AT AN ENGLISH N.C.O. SCHOOL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLVIII, Issue 4749, 22 December 1917, Page 3 (Supplement)

AT AN ENGLISH N.C.O. SCHOOL.

NEW ZEALANDERS LEARNING “TOMMY” METHODS. WHERE STYLE COUNTS. (Written for the Gisborne Times by “Johnny Raw.” [Corpl. Melville S. Edwards, who has written many interesting' articles from Prance under the nom de plume of “Johnny Baw,” paid the supreme sacrifice a few weelts ago. Prior to going on active service he was chief reporter of The Gisborne Times.] . One morning recently the fates dethat I should! find, myself, with a. small body- of New Zealand nonofficers, stationed in one of England’s massive barracks, the homo in peace time of an historic English regiment, with much Indian sei vice to its credit. I had been selected from mj unit for a special course of instruction, and despite my appeals against further training, I liad to obey orders. do I assembled at the end of a journev amongst a conglomerate gathering of N.C.O/s from almost every part of England, Ireland andi Scotland at this, one of the largest N.C.Oi. schools of instruction in the British Empire. Some account of the conditions, certainly now to a colonial soldier, may be of interest.

Our first morning saw us rise at Reveille, 5.30 a.m. It was a typical English midsummer morning when we fell in in the rain on a drenched barrack square, surrounded on all sides by towering brick buildings, and/were sorted out into squads, and allotted to instructors. Tlie instructors were the acme of what a British soldier should be. Some jwere Cockney, some Lancashiremen, a sprinkling were superior Scottish men in handsome flowing kilts, andi pronounced dialects while some were truly cosmopolitan—a mixture of Colonial slang, British shrewdness, and “Tommy” smartness. To a Colonial’s rough and ready methods.,- their clipped commands seemed like sparks from galvanic batteries. The first thing we had to learn was the “fall in.” a ceremony of mpeh importance. Like gaping gawks we stood aimlessly about till the spruce R.S.M. put in an appearance, and explained the procedure. Then at a sharp blast from a whistle we jumped, and endeavored to keep time to a drum whose rat-a-tat-tat seemed -to be imbued with an evil spirit. However, we got into lines. The sergeantmajor called “markers steer,” then we jumped to a further dressing, got “eyes front” “eyes right’’ about six times, and thought the ceremony was over.

But not so. By this time a group of officers had arrived, and were parading restlessly up and down waiting for us. "\Ve were steady at last, so the spruce sergeant-major approached the adjutant, cocked his stick under

his arm, and saluted smartly. In technical terms he had “handed us over.” The adjutant glowered at.us a moment, shouted ’“attention,” “stand at ease.” “call the roll,” in three staccato blasts, and we again dressed, numbered, and sighed for our breakfasts. But our troubles were not at an end). The adjutant appeared satisfied, and walked away. Visions of “dismiss” loomed up, to be shattered when the adjutant “handed up oyer” to a higher personage, this time “the major,” the supreme head of the school. The major looked us over,, and—handed us b:.ck. “BOUGH BUT ’OMELY” This ceremony having concluded! we got down to bedrock, -were handed back to the instructors, and one broad dialected drill sergeant informed us: “You Nco Zealanders are rough but ’omely, but we’ll soon smarten you oop.” They have been as good as their word. Still all good things come to them who wait, and) We had certainly waited for our breakfast. Attached to the school is a school of cookery, and they experiment on' us. The menu reads fine. Sometimes the cooking tastes, so, sometimes not, but it never lacks excitement. All sorts of weird and wonderful dishes find their way to our“ interiors per the medium of army cooks who are learning cooking. A favorite dish is .“windmill pud-, ding’ ’-—if it goes round you get some. Rissoles a re a strong feature—the menu designates them variously as “salmon. rissoles,” “fish rissoles,” “meat rissoles” and just plain rissoles at different times. Without the designation on the menu they would all be simply rissoles, for only on the menu do they vary. Still they are well devoured, and as twelve of them can more easily be divided amongst n table of twelve men than a dish of stow they are a boon at least to the mess orderly. Then we have fine steaks —steaks entirely different from what you are accustomed! to, for almost without exception every piece steak is attached to a mutton bone. What w© don’t get, however, is good prime New Zealand bufifr. We g.»t what might be Margarine, but is;: t, and as it isn’t butter w© have to accept it at its value. But the fiction is kept up 'by a realistic dairy cow stamped prominently on the top of each yellow pat. • •. “SPIT AND POLISH.” The English army officers are si ill great sticklers for “spit and oohsh,” and the “Tommy” is drilled into a model ‘ of mechanical smartness, his quick snappy marching ueing quite different to the''free and: easy swinging step of the Colonial solc'er. The latter, however, gets along with • half- the effort, and less fai ig?e to. himself. Then kit inspection once a week is an event in the school, and was an eye-opener to us.. We thought we know' something of kit jnsj notions in our own forces, but they are inly, a detail to the standard demanded of the English men. It appeals -ridiculous, but is raid to .su V® -a P UI “ .pose, so we buckled dow'n to it, _and during the term two rooms «>r New Zealanders; were;special)y, ; , selected ;jto

lav out their kits c or uisoeooion by a body of visiting volunteer officers. The detail came as a smprwe to is, and will also, I think, surprise those men in training in New Zealand camps, who are subjected to a kit”inand then. In the first place everything had to be polished, from the rifle to the brass weight on the end of the -prill-through,' and the oil bottle. Even that was not all, for the bottom of the spare boots had to be cleaned of mud and then polished, the" laces T-alccrf out, rolled: up in . a neat twist, and placed across the inr step. Tunics, overcoats, slacks, shirts, towels, etc., all had to be folded to an exactly similar size', socks made into little pads like a pocket book, and everything dressed symmetrically. Many things go to make a war, and like the historical regiment of Crimean fame, “ours is not to reason, why.” Colonial slang appears strange to the “Tommy,” and 1 Colonial , slang has been improving during the past few years. To the uninitiated the remark that “he put the hooks into me for a dope stick” may not be understood, but to the Colonial soldier it only means that somebody borrowed a cigarette. The intimation from ono soldier to anothei that he “will hand But a bunch of lives”- implies that a punch may be expected, while ‘.‘whanged him one in the miff” denotes that somebody received a punch on the jaw. “It’s up to you to take a jerry to yourself” is certainly not a short way of saying one should mind what he is doing, but it means the same thing, and an invitation to a game of “pounds, coins, or browns” lets one know that the popular gambling game of “crown and anchor,” for anything from a £1 note to a penny, is in progress. These racy slang expressions are in marked contrast to what we get from our instructors. A WIN FOR NEW ZEALAND. The big event towards the end of the term has been competitions amongst the various squads over a bayonet assault course, and an obstacle course. For this event, three teams of New Zealanders, ten men each teanj, ten teams of Australians, and about fifteen teams of “Tonimies” wore entered. The first prize was £lO, so there was considerable keenness. The New Zealanders proved the surprise packet, for out of their three teams they secured _ first and fourth place. The winning team had what is popularly termed “a walk over,” for they were never pushed, and. in addition did the obstacle course in the record time of 35 seconds. the previous best standing at 49 seconds. It was a good display, and when it was done, although pretty blown, the same squad- gave an exhibition run for the benefit of some visitors, and this time negotiated the course in 36 seconds. The men with the peaked- hats and red puggarees came in for much generous praise, and they were glad to be able to take back to their units both the prize money and the honor.