THE EASTER MANOEUVRES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 76, 1 April 1899, Page 3

THE EASTER MANOEUVRES.

ENCAMPMENT AT EPSOM.

There are at present considerably over a thousand Auckland district volunteers under canvas at Epsom and at the North Shore for their annual four-days Easter military training and practical work in camp and in the field During the last two years there has been a considerable revival ill volunteering in Auckland, and the result, is that a number of new companies are now in camp for the first time, including some country corps. There are about three hundred men more in camp this year than on the occasion of the last Easter camp at North Shore, and the enthusiasm shown by officers and men and the anxiety to perfect themselves in military duty displayed is a most gratifying sign. The present camp at Epsom is the best from every point of view-that has been held for a number of years past, and although some of the newer companies are naturally very 'raw,' the volunteers of all ranks display an aptitude for learning their drill which bodes well, and every drill they have improves them noticeably. The encampment this year is held at Potter's Paddock, Epsom. This locality affords an excellent parade ground, but in other respects there is something to be desired. However there is a good deal of country fit for skirmishing over around Epsom and One Tree Hill, and this is an important consideration in these days when the soldier's most useful work is in extended order, and not in close formation. The camp is situated in a large paddock tin the Newmarket side of Potter's Paddock proper, from which it is separated by a fence and stone wall, their being openings, however, to enable the troops to pass into the other paddock for drill purposes. The encampment is a large and imposing one, consiting in all of 198 tents and marquees. The lines extend over about a quarter of a mile, the front facing the Potter's Paddock grand stand. On the extreme right of the lines, and nearest the Manukau Rd., are then tents of the 'A' Battery of Artillery, which holds the position of honour by reason of seniority. Next comes the No. 1 Victoria Rifles, College Rifles, No. 1 New Zealand Rifles, and the other infantry companies in order of seniority, the extreme left of the lines being occupied by the four mounted rifle companies (one from Auckland and three from Waikato). In the front of the lines, between the Nos. land 2 battalions, is the brigade tent,' and in the rear of the lines are the mess marquees and the cook houses. A, large marquee near the Manukau Rd. entrance is devoted to the use of Medical Staff and Bearer Corps. A short distance southward^ in the next pr-uldock, are the tents occupied by tha commanding officer (Lieut. Col. Banks*) and his staff officers. The horsas bf longing to the Mounted Rifles «re picketed close to their tents. Each company has made its own arrangements for cooking, and the culinary is in general well attended to, whiie in the matter of camp eqyippage, cooking and eating utensils etc., some of the Auckland companies have fixed themselves very comfortably. One inconvenience felt' is the lack of a proper water supply laid on by pipe. Water has to be carried to the camp from Newmarket, and several 800 gallon tanks are in use for this purpose.

The volunteers went into camp on Thursday night, their tents having been already pitched for them by v fatigue party of Permanent Force men. The No. i Jtille Battalion (Vuckland City) asv-nuiled in the Drill shed on Thursday evening, in heavy marching order, and marched put to the camping ground under the command of Major Murray, and headed by the Garrison Band. The Onehunga Rifles marched in from Onehunga the same evening, and the Waikato Mounted Volunteers arrived during the afternoon, detraining at Kemucfra. The Ohinemuri, Te Aroha, and Coromandel volunteers arrived early yesterday morning, and at once marched out to the camp. The Thames Navals and Hauraki Eifles came up by the p.s. Wakatere and went into camp with the Garrison Artillery companies at the North Shore. The Ponsonby Naval Artillery went across to the North rihore by steamer on Thursday evening, and Went into camp, at the North Head, ■while the Devonport Coastguard Artillery went into camp at Fort" j. akapuna

THE FORCE IN CAMP.

The whole of the volunteers in camp are under the command of Lieut.-Col. J. H. Banks, who is the officer commanding the militia and volunteer district. Colonel Banks' staff for the encampment consists of the following officers: —Lieutenant-Colonel .T. V. Shepherd (officer in command of the infantry forces), Lieutenant-Colonel Dignan (Honorary Colonel, of the Auckland Rifle Battalion No. 1), MajorPirie, A.A.G. (A.); Captain Schofield, A.AG. (B.); Captain O'Brien (officer commanding field artillery); Captain J. Grant, Brigade-Major; Brigade-Sur-geon, Lieut.-Colonel Dawson, principal Medical Officer. Sergeant-Major Carpenter, the well-known and able drillinstructor of the district, was camp Sergeant-Major, and Instructor Ser-geant-Major Shaw, who has had a great deal of military experience in England and Africa, acted as Brigade Clerk, and also gave much useful in-

