THE HOME GUARD

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24405, 15 October 1942, Page 4

THE HOME GUARD

R.EPOKT OF COMMITTEE training and equipment COMMENTS BY GENERAL (S.R.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday It was announced to-day by the Minister of Defence, the Hon. F. Jones, that the recommendations on Home Guard training, equipment and organisation made last June by a speciallyappointed committee of inquiry of the War Council had now been considered by the Government, and had also been discussed with the General Officer Commanding, Lieutenant-General E. Puttick, C.8., D.5.0., and officers of his staff, and with the Director-General of the Home Guard, Brigadier E. \oung, C.8., C.M.G., D.S.O. The committee consisted of the Hon. W. Perry M.L.C. (chairman), Ma.iorGeneral Sir Andrew Russell, K.C.M.G., K C.8., and Messrs. L. G. Lowry and E. T. Tirikatene, M.P.'s. It was set up following representations the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. S. G. Holland.

Commenting on the committee's report, General Puttick refers to every recommendation by turn, and states the position as on October 8. He mentions that the strength of the Home Guard then totalled 109,226, in Divisions I. and 11. Improvements in Equipment

The committee recommended that personnel not equipped with .303 or similar rifles should bo provided with .22 rifles, shotguns or revolvers, all .such weapons in private hands to be requisitioned for the purpose. General Puttick states that the rifle and mach-ine-gun position had improved very considerably since the date of the report, and over 60 per rent of Division I. of the guard were now armed. It was recommended by the committee that issues of ammunition be made to enable every member of the guard to complete a full musketry course, and that range facilities be made available for this purpose. General Puttick states that facilities are now provided for every member of Division I. to fire the full rifle course as laid down for the Territorial Force, although shortage of .30 ammunition made it necessary for men armed with this calibre rifle to fire the greater part of the course with .303 rifles. More ranges up to 300 yds. were necessary, and units were to construct them on approved sites, material being provided. The very heavy works programme of the services prevented the task being undertaken at present on a large scale by the State. The committee recommended that adequate supplies of grenades, trench mortars and bombs be provided at the earliest possible moment. General Puttick says reserves of grenades are siill being built up to provide a reasonable war reserve. Supplies of live grenades on the same scale as for the Territorial Force had been issued to the guard for training. Mortars were being issued as they became available. Improvising Weapons

It was recommended by the committee that restrictions imposed by the Army on the use of improvised weapons be relaxed, subject to the maintenance of reasonable safeguards. General Puttick says improvised weapons he had seen have been inefficient and sometimes dangerous. to the user, and in the case of grenades and bombs cause the use of explosives required for the national programme. Supply authorities had reviewed the matter closely, and were using any skilled men and machines where possible for the production of approved types.

The committee recommended that priority be given in equipping the guard with uniform, boots and other clothing over the W.A.A.F., school cadet units, Air Training Corps, etc., and that a further reduction be made in the percentage of cloth allotted for civilian use. It also recommended the supply of one suit of underclothing and two pairs of socks each year to all guardsmen. General Puttick said the highest degree of priority possible was being given to the issue of uniforms and boots to guardsmen. To date 83,127 pairs of boots. 39,000 service dress uniforms and 36.000 battledress uniforms had been distributed. An issue of 3000 sets of uniforms a week would be made until a second suit of battledress had been issued to all ranks of the mobilised forces. An issue of socks was to be made to guardsmen on the basis of one pair a man. The retention in the Home Guard of key personnel called in ballots was recommended by the committee, which suggested that officers commanding units have the right to determine which officers, non-commissioned officers and specialist personnel be retained. General Puttick said requirements of the mobilised forces must take precedence in the utilisation of manpower available for whole-time service. The Territorial Force was not up to establishment. The powers of the officers commanding guard units should be confined to recommending what personnel should be retained, otherwise they would retain all useful men and abuse would be likely to arise. Home Guard officers called in ballots whom area commanders recommended should remain in the guard were retained. but it was considered that noncommissioned officers and specialists should go to the Territorial Force. Pay and Transport

Another recommendation by the committee was that Home Guardsmen be paid for attendance at parades at the rate of 7s a day. General Pnttick said that whenever guardsmen were called out for a period of 24 hours or more they were paid at the rate of 7s a day and rations and transport were provided. If the period of mobilisation was for seven days or longer the same rates of pay and allowances as were provided for home defence forces were paid to guardsmen. It was considered that these arrangements reasonably met the position.

The committee recommended the payment of a uniform mileage allowance at ordinary public service rates in all cases where members of the guard used their own vehicles for guard purposes. General Puttiek said petrol restrictions and tyre shortages now largely governed the matter. To meet the position it was intended to make arrangements under which parades of smaller units would be held, so reducing travelling. Men outside prescribed limits would carry out consolidated training as was done in the case of the Territorial Force. Commenting on a recommendation that the existing capitation allowance of 5s a quarter be increased to £2 a year, General Puttiek said provision had been made whereby if an increase in the amount of allowance were required it would be authorised. District Administration

The committee also recommended that the duties of district and group directors should be more clearly defined, that district directors be invested with more executive authority, and that on mobilisation group directors should act as brigade commanders. General Put tick said that when the district and group appointments were first made duties were mainly of an administrative and organising nature. The time had now come to concentrate on training and operational planning, and it had therefore been decided that these appointments should no longer be continued. Instead, inside each Army area a number of zone commanders would be appointed with a training and operational staff. These zone commanders would command Territorial and Home Guard units within their zones. Any possibility of divided control would thus he avoided and there would be a closer fusion of the guard and Territorial Army, which was essential. The majority of the zone commanders would be appointed in a full-time capacity, and the remainder on a part-time basis in the meantime, but the position of the latter officers would be reviewed later. In his statement the _ Minister expressed his deep appreciation of the importance of the guard and of the excellence of its work.