THE C1 CAMP

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3189, 13 September 1917, Page 6

THE C 1 CAMP

j "'OUTLINE OF GENERAL SCHEME - ! SYSTEM OF PHYSICAL ;; ; TRAINING ;.'■ The special camp far tho physical ; training-and building up of men lorf. Jnerly classed-as unfit for aotjvo' service ;'-.-.■ will soon bo in full swing, \\iiile many t of the details of organisation have' not ':•''.■ yet been decided/upon, the Main.scheme v to be followed at the outset is practically |v. ; "';' Settled; . Alterations; niay have to be :. ■ ,■:. made- as the work progresses, but,- since ;" ; this is the first experiment of this sort |- ■'.'■•■• to be ,niade in Australasia, it is to be ;•".■'"; expected that! adjustments will require i to be made. British experience has been ; : profited by, and military circles the I: '■.' opinion has'been expressed that from 50 ' ; to ,-75 per cent, of _ the men who enter '{■■;■ the camp will be made fit. | f '.Whether the camp will finally be situj v :. ated at Tauherenikau : or in the canvas I camp portion of Featlierston Main Camp ! ,' - f has not yet been definitely decided. But ;".;■,at any rate, for the first month, the ;>:■..•;" latter place will be used. It has the •';' \ advantage of being near the Camp Quar- ! '.'■ /termaster's stores and tho medical quar- '.■■•.. -lets, both points of some importance.

' : '•■ The first draft of CI and T2 men-to ; name.them according to their just classi- .' fixation—will enter camp on September 26 ",np to the.number of 500. But.those men ..'.'-.-'who are net rejected again by the Medi- .!.'. cal' Board will have had their, clarification changed to A, B, or CI. Tho A's .and B*s will go into camp with the reinforcement drafts in the usual way_; the Cl's will go into the new camp. And ;■; ; these Cl's will, it understood, be subdivided into classes according to their relative fitness. Physical exercises, ac- ' cording to this classification, will be I •' given;'.' ■ v .'

The CI Camp will have its own adjutant and camp quartermaster, and there will be. an 0.C.. to'each'-draft. The troop will be divided into companies of 200 ■ men, under an O.C. company, and two other officers. Of the latter, each will take 100 men, and attached to each 100 men will be six n.c.o.'s. These officers and n.c.o's will be Second Division men or •returned officers. And all will be specially selected with a view to their steadiness, patience, and tact, as well as to '(heir military knowledge. The 100 men are to bo divided into six squads, each under its own n.c.0., and that n.c.o. will never be-changed except in exceptional circumstances. He will personally supervise the welfare of each "of his men, fad 6ince the squad will number less i inn 20, he should soon know his men well.

'It' is :on tho training ground as well ns in the sick hut or Medical Board \ room that' the fitness of the CI men: is lo'be tested. For that reason the opinions of the officers, n.c.o.'s, and inFtruotors Trill have a good deal of weight. Hut it is understood that a spechl medical officer will be "detailed for the CI Gamp. He will 6pend all his time thereand make a close 6tudy of the tioops iiader his charge, keeping in touch with the' training officers. '.'■; Physical training being a strong feature of the now camp, the personnel ■' </f the instructional staff has had special attention. These instructors are Hi returned n.c.o.'s, and it is understood they " will be under the direction of an officer i/ho has special knowledge of the work. Camps of this kind have been in full swing in Great Britain for some months, -■Mid good .results obtained as a result of careful physical training. The men will be "squadded" according .to their physical progress. Those who , show their fitness for further advanced exercises will be pushed-on,-those who do not will be kept on a more graduated syllabus, and those who show a fallingoff will be put back. Four' weeks is the ]«riod. approximately, in which the fitness or otherwise of the recruits is expected to show. But it may take longer, I'jid, again, some men may develop more rapidly than others, and qualify for transfer to reinforcement draffs. As ■. men go- out of camp, whether as fit for pervice or as unfit, after being medically 'Tjoarded," allowance will be made, for the entry, of more men with the next month's draft. On October 24 it :s exliected that the strength of the camp will be increased to 2000 men, which is the number at which it will stand according to present intention. I