SOLDIERS IN THE MAKING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15235, 24 February 1913, Page 8

SOLDIERS IN THE MAKING.

LAST, WEEK'S TRAINING. LIFE IN THE FORTS AND CAMP. MUCH GOOD WORK DONE. The great majority of the territorials of the ' Garrison Artillery Division, and of the Infantry Detachment of the Coast Defence Troops, will look back with pleas me to the past week or camp life. Except at the close of the week, the weather conditions wero admirable. In spite of' the early hours of rising, and of the hard work that the men were called upon to do, they feel thoroughly satisfied that the week has not been spent in vain. They also have tho knowledge that they have learnt something towards helping in the defence of their land. The three companies of the Garrison Artillery Division, who were quartered in Forts Cant-ley, Takapuna, and the Bastion, wero called upon to do work which, although more spectacular than that accomplished by their supporting infantry detachment, is not more important. The artillery division's primary duty, of course, was that of manning the guns of the forts. After several days had been spent in mastering the complicated technicalities associated with rhodern big gun firing, tbs knowledge thus acquired was put to -i practical, tost. The results obtained spe?_c for themselves, the. shooting being both accurate and quick. The new mark VII. &iii guns at Fort Cautley were fired for the first time with much interest, and proved to be thoroughly efficient, as did all the other guns. Keenness of the Artilleryman. In addition to gun firing, there are multifarious other duties attendant upon manning a fort, such as manipulating searchlights and similar operations. "When it is taken into consideration that a long and thorough technical training in electricity and other sciences 13 necessary for some of these duties, and that within the space of oil© brief week a vast amount of practical knowledge is supposed to be imparted to the men, the results are ail the more, creditable.

The territorials invariably showed a keenness and alertness which would have done credit to any body of regular troops trained for several years. LieutenantColonel, Hazard, 0.C., and all,the officers under him, are to bo congratulated on having imparted to the men a thoroughly satisfactory amount of knowledge and training. The Infantry Camp. The infantry detachment, who were encamped at Narrow Neck, under the command of Captain Hawkins, N.Z.S.C., were so placed in order to act as a rear-defence to the forts. Of the 14 officers in the establishment, 10 were in camp, and the attendance of all ranks was about 80 per cent. Considering that the detachment has had only two months of training as a unit, the progress towards efficiency was remarkable. The greatest keenness was shown throughout the ranks, and the results obtained from the week under canvas have been very encouraging. Raw recruits—bow very raw only the | officers who had to deal with them, can say —quickly learnt to be as smart and efficient as those who had undergone Previous training. Physical drill, rifle exercises, musketry training, company c *f~> and skirmishing, occupied the first portion of the week. Finally, a touch of real warfare was given to the training by the issue of blank ammunition, and miniature attack and defence were indulged in, to which the firing added realism.

Excellent Camp Arrangements. Arrangements for the comfort and good health of these undergoing their training j ■were complete in every detail, nothing be- | ing left to chance. A -well-organised sanitary _ system j lowered the number of cases of sickness to a minimum, the majority of those m the hospital tents being treated for minor accident injuries. The feeding of the men was given very careful consideration, and although at the outset a little difficulty was experienced m connection ' with the culinary arrange- ( ments, this was soon put _ rigatv ana when the camp kitchens were in full wjkin" order no complaints were to bo heard. Cooks, specially trained at Txentlw.m, did their work well. The " dry " canteen was a very popular institution, judging by the vast amount of lemonade and other- drinks consumed. ■ x " . The Territorial at Play. No man can he expected to work all day, and although the proposed athletic me«tmg could not take place owing to the _ visit ot Colonel Heard (Coast defence director), vet olertv of fun was obtained by the men n-ri of camp life. In the evenings, when not engaged in listening to brief on their work and duties, or in pel forming night operations, the musical member of the forces could bo heard extracting popular melodies from pianos to the -ccompaniment of lusty choruses. The proximity of the sea was; .advantage of and when time permitted the bathing wa's vastly enjoyed. Games of wa«er polo and other aquatio sports were freely, indulged in. -I-. -4. A Y.M.C.A. tent provided quieter sereations for the men, ar "1 was much appreciated as a place of retirement-, to write letters, or to enjoy a game of bagatelle. A miniature rifle range also proved to do a very popular institution. Short services, with helpful addresses, arid evening concerts, given under the auspices of the Y.M.C.A., were ail well attended. The final camp fire concert on. Cheltenham Beach on the last night under canvas, preceded by a short sports programme, proved to bo a great success, and when the camp broke up on Saturday morn-, ing it was with many regrets that the ; majority of the men-left the scene of what had been to them one of the most pleasant weeks which they had ever spent.