Читать книгу Trooper 3809: A Private Soldier of the Third Republic - Lionel Decle - Страница 10
IV
ОглавлениеPUNISHMENTS.
"The following are regarded as offences against discipline, and punished as such according to their gravity:
"On the part of the superior, every act of weakness, abuse of authority, insulting language, or the unjust infliction of any punishment.
"On the part of the inferior, murmuring, unseemly answers, lack of obedience (whatever may be the circumstances or the provocation); evading a punishment; drunkenness (even without disturbance); general misconduct, debt, quarrels ... in fact, every dereliction of military duty, whether it is the result of negligence, laziness, or stubbornness."
The fact of publishing, even under a nom de plume, a book, pamphlet, article, or letter, whatever may be its subject, without previous leave from the Minister of War, is considered an offence against discipline.
"Any man belonging to the army or navy can be punished by another man holding a rank superior to his own, whatever may be the place or the circumstances." To be rightly understood this requires some explanation. For instance, a Captain in the navy (who ranks as a Colonel), on leave in Paris, meets at a café a Major of a cavalry regiment; if the latter does not salute him, or misbehaves himself in any way, the naval officer can punish him on the spot. It constantly happens, for instance, that a trooper of a cavalry regiment passing a Corporal of the line fails to salute him. The Corporal has the right to punish the trooper forthwith.
"The officer in command of a regiment can increase or reduce punishments; he can even cancel them. In that case, he points out to the officer or non-commissioned officer the mistake he has made, and orders him to cancel himself the punishment he has inflicted...." The Captain in command of a squadron can increase a punishment inflicted by one of his direct subordinates. He cannot, however, reduce such punishment without the Colonel's leave.
PUNISHMENT OF OFFICERS.
The following are the punishments which may be inflicted on regimental officers:
(a) "Arrêts simples (confinement to rooms).
(b) Reprimand by Colonel.
(c) "Arrêts de rigueur (strict confinement to room).
(d) "Arrêts de forteresse (confinement in a fortress).
(e) Reprimand by a General.
A Lieutenant can inflict a punishment of four days arrêts simples on a Sub-lieutenant; a Captain a punishment of eight days on any officer of lower rank; a Captain of a squadron fifteen days on officers of his own squadron; a Major fifteen days, and the Colonel thirty days, on any officer of a rank lower than their own.
An officer thus placed under arrest must attend to his military duties as usual, but in the intervals he must keep to his room, and may receive no visits except official ones.
Arrêts de rigueur (viz., confinement to the room, with a sentry posted at the door) and arrêts de forteresse can be inflicted by the Colonel alone. He can give any officer under his orders thirty days of the former and fifteen days of the latter.
(In no case can an officer apply for a court-martial, as in England. In some regiments, especially in the line, officers get punished more frequently than privates get mere C.B. in a British regiment.)
"The punishment begins from the moment it has been inflicted."
Let it be also noted that an officer can inflict a punishment on any other officer inferior in rank to himself, to whatever squadron he may belong, and can similarly punish officers of other regiments; and, as stated before, any officer in the navy can punish an officer in the army of inferior rank, and vice versâ!
Recent events in France give special interest to this subject, and I will therefore give some account of various other punishments which can be inflicted upon French officers without enabling them to appeal to a court-martial.
The question is, indeed, one of such high interest at the present juncture that I will quote verbatim from the Army Regulations:
"When an officer commits a fault, which—without being such as to entail the loss of his commission or his being sent before a court-martial—is still serious enough to require a heavier punishment than those above described, he can be suspended (placed in non-activité) or his commission can be cancelled (ils peuvent être mis en réforme)."
The non-activité, which means the temporary exclusion from the service, is determined by decree of the President of the Republic upon the report of the Minister of War.
The "superior authority" decides as to the causes which may necessitate the placing of an officer in non-activité, a disciplinary measure taken in cases of less serious a nature than those for which an officer may lose his commission (peut-être mis en réforme—c'est-à-dire, l'exclusion définitive de l'armée[6]).
The place of an officer who has been suspended (non-activité par suspension d'emploi) is not filled up during a year, and he can be sent back to his regiment before the expiration of that period.
An officer placed in non-activity par retrait d'emploi remains in that position for an unlimited period, but at the end of three years a court of inquiry (un conseil d'enquête) is called upon to give its opinion as to whether the officer ought to be cashiered or not (si l'officier doit être mis en réforme).
When the officer commanding a regiment considers that an officer under his orders cannot remain en activité either on account of misconduct or on account of neglect of duty, or else through incapacity, he details his complaint against the said officer in a report he sends to the Major-general commanding his brigade. He specifies whether he considers that the officer ought to be suspended for a time or permanently (si l'officier doit être mis en non-activité par suspension ou par retrait d'emploi), and sends with his complaint a list of the various punishments inflicted on the officer, a copy of the officer's notes, and, if necessary, documents relating to the facts upon which the demand is based.
