AT SLING

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 88, 13 April 1917, Page 2

AT SLING

NEW ZEALAND SOLDIERS IN ENGLAND

THE TRAINING CAMPS

(From Malcolm Boss, War Correspondent with the N.Z. Forces in ."tho Field.)

14th February.

A close examination of the training and other institutions in connection with the New Zealand Forces in England leads to the gratifying conclusion thait capable organisation and strenuous effort have done all that could reasonably be desired to put the training and the comfort of the force on a thoroughly satisfactory footing. Owing to the exigencies of the situation, the various camps, hospitals, etc., are scattered over a rather wide area, and it takes some time to get round them all from the Headquarters in. London. ' My journeyings were done> at a time when England was held in the grip of an iron..frost and tha country was white with snow. It was (the severest winter that England had experienced for about twenty-five years, yet, notwithstanding the severity of the; weather, I found the men in excellent health and-spirits, and the- new men especially keen-to gst ove* to the firing-line in France. : ' ■'■

The main camps' are on. the Salisbury Plain,; that at Sling being devoted to the further training of the reinforcement draft© that have come regularly from the little islands so far;across the seas. A day or two before my visit a reinforcement had come in. I saw them marching through the camp, and one could not wish for a finer lot. They certainly looked the right stuff,, and I have noifc the least doubt Ithat they will dfl- tho country that sent them great. credit in the_ next great "push" in tlie coining spring and summer. . They were eleven weeks onthe way, haying been-detained by circumstances over which they had no control. When they arrived in camp they found ii not.-meal awaiting them, there were fires in the stoves in the huts, and blankets also were ready for them. It is inadvisable to give figures, but when I state that the camp is about the 1 feize' of the:'Feath'erston Camp"NewZeaJanders will bs able to form' some idea of its'size and. numbers.

In the Camp Commandant I found an officer well known in New Zealand politics and in Canterbury soldiering. There have, however, been several changes in the command, and there will probably be others still. One of the most recent commandants was a brigadier who had been on the staff in New Zealand,-and who has-been -with the Main Expeditionary Force since it sailed in 1914. He is now returning to his duties in France, and one of tie other brigadiers is likely to, take his place. A great improvement has been made in the comfort, conveniences, and tidiness of the camp since the New Zealanders took charge of it. There are; even neatly dug plots in which spring bulbs and flowers have been planted, and it is the intention of those in authority to aid the food supply by planting several acres with potatoes. 'Since the New Zealanders went into, camp in April, last a great deal has been done in making it the model camp it now is. For this an Otago officer who was with, us on Gallipoli and" was badly wounded there is in great measure responsible. During my visit the ground was frozenhard, and-owing to the absence of mud the camp was seeii to best advantage, but it bears the reputation of being one of the cleanest and healthiest, camps in England, and the various British Generals who have inspected it have expressed .their satisfaction with the conditions that obtain, ■.'.■"''

The system of training is arranged on that of the base camp in France. Need-' ■less to say it is therefore both constant and strenuous, but the men seem to thrive on it and look the picture of good health. . They are also, well dressed'and smart in appearance. There is the usual "bull ring," with specialist instructors who have had the experience of actual warfare in addition to courses of special instruction. Amongst them are a number of English instructors. Bayonet exercises, bombing, wiring, machine-gun instruction, and all the many things a modern soldier has to learn continue from morn till night. Old stables, built for another division, and now no longer needed, have been converted into sheds so that, the drilling can go on in comfort, even on wet days. The command from time to time sends officers and N.C.O.'s to Aldershot so that they can keep up with the training there. But occasionally'the New Zealanders have been a little moTe \ip to date than their comrades in tho MotEerland. The men are quick to learn and keen on their work. In the bayonet training there are three or fonr Aldershot men assisting. At the. bombing school I found a Timaru captain in charge^—a man whom I had frequently seen on Gallipoli. The accidents have been very few. Several, thousands of men have been put through^ with only one serious accident, when Lieut. Carey was killed in heroically saving the lives of several men.

The sanitary arrangements of the camp are first "class, and .the, percentage of sickness is very low indeed. There have been only three cases of meningitis in seven months, and two- of these casas recovered. The first two occurred in the first month. The medical examination of the new arrivals is very thorough. A thousand men are put through in one day, and the unfit are rejected. A. number of the reinforcements have failed to pass the eyesight test, and have to be supplied with glasses to suit each case. There is a small, hospital in which the sick-get every attention and necessary treatment. There are now three dental sections, and thece have been found to be very ueceMiry.

The kitchens are roomy and clean and well arranged. The cooks have a fairly strenuous time. They can supply several thousand men. There are smaller cookhouses for the ' officers' messes. The men have their dinner at night after the training. They get frozen beef, mostly from Australia and the Argentine. What mutton they get is from New Zealand. There are hot and cold shower baths, which are even better than the Feathereton baths. There is a small supply depot, the supplies being drawn at frequent intervals from London. The bijj dining-halls • seat 450 men. I went through them when the men were at dinner, and every man I spoke to was quite satisfied, not only with the quantity, but also with the quality of the food. The meat looked excellent. There was plenty ol vegetables, cheese,, and jam—the latter from Nelson. "The best camp I have ever been in," was the verdict of more than one hefty warrior. The men are well catered for in th& way of amusements. Everywhere one meets the representatives of theY.M.C.A. and hears of the splendid work they are doing, not only in England, but also at the' front. At Sling I had the pleasure of meeting Messrs. Varney, Jamieson, and Smeaton, whom only a few weeks before I had seen busy with the welfare of our men in France. Mr., Varney is shortly returning to New Zealand. At Sling, as elsewhere, this splendid organisation hae built recreation halls for the soldiers. There was a. concert room, a recreation room, an officers' tea room, and billiard tables which were always in request by the men; Carpenters and others were at work on another concert room to seat about eight hundred. A library was -well stocked with books, and the English and New. Zealand newspapers were in evidence on the tables. In charge of the V.M.C.A. was an English lady, the wife of an officer whose husband was killed in tha .war. She has with her eight voluntary women workers who have their own cubicles in the camp.

In an article written in August last I gave details of the round our men make from England to the firing line, back again to England sick'or wounded, and thence through the hospitals and camps back to France 3gain. In this round the New Zealand Command Depot at Godford, also on Salisbury Plain,, plays an important part. There is little to be added to what was then stated, except to say that the'-round now goes on, if anything, more satisfactorily than it did in August. The gradual process of hardening up is scientifically carried on until the men are quite fit again. By that time most of them are rather keen to get back to the front. : As soon as they are able to march about ten'miles a day without undue fatigue, they ; go into a reserve group, where they get more training until they are fully fit. From this reserve group drafts are taken to fill up gaps at the front.

The pressnt very satisfactory condition of the New Zealand administration in England is the result of. a gradual process of evolution which has not been achieved without much thought and a great deal of hard work. ' In . a few months it has improved ,out of all knowledge. It has been attained largely owing to the initiative and tireless organisation of a gunner, now a brigadiergeneral, 'whose very successful' career will have been followed with interest by many of his old friends in New Zealand. He has-been loyally-supported by an able and- enthusiastic staff. , . .

In future articles I hope to deal with other matters in regard to the welfare of our New Zealand soldiers in;-England.