VOLUNTEERS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13206, 13 February 1905, Page 3

VOLUNTEERS.

FIELD ARTILLERY PRACTICE AT BAREWOOD. Barewood Estate, on the Otago Central lailway lino, is an ideal locality for tho carrying out of field artillery gun practice. Tho configuration of the country affords almost equal facilities for attack and defence, and the broken country, with its lowlying hills, gullies, and plain, opens up nearly all the'hazards that opposing forces could desire for tho exercise of strategy in actual warfare. These facts, combined with its remoteness from closely-settled country, which thus permits of the use of shrapnel or other without risk of accident, no doubt influences the artillery authority in selecting Barowood for their annual _ gun practice. Major Johnstone, the artillery staff offioor, who has been in Dunediu for some time supervising tho big gun practice of the Navals at Hongkong targets, and' who is also entrusted with the supcrvieion of N.Z.A. battery practice, has not lieen slow to pick tip the possibilities-of Barewood for strategical purposes, and his orders issued to B Battery, N.Z.A., to proceed to that locality and assist to repel an enemy whoee object was to cut the railway line gave a splendid opportunity to the artillery to co-operate with the infantry in dislodging the enemy from a stronglyentrenched position. Acting upon the orders _ received, tho battery entrained at Dunedin at 8 a.m. on Saturday last, and it says something for those in charge of the lorscs of the battery that, they entrained 35 horses in loss than a quarter of an'hour. The train proceeded at 8.20 a.m. to Barewood with three field guns, limbers, ammunition waggons, horses, supervising and commanding officers, non-coms., naval and other attaches, and firing parties, and arrived at tho Barewood Railway Station shortly after 11 a.m. The relieving force iras here detrained, and everthing put in ifeadiness for the reinforcement of artillery to proceed about two miles out in a duo south direction and assist tho infantry to dislodge the enemy from the strong position on a long range of hills south-east of Barewood Station. Major Johnstone and Jiis staff, ataches, and war correspondents proceeded direct to tho scene of hostilities, and, after travelling about two miles by tho roadway, discovered the enemy in the shape of fixed targets between 2700 and 3500 yards away. Somotinie afterwards the Bearer Corps, numbering seven men, under Lance-corporal Knox, furnished with stretchers, liaversacb, water bottles, etc., arrived on the scone, and took up a sheltered position behind a large schist rock, which afforded shelter from tho soorching 6nn. Next followed some advance scouts, who, with the aid of field glasses discovered tho 1 enemy's position, and these presumably reported by courier to the advancing artillery, let! by Captain Taplev, who came along at a good pace immediately afterwards. In order to avoid exposure to tho liostile fire tho advancing battery at once loft tho roadway and made a dolour to tho Jeft. with the object of securing a sheltered (position behind a hill, the crcst of whic-h afforded a splendid position from which to fire slrrapnel at the enemy. Whether this movement was taken at a sufficiently early period is open to doubt., as it appeared to the obserer that til© advancing force stuck to tho roadway sufficiently long to lay themsclvea open to effective shelling from the enemy's guns, As the opposing force did not fire, however, and the relieving force negotiated a short exposed position without mishap, it may bo presumed the onemjfs attention was «o engrossed with the infantiy that ho did not observe the force that was to play a most important part in turning the fortunes of war against him. Immediately upon coming into shelter whero his guns were bidden from observation, Captain Taplcy 'and his officers lost no time in locating the enemy's first position, and, after some delay caused by traversing swampy and boggy land, in a gully, which had to be crossed, the three field pieces were hurriedly placed in position and a brisk cannonade at 2700 yards commenccd. This, according to the orders of the day, had the effect of silencing the enemy's first artillery position; but if that was so the enemy must have been more frightened than hurt, as the shells from practically all the guns fell either a long way 6hort or went very wide of the mark, and when the order to cea6C firing was given tho dummy targets appeared to be in much tho same position as before the shelling commenced. Tho enemy, however, although silenced in one quarter, came into action at about 3500 yards with two heavy guns on the left of his first and tho baftorics, coming into position again, re-engaged him, with tho Tosnlt 'that his artillery, according to the order of the day, was finally silenced. The orders of the day in this instance, asjn the first, wero not qiiito in accord with observation, as tho shells wero few and far between that were likely, to causo him very serious inconvenience. Tho moral effect of a strong artillery fire combined with a supposititious liarassment of tho infantry was too much for the hostile forces, which from this point onward were in serious difficulties. For the somewhat ineffective shooting of Captain Tapley's battoiy in tho first position taken .up it is explained that Scott's sight, with ■wijich tho battery is not quite familiar, was used. After tho silencing of the hostile artiliery a brief period elapsed, during which it became known that the infantry was strongly attacking tho enemy's position and preparing to rush it, and tho order was given, "Advance and support your infantry, and concentrate your firo on the enemy as soon as his-position is disclosed." A rapid movement was then mado along the roadway, and a sjiarp look-out was kept for surprise targets whioh were to be ereotod to indicate the-, enemy's position. When the artillery cama-within 2200 yards one of these\ targets madaiits appearance, and, the guns being immediately brought into position by Lieutenants Haydon, Ritchie, and Stocker (Captain Tapley, among others, having been casualtied), tho enemy was hotly enraged, the shells .Cropping upon and around him in a. manner th»t. speedily drovo bim from his exposed portion. In this attack telescopic sights wore used for Lieutenant Haydon's gun and tangtnt sights by Hie other lieutenants. The order was tlion given to advance to closer qiiaretra, and tho guns wero speedily transferred to a position across tho intervening plain, and, the tnemy again exposing himself, be was attacked with -a vigorous and accurate fire, which proved the prelude to his final rout from his trenches by the infantry, who, af tho time firing ceased, were within 300 yards of his last stand. s

