"MASTHEADED."

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 103, 3 May 1941, Page 7

"MASTHEADED."

NAVAL DISCIPLINE.

LIFE IN FLEET AIR ARM SCHOOL.

(By J.C.)

Incidents in the Fleet Air Arm raining establishment at "St. Yin:ent," in the South of England, were larrated in the "Star" last week by ; Wellington trainee. Another young r leet Air Arm man, an old boy ol Wellington College, a school teachei >efore he left for England, describej n a cheerful vein some of his experi ■nces, in a letter to his parents. The ;xaminations there, which he passea, vith high .marks, were in navigation',* sea and air), seamanship, general; laval subjects, wireless and signaling. and field training. In the last subject the candidates had to demonstrate in turn their ability to put a! Dlatoon through manoeuvres. i The "St. Vincent" is one of several' shore training barracks named after ships. The life is strenuous, and! ?very hour is occupied with training; jnd study and at night there is sentry duty and anti-aircraft work. Raids by enemy bombers are frequent and the greatest complaint isi want of sufficient sleep. The New Zealanders find the English climate severe, but the writer by this tim# will be fairly in the Maytime of. which he has read. There are incidents in which the, lads find that the excellent sea' officers in charge can "suit the pun-; ishment to the crime." At reveille one morning a strange flag was seeni flying at the head of the mast, rigged like a ship's, which stands on the! "quarter-deck" end of the parade ground in front of the barracks. It! was a pair of green pyjama trousers,! hoisted there by one of the success- 1 ful candidates in his jubilation. All hands waited to see what the officer would do about it. He was very, cheerful and he didn't keep them! waiting long. .'

) '"Put on your gas masks," was his first order. (The New Zealanders had all been issued with their gas masks as soon as they reached England). ! Masks on, the squad, wondering | what next, were marched to the quarter-deck. saluting as they j mounted the step. "Up you go." they were ordered, j "to the. masthead; up starboard side land down port, and bring that article of clothing with you." The order was obeyed with admiration for the quarter-deck method. There was no inquiry, landsman fashion, into the ownership of the ipyjamas. The Navy works in a dififerent way. Jt makes its jokes with Ja straight face and teaches its young [llandlubbers the beauty of team work, i The embryo naval flying pilots learned a good deal about the sea ; ,and its ways before they left "St.

Vincent" for inland flying instruc-l tion. The New Zealanders. of course, had had the benefit of preliminary! training on a sea voyage of long] duration. The letter-writer, in fact.! 1 had a borrowed sextant in his handsi on the second day out. and could soonj work out the ship's daily position. One of his hobbies at Wellington . C.ollege was astronomy, and "this! , helped, too. '