THE VOLUNTEER CAMPS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12535, 24 June 1901, Page 5

THE VOLUNTEER CAMPS.

VISITING VOLUNTEERS.

The Tarawera, which arrived from Wellington on Saturday morning, brought the following Volunteers : —Wellington . Naval Brigade—Wellington Navals, 108 men and three officers; Petone Navals, sixtyeight men and five officers. First Battalion Wellington Rifle Volunteers, A Corps, forty-four men, B Corps fifty men and one officer, C Corps forty men, D Corps thirtynine men and one officer, E Corps fiftyfour men and two officers, F Corps thirtyeight men, G Corps thirty-two men, and H Corps twenty-two men. Colonel Collins, Captain and Adjutant Harcourt, Captain and Quartermaster Henderson, and Staff-Sergeant Sanderson were also aboard. One hundred and fifty more of the First Battalion will arrive by the Rotoiti ■> tonight. ' Tho Mararoa brought two officers and sixty-eight men of the South African, contingents from the Wellington district, also the following : A Heretaunga Mounted Rifles—Thirty-six men and two officers. Hawexa Mounted Rifles—Thirty-two men and one officer. Stratford Mounted Rifles— Eighteen men. Opunake Mounted Rifles —Twenty-six men and one officer. Egmont Mounted Rifles—Forty-six men and three officers. Wellington Submarine Miners—Fortyseven men and three officers. Brigade Staff s— Lieutenant - Colonel Newall, Captain Lomax, and one staff-sergeant-major. At 1.30 p.m. yesterday the s.s. Cortona came into Lyttelton with another contin-' gent, comprising the Taranaki Infantry Battalion and the Wellington Engineers, Bearer Corps and Cycle Corps, a total of 554 officers and men. They went to Christchurch by a special train at 2.30 p.m— _ At 12.10 p.m. yesterday 519 volunteers arrived from the North Island by the s.s. Rotoiti. They comprised the first Auckland Infantry Battalion (Countess of Ranfurly’s Own); Victoria Rifles, Lieutenant Durham, 30; College Rifles, Lieutenant M’Hardy, 30; First and Second New Zealand Native Rifles, Lieutenant Warnock, 30; Third New Zealand Native Rifles, Captain Reed; 30; Newtown Rifles, 20 ; Gordon Rifles, Lieutenant Kay, 30; Onehunga Rifles, Lieutenant Wilkins,27; Surgeon-Captain Kay and three ambulance (men.. Battalion SergeantMajor QVl’lntosh, Provost-Sergeant Turton ; Ponson'by Naval Artillery, Lieutenant Spinley; 30; Devonport Torpedo Corps, Captain Parker, 50; Auckland Coast Guards (Garrison Artillery), Lieutenant Lees, 30; Auckland Engineers, Lieutenant Tapper, 30 ; Horowhenua Mounted Rifles, Lieutenant Law, 54; Otaki Mounted Rifles, Captain Tatum, 28 ; Pahiatua Mounted Rifles, Lieutenant Linton, 20; Manawatu Mounted. Rifles, Lieutenant Pringle, 47. Captain Dunk, of the Manawatu Mounted Rifles, is in charge of the mounted rifles who came by the'Rotoiti. The steamers Wanhora, Pukaki and Rotokino are to, take volunteers to-night for Wellington. The s.s. Rotorua has been chartered to take those who, are to be landed at Picton, and the s.s. Corinna will transport the Nelson men to their city. ; _ Ver- little work, was indulged in by the troops at Addington camp yesterday, and on all lines everyone was busy putting on a polish on all and sundry trappings for the big display to-day. The general appearance of the tents was very neat, / and the whole camp reflects'-.great credit on the men, who have had such a lot of dirty work to do during the past few days. The whole of the troopers paraded for Divine service yesterday morning. No. 2 and 3 Battalions paraded in the stand enclosure, whore the Rev Wynter Blathwayt and the Rev W, IV; Sedwick, chaplain to the Amuri Mounted Rifles, conducted the service, the latter delivering an eloquent address from the First Book of-Samuel, fourth chapter,- ninth Vfr?a, No. 1 Battalion service was conducted by Captain Chaplain Whitehead, of the Waimukariri Mounted Rifles. . The guard for the day was supplied from the North Canter bury Mounted Rifles, under Sergeant Taituha and Corporal Kingi. The infantry camp was a scene of ,ex citcment and commotion yesterday