Tho manoeuvres were marred during tho 'day bv an accident, fortunately not. of a serious nature, which occurred to Gunner Waghorn, who, while seated on tho roar of nn advancing limber, got his foot caught between the spoils of one of tho wheels. At tho time of the mishap the limber was being drawn at a rapid rate down a sidling, and, coming into a slight' bog, it is presumed, tho jolt caused Waghorn's foot to jork between tho spokes, and tho result was a. eevero bruise over tho instep, which caused t " . =2

the foot to 6well r but .which gave no indication of broken bones. The temporary pause in the revolving of the wheel through its coming into contact with the sido of the bog, fortunately prevented a more serious injury, and, the accidcnt being noticed by the driver, tlio vehiclo was .stopped and the gunner's injuries were promptly attended to by Surgeon de Lautour and. the Bearer Cori)s, who, in l«s than five minutes from tho occurrencc of the 'accident, had; the sufferer's foot bandaged and' dressed, preparatory to his being placed on an lance stretcher and convoyed to the vised ambulance hospital. At the conclusion of the gun practioe a ! return was made to Barewood Station', where the battery shortly after arrival entrained and proceeded to Dunedin. > During the journey to town Major Johnetone addressed Captain 'l'apley and his officers in one of the carriages, and, in' referring to tho wort of the day' as a whole, said it_ had been done fairly well-; but it was quite evident tho lattery did not understand the Scott sights. Some of the movements also were' not as accelerated as they might have been,' and tho fire discipline, ho thought, was occasionally lax.'Some of the mistakes he alluded to wore inseparable from batteries whioh did their drill in garrison or on macadamised roadways and were once a year taken into rough country whore tJie conditions wore very different; but there were others that wore avoidable and which would no doubt disappear as the result of such practices as they had had that day. After reviewing in detail the manceuvres of the day, he concluded bv emphasising the importance of discipline as a necessity towards solf-offacemont, the keeping of- a battery up to a high state of efficiency both as regards numbers and merit, and tRe absolute necessity for accurate firing. Tho B Battery broke up camp at 3.45 p.m. yesterday, and, after marching into town, tho men were dismissed at tho Garrison Hall.

A largely attended meeting of the exmemborp of the Dunedin Highland Rifles was held on Saturday evening in the company's orderly .Toom, Garrison Hall, exCaptain Stoneham in tho chair. It was resolved to hold the annual shooting match with the company's representatives on Saturday. 4th March. The "has bepns" will put forward their best 12 men for the occasion, the conditions being seven shots at 200 and 500 yards. Tlio os-mcmbcre purpose. entertaining the present members at a "smoke" on the evening of the match. Ex-Lieutenant Nelson mentioned that since their last meeting tliev had sustained a loss of a valued and enthusiastic member in the late Px-Lieutenaut M'Oailum. Much of tho company's efficiency now is due to that officer'e early worfc with the corps. KxCaptain • Stoneham was welcomed, and pleasure was expressed at his restored health. The desire was uiiaiiimous'y expressed that the ex-members' trophy to replace the Cottanoch Cup be handed to the corps oil tho evening of the match, and all agreed to work for that object. To complete arrangements the meeting was adjourned until Saturday next, tho 18th, and ex-members desirous of assisting are reouested to attend on that evening. A vote of thanks to the chair closed the meeting.