BUILDING AN ARMY

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 November 1939, Page 10

BUILDING AN ARMY

LESSONS OF THE’LAST WAR. Many of the lessons painfully acquired in 1914-18 are being turned to useful account in the present crisis, with consequent benefit to the necessary arrangements for the carrying on of business, says a special correspondent of the ‘Sydney Morning Herald.’ Singularly enough, except by the people whose counsel on the subject is “deserving of most consideration, the most important point has been insufficiently regarded by the Federal Government. The training of the existing defence forces for the effective defence of Australia is not now a whole-hearted' effort, and it should be intensified in every possible way. ' The case ’ foi? a larger permanent corps has been constantly advocated. This is known to be the view of all military experts, and of the rank and file of" the ex-servicemen who remember only too well the weeks and months of hard preparatory slogging they had to endure before they were considered fit to move up into the fighting lines. As one who, from 1915 till the conclusion, had a' part to play in that preparation of men destined to w’in undying renown for their prowess in the field, I may recall some of the facts that were borne in upon the consciousness of the trainers. The incompleteness of our methods was shown when the first of the contingents reached Egypt. The gruellingtasks to which they were set found out the physically deficient in a variety of ways. Even those who had prided themselves as athletes in time of peace, soon realised that it was not sufficient to be' fleet of food and nimble . of' arm. Certain of the youngest and the. oldest were unable to stand up to the rigors of protracted drill under the hot sun, combined with hard labour of a character which had not been thought of when Volunteering for service. In a number of instances those w'ho showed most aptitude in acquiring : purely military knowledge and became proficient in the use of their weapons, broke down in the toilsome marches and the heart-breaking and back- ’ breaking business of digging trenches in sand. In the case of the younger men, giving promise of greater physical development, they were retained and gradually worked up to complete effidiehcy; but "a number of youths and middle-aged fello\vs, to their deep disappointment, were sent back to Australia, there to occupy themselves in camp duties or return to civilian life. It wgs a broad hint to the local authorities, and instructions were issued which, in effect, meant that the conditioning of citizen-soldiers must be the paramount consideration. It was not enough that they should pass the more rigorous medical examination instituted, nor that they had possibly distinguished records as player's ’ of games; each and all had to'be regarded as candidates for moulding into a fitness undreamed of in the ordinary way of sports. Endurance had to be allied to pace and power, until men who had fondly imagined themselves capable of sustaining any and all exertions in sport realised how much was needed to make the complete soldier. STAYERS, NOT SPRINTERS. The preparation was much more thorough than is given to a boxer or wrestler of to-day, and wc know that type of athlete does not get ready for a gruelling contest in a few weeks. Stayers, not sprinters, were required, and it involved a tremendous amount of work of the least interesting kind. There had to be developed capacity to carry oneself and a load up to 8()lb or 901 b for hours at a time in any and

every conceivable kind of weather, and then to finish off with a rush whicn would try out every fibre of the being. By comparison, drill, with arms was easy, almost enjoyable, especially as bodies toughened, breathing became assured, and limbs swiftly responded to orders. Above and beyond and permeating all was steadiness, the direct result of the well-trained body, and the essential of all military practice. Records of the Great War attest not only the valour but the splendid physique of the Australian soldier. Portion of this was the inheritance of his race, but the greater part of his capacity was acquired by dint of hard work. There is a hazy idea in the minds of many people to-day that all that is needed is to give the average man passed as fit —in wind and limb —■ a rifle and bayonet and a few weeks’ drilling, and he will be fully equipped to defend our hearths and homes. Nothing can be further from the truth. The spirit will be willing enough, naturally, but of what avail when the flesh is actually weak, considered in a military sense? We know what happened to the bodies of Chinese and Spanish militia, which early in both conflicts encountered regulars. Not until they were subjected to more intensive training were the tyros in war able to offer effective resistance. Australia’s need in the present juncture is to have what has been repeatedly’recommended by her army chiefs —a substantial, mobile force of thoroughly trained soldiers, prepared to act as shock troops in battle. We have no right to expect that the comparative youngsters of the militia shall bear the brunt of any attacks to which we may be subjected. Forty per cent, of them are mere lads, of stature not yet fully developed, and, therefore, from the viewpoint of a physical culturist, unfitted for tasks of the most exacting nature, and, apart from home defence, the special mobile force must obviously provide the nucleus for any new A.l.F.' that., may, as the war develops, go overseas in emergency. It may be of value to mention that the writer’s own records of 1915-18 show that, of the “rookies” who came under his direction, the age-group of 21-25 years responded most swiftly and satisfactorily to hard training. The 25-30 group came next in order, though in this case the work was prolonged; then 30-35, and ranking fourth in the list, youths of 18 to 21 years. Scarcely one of the last-mentioned could not give yards and a beating to his elders in a 100yds dash, but the majority of them took a long, long time to toughen, although admittedly they were quick to learn the theory and practice of arms.