CHIPS GETS A BUMP

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 303, 23 December 1939, Page 8 (Supplement)

CHIPS GETS A BUMP

Loses Some Honest Sweat

No"w that Chips had survived the first night and day at the new camp he «t6 settling down to serious work. Getting up in the morning ho followed the crowd, with towel and soap in hand, to rows of built up edifices resembling horse-troughs, with a roof or hood arrangement extending the whole length of the troughs. These roofs or hoods seamed to be the product of some brainy wag who must have thought that the rain would take the polish off the taps. These troughs were built for the convenience of any troops wtho were desirous of having a wash. After a struggle of about half an hour, Chips managed to get a wash of sorts. After several hundred troops had washed in the same water one can imagine what state it was in. Pea soup was not to be compared with it. Although there were several taps at intervals, Chips wasn't lucky enough to get near one. He scooped up a handful of this thick water and dipped his face in it and finished off on his towel. Having finished his ablutions he fell in for physical jerks. Now the parade ground was strewn with stones and boulders, and, before the exercises could begin, a Bpace had to be cleared. Chips cleared what he thought was sufficient room for himself but forgot a big boulder which was right in front of him. When the order was given "On the hands— down!" Chips flopped down and struck his on that solid piece of mother earth and that had the effect of sending him to sleep. He was excused from drill for the rest of the day. Chips wasn't particularly interested in breakfast but as the day wore- on his head felt better. At lunch time ie ■was able to sit up and partake of a pretty fair binder of good old army stew. During the afternoon, he thought he *ould survey his new surroundings and what a sight he saw, stones and boalders everywhere. It appeared to Chips that quite a few mountains f had been blown to pieces and were scattered over the site chosen for the training of the lads in khaki. Although Chips- had joined the machine-gun squad, he was required for the time being anyway to do a bit of drill with the infantry. The following day he was marched off to the parade ground. The day's manoeuvres consisted of practical training in trench warfare. The outlines of the trenches were marked and orders were given to dig in. Dig was the right word. With the regulation entrenching tools they went to work. After hours, of removing stones and boulders the best the troops could show was a small wall or parapet built with the said stones. It was some job. With sweat rolling down their faces and fingers bleeding, the troops retired to their tents with at least some conception of what it might be like excavating and cracking stones. They were still in doubt as to what a real trench looked like. No one felt like leave that night and Chips was now more anxious to get back to his machine-gun. LIFTIE.