ON PARADE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3039, 28 March 1917, Page 6

ON PARADE

FIELD DAY AT TRENTHAM

A NEW SERVICE RIFLE

.' Trentham Camp, and ■~ its , enyirbn- : inents ; were looking at .their very best yesterday, thanks ,to the beneficent showers 1 that have fallen during.the last few; days, when an official, visit .was -paid to .the wollrknown training establishment .;by". His Excellency . the Governor, Lord Liverpool. The Governor was accompanied by MajdrOeneral A. W. Robin, aud the inspecting party at the camp included Colonel XJibbon, .Chief of the .General Staff, Lieut.-Cilonel Potter, Camp Commandant, Captain Bell,. Camp Adjutant, and Majors Waite .and F. Lampen. The chief feature of the day, was a general parade of about half the troops at present quartered at Trentham, the left-wing of the 23rd Reinforcement, and the whole of the 24th Reinforcement, altogether a very serviceable body of men, who looked brown and hard after all these summer days in camp, and who made a brave show as •they ewunfr round the parade ground to the lilting' strains' of the Camp •/Band; , The men are as a whole a ■Rood, solid lot, of a type that, when incomes to the real thing, should do New Zealand credit.

After the parade the men showed ■something of that fitness in war meth- ~ ods that is the outcome of their gruel- ; ■■■■• ling on both'sides of the big hill. One of the most interesting,, and, to the imaginative, exhilarating displays, was ■an exhibition of modern bayonet fight- ;■. ing. It .was. a rare, sight to see the sun-tanned units dash forward at the whistle, with their fixed bayonets glis■'itening in the autumn sun, and thrust /thenKfiercely into imaginary Huns, by stuffed sacks hanging from a gallows-like arrangement, with dabs of paint 'to represent the heart and abdomen! . i JEvery sack died a violent death at'the ;nrst charge, and haying-tasted blood •:the men sprang into the. enemy ■' itrenches, had ai fierce confliot with its "'supposititious defenders, and having settled, them, went "over the top" and '■■•■ !did a lot • more damage before they

were called off, hot and well breathed, hut gloriously victorious. Cold steel is '.not relished by' the Hun —or anyone ■ else for that matter—and with such impetuous zeal as was displayed yesterday to contend against, our enemies are not likely to relish'the new form 'of in-fighting, with its cunning thrusts

and iqlta. ' . ; j ■■, There were a|so some lively obstacle charges, in. , -vyliich. sections .of mea were liberated by whistle, whose duty it was to jump over hurdles, climb' a 6ft. 6in. barrier, leap trenches, aud gener- • ally overcome such .obstacles as they , -expect to encounter as they drive the I Hun out of Belgium. . .

Of first importance, too, was the impromptu "shoot", that took placo ;with the latest, service rifle, which is .to be served out to our men in the

near future. The new arm is an improved Lee-Enfleld riflo (a .276 rifle with a .;.303 bore), a chunky and well-balanced [arm that seems to embody the best in all other service rifles now in use. One feature obviates a man attempting to shoot with an exhausted magazine. There ie an ingenious catch that holds hack the bolt when the gun is unload'ed. That is to say., that without manipulation the user cannot shoot the bolt home , when the rifle is unloaded.

The sight gauge (adjustable up to a ■1600 yards range) is attached to the ■mechanism of the rifle behind, instead of in front, of tl),e breech, '. and tho sieht itself, which is apt to get knocked about in a melee, is protected by .Swo strong steel shoulders. The aperture sight is also attached to the 'inetal of the mechanism, instead of the wooden stock. It takes clips of five ;cartride;es, instead of a magazine of

ten, which is said to have an advantage as a time-saver.

The new rifles were tried out on the 200 yards raneo by members of the Darty. His Excellency the Governor had five shots, and made good shooting, setting a "bull" with his third shot. Colonel Gibbon showed excellent form.

securing three "bulls" out of five shots. Major-General Robin also tried the new arm. Among its best attributes are its easy pull-off-and its gentle "kick." 'All the men in camp are interested in the new rifle and eager to handle it at the ranges.

, At the conclusion of the day His Excellency expressed his pleasure 'at the efficiency and smartness" of tho men and the turn-out generally.