FIELD TACTICS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 328, 15 October 1908, Page 9

FIELD TACTICS.

RIFLE BATTALION AT TRENTHAM. A GOOD DAY'S WORK. Tho Wellington Rifle Battalion, 370 strong; left Wellington per 8.45 special' "train for Trentham yesterday, for' . the purpose of carrying out field tactics, the idea being, to put in tho requisite amount of work to .earn two paid daylight parados, which, in tho case of a private, is equal to ss. per day. On arrival at Trentham, tho jivork resolved itself into tho carrying out of a scheme of attack and defence, as expressed by -tho "general idea," which ran thus:— ■ "A party of about 100 'Blue' Infantry .' is entrenched on tho hills.'aboVe' the fills,", 'range. Their object is ft!cov.er tho. ad- 4 vanco of a large body of unknown strength approaching from the east, to cut the railway lino at Trentham. An infantry forco of about. 400, with two maxims, is sent to drive the, enemy back on to his main body." : Tho enemy was represented by -tho Zcalandia Rifles, who, armed with picks-and shovels, proceeded to the rising - ground .behind the Collins Range, and dug a series of ontrenchments, their main position, being: at tho top of the hill. The balance of the battalion consisting _ of the City Rifles (Colour-Sergt. , Davis), Guards (Capt. J. Dutliio, junr.), Kelburno Rifles (Capt. Davis), Civil Service Rifles (Capt. Marshall), College Rifles (Capt. C. Harcourt Turner), Highland Rifles (Capt. M'Diarmid), Cycle Corps (Lieut. Fountain), Hutt'Valley Rifles (Capt. Ross), Johnsonville,.-.Rifles - (Capt-. Moore), and Post and-:--.Telegraphs Rifle's (Captain Harton), formed n the - .attacking, party. The College Rifles" and the High-: landers wero detailed to make a flank attack on tho position; tho Post and Telegraph Rifles formed tho firing-line, with the City Rifles as supports, and the Guards formed tho reserve lino of attack. Tho maxim gun detachment (Ivelburne Rifles) was escorted by the Johnsonvillo Rifles, and got in some useful target practice at 500 yards range. Some of the individual scores' w'the "delibor--ate firing," being very .good. Sixteen signallers were detailed from the Post and Telegraph Rifles to act—four with tho entrenched enemy, four with tho main attack, four with tho flanking party, and four with tho reserves.

The operations wero well carried out, the dispositions of units correctly estimated, and the various phases of the attack well timed. Tho result was that tho enemy was forced to retire from, his main entrenchments,, although opinion was somewhat divided as to tho propriety of certain features of'tho. attack, best explained by what appears below, At midday an armistice was, declared, and tho combatants had lunch,V, the .morning operations having occupied-two, and. ,ii half hours. After lunch another,'spell of work followed for two and .hours, and at 4.15 tho battalion, .jjeacle.d', by the Battalion Band (Bandmaster, Dean), marched to tho station, arrangements liaving been made for the men to for home, at 4.35 p.m. , Hero, however, it was,,apparent that some misunderstanding had arisen." . Tho' District Office had previously boeii !iiiformed', that the battalion would leave Wellington;, fat .8.45 a.m., and return to town ,at 5.35 .p.m.', .by the train leaving Trentharrr..at.:4.3s. .p.m. When tho battalion arrived. Tat .Trentham, after thoir day's work, it .was discovered .that tho Railway Department:'liad' 'arranged! for tho special train to at",' 5.35' p.m., an hour later, in pursuance', .it ,was <sx- : plained, of definite instructions'..',,from, .the District Adjutant. Tho battalion ultimately arrived in town shortly after. 6.30 p.m. The' mombors of tho Johnsonvillo .Rifles, having missed tho Manawatu traiii,.whjch r was, timed, to leave Wellington about had':perforceto hang about until 11 p'.m;,. ailong'.lwait'not at all relished by tho men. .^r., The parade stato was 'as-follQwa Rifles, 41: Guards, 23: Kelb'u'rne Rifles, 20; Civil Service Rifles, 28: College .Rifles, 30; Zealantlia Rifles. 43.^Hjyifytt'd^Rfflcs,;; 37."": Hutt Valley Rifles,' ! 36; johnsonville/Rifles, 27; Cvclists, 11: Band.. 21; buglers, 13: staff, 6—Lieut.-Colonel W.'.'G:''Dutliie, ; '.CilC.,. Major C. D. Cowlcs and F. Burton MSbiii, Sergoant-Major Rose, and Battalion Ser-ge.int-Major. Charters. 'Total 376—an expressive reply "to those who are apt to assort that volunteering- is not what it might be.

