Defence Of New Zealand

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 234, 1 July 1939, Page 13

Defence Of New Zealand

Sir,—l have just been reading that very inspiring booklet, “This Motoring,” and one of the pre-war stunts of the A.A. was to take a Guards battalion from London to the coast, and the thought came to me that a similar “stunt” might be well emulated in this country today, not in one area only, but in several parts of the country.

It could be worked out on a progressive basis. First, asking all A.A.’s in.the country to circularize their members for use of cars for this purpose, on the understanding that those who volunteered would thereby be enrolling themselves and their cars in the defence forces of this land. The first essay should be in the nature of a preliminary rehearsal and giving to each owner volunteer tweutyfour hours’ notice to meet at given centres to take up the mobilized territorials there. At the specified place and time to entrain these men and take, them by determined routes to the rendezvous.

The next step would be a call at few hours’ notice some Saturday afternoon. This would mean that such volunteers and their cars would be, and should be, at the disposal of the defence authorities at any time. It will be on our coasts, if anywhere, that our defence will begin, and speed in getting the greatest number of men to a given spot at a given time will be our paramount problem. To leave it till then would be to court disaster, but a few and regular rehearsals would be of incalculable value. Many men, like myself, who would not be much good as fighters, could be drivers of cars, and many of us are eager to do our bit .just now, when the younger men are being called upon to defend us.

Men over sixty may have more leisure to be. able to respond at any moment for such a “stunt,” and they would be quite capable, of driving a car that they own themselves. The defence authorities could easily work out some kind of organization that could be applied to each A.A. area, and after two or three rehearsals each volunteer driver and his car could be systematically brought to the fullest state of efficiency. Many of us are old soldiers or volunteers with; some knowledge of military organizations and routine. For what it is worth I make this suggestion to the powers that oe. I am, etc., W. F. STENT. Carterton, June 26.