BREAKING THEM IN

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1361, 12 February 1912, Page 6

BREAKING THEM IN

FIRST COMPULSORY CAMP, GUNNERS AND ENGINEERS AT ORINGI. SUNDAY'S DOINGS. (By Telegraph-Special Correspondent.) Dannevirkc, February 11. From (lie south, from the east, and from the west, towards the terraced (lata uf Oringi they came along by trninloads on Saturday, 4-10 odd. Some came in daylight, some i„ twilight while others Kicked the boulders m (| lc gun-park aa they came tmougli the darkness irom a little railway siding to the lines of canvas cones which marked (lie site of „,« Ail tilery Brigade camp, ami returned thanks in appropriate terms to the power* Unit had ordained the hour of their ar- ,",?'■ e .°. 1 " t0 . 1 ", 10 °' clock at '»Bht (ho Brass swished to the tread of cautious feet •lodging tout-pegs and ropes, boulders and I III'mI ' "' « ham , wls . V' hile tn l'l»ns '«al--11 ely thumbs Then the chill of (1,« ait mm, night descended, and the busing toiiSs.''" ,Vnn " enßl ' osscll n " °'"'s «tThus (hey, the rank and file of Wol™dltion^nf i,, V?'"' ,i /»™ rl^'^ -SoVitrt!: VMS Hie dawn found then, in chil y rope t Tim Camp at a Glance. Daylishi and the •'reveille- saw dig, closed to view the first compulsorv trainl&M "'"iv 0 , ,^ lwld , in "" Wellin«ton M htary District under the new Defencescheme, the first camp i„ New Zealand ii tact. Above on the railway level was the gun park, a great yellow- paddock on which the greenish-brown 15-pounders and ammunition wagons stood nut stiff and stark on (he terrace below the «taff lines and mess marquee, below that again on another terrace were tho horso lines, brigade officers' quarters, and battery lines, and, last, the creek Data, with watering places, a white Hag for drinning and cooking, blue for the horses and red for bathing. Beyond the bluo papa face of the apposite cliff lay a stretch of undulating country, and then a descent through the scrub to the Manawatu River, the colour of pea-soup from upcountry rniiis. That is tho Oringi camp at a glance. To-dav is (he men's first day in camp, and, being Sunday, it has not been a very strenuous one. Certain mailers of routine have had to lie attended to, fatigue duties, cleaning up camp, "stables" inspection, aud so on, which lijiw kept the hardier spirits out o[ mischief. In the forenoon Divine service was conducted on the gun park- by Lieut.Colonel the Rev. ]?. Hennon, of Mnngatninoka, there being a large attendance. Of those who elected to remain in camp, some stretched themselves on the broad of (heir backs, and counted tho minutes till diiinei time, for the Oringi air is a hunger-raiser. Others suffered the strains of an accordeon with a languid indulgence, and sang as (ho spirit moved them. It was most obviously a tired camp. Preliminary Work. To-morrow work will commence in real earnest. This will bo largely of a preliminary nature, for thfre are gunners hero whose knowledge of 15-pounclcrs is limited to ability to distinguish one end from tho other. Of the three batteries, "D" is Iho most seasoned by comparison. Tho "h\" the new battery at Napier, also knows something of field gunnery, but the "J" Mattery from Palmerston was recruited not very long ago, and Ims no nuns. ' As soon as the. camp is over and the D Battery gets its new mountain guns, two of (heir old 15-pounders—these. 15-pounders by the way are obsolete—will bo sent to.Paliiier.slon. In the meantime a good deal of useful information will bo acquired in camp, while the "J" men ara associated with the Napier and Wellington batteries. Afterwards, when they hecome versed in tho technicalities ol field gunnery ihey will lie equipped with tho new field Howitzers which are coming from England. Tho Napier gunners will be supplied with 18-pounder quick-firers, while the Wellington men will indulge in tho giddy sensation of driving gun mules up and down the razor-backs, and gullies, and ravines, yea, precipices which, aro thn abode of Wellington winds, Some Raw Recruits. Sonic of the Territorial gunners ok. Oringi have only just joined and don't know the difference between tho Director of Ordinance aud a staff sergeant-major. This morning the languor of a fatigue party which was detailed to clean up the camp troubled (he eye of an apoplectic staff sergeant-major. The latiguo party "speeded up" in response to a sharp query from the staff sergeant-major who then turned his attention elsewhere. "Who's that fat old sausage?" inquired an irreverant recruit as he glared at tho broad back of the receding sergeantmajor. "One of the boss men," replied one of his friends airing his superior knowledge. Even in the short period which has elapsed since the troop trains began, to arrivo there have been one or two thrills. Army service wagons can stand nearly Anything, and as they can be galloped over a rough paddock without injury, artillery drivers do not waste much time on the road. A barber' came into camp, and liis plush chair was put aboard a wagon. A gunner promptly seated himself in the chair, and the wagon moved off at a sharp trot, taking dips aud hollows as matters of course, Finally tho leaders swung over the brow of the terrace, and, still at the trot, took the stc<:-p slope to the terrace Mow. He who was enthroned on the barber's chair was re ; luclantlv com wiled by nn irresistible law of physics to leave his post, and "go to the front," which he did by suddenly flying from his seat and over the horses' heads, fetching up on the grass, undignified but unhurt. A Young Man In a Hurry. Another "young man in a hurry" toolt the up slono at a gallop with the service water cart, but the weight of the cart was too much for the horse, who wan pulled back, and finally turned a somersault. Once again there was no accident. The total number in camp is as follows :— Roval N.Z. Artillery 10 D 'Battery, Wellington 137 . F Battery, Napier 81 J Battery, Palmerston N AG Wellinglon Engineers 87 Total ill The officers rare as follow:—General Staff at headquarters, Lieut-Colonel Cf. N. Johnston; ordnance, Captain J. E. Duigan; engineer staff officer, district. lieadnnariers, FalniATMon North, C.intani J. T. lVswnrth- dVrct "diu'enr, Artillorv Brigade, Mni"r TVJicrick (Rriirade MnioTV. Captain Rwc, Lieutenants C. TTav Mwkcimo. A. M'Oiiarr'ie, and IT. Jensen, of D Battery. Captain V. N. SfcolW and Lioutona'ils N. Frnser and T.. Miles, F Kitten- (Nanier); Oant«in J. Mounsov and Lieutenants .1. V. T. P'inper and IT. M. Gn'-rer, J Battery (Palmerston NVr'h); Wellington Fencers, Captain Gibbes, and Lieutenants Channel and TCcenan. LiontimniiN G. E. rb"icll, R.N.Z.A., is Camn Stiff Officer, and Lieutenant Daises, R.N.Z.A., is brirjde adjutant. Lieutenant Turner. R.N.? V. Is nlso in camp. Captain l/caby, N "'.M.O. (Nanier). i« medical officer, and Cantata Brodic, N.Z.V.C. (Bastings), is veterinary officer. To-day's Routine. "Reveille" sounds at 5.30 a.m. "Boot and saddle" at 5.45 a.m., and first parade preceded by coffee at G. 15 a.m. Breakfast is at 8, then conic more duties till 12.30 p.m., dinner hour. Tea is at 5.80 p.m., after which the men aro free to devoto themselves to recreation and amusement. "Last Post" sounds at ten o'clock, and "Lights Out" at 10.15. .t< Colonel .lohnston pointed out to tho men just before church to-day, (hero aro to be no ."woe sma' Vwr" saturnalias. When the light* go out the men are 'o go to sleep. II is in (he interests of all concerned that every man should cot as much sleep as possible, and (hercforo strict silence is to be maintained after I lights arc out