TERRITORIAL FORCE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1032, 23 January 1911, Page 5

TERRITORIAL FORCE.

THE TRAINING SEASON. ROUND THE CAMPS. All over the military district training camps are in full swing. The First Wellington Riflo Battalion is just completing a most successful course of training lindei canvas at Ivarori; at Mahanga £a] tho Wellington Engineers are entering upon the second week of their annual', training course in the various branches, of their specialised work; the new fortified position at Dorset Point is being manned for the first time by No 1 Company'of the Garrison Artillery Division, while No. 3 Company is encamped at Sort Ballanco. D Battery is at Featherston, completing its annual service test l in shell practice. AT KARORI. WITH THE RIFLE BATTALION. A feature of.the battalion camp at th§ Karon Recreation Ground is tho continuous course which has been organised by Capt. J. A. Cowles (Adjutant of the Battalion: for the instruction of officers. The at> tendance at lectures—these are, of course additional to the ordinary work which, aa 1 company officers, they have to do in connection with each day's camp routine and field work—varies from 10 to 16. - Lectures on tactical subjects have been given by Major C. Harcourt Turner, ' Captain C. B. Harton has given lectures; on topography; Lieut. Hulbert has lectured on various departments of signalling, while lectures on reconnaissance mi™ beeu given b3 " Ca P'aia Cowles. lhe whole of the surrounding country, '' Pu S £? SIL rocolmoi 'red 'and mapped bj- t the officers, and the final map, represent-l, mg the sum of the observations and topo-i graphical notes, was really a very excel-* ■ lent work of art. The course of training, for the battalion, which has been care-\ fully graded to reach its culminating) point attack and defence manoeuvres—j to-day, was on Saturday carried to thai practice of development from lines ofj company columns to the advance in'at-' • tack. Church Parade and Presentation of Medals. Yesterday morning divine service waa conducted iu camp by the Bishop of Wellington (the Right I!ev. Dr. Wallis), the parade being a most impressive one. F Company (College Rifles) provided the choir, and the musical portion of the service was very successful. The Bishop, who : gave a very short address, for the heat of the day was very trying to some of tho men, standing as they were in close order, vras listened to with tho closest attention. His remarks were of a practical kind, and'' struck a responsive chord in the assembled company. Kev. Father Herring, chaplain to. ii '^ nn6 . s Cadets, conducted a service inl the hospital tent for those who desired to attend the Roman Catholic service. . A Bible class on Sunday afternoons has also ■ been conducted by Major Mackintosh/ thai attendance numbering about 21). After the church parade, lieut.-Colonel E ; W. C. Chaytor (officer commanding the district) presented three, long and efficient service medals to Lieut.-Colonel W. G., Duthie (officer commanding the Battalion), ■: the medals covering periods of twelve, sixteen, and twenty .years' service respectively. Captain Roach received his twelveyears' medal, and two sergeants of H Com-' pany. (Sergeants Love and Dodd) were presented with ■ sixteen and twelve-years' medals respectively. Out on the Hilll. A simple exercise in attack and defenca was then carried out, when Major Turner, " with four companies, attacked a defensive position held by Major' Mackintosh, who was posted with five companies and one Maxim gun on the Makara Road, about. ...JJireß miles from camp.. . The operations, : .which were purely , in^fmtional,'. ,la'sted''i from half-past ten in the moTning till "three ,ii\ the afternoon, by which time everybody', H'&'s "dog tired" and fftn(fthing-for"ii f t66tt\' square meal. ■ To-day the Commandant of the Forces: •(Major-General.-A. F.. Godley, C.8.) wilV inspect the battalion in manoeuvre at 9.31, ( a.m. At the close of the day's operations '■ tents will be struck, the ground cleaned i up; and the battalion marched back' to town. FIELD GUNS AT WORK.

D BATTERY AT FEATHERSTON. ■Continuing its field operations and shell' practice at Featherston, D Battery-early, on Saturday morning set out along the road to Cross Creek, acting as an advance guard'ill an imaginary scheme ofv attack and defence, and engaging targets along the whole route. The shoot-' ing in all cases was excellent, both when, firing from concealed positions and open: jjositions; Tho practice was witnessed by officers from the staff camp at Tau-' herinikau. ■

. After dark, night firing Was carried' out, the ranges, angle and' line of lire having been laid during the day. Thif series was a most interesting one, and; of high instructive value. . Yesterdays (Sunday) was devoted to battery ; en-i trenchments, and an alarm turn-out was also carried out. 'Afterwards the battery, engaged upon a.route march of 10 miles.' To-day the ■ gunners -will complete, their.' shooting, and in the afternoon will en-i train for Wellington, arriving, it is ex-; pected, about 7..p.m. '

A Successful Camp,

Altogether the battery has been through: a very strenuous fortnight, and excellent work'has been accomplished under somewhat disadvantageous conditions'. The loss of three of their officers has been a big .handicap to the men, about 50 of; whom have put in five days' continuous, training, while all of them have put in' four days', continuous training. Reckoning also morning and evening parades at the Hutt Park for 12 days, the battery has put in altogether about CO hours' training. The thanks of the battery are :due to' Messrs. Barton. Speedy, Walker and i'ringham for their kindly permission tc shoot over privato lands. Lieut. Standish, R.N.Z.A., assisted by Sergts.-Major : Wilson and Valentine, was range officer for the shooting, Captain Ellis and; Lieuts. Roso and Hollis were the official' recorders, and Captain G. S. Richardson, Chief Instructor of Artillery, umpired. Sergeant-Major Petersen, R.N.Z.A., was instructor for the camp. The specialists of.'the battery, under Sergeant Smith and Corporal Wood, did some excelled work in field sketching.