VOLUNTEER & DEFENCE NOTES

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 15, 18 January 1905, Page 6

VOLUNTEER & DEFENCE NOTES

(BY RIFLEMAN.) General Babington and Mrs Babington, are spending a month's holiday at Clinton, Southland. Major G. W. S. Patterson paid a brief visit to New Plymouth this week, returning yesterday morning. Colonel Davies, C.8., went to Hokianga yesterday to inspect the Hokianga Mounted Rifles. He will be away till Friday morning. * The Wellington Battalion went into camp at Seatoun on Saturday for the annual week's training under canvas. Lleut.Colonel Collins is in charge. Lieut. Wood, who was recently married, has gone to Wellington on a holiday excursion, and I understand he will put in his camp time with the D Battery there. ——— The "A" class members of the Akarana Rifle Club will Are on Saturday for Messrs Buckland aud Son's clock, and the "B" class will fire for Mr W. Thome's trophy. Major Johnston, who is in command of the Royal N.Z. Aitlllery, Is coming to Auckland -this week to be present at the big gun firing of the Artillery companies. Auckland military bands are practising hard for the North Island Band Contest next month. The famous Wanganul, Wellington Garrison, and Kaikorai Bands are to be present. The Wellington branch of the Navy League Is organising a reception to Vice-Admiral Faushawe on his arrival next month. It is proposed that the gathering shall be held in the Town Hall. The Engineers go into camp on February 2 for 16 days' training at Takapuna. The members wil! be Instructed in field engineering and the different branches of the service by the Permanent Force. Devonport Coastguards were not slow in electing the new Vicar of Holy Trinity, the Rev. Mr Evershed, as their chaplain. The vicar has accepted the office, and has promptly invited the company to visit his church on Sunday next. The Engineers did some of .heir class firing at Penrose on Saturday, and finish It up on this coming Saturday. Some good scores were made at the shorter raiifjcs. but at the longer distances the shooting was much more erratic. Programmes for the New Zealand Rifle Association's meeting at Trentham, to commence on March 2, have been issned, From all accounts, it would seem that the attendance at the forthcoming meeting Is likely to be a record one. The band of the No. 1 Infantry Battalion goes down to the Thames for Sunday next to accept a long-standing Invitation fiom *he Second Infantry Battalion. The band has, had no previous opportunity of accepting be invitation. With them also the No. 4 Company of Garrison Artillery will make their annual visit to the Thames for a church parade, returning on Sunday night. H.M.s, Phoebe, which has taken the place of the Tanrangn as recruiting ship for the unvy, is now at Port Chalmers. She is endeavouring to fill a few vacancies for stokers. Lieut. Pickering is still enrolling men for the Royal Naval Reserve. Two colonial navy recruits, who have spent a few months on H.M.s. Phoebe, are now on furlough, and are visiting friends on the West Coast. They speak in high terms of the life on board the colonial training ship, and are very well satisfied. The practical part of the examination of the officers aud non-coms, who attended the School of Military Instruction lv Auckland was held on Thursday night last. Colofiel Davies. C.8.. examining the officers and Seigt.-Major Carpenter the non-coms. Did you ever notice how many of the Artillerymen are recruited from ih-- (.'oustguards? I am authoritatively informed that no less than 2ft of the best men have been ensnared by the Permunents out of the company within a couple of years past. It is a backhanded compliment. Captain Gardner, adjutant of the Artill*ry Division, and Lieut. Ewen, of the I'onsonby Navals, are in camp at Fort Takapuna with the Coastguard*, as the guests of Captain Napier. They have been much Interested to note the activity of the company airt'lic excellence of the work done. The Wellington Submarine Mining Corps paraded fifty strong on Sunday last, and marched under Lieutenant Price to St. Paul's Cathedral, where n memorial service was held to the memory of Sergeant Wi'sou and Quartermaster-Sergeant Bramley. The service was a most Impressive one. The "A" Battery Drum and Fife Band, which Is about eleven strong now. Is energetically practising in camp now, and Is : not making night hideous with Its music— j far from it. The little company Is doing | very well under Bombardier Morton, and is able to play from the music properly, j using in conjunction all the drums of the i band. The paper targets at the Gore Rifle Association's meeting, made by the local paper mills of hosiery cartridge paper, stood the test of the weather rcmurUably well, and although the water was literally streaming off them at intervals during both dajs. not one of them was rendered unserviceable, and they were used throughout, the meeting without any re-papering, and are still fit for service. % The fifth anniversary of the accession of King Edward VII. to the Imperial throne Is not to pass unnoticed by the Auckland military force* On Sunday next the No. 1 Garrison Artiilery, the "A" Battery, the Auckland Engineers, the Devonport Sub-; marine Miners, and the Garrison Band will held a church parade at St. Paul's Church in the