TERRITORIALS.

Evening Star, Issue 16908, 4 December 1918, Page 3

TERRITORIALS.

[By Skirmisher.] Items of interest concerning Corps (Town and Country), shooting and Territorial notes generally will be accepted. Copy, addressed to “Skirmisher,” should be in hand not later than Monday morning.

Colonel Sleeman, T.G.S., Director of Military Training, is reported to be progressing favorably from an attack of influenza.

Lieutenant-colonel R. W. Gumming has j been appointed acting camp commandant ! at Fcatherston during- the absence through j illness of Colonel N. P. Adams, C.M.G. | Colonel Mac Donald, who was appointed acting ■commandant a few days ago, has now also fallen ill. U is stated that the sick and wounded will he Hie first men to bo brought back. The first fit men relumed will be those with the longest service, ns far as - is possible. Jf a division is retained in occupied territory, all outside it will be repatriated. Meanwhile, it is understood that unemployment grants will be given to returned soldiers till they obtain work, and that provision will be’ made for assisting men to restore their bus-messes.

Major M'Kenzio. chief records officer at Trontham Camp, died of influenza, on November 19. Tile London Press Bureau announced last week : Tho British and .allied armies have sustained * severe loss by tho death from pneumonia of Colonel F. F. Harrison. Controller of tho Chemical Warfare Department-. He was in sole charge of research in connection with gas defence and the manufacture of rcarnnitprs. His foresight provided ‘a complete antidote ’>r every new gas employed against- us. Colonel Harrison joined as a private in 1915. Tho future of Trcnthani has been decided. '[’here is to bo a. hospital for returning soldiers there, in which there will ho 1.000 beds and accommodation for the staff. Tho existing buildings, with noeessaiy alterations, are to be used. In addition. tho equipment and ordnance stores will be at Trentham. No decision lias boon coma to yet as to Fcatherston.

Soldiers’ Kits. —Some of tho men discharged from the training: camps have complained about deductions bcirur mode from their pay for articles of hit lost or retained. A soldier returned from overseas is discharged with a full kit. including uniform, crrentcoat, bools, and underclothing, lie must return one of the uniforms and. the. greatcoat of he wishes to receive the full mufti ■ allowance, but any returned man may retain Ids full kit if ho wishes to do so. A man who is discharged from tho training camps without service overseas is not allowed to retain his kit without charge. livery article that has boon issued to him remains the property of the Scute, and has to be accounted for when lie is leaving camp. Art article that he does not return to the camp stores must he paid for, but the prices charged are low for new articles, and they approach vanishing point in tho case of articles that have been in'use for several months. Hia following prices, charged to recently-dis-charged men for articles they elected to lake with them, show that the soldiers are not treated badly:—Two blankets, 12s; pair of boots, 3s 6d ; pair of breeches (old), lOd ; pair of puttees. 6>l ; holdall. Id. The Defence Department is not making any money out of the discharged men.

A question of some importance in military circles is rettlcd Ipy a no Lea in Oonoral* Orders. Where, a scale of rations is laid down and issues in kind arc made, it is to bo clearly understood that only such sup-plies required -and authorised by that scale may ho drawn. The value of the ration for allowance purposes only is fixed at 2s per diem, and where rations in kind are drawn- it is not to bo assumed that all ranks mo entitled to a ration costing 2s per diem. Tlio President of the Second Division League has asked to be jla cod on record the league’s appreciation of the, work of the Allotment lira rich (War Expenses Department! in getting this month’s ray warrants posted up to date. Notwithstanding the severe depletion of staff owing to the epidemic, arrangements were made to concentrate on this very" important work, mid poolings were compl-ct-cd on Monday. Mr Armstrong points out that in tills time of stress any delay in the receipt of pay warrants would have hit the dependents of soldiers very hard, and although, even now, owing to tho unavoidable disorganisation of the portal deliveries, there may ho seme slight delays, tho wives and other dependents of soldi?!'.' will know that the warrants are all on the way to them. Men employed in homo service : n military camps, forts, internment camps, hospitals, and quarantines may bo granted 14 days’ leave on full pay annually Mon employed on Immo sendee at Genera! or District Headquarters other than those specified in orders may- ho granted annua! leave for seven days, plus such departmental Itolklays as may l>o authorised from time to time, on full nay. All other leave granted will -bo without pav, excepting sk-k leave, for which, special regulations oxi-st. These rulings appear in the latest issue of General Orders.

From tho camps the men. are being steadily demobilised, and in a very short time wo may hope- to see Fcathorstou and Trentham deserted, avid the latter ready to receive sick soldiers who may arrive by the transports. Most cf tbo men would have been a,wav from the c-araps pro this, but for the influenza epidemic and tho disarrangement of the ferry service.