The leading squad of each column is then marched to a point two paces in rear of the rear cutting line of the trench, where they take off their packs and lay their rifles on them. The corporal and his rear rank man fall out. The corporal assigns tasks, number ones to the first 2-yard section, number twos to the second and number threes the third.
The tasks are shown in Plate 39. The corporal superintends the work. Number 4 rear rank marks out the cutting lines with his shovel around the traverses and starts work on them.
Experience has shown that the best method of dividing up the work is to group the men in pairs, one man with a pick and one with a shovel and to prescribe that they relieve each other.
The leading squads assigned to each bay work at top speed for 30 minutes. At the end of the twenty-eighth minute the corporal of the rear squad brings his men up and deploys them. At a signal from the platoon commander the men of the first and third squads drop their tools, get out of the trench, and proceed to the rear, where they rest. The men of the second and fourth squads jump into the trench and take up the task. At the end of another 30 minutes this procedure is again carried out.
PLATE 39.
ORGANIZATION OF A WORKING PARTY
This scheme of assigning tasks and procedure was given an exhaustive test in 1915 in the course of testing out various types of intrenching tools. It worked to perfection.