morning, and the Coastguards and Devonport Brass Band will parade at the Holy Trinity Church. ! I am glad to hear that the Battery has already been informally discussing the next Royal N.Z. Artillery competitions at Wanganul or Wellington. The Auckland Battery was the only one not represented at the last contest, chiefly because of the distance to be travelled, and I understand that there is a feeling that If the contest is held at Wanganul the company should endeavour to send a good team down. It Is to be held on New Year's Day next year. The Battery has gt>t an ambulance man attached to it for the camp. -So far there has not been much demand for his services, but one never knows the time when in the excitement of mimic battle a man may be wounded. In such an event an ambulance man Is a very present help. Seriously, he Is useful, and I know of several cases wheie men have had splinters and cuts 'n their hands which without the immediate attention of the first-aid man would have been serious. The No. 1 Infantry Battalion go into camp for a week's instruction on Febiuary 4th. Tents will be pitched in the Outer Do-man and Lieut. Colonel White will be in command. -It Is the Colonel's intention to use the week as far as possible as a preparation for the Easter encampment, and consequently a good deal of field work will be done. 'There will, of course, be the regulation camp work to be done as welL but as much field work as possible will be done. Colonel Davies, C.8., it seems, has already determined to pursue a plan similar to that at the Easter manoeuvres last year. The No. 1 Battalion will have to attack the defences of Auckland. The attackers will be sent up the coast a good distance to do It. Lieut.-Col. White, therefore, intends to get early in the field by putting the men through the field training that they should go on active service; and therefore he no doubt hopes to prove the defences of Auckland are not as Inviolable as we would like to think. Once again Dunedin provided a comedy which nearly became a tragedy. Someone had a very crooked eye to aim at a target and nearly hit a ship 400 yards away! I .have a remembrance of certain obsolete guns that were In that same battery at Ocean Beach which the men were afraid to load for fear of explosions. I have an idea rthey were even muzzle-loaders—anyway ; the guna wars the laughing-stock of the

community. scares -are- periodic at Dunedin—the people there have an aosuru aversion for the harmless necessary sheiS used! ' "*" - I am authorised to state that there Is no truth whatever in the rumour which has been going round volunteer clrwes that the No. 3 Natives Company will disband at the end of the volunteer year. The company is .strongly staffed with officers and non-coms., and is full of vitality," and they hope to exist for many a long day yet. The Coastguards recently had installed on their parade ground and in the orderly roorhs a complete Incandescent lighting outfit. It was provided by the Auckland Gas Company gratuitously—a generous gift. The Coastguards have a very comfortable establishment over on Mount Victoria — five rooms (lecture, sergeants', physical drill, officers', and armoury), built at a cost of £400. There is a physical drill class held once a week, and also a jolly musical evening is held every week, a piano having recently been Installed by the company. Special squads have been selected by the officers of the Coastguards for the firing practice with the big gufiis at Forts Cautley and Takapuna, which take place at the latter on Wednesday and the former on Friday mornings respectively at 5 n*eloek. Firing is also to take place with the quickfirers. Special squads have been selected, and 1500 rounds of ammunition have been provided for practice with the Morris tube. The company Is very anxious not only to justify Its claim to the rank of "first class" which it has held for the past eight years, but.also to take the leading place In the colony, held last year by the Petone Navals. The "A" Battery has already got two camp pets. One Is a little black cat, glossyfurred and sinuous, and every morning after reveille it pays a ceremonious visit to the tents, subsequently making a business visit to the marquee when breakfast is on. it doesn't starve, for ,it is a huge favourite. The other is a greyhound of sleek proportions. He haunts the camp with hungiv eyes gleaming nt the sight of food. He limps pitifully till he Is fed, and then gallops madly round the Domain after his sumptuous repast, and nary a limp visible. The College Rifles held an Informal camp at Fort Takapuna for a fortnight during the holidays. It was a voluntary encampment, the expense being borne by the members only. The camp was on actual service lines as far as possible. The usual work in firing and manoeuvring was done, and one afternoon was devoted to a sham fight, the officers acting as umpires while the sergeants conducted the battle. The left half company advanced from Lflke Takapuna on the camp, which the right half defended. The camp was very enjoy•able in spite of the weather. Such voluntary camps deserve every encouragement. The Battery was played into camp by the Garrison Band last Saturday night, and the long pull up Grafton-road produced some very queer effects or, :ho notes of the