struction to the mounted rifles, and assisted in other ways in the drilling of the men. Major W. B. White, No. 1 Victoria Rifles, was in command of the No. 2 Infantry Battalion, to which Captain Self acted as quartermaster. Captain E. H. Montgomery acted as orderly officer to Lieut.-Col. Banks, and Captain F. E. Baume was orderly officer to Lieut.-Col. Shepherd. Lieutenant Dormer acted as camp quartermaster, and Lieutenant Robb as quartermaster to the No: 2 Battalion; while Quartermaster-Sergeant Kearsley '(A' Battery) was camp quartermaster-sergeant. Captain Major was adjutant of the No. 1 Rifle Battalion, of which Major Murray was in command. Captain Coleman acted as instructor of the mounted rifles. The marching-in parade states of the various companies, comprising the brigade encamped at Potter's Paddock are as follow: 'A' Battery of Field Artillery Volunteers: Captain L. O'Brien, Lieutenants Lipscombe and Bosworth, six sergeants, 54 rank and file; total 63, and 5 guns. Waikato Mounted Rifles, No. 1 Company (Hamilton): Captain Reid, Lieutenants Heather and Hume, 4 sergeants, 49 rank and file; total, 56 men and horse's. . Auckland Mounted Rifles: Captain Holgate, Lieutenants Banks and Taylor, 6 sergeants, 31 rank and file; total, 40. Waikato Mounted Rifles, No. 2 Company (Pirongia): Captain Aubin, Lieutenants Hodgson and G.'Berry, 2 sergeants, 24 men; total, 29. Waikato Mounted Rifles, No. 3. Company (Cambridge): Lieutenant Walker, 1 sergeant, 22 men; total, 24. No. 1 Victoria Rifles: Lieutenants Skinner and Cox, 4 sergeants, 42 rank and file; total, 49. ■College Rifles: Lieutenants Wither and McHardy, 5 sergeants, 48 rank and file; total, 56. No. 1 New Zealand Native Rifles: Lieutenants Potter and Gaudin, 4 sei*geants, 49 rank and file; total, 55. No. 2 New Zealand Native Rifles: Captain Oakes, Lieutenant Warnock, 5 sergeants, 54 rank and file; total, 61. No. 3 New Zealand Native Rifles: Captain Baume, Lieutenants Brigham and Thompson, 4 sergeants, 41 men; total, 47. No. 2 Victoria Rifles: Captain Abbott, Lieutenant Wilding, 5 sergeants, 36 rank and file; total, 44. Newton Rifles: Captain A. Myers, Lieutenants Sullivan and Todd, 5 sergeants, 48 rank and file ; total, 56. Auckland Rifles: Captain A. C. Caughey, Lieutenants Gower and Boyce, 3 sergeants, 33 rank and file; total, 39. Medical Staff: Brigade-Surgeon Lieut.-Colonel Dawson, P.M.0.; Sur-geon-Captains Knight, King, Parkes, Lindsay, Erson, and Grant. \ Bearer Corps (under Medical Staff): Two sergeants and 16 men. Garrison Band: Bandmaster Hunter, 2 sergeants, 2 corporals, 22 privates; total, 27. Te Aroha Rifles: Lieutenant Wild, Lieutenant .Scott, 1- sergeant, 19 rank and file; total, 22. Nos. 1 and 2 Ohinemuri Rifles: Lieutenants McArthur and Brown, 6 sergeants, 31 men; total, 40. Coromandel Rifles: Captain Kenriek, Lieutenant Inder, 3 serg-eants, 32 rank and file; total, 37. Onehunga Rifles: Captain W. N. McIntosh, Lieutenants Robb and Ward, 2 sergeants, 41 rank and file; total, 46,. Auckland Field Engineers Corps: Lieutenants Walker and D'Arcy, 6 sergeants, 37 rank and file; total, 45. / Total in camp, BC3, of all ranks. This total is exclusive of staff officers, and has been added to slightly owing to a number of volunteers having come in since the marching-in states were made up. In addition there are upwards of 200 horses in the camp, 149 of which are those of the four mounted rifle companies.

THE MOUNTED CORPS.

A specially interesting feature of the encampment is the presence of the four mounted rifle companies, the strongest of which was the Waikato No. 1 Company, from Hamilton, under the command of Captain Reid, one of the most competent and enthusiastic volunteer officers in the colony. Capt. Reid was in charge of the whole of the mounted rifles for drill purposes. The Auckland Mounted Rifles and the Nos. 2 and 3 Waikatos appeared in an Easter encampment for the first time, and gave much promise. The Nos. 2 and 3 Waikato Corps (which are from the Pirongia, or Alexandra, and Cambridge districts respectively) were not very strong numerically, and were lumped together as one company, but considering the short time they have been raised they acquitted themselves fairly well. The Mounted Rifles are all uniformed in kharkee, and the Hamilton Company looked particularly well in their white helmets. All the companies are well horsed, and with the necessary training they should be a most serviceable body of men. Captain Coleman was present as instructor of the mounted men, and gave them some useful work.

