THE WIND AND THE GUNS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1042, 3 February 1911, Page 4

THE WIND AND THE GUNS.

A GALE AT FORT DORSET. Tort Dorset, the seaward fortified pos}« tion in the harbour defence works, is exposed to every wind that blows, and last night when the heavy gale, from the north sprang up, the- Wellington Navals (under Captain \V. H. Morton) were manning the big 6-inch guns for their instructional practice'by searchlight. . After firing ssven rounds, the practice was stopped, us the target had disappeared. The night was pitch dark, and clouds of dust, from the recently-constructed earthworks about the fort'stung the faces of the gnjiners, and blinded them for. the time Shortly before 0 o'clock the Commandant of the Forces-(Majqr-Generjil A. F. Godley, C.8.), accompanied by his staffofficer (Captain V. C. Spencer Smith) and Lieutenant-Colonel J..-T. Burnett Stuart, D.S.O. (Director of Military Operations and Intelligence), arrived at the Tort, and inspected the ■ gunners. The.. wind, was just about at its worst thon, and a. violent gust, relieved the General of his cap. After inspection in a sheltered gallery of. the fort, General Godley presented longservice medals to Sergeants Mackay and Francis, and .then gave .a short address to the men.. Jle expressed his pleasure at meeting them, and commiserated with them over their ill-luck with the weather. Under the 'new scheme of organisation, he pointed out, they would have to. discard their naval uniform,' and don tho uniform of the artillery services. Ho felt assured of their willingness to co-operate with him in making the new scheme a thorough success.