MILITARY NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 147, 21 June 1917, Page 8

MILITARY NOTES.

(By - RIFLEMAN.")

A scheme of training for the new territorial year is being compiled by the headquarters of the iird ( Auckland I Regiment, and lists of parades will be issued shortly. The rank and file of each company are to be grouped in platoons according to their respective degrees of advancement, and for the first few months the less advanced men will be given recruit training. This arrangement, it is believed, will encourage the recruits to make progress, and will obviate putting the more experienced men through elementary drill. In due course the normal company organisation will be resumed.

Tn accordance with instructions from Wellington, sufficient senior cadets have been posted to the Auckland Harrison Artillery Division to bring the latter up to war strength, and the Coast Defence Infantry Detachment has similarly been brought up to peace strength. As tlio number of cadets due for posting to the territorials this year is some hundredn below the normal none of the city units except those mentioned havp been granted more than a small proportion of the recruits which they expected. It is obvious that the Harrison Artillery must not be allowed to go short, but the decision regarding the Coast Defence Infantry is not so easy to understand, seeing that nil the local territorials may be ipiite correctly termed "const defence troops." In the country areas of the Auckland group most of the recruits have been posted to the Mounted Rifles or Infantry, as usual, owing to the exigencies of training.

Apparently owing to red tape either here or in England, no general issue of the oflicinl discharged soldier's badge— authorised by the King last year —has been made in Xew Zealand. It appears from a recent genernl order that all members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force discharged in England since Aug. 4th. 1914, as ineligible for any further service on account of wounds, sickness or age. may be granted the badge, provided that their claims are approved by the commandant in England (General Richardson): and further, that issues are made by the officer in charge of Xew Zealand records. London. This is very well so far as it goes, but no attempt seems to have been made to obtain the badge for the numbers of men who were invalided home from Gallipoli before it was instituted, and for the mounted men who may be sent back from Egypt and Palestine without seeing England at all. The badge is of silver, and consists of a ring of about two inches in diameter, containing the Royal monogram, and bearing the inscription, "For Services Rendered." The design is excellent, and withal economical of metal. Certainly it has far gTcater artistic merit than anything yet designed for the purpose iv Xew Zealand.