CALL TO TAURANGA MEN

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 13240, 16 January 1941, Page 5

CALL TO TAURANGA MEN

70 in the home guard

jIOVEMENTLAUNOHED

~F D for preparedness b STRESSED

. time had come when l T “‘ i„ New Zealand should ho l*„i cV o meet possiule invasion. IP llisea rtl „ s t rUC k by several speakP held, in the Civic I 'le o Tuesday evening for the | e t of launching the Home f n S movement in this area. Major it Herrohi. area commander, or I rua 'was to have attended the r 1 «’Hit was unable to he pres- | eetll However, he was represented f' liis staff officer, Mr R. W. M ise I , " , i M Roberts, of the Rotorua | d .~, staff, both Of whom ||y ‘explained the scheme and its ISfSng was successful in IJ-vwav. and at the conclusion 4 2 Lrrlsmen were .enrolled. It tore was a good attendance at | meeting which was presided over v the Mayor (Mr L. R. Wilkinson). I lhe platform with him were Lsrs Wise and Roberts, Mi I 4 . W. Lrc M P.. the Hon. B. C. Robbins. Sw r Major E. A. Eustace and fniMn I Mitchell, district commanl P I - th e Home Guard. Apologies . ... r eceived from the Rev. O. S. O. Ibsen and Captain P. G. Doherty of Ip Legion of Frontiersmen. I The Mayor explained that the Leting was called for the purpose I forming the Tauranga hianch ot | e Rome Guard, which, he said, lovided an opportunity for all in few Zealand to serve in the present lisis. There had, he added, been a fonderful response in the country Sstricts, and the enrolments at mefst I (he meetings head been almost a iindred per cent. This, he thought, L extremely gratifying. “Job For Everybody” I It was, he added, the duty of those rho could not go away with the luting forces to serve to the best of heir ability here, and it was through he Home Guard that they were |ven the opportunity to serve. There ras an opening for everybody. It as not a question of previous miliiry service, the object being that | c h man should serve in the capajty to which he was most suited L which would be of greatest value h the country. I Explaining ’ why no special effort been made in connection with He launching of the Home Guard

iovement in Tauranga before now, be Mayor explained that up till the resent Tauranga had been very aeIve in other directions. There was I Tauranga a National Military Re-

live, 120 to 130 strong and also a ■anch of the Legion of Frontiers-

,en with over 100 members. Since te outbreak of war Tauranga had jeu in. a better position to defend s district than any other locality in

le Dominion. The time had now arrived when ,'ery man could be of service. Re-

irence had been made on several ocisions lately of the high percentage : unfit men in New Zealand. The Jest men were already serving be)nd these shores. Although the jr centage of rejects in, the men died up in the ballots was high, it id to be remembered that the exnination was very exacting. The

leu turned down could still render very valuable and useful service in le Home Guard. Reference was

Iso made by the Mayor to the Emerency Precautions Scheme in this

listrict, and he stated that a tremenjpus amount of work had been done a its organisation. : The time had come to prepare pry man to act in the defence of he country, and he hoped that as a

[pult of this meeting a definite lundation for the Home Guard here puld be established. He concluded |Uh an appeal to all men in Tau'hnga to offer their services by joints the Home Guard. Tin-cat To Country The next speaker was Mr Doidge. le stressed the value of the meeting jointing out that there were still a pat many who were in some doubt is to the functions of the Home luard. Many, he added, had wonderd why the war had been allowed to

Jbntinue so long before aynthing had Seen done, but he thought there was | n an swer to that question. It was Jot until recently that it was fully "ealised that the threat to this counp’ Was real and that it was time Some real interest was taken in the letence of it. There were many ways J 1 'phch he thought the Home Guard jould do very useful service. He mentioned several ways in Much the guard could serve, stressng the importance of a physical pining scheme under the Home pard movement in an endeavor to ; or [f ct , lhe Present position. At the present time, die concluded, Weve going well with us, but nng was more certain that if the suffered another setback we i... , a ?ain be deeply concerned, as epere some time ago. He thereipco , resse d the need for prepared--0 ™ eet a »>* position which ‘ lll §ot arise.

* be E an his talk by con3niPvl ating lhe or sanisers of the ? recautions Scheme, the jepinn 31 * ■i, Htary Reserve and the )n S Ol „ Fr ontiersmen in Taux-anga ions 6 efficiency those organisa-

Future of Military Reserve worn !!?ni d that tbere would be no Wilitaw r, ments *xx the National o e\Kj eserve which would cease ib'=orhpu S ° onei or later and become SDea\i„ m the Home Guar dSome r the "eed fo r the wax ?’ t lr Wise stated that io boue« M b °^ e ou . fc En giand made md th» ft tK° Ut rs telllng New Zealand h a ?e h ?n p°htinions that they to look after their own

defence. England would have her hands full. The question often asked was what could be done without rifles. Rifles, he stated, were on the rail now and he hoped to have them in Rotorua shortly.- The Government was moving as fast-as it could. In the meantime it was essential that they should progress as far as possible with the organisation of the Home Guard so that it would be in readiness for the military authorities to take over without delay should such an occasion arise. The duties of the Home Guard, he added, were too numerous to mention. There were six sections and a job for everybody. Mr Wise mentioned that the Rotorua enrolments included men from 16 to 76 years of age and there was a job for everyone of them. There were he said six sections, infantry, transport, mounteds, engineers, medical and civilian, and he pointed out that it would not be longbefore the Home Guard was asked to take over the duties of guarding the coastline. Other jobs would include the keeping open of roa'ds and bridges, opening up tracks and probably the assembling of refugees and, evacuees if necessary in the event of any particular area being shelled. “We ipust be prepared so that when the time does come we will not be found wanting,” said Mr Wise. The Home Guard, he said, did not relieve anyone from military service, but the training they would receive in the guard would be of great value to them when they were called up. Referring to the delay in getting the movement started Mr Wise said that when the war broke out the Government had its hands full. In the event of an invasion the Home Guard would be the first line of defence, as there would be no one else to take over.

No Parade Ground Drill

Referring to the conditions of service he said that each guardsman would be expected to put in eight hours training a month. This would not be parade ground drill, the only drill of this nature being to teach members the difference between left and right so that it would be possible to move from one point to another without confusion. The Home Guard would not be called upon for service overseas, and there would be no need for its members to leave their homes until mobilisation took place. Uniforms, he added, were on the way to being made. In the meantime members of the guard would be issued with arm bands and these would be their uniforms. The Government would take no responsibility whatever unless the guardsmen were wearing their armlets, but while they were wearing them the Government would take full responsibility for them.

Mr Wise added that the objective aimed at in the Rotorua area was 5000 men, and already 2000 had enrolled. The quota set down for Tauranga was two full battalions each of about 4SO men —one battalion in the borough and one in the county. He was perfectly certain that number could be found in the borough, and mentioned that already something like 800 men had enrolled in Whakatane. The districts of the county had almost raised their quota already.

The organisation here would be under a local commander. He would be in charge of the whole of the Tauranga district and would appoint his own company and platoon commanders. It was hoped to get. three or four full companies in the Tauranga borough. Mr Wise stressed that it was not desired that men should hold back because there were no rifles. They were getting the. rifles and the ammunition would come along shortly.

The next speaker was Mr Roberts, who also congratulated the National Military Reserve here and other organisations on their efficiency. They were showing the proper spirit, he added. He also spoke on the organisation of the movement, and then introduced Captain Mitchell, the commander for this district.

A stirring appeal , to all to come forward and help to defend this beautiful land by joining up with the Home Guard was made by Mr. Robbins, after which Captain Mitchell and Major Eustace also spoke. -