Topic: AIF - Lighthorse
Australian Light Horse
Roles within the Regiment
Duties of Half-Squadron or Troop Orderly Sergeant
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 Half-Squadron or Troop Orderly Sergeant
(1.) He receives and delivers all orders.
(2.) Calls the roll at all parades.
(3.) When the trumpet sounds "For orders" he waits on the regimental sergeant-major with the order-book and after entering (or receiving a cylostyle copy), of the orders, he shows them to the troop officers, the staff sergeant and reads them to the troop (or half-squadron) at the appointed time.
(4.) He makes out, parade, morning and duty states etc., for the correctness of which he is responsible to the staff-sergeant, to whom they are to be shown previous to being taken to an officer for signature.
(5.) He draws the ammunition for field days etc., and he collects unexpended ammunition after a parade, and returns it to the regimental orderly sergeant for conveyance to store.
(6.) He is not to quit the Camp at any time that may interfere with his duty.
(7.) He is to ascertain if all men are in their tents, or accounted for at watch-setting, and furnish the regimental orderly sergeant with a report at the quarter-guard tent.
(8.) He will detail all men required for guards, fatigue duty, mounted orderlies, etc. etc., from his troop (or half-squadron), the numbers of which will be received from the regimental sergeant-major.
(9.) He will take care that his own troop (or half-squadron) horse-lines are kept clear.
(10.) He will take it in turn to act as troop orderly sergeant, by seniority on roll, and will in Camps for instruction be relieved daily.
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Further Reading:
Citation: Australian Light Horse, Roles within the Regiment, Duties of Half-Squadron or Troop Orderly Sergeant
