HOME DEFENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 206, 30 August 1940, Page 3

HOME DEFENCE.

TERRITORIALS , CAMP.

COURSE STARTS MONDAY.

Thousands of men belonging to territorial units, whose officers and noncommissioned officers have already received special courses, will start their period of intensive training on Monday, while in addition fortress battalions throughout the country will cease parading daily from their homes and will enter full-time camps. The first territorial unit in the northern military district to be fully mobilised under the home defence scheme was the Ist Battalion, Auckland Regiment, and all ranks will go under canvas at the showgrounds at Epsom.

Officers and non-commissioned officers of the Ist Field Regiment, New Zealand Artillery, wjio for the past two months have been in camp in Ngaruwahia, reached Auckland to-day for a mouth's training with other ranks at the Avondale racecourse, to be carried out by means of daily parades. Another unit to be fully mobilised on Monday is the 7th Medium Battery, New Zealand Artillery. This consists, of the Auckland A Troop and the Hamilton B Troop and headquarters establishment, officers and non-commissioned officers of which have al?o been at Ngaruawahia for the past two months. The battery will t»nter full-time camp for a month at Claudelands racecourse.

A month's daily j>ara<les by all ranks of the Ist Field Company, New Zealand Engineers, the officers and iion-commis-sioned officers of which will come from a two months' course at Ngaruawahia, will be held at the St. Leper stand at the Ellerslie racecourse. In the last fortnight of September officers and noncommissioned officers of the Northern District Signal Company will come out of camp to take charge of other ranks, who will parade daily at Carlaw Park for training.

With the exception of the Ist Battalion, Auckland Regiment, the month's training to start on Monday will be succeeded by two months' further work in full-time camp. Waiouru will be the centre for most of this additional instruction. In the case of the Ist Battalion next month will complete the course of instruction, mobilisation of this unit having been effected on July 1.