MEMORANDUM ON TRAINING No. 3.
The following notes are issued for the further guidance
of those drawing up training programmes :-
(a) Musketry will be carried out on 25 yards ranges arranged
for by Brigadiers and in the desert North of Brigade Camps.
No firing (except at 25 yd. range) will however be carried out
without definite permission being first obtained from
Divisional Headquarters. The allowance of ball ammunition
will be notified in due course.
Musketry Practises will be selected with special reference
to trench warfare i.e. the repulse of an attack on our trenches
and the attack on a hostile position from our trenches.
Double detachments are as far as possible to be trained fxx
for all Machine (and Lewis) Guns.
(b) Tactical Schemes will invariably be carried out so that
a definite lesson (or lessons) is taught.  Battalion and
Brigade schemes will be practised on the ground beforehand
without troops.  In the case of the former Company Officers
and senior N.C.Os. working out the scheme under the orders
of the Battalion Commander: and in the case of the latter
Battalion Commander and their Staffs working out the scheme
under the orders of the Brigadier.
(c) Should a further period of time be available for training,
the following will receive attention, :-
(1) The training of observers, scouts, and patrols.
(2) Training in trench warfare, including siting and
construction of trenches: improvement of trenches
after occupation: reconnaisance by periscope:
training of grenadiers (both offensive and defensive)
training of catapult and trench mortar detachments.
(3) Training in Intelligence duties, map reading, and
reconnaisance.
(Sgd.) W.R.PINWILL. Lieut-Colonel
General Staff.
N.Z.  & A. Division.
----------------------------------
JM

Z.A.343
Headquaretrs,
N.Z. & A. Division
MOASCAR, 13th January, 1916.
HQ
To   4^th Aus Inf B^de
SUBJECT:  Inspection by General Sir A.J. Murray, K.C.B.
K.C.M.G., C. V. O., D.S.O.
1.   The Commander in Chief will inspect the troops of the N.Z. &
A.Divison on Sunday next, the 16th inst., in the order, time
and place shown below:-
Group   Unit                             Time        Place
                4th Aus.Inf. Bde.      10 a.m.     Near 4th A. I.Bde.Camp , to be
Group 1  4th Aus. Field Amb.    "            selected by C.O.C., 4th A.I.Bde
                 Divisional H.Q.         11 a.m.      On the Desert on the North
                 Div. Artillery                  "            side of the Railway Line,
Group 2  Div. Engineers             "             opposite MOASCAR Railway
                 Div. Train                        "            Station.
Group 3  N.Z.Inf. Bde.             11.30 a.m. On the Desert on the North side
                 N.Z. Field Amb.           "              of the railway line, opposite
                                                                        the N.Z.Inf.Bde.Camp.
2.    EACH GROUP will be commanded by the Senior Officer of each
Group, and the C. in C. will be received by each group with
the "General Salute".
3.    GROUP COMMANDERS will send a Staff Officer to their respective
parade grounds half an hour before the times mentioned above,
to form up the parade, and prepare a group parade state.
4.    EACH UNIT will send an Officer, with markers, and a copy of the
Unit parade state, to report to the Staff Officer on the parade
ground half an hour before parade.
5.    ALL UNITS to be in position in their respective groups at least
10 minutes before the times stated in para.1.
6.    UNITS to parade in MASS formation, with Guns, Transport, Horses etc.
7.    UNITS to parade as strong as possible, only the sick and a
minimum of duty men to be left in Camp.
8.    DRESS. All ranks will parade in full marching order.  Packs to
be carried. Rations will not be carried.
9.    PARADE STATES.
(a) By Units to Div.H.Q. not later than 0800. (Note
copy to S.O. vide para. 4.)
(b) Group State to be handed to Staff Officer at
time of inspection.
Receipt to be acknowledged.
W A Monroe
Major.
D.A.A. & Q.M.G.
N.Z. & A. Division.

