Topic: AIF - Lighthorse
Australian Light Horse
Roles within the Regiment
Orderly Officer
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.
Orderly Officer
(1.) He will report himself to the Captain of the day at reveille and remain on duty until reveille the following day, and attends all parades ordered during that period.
(2.) He will generally assist the Captain of the day, and report any extraordinary occurrence to that officer.
(3.) He will attend all stable hours, and at morning stables he will see that all are present on the horse-lines during the time ordered for stable duty.
(4.) He will turn out the regimental guard and inspect it about breakfast hour.
(5.) He will visit the tents allotted him by the Captain of the day at breakfast, dinner, and evening meal hours, avid report any complaints as to quality of provisions.
(6.) He will inspect the manure and rubbish pits after morning stables, and see that no paper or rubbish is thrown about the Camp on any account.
(7.) He will attend the delivery of forage and rations to see that the scales and weights are correct, and that the proper quality and quantity are issued.
(8.) He will attend the Commanding Officer when making his daily inspection of tents and horse-lines.
(9.) He will not leave Camp or change his duty without permission.
(10.) He will visit the canteen, regimental hospital, sick horse lines, and water-troughs.
(11.) He will inspect all guards, visit sentries on regimental guard, horse-lines, etc., accompanied by a non-commissioned officer of the guard concerned once a day and once at night at uncertain hours.
(12.) He will inspect the field kitchens to see that the cooking places, utensils, etc., are clean and in good order.
(13.) He will see that the tent orderlies are paraded for the issue of meals and for the conveyance of meals to men on guard.
(14.) He will collect the reports at watch-setting, and see that the lights are extinguished at the proper hours.
(15.) He will furnish his report to the Captain of the day by 8.45 a.m. on the day he completes his tour of duty.
Form of Orderly Officer's Report.
..................................... Regiment.Camp, .............................................................................. 18 ..............
Rations, Forage. - I inspected the rations and forage before issue, and found them of good quality.
Breakfasts - I visited the tents at ......... o'clock; men present, except as reported. Tents clean and in good order; bedding neatly folded; no complaints. I saw the ration-carriers to the men on guard paraded and marched off.
Dinners. - I visited the tents at dinner-hour; found them clean and regular; men present, except as reported; no complaints. I saw the ration-carriers to the men on guard paraded and marched off.
Watering Horses. - I assisted the Captain of the day in regulating the manner of watering Horses.
Parades. - I attended all parades.
Canteen. - I visited the canteen at correct.
Cooking-places, Horse-troughs, Manure pits. - I visited the cooking-places at ....... o'clock; inspected the utensils and horse troughs and manure-pits. Found them clean and in good order.
Evening Meal. - I visited the tents at ....... o'clock; no complaints. I saw the ration-carriers to the men on guard paraded and marched off.
Watch-setting Reports. - I collected the reports at watch setting; men present, except as reported.
Lights. - I saw the lights extinguished at ......... o'clock p.m.
Guards and Sentries, Horse-lines. - I visited the regimental guards and sentries also on the horse-lines at .............. o'clock by day and at ............ o'clock by night, and found them alert, on their posts, and acquainted with their orders.
Reports. - Enclosed watch-setting report, and reports of regimental orderly, regimental orderly sergeant, and regimental orderly corporal.
Irregularities. - I noticed no irregularities, except .....................................
............................................
Orderly Officer of the day,
.......................... Regiment.
To the Captain of the day,
.............................Regiment.
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Further Reading:
Citation: Australian Light Horse, Roles within the Regiment, Orderly Officer
