DEFENCE RIFLE CLUBS

Dominion, Volume 17, Issue 292, 27 August 1923, Page 11

DEFENCE RIFLE CLUBS

ENCOURAGEMENT NEEDED. A plea for more harmonious work-~ ing between the defence rifles clubs and - the Defence Department was placed be--fore the Minister of Defence in ParliaS™. ment on Saturday, by the member fotX Otaki (Mr. W. H. Field), who stressed Z t.he readiness of the clubs to put them-.,, selves at the service of their country. One club -alone, he said, provided ~ over forty soldiers for active service in the Great War, at least seven ofwhom made the supreme sacrifice —andthis is understood to be only one in--stance out of many similar ones. In--1914. on the outbreak of war, the™ rifle clubs of Wellington, with the approval of Genera) Godley, immediately™, formed a reserve company to the otn.* (Wellington) Infantry Regiment, being “ issued with rifles,. bayonets, and web* eauipment. and going into active tram- “ ing in order to take their place with* the regiment in case of need. iney-j were officially inspected, by . General . » Godlev who expressed his satisfaction. « In addition, those members of rifle : Subs who had previously been trained on the guns in the local forts as gffff ’ risen artillery volunteers, were formed into a. garrison artillery section. 'Hus section contained. experienced gun-lay-ers. and served for about three months in the local forts, until the menace of enemy warships in the Pacific disappeared, doing twenty-four hours’ duty on alternate days, and manning guns which they actually used. The strength of the company and the artillery section was about three hundred. No question of age and physical fitness arose, as the call was urgent, and was instantly responded to. The company was allotted its place in the. defence of Wellington.