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Handy Hints from the Infantrie Garden
GIVING ORDERS 
by: "Seed Drill" Orders of the day, Volume 32, No 7, Feb/Mar 2001
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The giving of orders on SK battlefields is so much a part of our activities that it is very easy to take it for granted. Yet, like many presumed abilities, not only is it not as easy as it looks, but the application of some thought and a modicum of practice would make it almost as easy as it looks. Although orders come in a variety of forms, most can be classified as one of three types, which broadly follow the chain of command:
1. Executive orders from one officer to another (e.g. general to colonel, colonel to captain), either directly or through the medium of a runner, are communications from one individual to another and can be expressed in a conversational fashion. Such orders are essentially expressions of a request from the senior to the junior in which the latter will be given a greater or lesser degree of latitude. The occasions of the deliverance of such orders do provide the opportunity for lots of flourishes and doffing of hats. This not only looks good for the crowd, but also serves the very real purpose of alerting an officer whose attention might be elsewhere. Indeed, this gesture is the direct forbear of the modern military salute. 2. Executive orders from a commander to his unit are the tricky ones to do well. These, whether they are from a colonel to his regiment, a captain to his division, or whatever, are not communications to an individual, but to a whole bunch of individuals with different ideas and degrees of cognition, whom the officer nevertheless wishes to behave as though they were a single cohesive entity. Such orders need to be given in a strictly formulaic way. This formula can usually be divided into 3 parts, namely WHO, HOW and WHAT; (the WHEN is always now, the WHERE is always hence … and the WHY is a matter for discussion in the beer tent afterwards!) WHO indicates the unit, sub-unit, or individual to whom the order refers. It notifies those individuals who must follow it and also, by exclusion, those who must not. In a series of orders it may not be needed after the first time. Calling out the unit's name also gives the officer a few extra seconds to work out what the actual order needs to be and also to remember that if he is facing his men then his left is their right and vice versa! HOW usually indicates a direction (e.g. to the left, to the right, from the centre) or some other manner of proceeding. It is not always necessary. WHAT is the key element within an order: it is the movement required. It comes last so that when the actual words which describe the movement are given, the soldiers have all the information they need to execute it. Consider the following examples:
You get the picture? Okay, it is not exactly rocket science, but when standing in front of a sea of expectant faces, it is amazing how often the mind goes blank. So it is good to have a simple framework upon which to base one's orders. 3. Administrative orders from a unit's subordinate officers and sergeants are essentially those given to maintain order and discipline, and to ensure that the executive orders given by the unit's commander are carried out. Strictly speaking, they are unnecessary to a well-trained unit, so a unit whose sergeants shout a lot at their men is demonstrably a poorly-trained and undisciplined one. However we are none of us perfect and a quiet word to a soldier about maintaining his position or holding his weapon correctly is occasionally necessary. And it should be a quiet word. Even the rawest of recruits comes equipped with a name. Using it to attract his attention is far more effective than bawling out a whole rank or file. Finally, I should like to mention that despite many years of' research, I have never come across a genuine 17th century drill command along the lines of “Okay, lads! Up sticks and twat the bastards!" See also:
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