ARMY WORKSHOPS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24876, 24 April 1944, Page 7

ARMY WORKSHOPS

TASK IN BATTLE AREAS MAINTAINING EQUIPMENT (N.Z.E.F. Official News Service) SOUTHERN ITALY, April 19 Any one of hundreds of articles of equipment used by the New Zealand troops which cannot be repaired by the main divisional workshops are generally good for salvage and little else. Working close to the scene of action as practicable, skilled tradesmen and technicians combine to form a team which has built up a record of efficiency and reliability. The jobs range I'roin repairing a crane to a heavy truck. Apart from the armoured and A.S.C. workshops, which service their own units, the divisional workshops are responsible for nearly all the maintenance work of the division. Gnus, mortars, small arms, watches, compasses, radio, typewriters, range and direction finders, as well as many other articles and hundreds of trucks and cars, all go to the workshops for overhaul and repair. Although fully mobile, the workshops have all the facilities of a fair-sized general engineering works. There is a recovery section responsible for bringing back worn equipment, which fitters and mechanics with forward units decide needs more attention than they can give. Often working within the sound of guns, these men are responsible for keeping the division as we'll serviced as possible. Vehicle maintenance is merely routine, while the line adjustment of fire control instruments for the artillery is just another job. In the instrument trucks the work is nearly all of a delicate nature and the men there have full scope for exercising their ingenuity and initiative. In many cases the men are working at their own civilian jobs, but others have been trained at English

depot® in Egypt. There is also a general j engineering bay, where all the* miscellaneous needs of the units are dealt with, and the pride of the workshops is that there are few requests which cannot be met. PATRIOTIC PARCELS WELCOME DISTRIBUTION (N.Z.E.F. Official News Service) SOUTHERN ITALY. April 19 An issue of patriotic parcels to units of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force is proceeding under the direction of Brigadier A. S. Falconer. The distribution, on the basis of one parcel and 50 cigarettes per man, would normally have taken place in March, but delivery was postponed owing to operational demands. The parcels are always welcome, not only for the good things they contain, but alsp the sentiments they express, and they are particularly appreciated at the present time. It is expected that the next issue of parcels on behalf of the Patriotic Fund and the people of New Zealand will be made near the middle of the year. ADVANCE BASE FARADS INSPECTION BY FREYBERG (N.Z.E.F. Official News Service) SOUTHERN ITALY, April 19 Units at the New Zealand advance base paraded recently for an inspection by Lieutenant-Geueral Sir Bernard Freyberg, V.C., who had just returned from the battle area at Gassino. Drawn u[> on a grass stretch near the base the parade, under the command of Brigadier J. T. Burrows, was representative of all arms of the service. The G.O.C. later addressed <ifficers and non-com-missioned officers in Lowry Hut, while in the afternoon he inspected the base reception depot. Later in the week General Freyberg visited the No. 3 General Hospital and the convalescent depot.