Bush Warfare
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BUSH WARFARE The Early Writings of General Sir William C.G. Heneker, KCB KCMG DSO Edited with New Material and Introduction By Major Andrew B. Godefroy Directorate of Land Concepts and Designs Kingston, Ontario 2009 Publication Data Bush Warfare – The Early Writings of General Sir William C.G. Heneker, KCMG, DSO Edited with New Material and Introduction by Major Andrew B. Godefroy Government of Canada Catalogue Number: D2-230/2008E ISBN: 978-1-100-10301-3 Printed in Canada by St. Joseph Print Group Cover Photos: Reprinted from original book Layout and Cover Design: Army Publishing Office and Graphic Arts Section Kingston, Ontario All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without express permission of the Director General Land Capability Development through the Department of National Defence. The Author and the Publisher make no representation, expressed or implied with regard to the accuracy of the information contained in this book. The material is provided for historical and educational purposes and does not represent the policy or views of the Department of National Defence. The Author and Publisher are not responsible for any action based on the information provided in this book. © Department of National Defence 2009 This book is respectfully dedicated to the memory of Gentleman Cadet No. 62 Captain William Henry Robinson Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, July 1863, he was the first graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada to be killed in action on 14 March 1892 at Tambi, Sierra Leone, West Africa History will forget you no more. Acknowledgements In the fall of 2005 I was sharing good conversation with my oldest brother Jim and the discussion turned to the topic of honours and awards, a field in which we both have an historical interest. He mentioned to me that he had recently viewed a group of medals awarded to a Captain James Wayling of the 12th Battalion, Canadian Militia, which included an Africa General Service Medal. Having never heard of any Canadians serving in this theatre during the Victorian era I was immediately intrigued. After all, every general military history of Canada suggested that the first overseas engagement for Canadian soldiers occurred in 1899, when large contingents were dispatched to the war in South Africa. Yet here was a Canadian officer with service in West Africa. Was he alone or were there others? For the soldier-historian, there is seldom anything more satisfying than the accidental discovery of such things. After further investigation I found that not only was Captain Wayling a veteran of West Africa, but so were dozens of other Canadians serving in both the British as well as the Canadian Army. Some of these officers had rather distinguished careers, including the main character of this book, William Heneker. Born and raised in Canada, he would eventually become one of the most successful British combat leaders on the West African coast. His career and his writings were too important to let slip back into the dark folds of history, and therefore this book seeks to bring the life and the writings of this Canadian back into the light. As with any book, several persons contributed to its success and must be recognized for their efforts and assistance. I wish to thank the past Director of Land Concepts and Designs, Colonel Jim Simms, The RCR, for supporting my ideas of a virtual land warfare studies centre and for encouraging innovative army research and publication into the land force’s past, present, and future. I must also thank Major Helga Grodzinski, the Army Publishing Officer, as well as her staff, all of whom were critical in the realization of this project. Mr. Lawren Guldemond assisted me greatly in conducting initial research on William Heneker, and produced an excellent early draft outlining his military career progression. Many others also reviewed various aspects of the manuscript and their assistance is appreciated, but I alone must take responsibility for any errors or omissions in this present work. A.B. Godefroy Kingston, Ontario July 2009 v Contents Acknowledgements v Introduction ix The Military Career of William Charles Gifford Heneker xii BUSH WARFARE CHAPTER I: TACTICS 1 CHAPTER 2: SIZE AND COMPOSITION OF COLUMNS 65 CHAPTER 3: TRANSPORT AND SUPPLIES 83 CHAPTER 4: THE UNIT AND THE SECTION 103 CHAPTER 5: ARTILLERY AND MACHINE GUNS 107 CHAPTER 6: MARCHES 111 CHAPTER 7: ENCAMPMENTS AND THEIR SAFEGUARD 113 CHAPTER 8: NIGHT OPERATIONS 119 CHAPTER 9: SUBJUGATION OF A COUNTRY 123 CHAPTER 10: LEVIES 135 CHAPTER 11: INFORMATION AND RECONNAISSANCE 143 CHAPTER 12: COMMUNICATION 147 CHAPTER 13: RELIEF OF TOWNS 149 CHAPTER 14: POLITICAL OFFICERS 153 Epilogue 154 Appendix A—A Chronology of William Heneker’s Military Career 157 Appendix B—William Heneker’s Expeditions in West Africa, 1899-1903 159 Appendix C—Sample of Canadians Serving in West Africa, 1880-1910 161 