HOME GUARD

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 4501, 14 January 1941, Page 3

HOME GUARD

RIFLES TO BE ISSUED-

"No loniser can tine Home Guard be called the ‘broomstick brigade’.” paid Lieut.-col. Bruce Smith, district commander. to a Daily Times reporter Hast week. ‘‘With arms it becomes a potential part .of the defence of our shores and all they contain. I would like to emphasise particularly to our younger men not eligible for other branches of service, that internal strength, iis the best defence against external aggression. Every available man should be enrolled in the Home Guard. "The time has come in New Zealand —im fact it ns overdue—when every man must ask himself ‘Am I, tor am I not, prepared to defend New Zealand?’ I believe the majority are anxious to do so.” Colonel Smith paid. Branches of Service. Men. are urgently needed for the following units of the Home Guard organisation:— (1) Infantry.—Men to tight on the beaches. (2} Machine-gunners.—One .hundred and fifty needed; preferably those with experience gained overseas or with territorial training. (3) Signallers.—'Qualified men, or those willing to learn signalling In all its modern branches. (4) Engineers and Pioneers. —This group includes civil engineers .bridge builders and men for line of communications work. Pioneers, will undertake heavier work, such as digging and hauling, and will be a branch of the engineers. (5) Guards.—Older men capable of guarding public buildings railway stations batiks petrol tanks abroadcasting stations, etc. Members of this unit will be men who, although possessing the keenness of .the younger men. are not capable of fighting or undertaking heavy work. The “Back-liners. ’ "The emergency precautions scheme an important work, will bo under the control of the Home Guard headquarters,’" Colonel Smith continued. “In military parlance, it will be the ‘back line,’ .and will be concerned with transport, supplies, special police traffic control first aid. fire-fighting and aiir raid work. The ‘back line' guardians, are- eaually as important as the ‘‘front-liners.’ One line is dependent on the other. “Quite a number of older men have already joined the Home Guard, but have not been paraded.” he said. "It is my intention to order an early parade of these men do develop them into' units where their services will be most useful.’" A Elide Awakening Possible “We must make New Zealand a fortress ”he said. "That is the command of common sense. To achieve that the capable, able-bodied citizens must be organised and trained. There is no other way. This applies to all —whether we work on the land or flu a factory, in an office pi' in a mill. We may awake one morning to find war upon us. A useful citizen is preferable to a useless one. a helpful one to a helpless one, an active one to a passive one, in the flight to repel an Invader. It is all a matter Of organised training. The job of protecting New Zealand is everyone’s abb. Let us get on with it.” A special uniform has been approved for New Zealand’s Home Guard according to Colonel R. St.J. Beere. Officer Commanding .the Wellington District. This design follows the style worn by the overseas forces.. In some oases units are ready for rifle training but are still awaiting the necessary arms, makeshifts having to be used to date. Colonel Beere indicated that rifles would be going to the No. 7 area about the middle of the month.