THE HOME GUARD.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 49, 7 December 1940, Page 6

THE HOME GUARD.

ASHBURTON RIDING UNIT. ' IMMEDIATE DRIVE FOR MEMBERS. * The committee appointed at a public meeting at Eiffelton some weeks ago to organise the Home Guard in. the Ashburton Riding of the County met; in the Eiffelton School on Thursday, evening and completed plans for bring- j ing the Guard into- immediate activity. The local commander, (Mr J. B. Grigg) in the chair and other members of the committee present were Colonel J. Findlay, Messrs It. Chapman, G. E. Blee, J. Parsons, P. Sheehan and L. A. Haywoird (secretary). Mr Grigg represented the Returned Soldiers’ As-] sociation and' Mr Sheehan the Farmers’ Union. At the invitation of the committee Mr S. P. Taylor (chairman of the County Council) and Mr H. H. Hawkins were also present and on the mo-j tion of Colonel Findlay both were ■ added to the committee. Mr Taylor reported on interviews] • he had had with the Area Commander ] (Captain E. A. Coekroft) and the Minister of Man-power (the Hon. OR.. > Semple) and he assured the meeting j that the Home Guard was .not.-just-a; misguided outburst of patriotic zeal but a. really necessary precaution that; N\ew Zealand must take. World events j were 1 moving at such a tempo- that no country was safe and a■. country unprepared was an invitation to aggressive powers. Three hundred thousand trained) guardsmen in New Ze.a-; land would be a powerful deterrent to any wouild-be invader, and.would still leave our regular army free to defend j the Empire overseas, for undoubtedly overseas lay our first lime of defence.. He appealed to the committee to do] its utmost to enlist recruits without delay. Mr Grigg thanked Mr Taylor for his message and reiterated what “Mr Taylor had. said. In a recent visit to Wellington he had interviewed men who were directing our defence policy and had .been assured that the Home Guard had been formed at the request of the Imperial Government who desired every man in the Empire to receive some training. The Home Guard was formed to givta that training and he appealed to the committees to enlist the support of every able-bodied' man in the Riding. There would no doubt be some who would say they would help when the time came. Unfortunately a man untrained, without knowledge of what to do and where to go, would lie worse than useless. W(& must have the organisation. At the present time it is our only form of insurance. The committee decided to make an immediate drive for members. It was hoped to have 100 members present, at the first parade to be held at Longbeach on Saturday, December 15, from 2 to 4 p.m. Every member of thie committee took a supply of enrolment forms and further supplies are available at the Eiffelton, Willowby and Flemington Schools.

i Interesting Course Planned.

Detailing thei course of training planned Mr Grigg said that formal drill would be reduced to an absolute minimum. Marksmanship was to be the first objective in the meantime and butts were being prepared on the coast at Longbeach. Rifle and revolver practice would occupy the -greater portion of the first parades, ’which in the meantime were to be held fortnightly at Longbeach. It was hoped that every able-bodied man in the Riding would take this place in the Guard organisation and enrol without delay. Details of transport arrangements for the first praade would be given by members of the committee as members enrolled.