Endnotes 165 Select Bibliography 173 Index 175 vii Introduction n a field dominated by Asian, European and, more recently, American thinkers, the Iformulation and application of military strategy and the principles of land warfare are subjects where Canadians are usually noted only for their complete absence. One does not even need to be a student of military history to be familiar with legendary names such as Sun Tzu, Clausewitz, or Machiavelli, but one would definitely need to be a specialist to identify the name William Heneker, a person seldom remembered in the histories of his birth nation or the empire he served. Born in Canada on 22 August 1867, William Charles Gifford Heneker served as a soldier his entire life. He was a gentleman cadet at the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC), and like many of his fellow Canadian classmates during that period he accepted a commission to serve with the British Army upon graduation.1 Heneker went on to numerous combat commands in West and South Africa, India, the Western Front, Germany, and Ireland, eventually rising in rank to full general. The range and scope of Heneker’s lengthy military career is simply impressive. Yet with the exception of his First World War service, it was characterized by his constant involvement in peacetime military engagement, stability operations, small wars and counter-insurgencies—all subjects of considerable relevance to the Canadian Army today. Though recent scholarship is now revealing that many Canadians had careers similar to Heneker’s, his is notable for several reasons. First, he was a Canadian born and raised in Quebec, and was one of RMC’s earliest graduates (college number 168). He often attributed success in his early career to the substantial education and preparatory military training he had received at RMC.2 Once commissioned into the British Army, Heneker quickly gained extensive operational experience in a wide range of missions similar in scope to those observed today. This experience was also gained at the same time as some of his much more celebrated contemporaries. When Colonel C.E. Callwell published the now famous book, Small Wars: Their Principles and Practice, in 1896, Heneker was just about to deploy to West Africa where he would first apply and then later challenge and improve upon many of Callwell’s ideas. Second, Heneker’s career evolved during a time that later scholars identified as the period where modern small wars and counter-insurgency theory originated; given his own direct involvement he is therefore a very suitable Canadian for further study.3 As a tactical commander Heneker demonstrated considerable talent and skill. In his early campaigns in West Africa he often employed terrain to his advantage, made the most of his intelligence resources, ensured the adequate sustainment of his forces, and manoeuvred them in difficult and complex terrain to find, fix and strike at his adversaries. As an operational commander he had knowledge and understanding of the linkages between warfare and colonial policy and employed it to achieve sustained success in the field. He maintained good relationships with his political officers, understood where they fit in operations, and was unreserved about transferring command to civilian authorities once military operations had concluded. Most importantly, perhaps, Heneker realized the value of his own experiences and the need to share them with his fellow officers just as Callwell and another British officer, Colonel A.F. Montanaro, had done. In 1907 William Heneker added his own voice to the debate and discourse of small wars theory and practice by publishing the following manuscript, Bush Wars.4 ix Heneker and the Canadian School of Tactical Thought In addition to its major military commitment in South Africa at the turn of the century, Canadians served throughout the West African theatres of conflict both with the British Army and as members of the Canadian Permanent Force or Active Militia. In many instances Canadians served in positions of senior command and they were often engaged in combat operations. The individual and collective experiences of these soldiers are of interest not only for historical purposes, but also for gaining insight into any observations and lessons their case studies may provide. The aim of this book is two-fold. First, it is designed to bring General William Heneker, his writings and his ideas back into the current debate on the nature of small wars, counter-insurgency and stability operations. A century after he put pen to paper on the subject, both his experience and his writings have been left to the shadows by Canadian military historians, very likely as a result of his association with the British Army for most of his military career. This is a mistake for many reasons, not only because he is a Canadian, but also because he was an important contributor to the nascent codification of modern small wars and counter-insurgency theory and practice.