13/1/16
Lecture to Officers of Bgde
14/1/16
Intended to be Stars - instead short selection.
Isolated subjects - ask questions.
Map reading - Ismailia Map. - not enough
Take time to read -  √
Scales 1. - R.F. - V.I.    √
North - true, magnetic, - variation. √
Conventional signs. √  
Contours & Form lines.  √    
Graticule.  √  
Construct a Scale of yards on the map | 1"=2777^x;  1000^x = .36"
Prismatic Compass. - practice, not theory.
prism - & scales - line of sight
focussing prism
influence of iron
controls of needle
either in hand or on a vest
marching on a bearing - clamp -
bathe the compass
practice
Stars - Moon & bad weather
Value of stars.
Special stars - Polaris
Orion- Betelgeuse
             Bellatrix
             Rigel
             Saiph
Sirius
Procyon
Aldebaran
The Pleiades
Cassiopeia (constellation)
Regulus 

Field Messages.  [[Place?]] where
Orientation
Distance
Time
Name, Apptment, unit
No indelible pencil
Write plainly & large - soft HB, -
No indefinite words - 'large', 'long distance'
Value of Information - negative, equally valuable.-
[[B? S?]] R.F.
M.Guns set up & fire 

Reuter's Telegram Company Limited
Australian Imperial Force No 79/4/2 *INTERMEDIATE BASE* Stamp
Cairo   13th January 1916.
Lieutenant J.W.Donnelly,
Acting Assistant Military Secretary,
A.I.F. Internediate Base,
CAIRO.
Dear Sir,
In reply to your letter of the 10th instant I beg to
state as follows.
The telegram referred to was not only addressed
"Fouraib", but in addition bore the name of "General Monash".
I added "C/o Australian Intermediate Base" and sent one of my
messengers, Mohamed Aly Hamed, to deliver it at your Offices.
This was on the morning of the 31st December last.
He returned with the cablegram saying that he could get
no one to accept it, and I questioned him as to what steps he
had taken to effect delivery of the telegram. He stated that
he had been directed to a room on the first-floor - the third
room on the right. There was an officer in this room (presumably
a Major) and a soldier assistant. The latter took the
messenger to a room in the basement - the last room on the left-
hand side, and left him there.  A soldier in this room directed
the messenger back to the officer's room. The latter, after
apparently

(2)
apparently making some researches, made a remark to his assistant
who wrote something on the envelope containing the cablegram
and handed it back to my messenger. The latter then asked what
he should do with the telegram, and it was indicated to him that
there was nothing more to be done in the matter, and he consequently
returned with the telegram to my office.
(*Moascar Camp*)
I did observe a word written on the telegram, but it had no
significance to me at the time.
Having regard to the fact that the cablegram was distinctly
addressed to "General Monash, C/o Australian Intermediate Base,"
and taking into consideration the steps that my messenger had
taken to deliver it, I felt that there was no alternative but
to address it by post under cover of a letter to Brigadier-
General Monash with an intimation that we had been unable to
effect delivery of it at the A.I.F. Intermediate Base.  Basing
myself on the information that had been given to me by my messenger
it appeared to me at the time that a responsible officer had seen
the cablegram.
Should you desire to interrogate my messenger on the
matter, I should be most happy to place him at your disposal.
I am, dear Sir,
Yours faithfully,
G.C.D E [[Carey?]]

14-1-16                                                        46
Tents                                     
Tent Check
[[ESS?]]
 

And
13^th Bⁿ 1 EP not Erected    3 curtains
16^th Bⁿ  & 2 EP tops not errected   Extra poles & Curtains
1   A pattern without poles
1   SS tent without fly.
FAMB  1 Extra SS pole

13        4
14        3
15         3
[[18?]]  4
           ___
            14

Tent requirements
To get equivalents:-
a C.O. counts as extra         9
a Senior Major  do do         9
Adjt.                                         9
(*13*) M.O.                                9
(*50*) Other officers           46
Mess Tent                              20
Office                                       10
Q.M. Stores                            40
                                              ____
                           extra            152
 

________________________________________________
Tents  =   122 x 1 = 122             127 x 1 = 127
                  66 x 2 = 132             68 x 2 = 136
                                     ^{_____                                _____}
                                254 tent units       263

.^..    Quota = 3312                 3312
                            ^{_____                    _____}
                       254    = 13       263 = 13
                                                                              24

Quota Personnel
                                    3312
 

Tentage    127 x 1     = 127
                    68  x 2    = 136
                                              ^_____
                                      263 unit
                                      ____
Quota/unit    =     3312  =  12.6
                                ^_____
                                 263
                                          =  13 
 

31