Three volunteers and a captured TRENCH." • , "IN THE ABSENCE. OF RULES." " ' By The three volunteers" squatted ? down ?outhe grass and unanimously , went into liquidation—that is, they drank long and thirstily for they were very hot, and very tired.. They were privates and, had a, tale to. tell to mo. He of the Zealandias had' helped to dig a trench, and while-guarding had beengrabbed by the legs by. ; two furtive - skirmishers, and hauled ignominiously.. into.-, the fern, whero his rifle bolthad <, been:; abstracted. They of the .College Rifles had done this thing, and lie ''frowned -darkly at' one of his late enemies as .he sprawled- oil the grass beside him. ; jhe .other was. ; a Highlander, with a doric that had whiskers on it. "It's all very fine," he said, "but it ain't playing the game.". v. . "Magnificent, but not war, eh?", said he of- the College Rifles.. "It. was a - doody little scrap all the saine,< what?".-. "Hot —you were all dead as'mutton long before you got near us; .ask Colonel-: Bill," protested the Zealandia.:, ;.i "Quite so —the dead men. camo- up and surprised you, took your-rifle-bolts,--and cleared out the trenches. Nice;'.'thing-for dead men to do, wasn't it?" - "This has a beginning," I suggested. > ■' "As it was in yes,: I .suppose it has," said he of the College Rifles. . "It wis a guid fcenish," chuckled the Highlander. A beg yer paurdon—ye wui sayin'? r

"Well, in the beginning," the O.C. Company informed us that there -was a frabjious war; one hundred• hostile ..skirmishers were entrenched on the hills'.just'above , the rifle range, aud, from information received, as the police say, were covering the-advance' of a large body of tlio enemy, of unknown strength, which was advancing from the east, to cut the railway line at Trenthaui. We, the gallant defenders of our great and glorious country, to the. number of -100 infantry, with two maxims, had .bepiutold, to drive the advance line of the enemy back on to his main body. D'ye follow?" ... ( I nodded. ■' ' ."'''7'"That's the general ideiiV'as-it'is officially called. Then Colonel Bill gdt a special idea "up his sleeve for the frustration of the proud invader. Ho figured out that the entrenched party should be attacked' oh "the flank, so he sent t-ho College Boys and"the Kiltiej' to ''do 1 tlio flanking. The other lot—Gii'anlsj'P. aridT.'s, Cities, Kelburnes, Hiltt;Vslleys7'Jblinsonvilles, Civils, and Cyclists' we'ro tb' make' a frontal attack, supported by tlio maxims'; all plain sailing. The scouts reported that the Zealandias, who represented the! advance line of tlio enemy,': had. entrenched themselves in several places, fr.om the tronch { at the Collins rarigo tothe l summit'of- the' hills, and were thirsting- for blood. So were we, and we got right tQ r on the flanking business. The O.C. 'worked us up through the scrub, in a long-detour, and the Highlanders manoeuvrcdUip the face of the rise. Wo drew the Zealandias' fire when wo were doubling, singly,- .over a piece of open ground, and they'.reckon that they killed us all." ...r".-r!i . "So wo did," said the :Z,ealandia. . . "They calculated in.thei Sou,tk;African i War, that the casualties averaged one in--5000 bullets on the English side. It's not easy t-o hit a man whenjie.'s ou. tho run." "What about the Boei-s?"' "Dunno. Well, we allowed's ./per cent, casualties for that little bit ofopen country! and all that was left of us crawled through' tlio scrub, and gradually.,-worked up to- the top. Then we scattered a : ,little, .and .worked along towards the Zealandias. I nailed one of their scouts soon after~--1.-i'surpn'scd him. took his gun, explained to him that I had poked him with a bayonet-in thf6e'-or fort? places, and intimated that- s ho" was'therefore oxtromoly dead. Bomo of our other follows ,H.ere well posted by. this time for 'a charge^,

and, after letting off several volleys of blank, wo got up and rushed tho trench. Wo took some of their rifles, and abstracted the bolts. It was a groat scrap." . "11l tho absence of rules, I mnrmured. "That's it," said tho Zealandia. "You are not supposed to open fire within fifty yards in peaco manoeuvres." . "All's well in love or war," said tho College Rifle, soothingly. "After all, you were taken by surprise, weren't you?" "Matter of opinion," snapped tho other. "Have a cigarette, old chap, and forget about it." Then peaco fell upon tho group, and blue tobacco smoke curled lazily into tho air.'