n ordered to withdraw to the
Piquet in case of a heavy attack). The commander must impress on all
men of his Piquet the importance of gaining a clear mental picture of
their surroundings while daylight lasts, so that they may the more
easily find their way about by night. On his way to the position the
Piquet commander will decide from the map what roads he has to watch
and where sentries will need to be posted, and he will provide from his
platoon, patrols and sentries (with the necessary reliefs for the
patrols), will detail the various duties, and will make the necessary
sanitary arrangements. His sentries should be posted as expeditiously
as possible, and his patrols sent out at once. The number of patrols
to be furnished depends upon the nature of the country, and as each
patrol requires two reliefs, their number should not be greater than
circumstances demand. The duties of infantry patrols are to search the
ground and buildings, etc., for about 2,000 yards in front of the
sentry line, to find out whether the enemy is there or not, and if the
enemy is found to be close at hand to watch his movements and report
frequently. The number of Sentry Groups depends upon the nature of the
country and the height of the line of observation, but between them the
groups must be answerable for the whole of the ground in front of their
Piquet (up to its junction on the left and right with neighbouring
Piquets). A Sentry Group consists of 6 men under a N.C.O. (2 on duty
and 4 off), and groups are usually posted not more than 400 yards from
their Piquet, and hold their ground unless ordered to withdraw. If
invisible from their Piquet a connecting sentry should be posted by the
Piquet commander. Sentry Groups required for night dispositions only
will not be posted until after dark. In order to prevent the men of
the Piquet being unnecessarily disturbed at night the N.C.O. and {137}
men of each relief must be made to bivouac together, apart from other
reliefs and from the remainder of the Piquet. A sentry will always be
posted over the Piquet, to watch the Sentry Groups and connecting
sentries, and ready to alarm the Piquet at any moment of need. Patrols
consist as a rule of a complete unit of 3 to 8 men under a N.C.O., and
should be formed of men trained as scouts, although it will sometimes
be possible to use only single scouts for this purpose, owing to the
vigilance of the enemy. Standing patrols may also have to be