GLIMPSES OF OUR SOLDIERS' LIVES.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 4482, 27 August 1940, Page 3

GLIMPSES OF OUR SOLDIERS' LIVES.

(From the Official War Correspondent attached to the N.Z. Forces; in Great Britain).

England, July 20. Wild raspberries are ripe on the Downs this weekend; and from the brow of the rise where we rested with Margaret in mid-afternoon we could see six or eight parties of packers; women an 4 children, and one l old man leaning on his. stick. We could see the sea, too, the English Channel, with the wind blowing fresh from Prance—or what Was France. The sort of wind that brought William of Normandy when Hdrald’si • men awaited him on this same coast. The sort of wind, with a slightly different set, which filled the billowing sails of the Great Armada. A wind for which Napoleon waited weeks in vain. And between yesterday and tomorrow, so some folk say, another would-be invader will try; for the moon is to be full • tonight, or as near it as makes no difference, and the tides, are right. Up there this afternoon we were preparing for war in a solitude of peace. It was; hard to imagine, invasion rearer than the Normans, of whose occupation, and. that of Die Romans eleven, hundred years before them, we could see traces through our glasses. After nearly twenty centuries the footprints of Caesar’s legions remain part of England; part tof the peaceful pattern of green woods and coloring corn spread at our feet when we turned to look back the way we had come. As sunshine chased shadow from field to coppice and out again, loitering a moment yonder by the grey stone wall behind the church tower, we sat silent. Until the corporal, impressed but hungry, remarked that it wps an 'emphatically long time since half-past six breakfast. and we had better push on. Whereupon the driver spoke to Margaret, who, tossing a lively head, swung about on her tracks and clattered off along the ridge. Six or eight miles to the gallon Margaret does, and on. a flat road 35 miles to the hour when allowed her own way. Where there are no roads she takes to the open country. Other times, other company might be preferable for a long summer’s day on the Doavus, in sun and wind. This being the weekend it is. Margaret $s a comforting companion.. There is not a sturdier Bren, gun carrier of her class in England. Others in the squadron have more fanciful names: Phyllis, Southern Cross, Aotearoa; but when it comes to performance Margaret is the equal of any of them. Our force, moving in its three mobile columns., is out for its first fullscale field exercise, the entire personnel travelling on wheels: buses, transport lorries, armoured fighting vehicles, motor-cycles and a few cars. The plan of campaign does; not matter. It is practice only. At least, it is intended to be practice; but we are on proper war footing now, and if a need should arise while we are in the field, we could be immediately diverted from exercise to action. Points that do not matter are the spirit in which the plan will be executed, the keenness or othenvise of the men in the conditions, they will be facing for the first time, and the skill with which their officers handle them. Because even for officers with fine service records, as many company commanders and above have had, warfare in the. pleasant English countryside would be a new experience. This area in which wc are is nothing like Northern France, where tire New Zealand Division was Last time. -Still; Less :is it like Gallipoli, or Palestine, or Egypt, gr South Africa. We are training' for a new type of warfare —motorised and meclianised —in a new type- of country. This is our third day out, our seccond bivouacking place. At dawn we shall move again; and after a route march shall embus to travel back to camp. It has rained every day so far; twice lightly, to' waken toward stand-to time (about which I may not be more precise), and this forenoon, when we were moving from one position to another, heavily. But all have been summer showers, short, warm, and mos,tly followed by heat. In lain.y case, war does not wait ion

weather; and, given an axe or chopper and any living growth whatever, the average New Zealander can Quick - ly contrive hi® own shelter. For the most part our bivouacking areas have been among high fern or on the fringes of lovely southern woods, where the free play of some, with an axe has seemed a shame. Already in England we have learned, as cannot be learned elsewhere, to love trees; let’s hope we may yet learn also to respect them. July 23—We are back in our several camps. No invader came. Nevertheless, if he should come later, we shall be the better prepared to meet him because of what the experiences of the last five days have taught us. Primarily, such an exercise is for the benefit of senior officers —to give them practice in handling theip men in the field, and—a modern development —to accustom them to moving everything by road, of necessity to timetable and in a pre-arranged order. Notwithstanding this intention, the benefits accrue to all ranks. Despite occasional tiredness and stiffness after all-night digging and the longest march since leaving New Zealand, not a man can be; found today who does not Avis'll we ivere going out again next Aveek. Perhaps avo shall. " The General is to talk things, over Avith all his officers tomorrow, but it is. knoivn already that in most major respects he Avas avcll pleased with the work done. Certainly he srav more of it than anybody else. Yesterday afternoon the three columns; marched separately to separate emhusising points, and the G.O.C. Avished to see them all on the march. But also he Avished to march. Remember, when he Avas training to swim the Channel, this athlete-sold-ier used to Avalk 30 miles every Aveekend. So it came about that Divisional Headquarters- marched in the morning, Avith the General at - their head; and in. the afternoon ho suav the other marches. In the field the troops lived Avelil. The company Avas the unit of catering, and stores Avere delivered daily by the A.S.C, Avhich drew them as far as 50* miles aAvay. Petrol iand water lorries. came tAvice a day. Using petrol cookers in the open, the camp cook a rose above themselves; and from the thrice-daily queue Avith plates, implements and mugs, officers bringing up the rear to be served from the common dixies, there Avere few complaints against anything but the Avasps, which would NOT let the jam alone —and sometimes it Avas s traAV berry. Our exercise embraced embussing and debussing, practice in timed travelling, in .halting Avhere not to he seen from the air, and in avoiding aggregation of vehicles. We- occupied defensive positions, dug ourselves in, held them against presumed night and dawn attacks, advanced from them, and retired out of them. We reconnoitred new positions, and either covered others' occupying them or Avere ourselves covered. Wo posted sentries, sent out patrols and maintained constant air Avatches,. When there was nothing else to do avo slept. There Avas. usually something else to do.