ARTILLERY AT EWSHOT.

AMID PLEASANT SURROUNDINGS.

THE MEDICAL CORPS

(By H. T. B. Drew. 2nd Lieutenant.) In no unduly envious spirit does the New Zealand Infantry say that the Artillery have the best time of it in England. He merely states what is perfectly obvious, and what the-artillerist smilingly admits is true. As in New Zealand, the Artillery have to be trained in a special camp of their own, 'where there are fittings for the purpose, and J where the country is suitable for their ' work. Our batteries in England were fortunate enough in August, 1917, to be 1 able to take over a section of an Artillery camp at Ewshot. Being a. permanent camp established for the regular Army, it has all the personal comforts and conveniences that soldiers in residence can require, and this camp in particular has the additional attraction of being placed in very pleasant surroundings. Ewshot is in the Alder-, shot command, and is only a few miles from that very famous military depot. On the south-western run from London, about thirty-six miles from the Waterloo railway station, you pass a small Hampshire station called. Fleet, beside which is a pretty sedgy lakelet,, accommodating swans and wild" fowl. This is tke railway station for the Ewshot Camp, which is three and a half miles off; and the way is through a bright old English, village, and thence along a good road heavily treed on either side. Around the camp, at which, you suddenly emerge, are thick pine woods, with here and there broad green meadows, which are chiefly used for the purposes of cultivation and for playinggrounds for the sporting enthusiasts of the surrounding camps. Ewshot Camp, strange to say, rejoices —or rather blushes—under the one-time name of "Leipsig Barracks;" having been opened some years ago, on one of his visits to England, by His Imperial Majesty the Kaiser. Little His Imperial Majesty guessed that it would later be occupied by troops training against him from one of the most distant parts of the earth! It covers an extent of 30 acres, being compact and of an excellent design. It will accommodate l y soo of all ranks and about 1,000 horse®, though there were 1900 there before the war. In the Aldershot command just after the outbreak of war, 775,000 men were in training. In April last we had twenty-five Artillery officers and 554 meh quartered at Ewshot, and 148 horses 3 and our Medical Corps, which has its chief depot in the same camp, had three officers and 175 j men. The headquarters buildings look out over a large barrack "square," on one side of which are the eighteen-pounder gun sheds, and on the other, and on the top, the stables. The men's quarters extend away in "streets" behind the stables; and the officers have their more pretentious buildings some few hundred yards away on the other side, behind the gun-sheds. Twostoried brick houses—you can scarcely call them huts—are the married men's rewards in peace-time, but now they are occupied by men who have not the privilege of that state of bliss. Fine buildings they are indeed, brick, with stucco ends for appearances' sake Each has its lavatory and bath, and they are all well heated, some of them having as many as three fireplaces. Bath-houses of course, are also available for all hands, with hot water —big plungebaths, which in camps are almost un-heard-of luxuries. It is unnecessary to elaborate on the cleanliness of these quarters under our regime, or upon the way flower-gardens are maintained for thear adornment. The officers' quarters are altogether elaborate. Incomprehensible privilege® are theirs—a long brick building, with pretty veranda front, skirted with flower-gardens, possessing messrooms to match, and lounges or anterooms, bathrooms and lavatories! The Commanding Officer (at present Colonel Standish) is endowed with a large, ornate, two-storied brick house. SUPERIORITY IN SPORT. In the general surroundings and villages round about, the New Zealand artillerist has .more to attract and interest him, than his less fortunately camped Infantry brethren, but nevertheless he has all the devotion to his welfare, amusements, an d education mat our other more isolated camps provide. Recreation figures prominentJ-£ *Sf daity llfe > for we vie in sports with _ the other camps round about, including a large O.T.C. depot. The New Zealand camp not only more than iieJdjts own in this district last season in all sport, but appropriated the boxmg championship- cup for the Southern Command, which also includes I aud, <lld the same at Rugby. Both these large silver challenge cups stand on the headquarters mantelshelf Ihe artillerists have also an unbeaten S^Smt^ °ther Z6aW : In other fony of attraction there is an excellent canteen equipped with the usual games, comforte, cosy arm2rt, raii haymg,a-c°ffee-bar. and stacked with the-purchasable things necessary to camp life. Here also is a "reeimental similarly there is a sergeants' and a corpora^ mess, while for noaW mooned officers and men dance^e Al™ %• a ge M once *' fortnight. A recreation-room, run by the War I Contingent A^ocia'tion, is another verj SSk 1 efff^ aoatti and th* WeslJyal Soldiers' Home, a most elaborately fit. fortX 1^ Wlth e^rything comthrown ilay.^ WouM <^erwise be THE DAY'S WORK. n^ hf dw 'S a long one at an Artillery th? P; T HoMf s Ter iv« to ~°e fed and the cleaned out. Reveille goes at 0.30. o'clock; "stables" is from 6 tm nJ^SV* 7>30; parade at 8-3° 430 acam from I 3° tiu '

The course for the" new men lasts six weeks. It is in some respects a repetition of what has been learned in the Dominion, but with a.very considerable smartening-up, for speed is everything at the front. But no -actual firing is done until the troops go over to France. Riding is brushed up at an Imperial, riding-school adjacent. The camp ' has its veterinarian, shoeing-smiths, and saddlers. The signallers and other Artillery specialists are put through a complete, course; and in this respect there is an ingenious and very valuable equipment in the camp, with the help of which an observation officer (or 0.P.) operating in one hut; with signallerscan lay, with tKe aid of a map, an imaginary gun in another hut on an object in a flat model landscape, and his accuracy is tested, with the aid of mechanism, by smoke-puffs, winch come up at the point indicated. This gives , practical training. I Educational work is done in tie evenings at classes held by officers and noncommissioned officers who passed qualifications therefor. These have been in full swing for some time, and will now be added* to and extended under the new scheme. They include book-keeping, accountancy, languages, mental science, mathematics, and sketching; and lectures are also given under, special engagements. Agriculture is carried on in the grounds round about, where 10 acres are already under potatoes this year. More still is coming under the plough, and this work will be a means of education under the new scheme. TRAINING RED CROSS MEN. Medical Corps mcii when they land from the transports proceed, like the N.Z.F.A. units, direct to Ewshot Here they are classified "A" or "B." The "A" class are put at once into training and "B'' class supply the details in the TTome New Zealand hospitals, hospital ships, and the hospital fatigues at Ewshot and the other camps. Training is practical. It cqmprises, besides the usual field and hospital work, courses m gas (especially in the use of helmets on wounded men), water duties, and how testing of water-carts should be done, and general hospital orderly duties, in a little model hospital in camp. Further,, advanced dressing-! ■station work is practised on certain field" days in a' model dressingstation constructed in a trench system where dug-out conditions are adhered to as much as possible. _ Let it be recorded finally that Ewshot Vamp also produces at irregular intervals its own camp paper, which pays tor itself—a brightly written little publication entiled the "Youshot," which besides its interesting records and camp tit-bits, helps to demonstrate the keen interest our artillerists take in their own affairs, and the esprit de corps j existing amongst all ranks.