4. Ammunition Park.—Fifty rounds per rifle and 9,000 rounds per machine gun.
5. General arrangements in the action.—In action the ammunition pack animals will be advanced as close as possible to their respective companies, every advantage of cover being taken in doing so; two S.A.A. carts will follow as close in rear of the supports to the firing-line as the hostile fire will permit, one being usually in rear of each wing; the remaining cart will follow in rear of the battalion reserve. The cart carrying the machine gun ammunition will move as directed by the officer commanding the machine guns. During an action the regimental reserve ammunition carried in the carts will be in charge of the serjeant-major, who should get into communication with the supports and also the brigade reserve by means of signallers.
The brigade reserve of ammunition will follow in rear of the centre of the brigade, or as the General Officer Commanding may direct. It should be accompanied by signallers, who should maintain communication with the various regimental reserves.
When a S.A.A. cart with the supports is emptied, it will be replaced by a full cart from the regimental reserve, the empty cart being sent back to the brigade reserve, when it will be replaced by a full one. As soon as there are four empty S.A.A. carts with the brigade reserve the officer in charge will send a message as follows to the officer in charge of the divisional reserve: “Send up four S.A.A. carts to the —th brigade.” It is, however, unnecessary to wait till four carts are empty, if ammunition is urgently required.
On the arrival of the carts from the divisional reserve, the horses will be unhooked and changed, and empty carts sent back to the divisional reserve.
In the event of a brigade in action being ordered to advance through woods or over broken ground where communication cannot be maintained, the S.A.A. carts of the brigade reserve may be distributed between battalions, and the divisional reserve would conform to the general movement.
In the case of a battalion being detached to any distance a similar course would be pursued, a brigade reserve being reformed as soon as possible.
6. Instructions for the officer in charge of the brigade reserve of ammunition.
(i) He will as soon as possible open up communication with the divisional reserve and also with the various regimental reserves.
(ii) A mounted orderly will be sent to him from the divisional reserve to be used only for the purpose of communicating with the divisional reserve. He will communicate with the regimental reserves by means of signallers.