YESTERDAY'S DRILLING

Yesterday was devoted chiefly to battalion drill, and to knocking the new companies into shape. The day's programme was the usual one in a camp of instruction. When the camp was reached the previous evening the usual routine .of guard-mounting was carried out. The No. 1 Victoria Rifles supplied both quarter guard and piquet on Thursday night, and yesterday the College Rifles supplied the guards and picket. The 'reveille' was sounded at 6 a.m. yesterday, and.the guards were relieved at 7 a.m., at which hour the various companies turned out for company parade under their respective officers. After threequarters of an hour's drill the men had breakfast. At 10.15 there was the staff parade, and at 10.30.the brigade fell in for the commanding officer's parade. This drill lasted for close on two hours. The eight companies comprising the. No. 1, or Auckland City Infantry- Battalion, were taken in hand by Major Murray, and marched up in quarter-column to the main paddock near the football ground, where they were put through a good useful course of battalion drill. The No. 2 Infantry Battalion, consisting of the Te Aroha Rifles, Nos. 1 and 2 Ohinemuri Rifles, Onehunga Rifles, Coromandel Rifles, and Auckland Engineers —six companies—were taken over by Sergeant-Major Carpenter,' and were drilled for the first time as a battalion. Naturally, battalion work was quite new to these companies, but Tinder the watchful eye and sharp command of the Sergeant-Major, they made very fair progress, the movements being confined to simple ones, such as advancing and retiring, deploying into line, and forming back into column, changing ranks, etc. The Mounted Rifles were taken out along the roads in the direction of Onehunga, and there exercised in various mounted movements, while the 'A,' Battery marched with their five Armstrong'field pieces out to the One Tree Hill Domain, and there went through gun drill. Shortly after 12.30 the men were dismissed for lunch.

In the afternoon Colonel Pole-Pen-ton, commander of the New Zealand forces, inspected the brigade. The 'Fall in' was sounded at 2.30 p.m., and the. two battalions paraded, each in quarter column, the No. 1 Battalion being marched. up to the larger paddock again. At 3.30 the Commander of the Forces, accompanied by Major Maddocks and by Lieut.-Colonei Banks and the officers of the staff, inspected the volunteers.' The No. 1 Battalion, under the command of Major Murray, deployed from quartercol unm into line, fixed bayonets and presented arms as the Colonel made the inspection. By order of Colonel Penton, the men did not wear their cartridge bandoliers at this parade, but were equij»ped with their canvas havresacks and with the new water bottles (tin covered with felt), of which he expressed approval. All were armed with the Martini-Enfield .303 rifle. After inspection the battalion Was formed back into column, and Major Murray then gave the men a short drill, Colonel Pole-Penton in the meantime inspecting the Mounted Rifles, the 'A' Battery of Artillery and the No. 2 Infantry Battalion. The iN'o. 1 Battalion was given some instruction in 'battalion in attack' drill. A supposititious enemy was advancing from the direction of Onehunga, and Major Murray sent out his companies on either side of the grandstand and extended them so ■as to protect the southern front of the parade ground. Outposts and videttes were sent out, and the signallers of the battalion were posted in various parts of the ground .and had some practice in transmitting messages by flag signal. The videttes consisted of some of the Mounted Rifles, who were sent up to the top of Maungakiekie (One Tree Hill), the Mounted Rifles having after inspfection marched out on- to the Manukau Road in column of companies. During the afternoon Sergt.Major Carpenter, put the No. 2 Battalion through some marching exercises, and the 'A' Battery of Artillery drilled in various field movements, such as marching past at close intervals, wheeling, etc., in the centre of the parade ground. After the No. 1 Battalion had formed up again the men were again exercised in various movements in that formation, the marching of the battalion being excellent. The troops were marched back to their private parade grounds and dismissed about 5.15 p.m., and dinner was ready at six, and was heartily enjoyed by all after their hard day's work in the hot sun. Guard-mounting at 6.30 was the next duty of the evening, the No. .1 Natives supplying- the guard and' piquet for the night. The 'First post' was sounded at 9.30 p.m., the 'Last post' at 10 p.m., and 'Lights out' at 10.30.

Captain O'Brien was officer of the day yesterday. Sergeant-Major Turton is in charge of the camp military police, and is just the man for the position. A private belonging to one of the infantry companies was lodged in the guard tent on Thursday nigKt. The Garrison Band appeared' in their new kharkee uniforms, which are very tasteful and neat. During- the afternoon the Hon. J. Carroll, Colonial Secretary, accompanied by Captain Post, of the Government s.s. Tutanekai, visited the encampment. The Rev. Monsignor Walter McDonald also rode in from Panmure to jnspect the camp. The Bearer Corps, which was under the stiperintendence of Drs. Knight and King yesterday, had about forty cases under treatment during the day, chiefly men suffering from headaches and other slight ailments caused by the heat.