THE "DEVIL'S OWN"

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 131, 6 June 1938, Page 7

THE "DEVIL'S OWN"

13TH BATTERY REUNION FUNCTION Proud of their title, "The Devil's Own," members'of the 13th Battery, New Zealand Field Artillery, which served with great distinction during the War, gathered at the New Commercial Hotel on Saturday evening tor their annual dinner and reunion. Formed in Egypt at the beginning of 1916, the 13th Battery arrived in France about March of that year, and served in all the battles in which the New Zealand Division was engaged until the Armistice, later going to Germany as part of the Army of Occupation. Major T. Farr, D.S.O, M.C.. who was present at the reunion, commanded the battery practically throughout its existence. At the dinner Lieutenant L. Foster was elected chairman for the evening. "There was never a time that they were found wanting," said Lieutenant Foster, proposing the health ol The Battery," coupled with the name of Major Farr. Lieutenant Foster paid a warm tribute to the great influence which Major Farr bad exerted over the battery. Responding, Major 'Farr said that year after year, as the reunions were held, they found new faces, and it was gratifying indeed to see how the members of the battery still stood to« getner "1 always look upon it as the greatest privilege of my life to have had the honour of commanding this battery," he said. He thanked Lieutenant Foster for his tributes, but said that the efficiency of a battery was: made not by its commanding officer, I but by the personnel. It was the way that every man in the battery had done his job that resulted in the battery's great record. Major-Farr con eluded by expressing the hope that there would be many similar reunions in days to come. Colonel R. S. McQuarrie, who 1 was a , guest of the battery at the reunion, recalled many incidents in which the battery had figured during the War. "The 13th Battery was one which I perhaps had a good deal of opportunity to judge," he said, "because 1 was the only . Brigade. Commander oi the New Zealand Division who had commanded a battery in France, and with the experience I had had in; commanding the 9th Battery for about two ygars I perhaps came to know something about, what could be expected from any battery under my command. I feel, as I felt t|ien, that the 13th Battery Was the one battery I could compare on equal terms with my old 9th Battery." (Laughter and "hear, hear.") INSPIRATION Of THE BATTERY. When one thought of the tremendous | effort that the Third -Brigade put up j in the last 100 days of the War, iti made one wonder how they managed i to carry out the orders given them, i said Colonel McQuarrie. The only way in" which they had been able to hold 6n was by every man doing his bit, from commanding ; officer downwards.' 'Major Farr, Who 1 was a tre-i mendously modest chap, said Colonel i McQUarrift^as' wrong when he said the ,13th Battery was i,ot due?tohlm. ~f Applause.) A battery was", always a reflection of its, comman&lng' ififflcer. A show was 'always a of its boss. A bad; meant -a* bad show, and; a good bossgood The main-credit for what the 13th Battery did was due to lftajor Farr. He also paid a warm tribute to the l enterprise shown by Lieutenant Foster, who, he said, had been a man on whom he had greatly relied during the War. "As we grow older," concluded Colonel McQuarrie, "these reunions become more precious, because we instinctively feel that we will not be able to make those wonderful friend-ships'in-'peace that we made during the War." Many toasts were honoured, and songs and reminiscences of the War years helped to bring the evening to] a close.