Topic: AIF - Lighthorse
Australian Light Horse
Roles within the Regiment
Duties of Captain of the Day
The following entries dealing with the roles and duties within the hierarchy of a light horse regiment are extracted from a very informative handbook called The Bushman’s Military Guide, 1898. While written in 1898, the information contained in the entries held true for the next twenty years with only minor modifications with the principles remaining as current then as now.
Duties of Captain of the Day
(1.) He will go on duty at reveille, and remain on until reveille the following day, and attend all parades and stables.
(2.) He is responsible for the manner in which the duties are carried out by the:
(1) orderly officer;
(2) regimental orderly squadron sergeant-major;
(3) regimental orderly sergeant;
(4) regimental orderly corporal;
(5) regimental orderly trumpeter; and,
(6) guards and sentries.
(3.) He will inspect the rations before issue, and see that the issue is carried out in a regular manner.
(4.) He will visit the tents at breakfast and dinner hours to see that provisions are of good quality and well cooked.
(5.) He will visit the guards and sentries by day and night at uncertain hours; but must never visit sentries unless accompanied by a non-commissioned officer of the guard.
(6.) He will carefully inspect the forage and supervise its issue to troops, reporting at once if it is of bad quality, and stop the issue.
(7.) He will supervise the watering of the horses, and see that the arrangements published in Regimental Orders are carried out in a systematic and orderly manner.
(8.) His report must be in the regimental orderly tent, together with those of the orderly officer and orderly non-commissioned officers specified in sub-paragraph 2, by 9 a.m. daily.
Form of Captain of the Day's Report.
............................................ Regiment.
Camp ..................................................
...................................................18.......Sir,
I have the honor to report for the information of the Commanding Officer that, as Captain of the day:-
I inspected the rations before issue, and found them of good quality.
I visited the tents at breakfast and dinner hours; found them clean and in good order; bedding neatly folded; and no complaints.
I supervised the watering of the horses, and found the quality of the water good, and the means for watering the horses of the regiment adequate.
I inspected the forage before issue, and found it of good quality.
I attended the parading of the regimental guards.
I visited the guards and sentries by day and night, and found them alert and regular.
The orderly officer reported himself to me at reveille. His report is herewith enclosed, as also reports of regimental orderly squadron sergeant-major, regimental orderly sergeant, and regimental orderly corporal.
I noticed no irregularities except .................................
I have the honor to be,
Sir,
Your obedient servant,
..................................................
The Adjutant,
................................ Regiment.
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Further Reading:
Citation: Australian Light Horse, Roles within the Regiment, Duties of Captain of the Day
