TRAINING OF OFFICERS

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 24022, 10 August 1943, Page 3

TRAINING OF OFFICERS

SCHOOL IN MIDDLE EAST NEW ZEALANDERS AT EACH COURSE (N.Z.E.F. Ollicial News Service) JERUSALEM, July 29. Future leaders of New Zealand troops in the Middle East now undergo part of their training in an officer cadet school in Palestine, on the shores of the Mediterranean. It is their home for two months, and the time is spent in a variety of intensive work designed to bring out the qualities of leadership. The standard of the New Zealanders attending the school has been so high that they are the most frequent winners of the Allenby Prize awarded to the outstanding cadet in all departments. At this school they take a basic all arms course before going elsewhere for specialised training. Fifty or more New Zealanders attend each course. They do not form separate squads, but mix with the cadets of other countries. The course is an exacting one, involving long hours and hard work, but it is very seldom that a cadet is sent back to his unit. The surroundings are different from those of Egypt, where the school was formerly located. The country resembles that of much of Europe, and is typical of. a large part of the Balkans. It is bush-covered and hilly, and much of it is cultivated. It is ideal for the form of training undertaken. I watched a squad at work on map references on a hilltop. New Zealanders were mixed with Englishmen, Highlanders, and Rhodesians. “I had to tell the Kiwis it was not a race,” said the instructor, referring to the climb up a steep hillside. Physical fitness plays a big part in the course, and the New Zealanders have earned a name for toughness. New Zealand Instructors There are New Zealand instructors at the school, whose term off duty is six months. Those at present there are Captains W. A. Whitlock, A. E. Riddiford, and R. Hunter, SergeantMajor G. Sheldon, and Sergeants H. Davis and G. Alexander. When given leave, the cadets have a good choice of places to visit. They are near a city and a popular seaside resort. For recreation there are cricket, tennis, and swimming. The New Zealand winners of the Allenby Prize during the last 12 months are Sergeant M. C. Tither, W.O. 1 M. W. J. Ross, Lance-Ser-geant R. W. Berry (25th Battalion), Bombardier C. E. H. Pledger, W.O. 1 I. C. Denniston Wood (New Zealand Artillery), Sergeant A. H. Emoson (18th Battalion), Sergeant P, Wynn Williams, and Corporal G. H. Rush (New Zealand Provost). The ranks are those the men held before becoming officers. The Maori Victoria Cross winner. Second Lieutenant Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu and Captain C. Upham, V.C., both received their training at the Middle East Officer Cadet Training Unit.