HOME GUARD UNITS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 278, 24 November 1941, Page 2

HOME GUARD UNITS

DEFENCE EXERCISES

SCHEMES IN AUCKLAND AREA

A series of defence schemes in which some 1500 officers and men took part was held in the city and suburbs yesterday by Home Guard units. Assisting in the operations were cadets from the Mount Albert Grammar School and King's Colleae as_ well as members of the Women's War Service Auxiliary

The exercises, which were th=> first to be conducted by the Home Guard on a large scale, were watched by Brigadier P. H. Bell, iJ.b.u., officer commanding the IN °rt hern A 1 illtsr y District, Colonel M. Aldred, V.D Auckland district director of the Guard, and Lieuten-ant-Colonel A. W. Short, V.D., group director.

The Auckland city battalion took part in theoretical street fighting and in these operations they were assisted by the W.W.S.A. signals unit. The Mount Eden and Otahuhu battanons carried out exercises in the more distant suburbs and they were assisted by mounted guardsa£d King's College cadets. The Remuera battalion did an attack and a defence scheme. Other units taking part in exercises were the Henderson and Mount Albert battalions and assisting the latter were the Mount Albert Grammar School cadets.

Brigadier Bell, in commenting on the operations, said that the defence and the attack were both well carried out, and though at times a little unorthodox the men would have done a good job under actual conditions. The battalion commanders had given time to the preparation of their schemes and the junior leaders had carefully thought out their schemes of defence. The improvement in communication was particularly gratifying.