RECRUITING IN SYDNEY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 28 May 1915, Page 8

RECRUITING IN SYDNEY.

MEN POURING IN

"The Minister for Defence says we want men, men, and more men," remarked Colonel Wallack, C.8., the District Commandant, at the conclusion of the recruiting at, Victoria Barracks on Sunday morning (says the Sydney Morning Herald of May 17th.) "From the rush we have experienced on Saturday and Sunday it looks as if we shall get all we- require as long as we get such responses as we have done during these two half-days. Every available mstn should come forward.'because the sooner he doas come forward, the sooner he can be trained for the purpose for which the Empire needs him." Saturday is only a half-day, and as a rule, if 75 to 100 men pass through the enrolling office, it is considered a good average return. Friday's procession in aid of the gallant Belgians, or the letters from the front setting out the story of how Australians have borne themselves when "War, the best of games," has got to be played. and fired the blood of New South Welshmen, and they simply corned into the •recruiting office in hundreds.

. Nearly 200 passed through on Saturday morning, bringing last week's total up to just under 1450, and out j of this number it would be safe to say j that at leas tIOOO were passed as medically fit; or in other words, that the State is supplying recruits equal to a battalion every seven days. As far as the Light Horse reinforcements are concerned the Commandant stated that he was five months ahead of requirements, but that he wanted to see infantrymen and other details coming forward as freely, as possible. ! Though Saturday put up a record for the last day of the week, ii was a poor effort compared with Sunday. By halfpast nine the recruiting sergeant was • lining up squads of men, and giving them good, sound, soldierly advice, and by 10.30 tbe ground between the recruiting office and the enrolling office was filled with long queues of men coming to the enrolling officer or proceeding ..to another shed for medical examination. I

Out of the men who filled in application forms several were mo'-e than just ordinary recruits of the Johnnie Raw type. These were the men Ivho had had experience in other parts of the world. Of these might be singled out a man with 10 years' service in the ' Highland Light Infantry, Mho had served through the whoie of the South African campaign; a bugler from the Royal West Kents. and a man who had : seen service with the Argyll and Suth- ' erland Highlanders, the regiment which won for itself tbe immortal title of "Tlie Thin Red Line" at the brittle of Balaclava. One* re^rrit produced proof that he had served three years in the Dutch Navy, and there was no lack of recruits who knew not a little about the game. These were men of the \ N.S.W. Lancers or Light Horse in uni- ' fnrrw. gunners from the Australian Field and Garrison Artillery, and fine, ! upstanding, young fellows, who had ! b°e" tauorht the first rudiments of sol- ! di'ering in the King's School Cadets. ! Motor T-nApT-ij-fnic* were tbe»*e by the ' dozen: bank Merles we.ve»_takinoc advantage of tbe Sunday off to offer tl>ei". soi-vi^es, and n -member of the staff of , the Oown Solicitor's office was to be I no+i> Qd a^ong tbe professional men awaitinor their turn to"r>ass in and pass" out of the enrolling officer's room. I