Robert Baden-Powell - Aids To Scouting: for N.C.O.s and Men

Aids To Scouting

for N.-C.Os and Men

Robert Baden-Powell

1899

(1915 Edition)

Kindle Edition

Ebook Production by Loose Cannon Enterprises

Baden-Powell signature image by Lkmorlan (Wikimedia Commons)

A FEW OF THE NUMEROUS PRESS OPINIONS

THE BROAD ARROW.

This little book is one of the most interesting and valuable of the many of the Military Series brought out by the enterprising firm of Gale & Polden, Ltd. The manual is replete with information and instructive hints, which are very interesting reading also. It should be in the hands of every officer and soldier.

PALL MALL GAZETTE.

This excellent little book, by a past-master of the subject treated of, though addressed to Non-commissioned Officers and Men, is none the less valuable for instruction of the Officers who must command them. The Aids to Scouting are eminently practical, very clearly explained, and are such as will appeal to the intelligence of those to whom it is addressed.

The book is made the more interesting by the fact that its proof-sheets were actually revised by the gallant author while besieged in Mafeking, and where he doubtless puts to excellent purpose the precepts he has so clearly laid down for scouting.

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH.

It is racily written, and literary characteristics which made Colonel Baden-Powells work on Pigsticking a classic, appear to have suffered nothing from the extreme tension which preceded the outbreak of hostilities.

THE YORKSHIRE POST.

The author, who has studied the art of scouting in many countries and under various conditions, gives us in this work the result of his actual experiences and personal practice in peace and War.

THE ALDERSHOT NEWS.

Men who want to make successful scouts cannot fail to profit by the hints which Colonel Baden-Powell gives them in this book, and even those who may be already familiar with the duties, will derive considerable advantage from them. The book is both handy in size and popular in price, and might conveniently be made the companion of every soldier on active service. All classes, too, besides soldiers, will find in it a great deal to interest and entertain them.

GALE & POLDENS MILITARY SERIES.

AIDS

TO

SCOUTING,

FOR

N.-C.Os. & MEN.

BY

LIEUT.-GEN. SIR ROBERT BADEN-POWELL,

K.C.B.

LONDON: GALE & POLDEN, LTD.,

2, AMEN CORNER, PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C.

WELLISNGTON WORKS, ALDERSHOT,

AND

NELSON HOUSE, PORTSMOUTH.

OBTAINABLE OF ALL BOOKSELLERS.

ONE SHILLING (Net).

ALDERSHOT:

PRINTED BY GALE & POLDEN, LTD., WELLINGTON WORKS,

1915.

Entered at Stationers Hall.

Copyright No. 29,112.

Chapter

I.

II.

III.

IV.

V.

VI.

VII.

VIII.

IX.

X.

XI.

XII.

XIII.

XIV.

Appendix A.

B.

C. (missing from original)

The question is, how best to set about inculcating moral military qualities into the young soldier.

The Russians, who formerly believed in the machine theory, have now come round to the individual training, and they effect it by training each man as a Scout.

The French Army long ago translated and adopted Aids to Scouting as a textbook for the same purpose. Therefore I hope that this new edition of this little book may be found useful for practical training for the individual at the present juncture, when so many thousands of men are coming forward for the defence of their country.

Young soldiers can speed up their training by studying for themselves, in the intervals of parade instruction, how to make themselves all-round players in the game of War: and I hope that they may in the following pages find some hints which may be useful to them in doing so.

The following is a collection of hints which are intended to assist you in your instruction, by putting into the hands of the men themselves a few points so that they can study them the better in their leisure time; because as I point out in the book, Scouting is a thing that can be learnt but cannot be taught. A man must pick up much of it for himself by his own effort.

Tommy Atkins is not the childish boy that the British Public are too apt to think him, to be ignored in peace and petted in war. He is, on the contrary, a man who reads and thinks for himself, and he is keen on any instruction in really practical soldiering, especially if it promises a spice of that dash and adventure which is so dear to a Briton.

I have found that men taught Scouting not only take to it with the greatest keenness, but also that many of them become really good at it, and quite equal to many of the colonial scouts bred and trained on the prairie.

If you read through the lectures, you will, perhaps, find some points that will have their second meaning when looked at from your own point of view as Officer in charge of Scouts. One particularly important one, to my mind, is that where I tell the men to be sure that they understand their orders before starting on a reconnoitering expedition: an Officer will, I hope, deduce from this that on his part these orders should be so clearly given that there is no chance of any misunderstanding. The secret of getting successful work out of your trained men lies in one nutshellin the clearness of the instructions they receive.

Fuller details of many of the subjects, such as tracking, noticing sign and deducing its meaning, keeping hidden, finding the way, dispatch-running, comfort in camp, etc., may be found in the handbook, Scouting for Boys ls., together with games and practices for inculcating the training in an interesting way.

AIDS

TO

SCOUTING

For a brief summary of this book see Appendix A.
A summary of the teaching will he found in Chapter XIV.
See also Cavalry Training, Chapter VI.

The importance of Scouting and reconnaissance cannot be over-rated, although it is as yet, only partially recognized in our Army. ( * I am glad to delete the last part of this sentence as it stood in the first edition of this book)

It has been said that there is scarcely a battle in history which has not been lost or won in proportion to the value of the previous reconnaissance. Either the winners have won through knowing all about the numbers and position of their adversaries, and have thus been able to direct their moves so as to ensure success; or the loser, through ignorance on these points, has been unable to save himself.

The great Duke of Marlborough was a good scout himself, and was so impressed with the value of skilful reconnaissance, that even when he was a general commanding a large force he frequently went out on his own account as a scout to secretly reconnoiter the enemys moves, etc.

Cromwell, too, one of the greatest and most practical of all cavalry leaders, had officers styled scout masters, whose business it was to collect all possible information regarding the enemy, through scouts and spies, etc., and much of his success in war was traceable to the previous knowledge of the enemys moves thus gained.

That has been the value of reconnaissance in the past. But it is probable that in the future its value will be still greater, because when acting against enemies armed with long-range weapons and smokeless powders that render his position invisible, we should be exposing our troops to absolute destruction were we to blunder them boldly against an enemy without knowing exactly how and in what strength he was posted, etc.