players. The Band p d the Battery to church parade at St. Maiy's Cathedral, Parnell, on Sunday, the Rev. Mark Sutton conducting the service. The Band also played, for the company on Sunday afternoon, delighting the large number of visitors to the camp immensely. The Battery gave three cheers for the Band at the close, of the day. The Battery, friends will be glad to know, will be "At Home" on Sunday next in the Domain, aud will be pleased to entertain visitors at afternoon tea —no cards. The Devonport Coastguard Artillery are comfortably in camp on the sloping ground near Narrow Neck at Fort Takapuna, and have been doing pood work since last Sunday. Captain Napier is In command, and has as assistants S.M. Pardy, Q.M.S. Fendnll, and Sergeants Griffiths, Dickey, Booker, and Blckerton. About 80 men are under canvas, aud remain there for 16 days. Instruction in gunnery, fort-manulug. and general fort routine Is belug given. Sergt. Farquharson, of the R.N.Z.A., is giving instruction in duty to the battery commanders and gun group commanders. The men seem to take a very keen interest in their work, and the musters are full every day. The Coastguards will be "at home" on Sunday afternoon next at Fort Takapuna— or rather at the camp, for the sacred guns will uot be "thrown open to the public!" It would never do to have a repetition of that dreadful affair in Wellington, where i two civilians, without so much as "by your leave," violated the sanctity of the forts! Rut the public will be free to rove through the camp at their own sweet will. There will be tea. and also music, the latter provided by i\e Devonport Brass Band, which Is also playing the company to church. The band played at the camp last Sunday also, and its services, I need hardly say, are much appreciated. It is whispered that on Monday night the Coastguards forsook their peaceful couches after the last post and "danced by the light of the moon" for a full hour. No beskirted Terpsclchore was there to join I their midnight revels, but that mattered j little—the jolly Guards danced a sort of serpentine cake-walk In the still moonlight, right up even unto the door of the commander's tent. Authority viewed the revels for once with no stern eye, the official cap being doffed for the occasion aud the commander being incognito for the nonce. The revels were not very serious, for they ceased by 11 p.m., and by midnight nought disturbed the peaceful moonlit scene but the heavy snores of the weary sleepers! The "A" Battery now in camp in the Outer Domain are having a pleasant time in this flue weather. The ordinary camp woik has occupied the close attention of the offices, instrnctiors and men night and morning since last Sunday. There are 40 or 50 of the men under canvas with Capt. Bosworth in command. Sergt.-Major Rowles. of Fort Takapuna. is giving the special instruction, with the assistance of two of the Permanent drivers and guulay-c-rs. Tlnee or four recruits have been enrolled since the camp began, and are now under canvas with the company, and as usual are very keen. The laying examination will be held during the camp. On Saturday the Battery wil go out beyond Narrow Neck, and on the following Saturday down to Motuihi for shell firing. In all .probability one of the ferry steamers will take down the guns, horses aud company. Rumour hath it that the non-attendance of members of the Engineers at capitation parades has caused grave apprehension in the breasts of the officials, and the more pessimitic have held out the prospects of speedy dissolution if the paucity in the atr tendances continues. The company has a working strength of about 57, and of this number, I am told by a very regular attendant, an average of about 1C turn up in time as a rule to have their parades accepted by the staff officer. Such a state of things, of c-ourse, can, if continued, only end in the disastrous climax so gloomily prophesied. It would be a sorry . nlng to see a good company go smash because it is too tired to live. I presume that it is a purely temporary weariness, and that when February 2 comes there will be a full attendance of officers and men at the camp. Perhaps the application of a few drastic fines would have a good effect if fines were rigorously enforced. It generally has! The "D" Battery (Wellington), now in camp at Petone, provided some excitement for Its visitors last Sunday. The nrarm was sounded, and the battery turned out. The teams were harnessed" in fairly quick time, the guns limbered up, and the battery then went through some exciting manoeuvres, with unrehearsed effects. The Umber of one cun upset, and capsized its occupants. Then one- of the horses in another team disagreed with the proceedings, and lashed out right and left, to the great amusement of the onlookers. It succeeded in removing its rider, and then started In to dislodge the rider of its teighbour. Its efforts in this direction, were almost successful, but a gunner managed to unyoke it and take it away to wellearned rest. The battery continued operations, wheeling and turning, and shooting invisible enemies with great vim. It was an exciting day for the spectators, as the manoeuvres of the battery routed them from every coign of vantage, and sent them a disordered rabble to seek refuge on the boundaries of the fiedd.