THE NEW ZEALAND FIELD ARTILLERY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1472, 13 November 1915, Page 4

THE NEW ZEALAND FIELD ARTILLERY.

BRIGADE IN ACTION.

ACCURATE AND EFFECTIVE SHOOTING.

(From Malcolm Ross, Official Correspondent with the New Zea-

land Forces.)

Gauipou Peninsula, Sept. 3. Now that the campaign in Gallipoli has been in operation for some nineteen weeks, and our positions have materially changed, it becomes possible to give New Zealand readers some general idea of the extent and effectiveness of the work done by the N.Z. Field Artillery. The brigade received extra training in Egypt, and did well in practice there with the N.Z. infantry and N.Z. mounted rides. The right type of men had been selected, and officers, non-commissioned officers, gunners and drivers could not have been greatly improved upon for the work they bad to do. The drivers were mostly men from the country used to handling horses. The first battery to land on the Peninsula was the howitzer battery. It landed during the night of 25th April. It should be explained that the configuration of this country is eminently suited to the modern howitzer, and it is a little strange that while in the western area the Germans should have been using this arm with effect and in such numbers, their allies in the Near East should have been so sparingly provided with it. Placed below the crest of a hill or in a gully it can be effectively fired upon enemy guns, trenches, or troops that cannot be reached by the flat trajectory ship or field guns, its fare being directed by an observer stationed as far away as 2000 or 3000 yds., the directions being conveyed to the gunners by means of a field telephone quickly run out by the linesmen. At the outbreak of war New Zealand was the only one of the overseas Dominions in possession of these guns, and early in the operations the policy adopted was proved to be a wise one. This was the only howitzer battery landed with the force at Anzac, and from that day to this it has continued to do good work, daily giving assistance to the Australian Division as well as to the N.Z. and Australian Division. In all this time there was only one day on which the battery has not shot. Officers and men, often when ill, have stuck to their work in the most plucky manner. A day or two alter landing the battery destroyed the “fisherman’s hut,” which during the early stages of the desperate fighting harboured Turkish snipers. Shortly afterwards the howitzers did good work in repulsing an attack by the enemy on the lelt flank. In the engagement of 19th May they did excellent shooting, slaughtering large numbers of Turks as they came forward to the attack in the endeavour to fulfil Von Sander’s boast to drive the Australian and New Zealand troops into the sea. This, it will be remembered, was a night attack, but the enemy’s position had been previously registered by our guns, so that their fire even in the darkness was effective. They fired both shrapnel and high explosive. The New Zealand howitzers continued daily doing useful work in any direction called upon until relieved by a Lowland battery. During the attack on the Sari Bair position, when there were few guns on the new front, the New Zealand howitzers continued shooting from their old positions at Anzac. In twenty six hours the N.Z. howitzer battery fired 1600 rounds. Our howitzers also played a prominent part in the attacks in August on our extreme left. In conjunction with the heavy batteries of the 69th Brigade they took part in a fierce bombardment of the Turkish trenches, our one battery firing 300 rounds in an hour. Their shooting on this occasion was most effective, and the Turkish trenches were piled with dead. Unfortunately, the battery did not know of two flank trenches which the Turks had constructed, otherwise the attack might have been still further supported. GREAT BRITAIN’S GREATEST PIANOS ! Of the celebrated English instruments stocked by the The Bristol Piano Co. Ltd., none enjoys such an enviable reputation as the Broadwood piano. One might say that it is the “Gold Standard” of the piano industry. Made by the oldest established firm of piano manufacturers in the British Empire—John Broadwood and Sons, Ltd.—every model is the result of nearly 200 years’ adherence to the highest ideals in piano construction. During its long history the Broadwood has been helped towards perfection by the world's master musicians. Their influence is found in its exquisitely delicate touch and sympathetic, resonant and' perfectly modulated tone. Other British built pianos at “The 1 Bristol” include the excellent and reliable Sames and the renowned Collard and Collard. The famous Canadian organs—The Bell and The Imperial—are also on view in a variety of models. All these superb instruments are offered on attractive and easy terms. The Bristol Piano Co., Ltd., Wellington. North Island Manager: M. T. Brookes.

One instance of the accuracy of fire and the confidence of the gunners in their work may be given. It occurred only a few days ago, when a major of infantry telephoned calling attention to the fact that our howitzers were dropping shells into a Turkish trench only five yards in front of the position occupied by bis men. He therefore asked the battery to cease firing at that particular trench. The reply was that this was being done purposely, as the battery commander fully trusted his men and his guns even with a margin of only five yards ; One certainly could not wish for more accurate fire than that. It was done because the men in our forward trench had apparently run out of bombs and were being severely dealt with by the enemy. THE FIELD GUNS. The first field battery of 18pounders lauded on Wednesday, 28th April, and at once sent two guns to the extreme left flank. Owing to the configuration of the country the field of action was, however, very circumscribed. In addition to this the proximity of Turkish snipers made the position somewhat untenable. One man was killed and several wounded, so eventually the section was withdrawn, and the whole battery placed in a more commanding position. This was a feat in which the engineers, the infantry and the artillery participated, and it was accomplished with conspicuous success. A road was made and the whole battery shifted up in one night up a gully and on to the top of a steep hill that was practically a cliff. There were no horses available, and too men with ropes silently dragged each gun up, under cover of the darkness, to its high emplacement, 500 ft above the level of the sea. The weight of a gun is over two tons. It was the N.Z. mounted rifles, their own horses also in Egypt, who helped the gunners to man'handle their beloved guns up the 6ft track the engineers had made. (Continued in our next issue.)