Military Training In Early Days

Northern Advocate, 27 May 1938, Page 7

Military Training In Early Days

Two hours of solid drill; a wellearned breakfast; an eight-hour day s work; and another two hours’ solid drill before tea and bed. As a routine this programme would not appeal to modern youth. But it was the accepted mode in the days when Captain T. H. Steadman helped to organise the foot-soldiery of early Whangarei. Most of the men were timber-work-ers or farmers, and. they found .it difficult to secure a week off every year to attend full-time training. Great difficulty was experienced encouraging tradespeople to give their employees time off for .training. So the novel means was conceived of drilling before and after work, to which tradespeople also objected because they did not think their employees, could do service to both work apd training.

Hard Life in Early Corps Training. ' It was a hard life in the voluntary training corps of those days, said Mr Steadman. He first became interested in the movement in 1885, and took an active part until his official retirement in 1920. Despite the fact that many of the men in the 1885 company had to come miles through bush tracks, across swamps and through mud and slush, to attend monthly drills and quarterly inspections, it was uusual to find even one man absent from parade. “You would not find that nowadays," declared Mr Steadman. Country Supplies Men. Strangely enough it was the country that supplied the 50 volunteers who formed the early corps. Townspeople did not do much for the force, which was confined essentially to infantry. "There were only simple drill movements to leach the men," said Mr Steadman. “Wc had nothing ■of the mechanised units or the artilleryof today. Our men \yere allowed 30/per year and 100 rounds of ammunition per man. The captain of the company had to guarantee the tailor’s bill before uniforms were issued." Whangarei’s Drill Hail. Mr Steadman outlined the early struggles to have a satisfactory hall for drill purposes. A hall and drill shed were erected where the Royal Hall now stands. The finance was all raised locally. Later, it was found necessary to build a larger hall, the present Defence Department headquarters. In 1889, the Government disbanded all corps outside the cities, and formed Government Rifle Clubs. The Government later withdrew its assistance and a local rifle club was established. Al that time Schneider rifles were in use, but the ammunition was very poor, and it was not until English. ammunition of a higher standard was brought into use that the club, of which Mr Steadman, was captain, began Us renowned career of shooting prowess. Government Organises Corps. With the war scare of 1899. the ; Government, set to work again, and corps were established in all parts of tlie north. including Hikurangi, Kawakawa and Dargaville. A mounted brigade was founded in addition to the voluntary foot corps in Whangarei. With the erection of the larger drill- hall under Government assistance, it was decided to hold annual camps of one week each, with Ihe result lhat when the Boer War broke out. the local corps was able to send a number of men. already trained, both as infantrymen and mounleds. After the Boer War, camps were held regularly every year. The Gqv-

eminent made an allowance of 5/per annum per man for general expenses, and £2 10/- for a uniform, which cost the companies for each trainee £4. The old Mission Ground in Whangarei was the site of the first few camps, which met with much opposition from local tradespeople. Kensington Park New Camp Site. Two years later, camps were being held at Kensington Park, at which stage Captain Steadman went on to the Reserve list and Captain Pearce took his place until the Territorial forces were formed in 1910. Mr Steadman has vivid recollections of the first officers’ camp held in Tauberenikau (Wairarapa) to plan the new Territorial system. General Godley. Sir Charles Ferguson and Major-General Duigan (how in charge of the Dominion’s forces) were present, together with a large number of English and local officers. With the Territorial system came a complete change in the training of the New Zealand forces. Kensington Park saw 900 men encamped under the flag of the 15th North Auckland Regiment. ’Two camps had been held before the war broke out, and so efficient was the camp Organisation and training that many of the men were able to go straight to the war zone without further preliminary training at Trentham. Large Numbers of Raw' Recruits. ‘"We held one camp at Helensville,” said Mr .Steadman. ‘‘Almost all the men were untrained, and quite a few were partially unfit for service. There •were three officers and 20 men who had boon in the previous camp. The 700 men present were as raw as could be imagined, and the people laughed at us and told us we could never train them. However, we succeeded, to the praise of the authorities.” In 1920 Mr Steadman, then lieuten-ant-colonel in charge of the 15th North Auckland Regiment, retired from active service. His work was acknowledged at various times during his career by his being awarded the 12-year service medal, the Territorial decoration, and the medal for long and efficient service.