OUR DEFENCE FORCES. NAVAL ARTILLERY CAMP.

Evening Post, Volume LVII, Issue 24, 30 January 1899, Page 6

OUR DEFENCE FORCES. NAVAL ARTILLERY CAMP.

The attendance at the camp of the Wellington Navals was a record one for the company, 96 men being on parade. The forts were completely manned on Saturday afternoon. Yesterday was devoted to instruction of officers under Master-Gunner Richardson. Each olncer went through the details of his duties for his particular fort, and was then instructed in the use of mechanical electric dials, etc. The huts, which are fitted up with bunks, recently supplied by the Defence Office, are much appreciated by the men. There being insufficient sleeping accommodation ,in these huts for the full strength of the company, one squad is under canvas, and the officers are also accommodated in tents. This morning the men were astir at 4.30. Gun squads were worked with guns under Permanent Artillery instructors, and the battery commanders had an hour's practice with the range-finding details, etc. The following are the positions of the respective detachments, namely : — Fort Gordon — Under Lieut. Campbell ; manned by Leading Gunner Broomhall's squad. Fort Ballance— Under Lieut. Bell ; 7in guns manned by P.O.'s Blanche and Peterson, 6in guns by P.O. Donaldson. These squads also provide men for the Nordenfeldts at Fort Ballance. Kau Point is manned by P.O. Rabe's squad under Lieut. Cooper, and Point Halswell is in charge of Lieut. Biss, and is manned by P.O. Martin's squad.

The Commandant of the Forces will be back in Wellington from Auckland tomorrow night. The latest donors of trophies for the annual prize-firing of the Post and Telegraph Rifles are Messrs. Briscoe, MacNeil and Co., Cameron and Christie, and the New Zealand Clothing Factory, the lastnamed having given a handsome silver cup, which is at present on view at their establishment, Lambton-quay. The fourth competition for trophies for all classes is fixed for to-morrow morning at 5 o'clock, while a squad is also told off to do volley and independent firing at 5.30 p.m.