The documents are examined by the General commanding the brigade, who forwards them to the General commanding the division, who sends them in his turn to the General commanding the army corps, by whom they are forwarded to the Minister of War. Each one of the above-mentioned Generals writes his opinion on the case.
An officer who has been suspended (mis en non-activité) remains subject to military discipline under the surveillance of the General commanding the military district where he has been allowed to reside.[7] The Mise en réforme[8] (cashiering) is determined by the President of the Republic upon the proposal of the Minister of War as a disciplinary measure.
This punishment can be inflicted upon an officer as an immediate measure without it being necessary that he should have been previously suspended: it can be inflicted for habitual misconduct, serious neglect of duty, or breach of discipline, or dishonourable conduct. It can also become the consequence of three years of non-activity either as a disciplinary measure or through ill-health. When an officer is, as above stated, sent before a commission of inquiry (Conseil d'Enquête) the minutes of the proceedings are forwarded to the Minister of War.
The opinion of such a commission cannot be modified except in favour of the officer[9] (sic). An officer who has been cashiered (en réforme) is liberated from all obligations imposed on officers in a position of activity or non-activity.[10]
I have wandered far away from the regiment, I have quoted dry law, and I feel afraid that readers will begin to ask, "But what about your own adventures?" I am as anxious as my readers to get to them, but I think it better to get rid of all the dreary details first, and this introduction will enable me to go on with my story without having constantly to stop to explain this or that. I shall not abuse the patience of my readers much longer, but there are still a few details I must explain, and I hope that I shall be forgiven for doing so.
The punishments which may be inflicted on non-commissioned officers are as follows:—
(i) Confinement to barracks after the evening roll-call. This is given to Sergeants who show laziness in, or ignorance of, their work, or who return late to barracks. (N.C.O.s, unless thus punished, can remain out till 11 P.M.)
(ii) Confinement to barracks. Inflicted on a Sergeant whose personal appearance is slovenly, or who allows his men to fail in their appearance.
(iii) Confinement to the room. Inflicted for slight breaches of discipline. For more serious offences N.C.O.s are sent to prison. (Except, in the latter case, N.C.O.s under punishment have to do their duty as usual.)
(iv) Reprimand by Captain commanding the squadron.
(v) Reduction in rank (retrogradation).
(vi) Absolute loss of rank (cassation).
The appended table explains itself:—
| Right of Punishment by— | ||||||
| Punishments | Sergeant- | Sergeant- | Adjudant, | Captain. | Majors, | Colonel. |
| of | major. | major in | Lieut. | and Capt.- | ||
| N.C.O.s. | his | and Sub- | commt. | |||
| Squadron. | lieut. | |||||
| Days. | Days. | Days. | Days. | Days. | Days. | |
| (i) | 4 | 8 | 8 | 15 | 30 | 30 |
| (ii) | 2 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 15 | 30 |
| (iii) | — | — | 4 | 8 | 15 | 30 |
| Prison | — | — | — | — | 8 | 15 |
Corporals in the French army do not rank as N.C.O.s. The latter are far better treated now than they were in my time, the change being entirely due to General Boulanger, and being one of the causes of his great popularity among the soldiers. Until he became Minister of War, non-commissioned officers could be sent to the Salle de Police (lock-up). An Adjudant could give a Sergeant eight days of Salle de Police, or fifteen days' C.B., and a Sergeant-major could give the Sergeants four days' Salle de Police and eight days' C.B. Sergeants could even be sent to prison by the Adjudants. There existed a Salle de Police separate from the one allotted to the men, to which Sergeants and Corporals were sent together, the only difference being that Sergeants were allowed a straw mattress and blanket, while the Corporals were only allowed one blanket and slept on boards.
The punishments inflicted on Corporals are:
(a) Confinement to barracks.
(b) Salle de Police (lock-up).
(c) Prison.
(d) Reduction to the ranks.
| Right of Punishment by— | |||||||
| Nature of | Ser- | Sergeant | Sergeant- | Adjudant, | Captains. | Field | Colonel. |
| Punishment | geants. | majors. | major | Sub-lieut. | Officers | ||
| of | in his | and | and | ||||
| Corporals. | Squadron. | Lieuts. | Captains | ||||
| commanding | |||||||
| a Squadron. | |||||||
| Days. | Days. | Days. | Days. | Days. | Days. | Days. | |
| (a) | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 15 | 30 | 30 |
| (b) | — | — | — | 4 | 8 | 15 | 30 |
| (c) | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 15 |
Corporals are confined to barracks for slight breaches of discipline. For failing to answer the evening call, bad language,[11] disobedience, quarrels, drunkenness, Corporals are sent to the Salle de Police. For more serious faults, especially when on duty, Corporals are sent to prison.
