TERRITORIALS

Evening Star, Issue 23189, 11 February 1939, Page 9

TERRITORIALS

12TH BATTERY UNDER CANVAS SUCCESSFUL LIVE SHELL SHOOT Having completed its annual ramp and live shell practice the 12th (tield) Battery, New Zealand Artillery, returned to Dunedin to-day. The camp was .of one week’s duration and was held at the permanent artillery camp site at Sutton, where all the artillery units in the South Island carry out their week s continuous training. , , ~ Major J. F. G. Stark, the battery commander, was in charge, and his officers were Captain J. C. M'Farlane, second in command, and Lieutenants L. J. Fahey, J. G. Warrington, and L. A. Hogg. The medical officer was Lieutenant G. R. Kirk, N.Z.M.C., and the padre Captain-chaplain W. Greenslade. The adjutant and camp commandant was Captain W. Pollard, R.N.Z.A., and Captain J. R- Page, E.N.Z.A., was the artillery instructor. During the training the camp was visited by Colonel P. H. Bell, D. 5.0., N.Z.S.C. . officer commanding the Southern District, and Lieu-tenant-colonel R. E. Sleigh, officer commanding the 3rd Artillery Brigade. Aircraft co-operation was carried out with a Royal New Zealand Air Force machine piloted by Flight-lieutenant Kay, who took part in the Centenary Air Race.

After the unit had settled down in camp last Saturday there followed four days of field training in battery man(euvres and other forms of work that are not practicable in the confined limits of the barrack square. Thursday was devoted to the occupation of a gun position by night, the guns being laid on zero lines which had been laid down during daylight. Later the position was actually taken up by the battery under cover of darkness. This was carried out under active service conditions and in absolute silence so that the operation would not be made known to an imaginary enemy. ' Two series of shoots were carried out, the first, on Thursday, with blank ammunition, and the second, yesterday, when live shell was used. On both occasions the fire was put down from observation from the aircraft, which was in constant communication with the camp by wireless. The messages were then relayed‘to the battery commander by means of a short-wave wireless set. The' exercises carried out were the registration of zones of fire, the neutralisation of fire on areas containing machine guns and light automatics, and the bringing of fire to hear on infantry and transport in motion. Other exercises were the concentration of fire on a strong point and registration on lines of fire predicted by survey methods. The battery’s Lewis guns also co-operated in air defence exercises in addition to carrying out range shooting with live ammunition. The live shell exercises concluded yesterday. That the camp was thoroughly enjoyed by all ranks was obvious from the happy appearance of the men, while satisfaction on the results of the shooting was expressed by the senior officers.