New Gates Opened At Burnham Camp

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28537, 17 March 1958, Page 12

New Gates Opened At Burnham Camp

A handsome brick veneer entry to Burnham Military Camp was yesterday dedicated as “a monument to .100,000 soldiers of the South Island who trained at the> camp.” The entrance gates were officially opened by the Minister of Defence (Mr Connolly) and the honour. to be the first unit

Ao march through went to the twenty-sixth territorial intake, which was holding its passingout parade. . During World War II and the occupation of Japan immediately after, 47,000 soldiers were trained at Burnham for overseas service. In addition, many thousands were trained for service in New Zealand. Since the passing of the Compulsory Military Training Act in 1949 approximately 22,000 soldiers under the scheme trained in the camp. As he cut the red ribbon barring the way through the gates, Mr Connolly said: “I pray e God will, always bless those who pass through these gates, now and in the years ahead.” The parade—a 100-man guard of honour, a silver band and 376 territorials—turned out in freshly-laundered crisp khaki drill uniforms. The men were in place and stood steady, in spite of : difficult conditions caused by a constant south-west at times gusting up to 40 knots, for more than half an hour before the ceremony started. Their bearing caused many favourable comments from veteran soldiers present. The trainees were especially praised for their Guards-like conduct during a barrage of small twigs and branches from creaking bluegum trees bending to the wind nearby and a brief cold shower of rain. The officer commanding the guard of honour was Lieutenant J. J. -Storey, N.Z. Regiment. Those pr&ent included the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr R. M. Macfarlane, M.P.), the Roman Catholic Bishop of Christchurch (the Most Rev. E. M. Joyce), the officer commanding the Canterbury division of the Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve (Captain J. N. Allan), the officer commanding the Royal New Zealand Air Force station, IVigram (Group Captain T. J. de Lange), and representatives of the Returned Services’ Association. Speeches were given by the commander of the Southern Military District (Brigadier, J. T. Bugrows), the Minister of Defence and the member of Parliament for Selwyn (Mr J. K. McAlpine). Brigadier’s Remarks Welcoming guests to the ceremony and parents of trainees in the passing-out parade, Brigadier Burrows said that because of the official opening of the gates a full ceremonial parade was not possible. The 26th intake was a very good one and as good as any that had passed through the camp and members of it were to be complimented for the progress they had made and for the enthusiasm they had shown. Bumham was honoured that the Minister of Defence had accepted the invitation to be present. It was Mr Connolly’s first visit in nis new official capacity as Minister, but Mr Connolly had been at the camp before. That was two years ago when as a private member of Parliament and accompanied by the member for Mornington (Mr W. A. Hudson) he had lived at the camp for a short spell to see at first-hand the manner in which the trainees* were fed and trained. “The fact that two members of Parliament came and lived in the camp pleased the Regular Force very much,” Brigadier Burrows said. Dedicated to Soldiers Brigadier Burrows said that the gates were not a war memorial. They were dedicated to the soldiers everywhere who had trained in the camp. An inscription on one plaque reads: “Dedicated to all soldiers who entered this camp in the service of their country.” The dedication included eigh-teen-year-olds as well as soldiers when went overseas in World War 11, all ranks of the Regular Force, instructors and administrative staff, and “humbly and proudly, all those who lost their lives overseas.” The inscription on the second plaque was a quotation from Pericles “delivered 2000 years ago and as applicable today as it was then.” Brigadier Burrows read the quotation as follows: “Remember that prosperity can only be for the free and that freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it.” More than 100,000 men and women had trained at Burnham and “the vast majority” had recognised the necessity for it and enjoyed the experience. The calibre of the entrants could be gauged by a recital of some of the people who had passed through the camp. These included two ■ major-generals, six brigadiers, , more than a dozen colonels and ■ lieutenant-colonels, a Speaker of the House of Representatives, three holders of the Victoria Cross, ' two bishops, two judges of the • Supreme Court, “not to mention members of Parliament, magis-

trates, newspaper editors and ! mayors, and men from every pr.o--i fession and trade.” “They would be the first to agree that military training will form character and shape lives. . I am one of those who believes • that to train men to be good I soldiers is to train them to be good citizens,” Brigadier Burrows , said. Defence Policy Mr McAlpine said it was unique for a person to be present at the opening of a memorial to himself, but he was glad to be present. Welcoming the Minister of Defence to his electorate, he said he hoped it would be convenient for the Minister to give some indication of policy on defence. The passing-out parade of the twenty-sixth intake would be the last or the second to last of its Kind, and personally, he was sorry. Compulsory military training had done much good. An old axiom and a true one was “healthy bodies make healthy minds,” and the scheme was a help to stop child delinquency by giving opportunities for thinking about other things. Mr McAlpine said it did youths good to live together equal in status, learning to obey before they could command, and learning to share with . their fellow men. “I fiope that those whd* come after you will see that the defence of the Dominion is cared for,” he said. The cost of compulsory military training had been very substantial, but the cost of substituting something else might mean not only money but young lives. “If we have to, I hope we never go to war again with partiallytrained troops,’-’ he said. Minister’s Speech Mr Connolly said he wished to thank Brigadier Burrows for inviting him to declare the gates open. He had listened carefully to what Mr McAlpine had said and disagreed with a lot of what he had heard, but he would “fight to the death to allow him to have the right to speak as he spoke on this particular occasion.” The gathering was to dedicate the gates and honour men and women who had been trained in .the camp, especially during World War 11. “It is only right and proper we should give thanks to God that they were fit and ready to play their part in defence on the Commonwealth and the Christian way of life,” he said. “They went forward believing in the justice of their cause and to preserve the freedom we have in this country.” Mr Connolly said the time was a proper one to recall the principles of the Atlantic Charter and its four freedoms—the freedom of speech, the freedom of worship, the freedom from fear, and the freedom- from want.

“We enjoy them all in this green and fertile land and on this day we remember those thousands of young New Zealanders who gave their lives' for them,” he said. Since 1950, 68,094 men had been trained under the compulsory scheme, and of this number 22,000 had been passed through Bumham camp. Mr Connolly congratulated the guard of the 26th intake, “not only for their bearing but for the manner in which those of whom I asked questions, answered them without blinking an eyelid. That is a great thing for the Citizens’ Army.” Mr Connolly said he appealed to the trainees to take part in the civic life of their community and local body affairs and to stand for electorates in the New Zealand Parliament. “I hope you will always stand firm for the ideals and principles for which so man. New Zealanders have given their lives in two world wars,” he said. Mr Connolly then cut the red ribbon across the gates and declared them open. He led the official party through to Queen’s Drive and mounted a saluting base a short distance inside. Platoons of the passing-out intake then marched through and accorded Mr Connolly a general salute. After the ceremony visitors were entertained at afternoon tea in the officers’ mess, and. the camp was open for two hours to enable them to see static displays of corps equipment.