HOME DEFENCE

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 93, 16 October 1940, Page 11

HOME DEFENCE

EXPANDED SCHEME

NUMBER OF MEN REQUIRED

WELLINGTON AREA

Nearly 2000 men are required in the Wellington and Hutt Valley area to complete the strength of certain Territorial units and for new units now in process of formation under the expanded Territorial scheme. These men will be obtained partly from the National Service ballot already held and the remainder from subsequent ballots. The requirements of the various arms of the service are as follows: —Artillery, 350; engineers, 200; infantry, 850; signals, 200; Army Service Corps, 300; medical, 25. Second battalions of the Wellington Regiment (City of Wellington's Own) and the Hawke's Bay Regiment are to be formed. A start was made yesterday with the further training of selected officers, n.c.o.s, and prospective n.c.o.s of the Ist Battalion, Wellington Regiment, as a nucleus of officers and n.c.o.s for the 2nd Battalion. Along with these men. selected secondary school unit members and National Military Reserve (Clas- II) officers and n.c.o.s, nave aiso started training at the Central District School of Instruction (Wellington wing), Winter Show Building. Selected officers and n.c.o.s from the Reserve of Officers and secondary school units in areas 6 and 7 (Wanganui, Manawatu, and Hawke's Bay) of the Central Military District, also started training yesterday at the instructional school, Wellington wing. The total in all is approximately 30 officers and 70 other ranks. NUCLEUS OF N.C.O.S. To provide for a nucleus of n.c.o.s, selections are being made from the Ist Battalion, Hawke's Bay Regiment, and Ist Battalion, Wellington-West Coast Regiment (Wanganui) and those will proceed to the instructional school early next month. There will also be a second Wellington company of the Scottish Regiment as the. district quota towards a 2nd Battalion of the N.Z. Scottish. At present each of the four centres has one company, forming the Ist Battalion. Wellington's company, B, is at present training at Wanganui. Existing units already in training are the Ist Battalion, Wellington-West Coast Regiment, Ist Battalion, Hawke's Bay Regiment, Second Field Regiment, Second Field Company of Engineers, 50 per cent, of the District Company of Signals and B Company, N.Z. Scottish. The Ist Battalion, Wellington Regiment, completed its three months' initial training on September 30.

In all six new' infantry battalions will be created in New Zealand, two from the Central District, two from Northern (2nd and 3rd Battalions, Auckland Regiment), one from the Southern Military District (South Island), and one of the New Zealand Scottish, to which each island will contribute men.