B. BATTERY SOCIAL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15102, 27 March 1911, Page 7

B. BATTERY SOCIAL.

A SUCCESSFUL GATHERING,

TU members of 13 Batten- held their amraai acial and smoko concert in tho Worafcah Tea Kooms on Friday evening. Thero was a very latge attendance. Thi-cughout the evening tlio proceedings wore marked by an air of camaraderie and good fellowship that, is cliaracterist.c of B Battery giathorings. The spaechos wore to the paint and not over long, the songs wene goad, and the catering was excellent Major Ritchie presided, and tlitio wero also present LieutonamVcoloncl Smith, Major M'Ara, SuTgeon-capfeiin O'Neill, Lieutenants Ewcn and Ealla, ex-Sergeant-major Thomson, Messrs F. J. Stilting and Al'Litosh, and thrco former B Battery oommandcxs in the pcrepns of ex-Captains Tapley and Monkman and Major Chalmer, Apologia wore received from Lieutenontoo!onel Stoneham, Captains M'lndoo and Proudfoot, Lieutenant Barren, Sergeant HoWcriiese, and Mr L. W. Harris.

In proposing tlio toast of "The Visitors" Major Ritchie said it ga'vo him great pleasure to extend a hearty welcome to their visitors. Ho fancied that ho saw amongst them tomo prospective members, and ho only hoped that by the time their next gathering catno round they would; bo able to appear in their -uniforms. Hβ thought that they were particularly indebted to their civilian friend? for tho assistance which they had had from tlioin throughout tho year. It been vory satisfactory to seo how reacii-ly employers had let otf their men during the last four days of tho recent encampment, an« he trusted that tho employers had suffered in no way by their action. He coupkd tho toast -with tho names of Major M'Ara and Mr F. J. Stilling.. Major M'Ara briefly replied, and • incidentally referred to tlio immense amount of gcod which had resulted'from tho Waining camp at Tauherinikau

Mr F. J. Stilling also spoke and congratulated tho battery on its officers and the officers on being in charge of a battery that was as efficient as any battery in tlio Dominion.

Lieutenant-colonel Smith proposed , the toast of tho " B Battery." In reminiscent vein the speaker gavo somo experiences of volunteering in the early days. He had witched the battenv all through these years, and without any undue praise he could say that it had always occupied a very high position in volunteering circles in Dunedin. He believed that their future would be still better than their past. They were all en'husiastio and energetic men, and he was confident that they would do very good work i« time to come. At present they were more prepared to take tho field than they had been in tho past. In-reply, Major Bitchio said it could not but be pleasing to all concerned that things had gono on so smoothly. Whatever work was done was due to "the spirib of the men. It would be impossible to show gcod results at the end of the. year unki-s the men teok their work seriously and attended the parades. They had been extremely fortunate in having a man like Captain Richardson at tho head of the artillery forces in New Zealand.—(Applause ) He was so enthusiastic that it was almost impossible for the men themselves to be otherwise- while he was at (he head of affairs.

Lieutenant-colonel ' Smith presented to Sergeant Milne (No. 1 gim) the Detachment bmekl and to Corporal Burn (specialist section) the Brown Shield In <fcoin<; so ho slid that the real value of tho shields lay in the spirit of competition anJ emulation which they aroused amongst tho man. A number of certificates were aiso presented. . .

During the evenimr a ■ number of songs were acceptably rendered, among thoso contributing being Lieutenant Ewen, Farrier'Wvfr Kerr, cx-Drivcr Algie, vSergeant Wady, Gunner Ccoper, and Mr M'lntosh, and a quartet was rendered by a party conbating of Corporal-Wilson'Sergeant Wadv l'arner-dnver Kerr, and ex-Driver Al°-ie "