ARTILLERYMEN’S GATHERING

Evening Star, Issue 21080, 18 April 1932, Page 2

ARTILLERYMEN’S GATHERING

“I” AND 12TH BATTERIES The officers and men of the 12th Battery, New Zealand Artillery, attended a smoko concert, held in tho Otago Officers’ Club rooms, in full force on Saturday evening. There was also a good attendance of officers of the old B Battery, which was tho predecessor of tho present 12th Battery, and representations of other units in the district. Alajor L. _A. Rhodes (officer eomtnanding) was in the chair, and extended a hearty welcome to the visitors.

After ‘ Reveille ’ had been blown the loyal toast was honoured, after which battery orders were read by Lieutenant J, E. Green, N.Z.A. In proposing tho toast of “ The Regiment of Artillery,” Major Rhodes said that the 12th Battery was a small detachment of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, and they wore proud of it. Ho urged all the members to keep the motto of the regiment, and they would not go far wrong. In his response Captain AV, Pollard, R.N.Z.A., explained that the regiment was one of the oldest in the British Army, and its history went back to the eleventh century, becoming very interesting about the seventeenth century. The regiment had been armed with leather, wooden, and iron weapons in turn before the modern equipment came into use. At the present time the equipment used by the New Zealand Artillery was quite as modern as that used in the British Army, except that the horse teams had not yet been replaced by motor traction. The history of the unit was traced by Captain J. F. G. Stark, N.Z.A., who proposed the toast of “ B Battery, N.Z.F.A.” The unit, he said, was the second oldest iu New Zealand, and had a very fine record in peace and war. On July 22, 1863, a meeting of men interested in the formation of a military unit was held in Dunedin, and on September 9 of the same year the unit was officially formed under the name of tho Dunedin Volunteer Artillery Corps. Since then it had passed through many phases, and had turned from the wooden model of a gun, which was its first “ weapon,” to 4.5 in Howitzers. The gunners of the present day found it difficult to realise what tho early members of the unit had to put up with iu regard to the lack of equipment. Alany members had joined the Great Majority, but, though they had passed away, their spirit still survived.

Captain Cowie responded and paid a tribute to the work Major G. 11. Ritchie had performed for the unit during his term of command. In the early days Master Gunnsr (now Major-gene-ral) Richardson had been attached to tho unit, and to his efforts was due much of tho credit for modernising the battehy. When the war broke out the training they had received stood them in such good stead that they were fit to take the _ field after only a short period of training. The toast of “ Sister Units ” was proposed by Lieutenant J. C. M'Farlane, N.Z.A., who stressed the feeling of good-fellowship which had always existed between the 12th Battery and other artillery units. Major S. G. Secular (officer commanding 14th Battery) responded. Lieutenant-colonel J. G. Jeffery, M. V.D., proposed the toast of “ The Permanent Forces,’’ and said_ that the military history of the dominion really commenced at the time of the Maori War, when many of the British soldiers decided to remain in New Zealand. The first opportunity to help the Mother Country occurred during the South African War, when 3,000 odd men were sent away, while about 100,000 men had been sent to tho last war. The New Zealand Forces now had little to learn from the regulars, a fact which was due wholly to the efficiency of the permanent forces, which received a very wide training in various arms. In responding to tho toast Major O. H. Mead said that the permanent forces fully realised the responsibility of their tasks. Those who had been on active service had seen the, folly of sending improperly-trained men into action. Ho did not prophesy war, but there was a possibility of it, and they should be trained up to the highest standard possible. The traditions of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force were being maintained by the Territorials, and he was sure that a great deal of the reputation of the New Zealand Division was due to the gunners. Captain S. M. Satterthwaitc, N.Z.S.C., also responded. The toast of “ Kindred Arms ” was proposed by Lieutenant L. J, Fahey, N. who pointed out that each arm was dependent oij the others for victory. Responses were made by Commander E. F. Watson (R.N.V.R.), Lieutenantcolonel A. Holland (the Otago Mounted Rifles), and Lieutenant-colonel A. S. Falconer, D.SfO., M.C. (the Otago Regiment). Other toasts to be honoured were:— “ The Visitors,” proposed by Secondlieutenant J. W. Moodie, N.Z.A. (responded to by Mr 1. Penrose, representing the Otago Aero Club), and “The Performers,” proposed by Dr G. Fitzgerald. Memories of the old Volunteer days were revived by Major J. W. Smeaton in his reminiscences of B Battery, while Major W. E. Earnshaw, M.C., related a few incidents which occurred to the 12th Battery during the war. Tho speeches were interspersed by numerous musical numbers, while the Third Artillery Band played several selections. Perhaps the most amusing item was entitled ‘ The Initiation of Gunner Bolter,’ which dealt in burlesque with the swearing in of “ the latest recruit.”-