morning, owing to the frequent arrivals of volunteers from north and south. The, steamers from the north brought contingents representing all branches of the service. Special trains brought mounted and infantry men from the south. The following mounted corps from the north also arrived : —'Manawatu, 47, Lieutenant Pringle; Pahiatua, 17, Lieutenant Linton ; Horowhenua, 34, Lieutenant Law; Otaki, 28, Captain Tatum; total 126. The following mounted corps arrived late last night :—Huntervi'lle, Auhuriri, Ruahtoe, Huxamni and East Coast; total 210; making- a grand total .of 815 officers and men. Great difficulty . was experienced in quartering the late arrivals, and 'Captain H. S. E. Hobday, D.A.A.G., was indefatigable in his endeavours to get tho officers and men to comfortable quarters. SergeantMajor 'Coleman was as untiring to his efforts in seeing that the rations were served out, and that each company on its arrival was sufficiently supplied. Owtog to, the want of tents a number of men. had to be accommodated in the Oddfellows’ Hall, while the North Ota go Battalion was located in the Drillshed. Colonel Bailey is to command of the camp, Major Wolfe, of Nelson, is brigade major, Captain and Adjutant Neill, of No. 2 Battalion, is brigade adjutant, and Staff Sergeant-Major Barrett is camp ser-geant-major, Colonel Pole Pen-ton, Colonel Newall, Major Madociks, Major Owen, Captain (Hughes and Captain Joyce were in camp yesterday. The iSouthland men, numbering 615 men, arrived in Christchurch yesterday. The Infantry section left Invercargill at 9.40 p.m. on Saturday, and’ arrived In Christchurch at 7.50 p.m. yesterday.. The arrangements were excellent all! the way, and the journey was got through with comfort. Tbe mounted men left at 11.30 aim. on Saturday, detraining at Dunedin for the night. They commenced the second portion of the journey at 8 a.m, yesterday, and reached Christchurch at 9 p.m. The marching, to state was as follows:—Staff, Major J. E. Hawkins, Acting-Major Boyne, Captains M‘Kay and Saunders. Invercargill City Guards, Captain Murphy, one lieutenant, 47 men; Ofeti Rifles, Captain Spaul, two lieutenants, 39 men ; Awatua Rifles, Captain Dunlop, onei lieutenant, 40 men; Gore Rifles, Captain Boyne, one lieutenant, 34 men ; Mercantile Rifles, Captain Watson, one lieutenant, 44 men; Winton Rifles, Captain White, one lieutenant, 45 men; Orepuki Rifles, Captain- Forsyth, two lieutenants, 42 men; Bluff Guards, Captain Barber, two ' lieutenants, 51 men; Colae Bay Rifles, Captain- Dawson, two lieutenants, 52 men; two sergeants-major, ono quartermaster-sergeant and one bugler sergeant; -total 466. Southland Mounted Rifles, Captain Hazlett; Chitba Mounted Rifles, Captain Pennycook; ' Mataura Mounted Rifles, Cap taro Bowler, about 150 men. Grand total from Southland, 616. The Waimate Rifles are under the command of Captain Barclay. In addition to the other accommodation provided for the volunteers,- on account of the scarcity of tents, the Premier made arrangements for housing them at St Mary’s School. > Captain G. S. M’Dirmid is acting adjutant to tho dismounted mounted rifle battalion, under Colonel .Sommerville. The' several -battalions practised the march past in review order, and acquitted themselves vory creditably. The massed bands of the divisions were also practising the marching in -review order and Royal salute under Bandmaster Hunter, of the Auckland .Battalion, and Bandmaster Trussed, of the Nelson Battalion. The latest brigade order issued .last night was that all brigades will have to be in the respective positions on the review ground at 9.30 a.rn. to-day. Major Madocks, the hero of the New Zealand Hill dash near Coksberg last year, will leave for England shortly. It was thought tlia.t it would be fitting to see him lead the First Contingent at the volunteer review to-day, and he has been specially requested to do so. , Nine officers and 196 men of. the bccomi and Fourth Wellington Battalion, arrived in Christchurch yesterday afternoon, having come down in tho .B-^-wuiu