TROOPS IN BRITAIN

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 227, 23 August 1940, Page 7

TROOPS IN BRITAIN

NEW ZEALANDERS’ ROLE. HIGH TRIBUTES PAID. (From tlie Official Correspondent attached to the New Zealand Forces in Britain.) Received August 23, 10.53 a.m. ENGLAND, Aug. 21. The strength of the hlew Zealand Expeditionary Force in Britain was increased this week by the arrival in camp of about 40 recruits attested in London —all New Zealanders. Some were volunteers and the others were called up under the British military training scheme and elected to serve with their fellow countrymen.

The newcomers are not treated as a separate recruit squad, but are distributed among the various units where, in return for the privilege of joining the New Zealand Force, they will be expected to work especially hard in making up the leeway in training. The first batch of candidates tor the first commissions shortly being selected from the privates and n.c.o.’s of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in Britain will begin a four months’ course with the British officer cadet training units, whence those successful will be passed out as second-lieu-tenants and reposted for service with the New Zealand Force. The unit commanders have been asked to recommend suitable men, after which a selection board will examine the recommendations and choose the candidates. The number chosen will depend mainly on the number of vacancies in. the training establishments.

The high quality of the New Zealand n.c.o.’s has been repeatedly remarked upon by competent British observers, who expect our cadets to give a particularly good account of themselves in the training courses in which they will be associated with the men of the United Kingdom and other Dominions’ forces.

Several New Zealanders who enlisted in the United Kingdom and subsequently were selected for training as officers have recently been posted to the N.Z.E.F. as second-lieutenants, including the Rhodes Scholar Mr D. M. Davin and Mr Keith West-Watson, a son of Archbishop West-Watson. ARTILLERY BUSY. This has been the biggest week in the military experience of the Second Echelon artillery, the full strength of which is engaged in firing practice on a famous English range, using not only the types of gun with which the men are familiar in New Zealand, but also new issues; Although the gunners, while waiting for full equipment in the early weeks of their training drilled manfully as infantry in order to be ready for any emergency, they are unconcealedly glad to be back in their own branch of the Service. Accordingly, this week, with guns in the field, bringing to. a climax a period of intensive training with the most modern artillery, 'has brought the unit’s keenness to a new peak. A military cricket match, Australia V; New Zealand, is being played on Saturday with E. W. Tindill as the New Zealand captain.