This booklet has not been written for the use and benefit of officers and non-commissioned officers of long experience and proved skill in the profession of training men for battle. To such as these it may only provide an object of criticism, for in the course of years spent in turning recruits into trained soldiers they will have formulated to themselves, and adopted, some system of training which they found productive of the best results under their own guidance. But there are many at present, and at a future time, should certain circumstances arise in the life of the nation, there may be very many more who may not have such stores of experience to draw on, and yet may be faced with the problem of rapidly converting an untrained or only partially trained body of men into a force capable of acting successfully in real war, both in attack and defence against trained and disciplined troops. Again, it is written, not for officers commanding battalions, nor for officers of cavalry and artillery, but only for officers commanding companies or other similar units of infantry, though it may, perhaps, be of use in training mounted troops for dismounted action. Meantime, while the pipes of peace are still smoking, it is hoped it may be of some use to officers and non-commissioned officers when the time comes to prepare schemes of company training and put them into execution. E. K. _September, 1913._ PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION. Since the above was written, the issue of new or amended Manuals of Training has necessitated a revision of the book, which is now presented in a form agreeable to the four-company organisation. The Empire is now confronted by those circumstances to which allusion was made in the Preface. E. K. _September, 1914._ CONTENTS PAGE LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ix INTRODUCTORY REMARKS— I.—The Intention of the Book 1 II.—Making the Best of their Companies to Train the Modern Man for the Modern Battle 4 III.—The Standard of Training assumed to have already been acquired and its application to further Exercises 9 IV.—Ground for Training—Its Use and Influence—Palliation of the Lack of a Training Ground 11 V.—Company Organisation—Moral and the Personality of the Commander 16 VI.—Discipline—Moral and Means of Supervision 22