Organization: How Armies are Formed for War

by Hubert Foster

Head-Quarters

Each of the various formations of Troops just described is completed by appointing its Commander and providing him with a Staff—that is, a body of Staff Officers to assist him in the duties of Command. The Commander and his Staff form what is known as the Head-Quarters of every Command. Those of the Commander-in-Chief are termed General Head-Quarters, those of an Army Commander Army Head-Quarters, and so on, down to Brigade Head-Quarters.

COMPOSITION OF HEAD-QUARTERS

Head-Quarters consist essentially of the Commander with his Personal Staff, and of the Staff Officers constituting the Staff proper, which it is the object of this chapter to describe in detail.

The Personal Staff needs little remark. It comprises the officers acting as Aides de Camp to the Commander, and in important Head-Quarters there is also a Military Secretary. These officers act as confidential secretaries to their Chief, carry his Orders, manage his household, and arrange for its movements. Their relations with their Chief are more personal than official, and they are not considered to be Staff Officers.

Besides the Staff, there are generally attached to Head-Quarters a number of other Officers, such as those of Administrative Services, and in some armies Officers of Artillery or Engineers. But these cannot be properly called Staff Officers, as they have only a limited sphere of action in the Command, while they perform definite executive and administrative functions in their own sphere. The action of Staff Officers, on the contrary, ranges over the whole Command, but they have no personal responsibility or executive functions. In fact they are useful appendages to each link of the chain of Command, but not actually links in it themselves.

In addition to Officers, there are always connected with Head-Quarters a number of subordinates, such as interpreters, clerks, police, printers, lithographers, telegraphists, signallers, cyclists, motor-car drivers, orderlies, and postal employees, as well as grooms, servants, cooks, and drivers for the wagons which transport the offices and baggage of the Head-Quarters.

Head-Quarters are therefore so large as to form virtually a Unit in themselves. This Unit requires a Commandant, or Officer responsible for its movement, quartering, and discipline, with perhaps a Quarter-Master-Sergeant to assist him. There would generally be with each Head-Quarters a small body of Military Police to maintain discipline, and Medical and Veterinary Officers to take charge of the health of the officers, men, and horses at Head-Quarters. The safety of Head-Quarters is so important that they must be provided also with Infantry to guard them, and Cavalry to form their escort when in rapid movement.