TROOPERS.
The punishments inflicted on troopers are:
(a) Extra work.
(b) Inspection with the guard parade.
(c) Confinement to barracks.
(d) Salle de Police.
(e) Prison.
(f) Cells (solitary confinement).
Punishments (a), (b), (c) were in my time very seldom inflicted in a cavalry regiment, being regarded as too mild for a trooper and only fit for men in the line. I am told that this is still the case.
| Right of Punishment by— | ||||
| Nature of | Corporals. | Sergeants | Sergeant- | Adjudant, |
| Punishments | and | major | Sub-lieut. | |
| given to | Sergeant- | in his | and | |
| Troopers. | major. | Squadron. | Lieuts. | |
| Days. | Days. | Days. | Days. | |
| (c) | 2 | 4 | 8 | 8 |
| (d) | — | — | — | 4 |
| (e) | — | — | — | — |
| (f) | — | — | — | — |
| Right of Punishment by— | ||||
| Nature of | Captains. | Field | Colonel. | |
| Punishments | Officers | |||
| given to | and | |||
| Troopers. | Captains | |||
| commanding | ||||
| a Squadron. | ||||
| Days. | Days. | Days. | ||
| (c) | 15 | 30 | 30 | |
| (d) | 8 | 15 | 30 | |
| (e) | — | 8 | 15 | |
| (f) | — | — | 8 |
(Until General Boulanger became Minister of War Corporals could give a trooper two days' Salle de Police; a Sergeant could inflict four days, a Sergeant-major eight days, and an Adjudant fifteen days, or four days' prison.)
Troopers confined to barracks are employed in doing the hardest and dirtiest manual work. They take part in every drill and duty besides. Those sent to the Salle de Police are kept at night in the lock-up. Troopers sent to prison do no duty, but undergo special punishment drill for three hours in the morning and three hours at night. They are deprived of pay, of sugar, and of coffee.
Troopers in the cells are kept in confinement day and night. Only a blanket without bedding is allowed to the troopers in prison or in the cells.
Any Corporal or trooper who, during his three years' service, has been sent to prison or to the cells, must at the expiration of his three years' service, remain with the colours for a number of days equal to those he has spent in prison or in the cells.
I have not yet exhausted the list of punishments which may be inflicted upon French privates. There is another one more terrible than all the others I have described. This consists in sending a soldier to the Compagnies de discipline. This means transportation to Algeria. There the soldier is drafted into one of the special companies encamped far away in the interior. The men are drilled for several hours daily, and during the remainder of the time they are employed at road-making and subjected to other hard labour. Officers and Sergeants in command are always armed with loaded revolvers, and at the least sign of disobedience they can blow a man's brains out. For the slightest fault these men are sent to the silos—deep holes dug in the ground, and funnel-shaped at the bottom, so that neither standing, sitting, nor lying down is possible. They are left there for one or two days with bread and water. An awful case occurred some years ago in connection with these silos, which will be described in the course of my narrative.
"The Minister of War," say the regulations, "has full power to send to the Compagnies de discipline any private who has committed one or several faults, the gravity of which makes any other mode of repression inadequate."
Usually, however, such men are tried before a Conseil de discipline. When the Captain in command of a squadron considers that one of his troopers has deserved to be sent to a Compagnie de discipline he sends a written report to the Major stating the faults or misdemeanours of the trooper and the punishments which have been inflicted upon him, dwelling upon the recurrence of certain acts which show a perseverance in ill-doing, a danger to the good order of the service.
This report is endorsed by the Major, and the Lieutenant-colonel, who hands it over to the Colonel. The latter can either transmit this report to the Minister of War, who decides upon the case, or (as is usually done) he can assemble a disciplinary commission (Conseil de discipline) consisting of the following officers of the regiment:
One Major (who presides over the commission).
The two senior Captains and the two senior Lieutenants, provided they do not belong to the squadron of the trooper to be tried.
The Captain who applies for the infliction of the punishment, as well as the Major who commands the squadrons to which the trooper belongs, lay their case before the court. They then retire, and the trooper is brought in and makes his defence. The court then deliberates and sends its decision to the Colonel. It must be remembered that the court merely gives its advice, and this is sent to the General commanding the division of which the regiment is a unit. Should the court recommend the trooper to be sent to the Compagnies de discipline, the General can decline to act upon their advice, but should the court decide that the trooper ought not to be sent there, the General is bound to abide by the decision. This seems, at first blush, an equitable procedure, but when we remember the almost unlimited power possessed by a Colonel over the officers of his regiment, it is easy to realise that a Conseil de discipline usually sits for the mere purpose of carrying out the well-ascertained wishes of the supreme regimental authority.
