CAVALRY TO CAMP

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22339, 1 March 1938, Page 3

CAVALRY TO CAMP

HORSE AND MOTOR SQUADRONS THE THIRD COMPOSITE REGIMENT The annual camp of the Third Composite Mounted Rifles Regiment will be the first of its kind in the South Island. The regiment, which consists of both mounted and motor squadrons, will camp at the Motukarara Racecourse. which has been placed at its disposal by the Motukarara Domain Board and the Motukarara Racing Club. The camp will begin on April 1. As constituted under the reorganised scheme of training, the Composite Regiment is formed of the Canterbury Yeomanry Cavalry, Otago Mounted Rifles, and the Nelson-Marlborough Mounted Rifles. The Canterbury Yeomanry Cavalry provides two rifle squadrons and a machine-gun troop, find the Otago Mounted Rifles one rifle squadron, a machine-gun troop, signal troop, and light car troop. The NelsonMarlborough Mounted Rifles, which are entirely motorised, consists of four troops, No. 1 Troop being headquarters, and a light detachment of cars and two motor-cycle light machine-gun sections; No. 2 Troop has four Vickers machine-guns, each gun detachment having its own vehicle; No. 3 and No. 4 Troops are light machine-gun troops, each of three guns, with each gun detachment in a separate vehicle. The motorised squadron will make the journey from Blenheim to Motukarara in two stages, bivouacing at Kalkoura for the night both proceeding to and returning from camp. The Defence Department’s lorries and trucks will be used for transporting it, with the assistance of the squadron cars and motor-cycles. The Otago Mounted Rifle Squadron and detachments, with the exception of the light car troop, will proceed to camp by express train after sending the horses ahead by night goods train, and bivouacing at Dunedin overnight. A splendid tactical area has been placed at the disposal of the regiment by Mr R. M. D. Morten, and it is anticipated that a most successful camp will ensue. The three units now combined to form the composite regiment have had little opportunity in recent years of observing each other’s work, and a healthy rivalry between the various squadrons should result in a high standard of training, „ . , Lieutenant-Colonel A. J. Nicoll is in command of the regiment, with Major O. L. Ferens second in command. Major F J. Brook will command the Otago Mounted Rifle Squadron, Major W. R. Pigou the motorised Nelson-Marl-borough Mounted Rifle Squadron, Captains Brown and Mclntosh the Canterbury Yeomanry Cavalry Squadrons, and Captain G. W. Logan is Regimental Machine-gun Officer. Captain K J. Walker, New Zealand Service Corps, is adjutant of the regiment, and Lieutenant M, Pouglasquartermaster.