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SOUTH ISLAND BATTALION. THE VOYAGE TO ALBANY.

Ti. 1 op -hip Kent. Snlurtla}-, March 22 Tv hron\fa-t ti.no tomrrrow we <-houlcl bo in \'b.i'iy. 1 lie Kent n not a very fa-t b< .it h'-r iato of «-peed having ranged from ?30 id 2£o iiv'e- per day. Tho weather on t' < whole has been good, "and tho voyage ii'ievi-ntful On Thur-day 13th in-t., when vro had been 24 hour-> out from Otago Heads, and wfero loisuni aig'it of tlie New_ ZeaJjuul toaaV,

a number < f telegram's were handed round. At f«r=t many of the recipients weio dubious about takn.g- them. We '■trorgly suspected that -omeone vv.is trying to "have ' v«. and were still trore sii s p*c'ous when the officer distributing the tanuliar-locking envelopes said. "" Latest wires ju-t rtcoivetl by pigeonpost. ' It turned out. how over, that they (imc from a inad-b;;g that Itad beoa put on bciartl at tlie last moment, and. 111 the htirry and confu-10.1. had been overlooked for 24hour-. j C'-jpni n.T 11 MjcDon.il.l a*ii'm rt d comI mantl ot (' .Squadron from th" 15th in-r., j mpo Captr. m Deck, who l.a- been tran=j f erred to tho medical »tatt". Captatn Det-k is a medical man. who h.i=- bet 11 piacti-i'ig nt Mofueka. in the Ne^on district, (^aptam W. Ma r -hall as-ivnod command of D .Squadron from the same date, vice Captain Halpm. ui..at;.t "iot!. Ail four squadrons are I now commanded by oflieor- vho have al I ready -cm a yo:u- pprv ire m .South Africa. ' aid who have t'*e ad\,iiit?c,e f'l a thorough ! kuowletlee of th.* vvo;k th?t hrs before them and tlie varied tlr.fi 1*:1 *:- tli"v' will have to pei ft. 1 in. Many o) the nun v.oie v erv ill i.n the , Thur-day and Frulav . and n wa- o;h^ with I difficulty tli't the tioop officer* coul'l cot a «uf[icir-nt lui-nber of men together to tarry o;it the .-ti'bl^ duno-. One irooner who ; v.a-. bountifully frrdmg tli>> fi-hc- lot 30 hi- "divnor =w\ 'oe ' a- well, aud taw a complete s-tt th^ippwr t.vri th 0 siap'- sitle. i A- the army rai.on ln.-cint 1- l.ot 10 b" I ue_'otiatul by «ny but ihe b, -t nrnulei-. I this unicruiiiato trooper will inobably be sent back fiom Albany to be nfitt.d. By Frulav aftei noon" mc-t of the men net sufficiently recovered to aft to work, and even the band pulled itself together, got upon it- feet, albeit they were somewhat phaky feet, and paved l.alt a dozen sslcetions I during officrr-' v-. I*-.1 *-. I On Saturday imniung at the sick parade ! about 50 ca-o- pie-i-ntcl themselvc^ before I the mt,tbtal oflitc;-. mc-t of the Miffeierbeing merely victims of sea-ickne-s. aggravated, cfoubt -^^, 111 many cases by ' home-sic km In the evening a concert w:.licld in th« men'- quarter-, at wlueh thf officers were present, and a 1 irqc amount 01 talent was discov<ied to t \ist anion^ tit N.C O.s a lid mm. On Sunday tiio -.c k p.'rad° wa- rcdi. erd to 30, and most of thf=-e ta-c- wore returned by tho n.c.'uoal offien- - "fit for h'fht duty." At 3 p.m. c'inrc'i pi-i!' 1 ;\a ; ink' 111 Nt). 3 Latch Caji. 111 ! 1 !•'«.' (em mander of tho tuop'h.p) -.d ' poi-ri- 11 ol the Chun !i of .CugLii'd -?i > t c. . nc' C'"i j/an. captain Dutton re.i.l th" li:-' !■>■.- ■ .:!trr which a '.VT.in va- Ming. ai..l ti n lii c ,iap lain d"bvered an t. trnc=t adil-e-- !n|l () : practical cniiirtm son*c and a'':-mab'y adapted to the oica-son. Thi-> w.ii fo! : owii by another hvmu. eveivbodv joiiuu_ r will. c\coi!snt eifcot in tho v.oid "Stand up. c tand up for .le.-u-." The thnplnm th-11 offered up a '•hort pviyn. an'l tho s<^rv ice vvas bro'.ighc to ,1 conchi'-ion by a ver-e of the National Anthem. simi£ with preat force. In the evening tl c chaplain held a voluntary service. whi"h «?- laigely attended. Monday vvas a bright, beautiful day, witii a calm sea and a blue sky. The «ick paiado was redufed to a dozen, and all except t!n.dozen were going about their work with cheerfulness and alaenty. A boat-drill parade wa- held at 2.30 p.m. The men were told off fa the boats which they wou'd occupy in casa of emergency, and in a fey. minutes they took up the position allotted to them. Tn the afternoon the island* jiort'i of Tasmania were t learly visible, and th" sight of lantl again wa* apparently veiy welcome to tho«e poor lads who had nevei been to sea befoio. At 7 p.m. we were abreast of the Wil-on's Promotory light, and next morning we signalled the C'-ipe Otway lighthouse at breakfast time In the afternoon, between 2 and 3, when the men were off duty, the baud enne on dock and played o number of sf Wtiou;- 111 v1 ry cood f-tj'le Tlx^ thank* ot both offii "i> and men arc cine to the Ldie- who <o kindly took in hind tho ta*k ot pi.nuling the battalion with band nistiuine-ut^. Some jiiiu-einent vva-, cau-etl tiie other evening by one: of the -entries on the hoi>c line<-. At the dead of night the orderly ofTicer ua- Lfoinj/ Iv« u-ual round of in-pec-t i«'ii ti> -cm< il.it the picket uire alort ; nil ..Uintiw to th«'ii tlutie-. In ptrfonmng tlnduty it 1- ii'ittal for the officer to question tho ■-c nti io-, to m'p that they have been propel ly ln-tiuttetl. antl one of the quetious ino?t fietiuontly put 11 in ri-ferem^ to an outbreak of fin- On being a-ked what he would do in the event of In, finding the i-hip on fiie. the fir-t -entry interrogated I romptly replied . "(Jo quickly to tho budge and infoini the effiror on duty there. ' " Very Ejood ' .-aid the < rciei'ly OHII T, niltl pa.^.-etl <r i to xhf ne\t '-cntij. " Sentry ' " Sir ' " ' What Hoiild yon '!t> if yon di-t o\ erod the -hip (o bo oil fire ' "Yell out like am thing. -11," tame the prompt but totally unexpected uiiM\ei. The only promotions that haxe been made on hi ard are in C Squadron Tliet-e were lend'TCtl neee-t-ary by the "absence"' of Soigoant Robertcon, and t<. fill the vat.incy the following j.i oii'otions apn< aretl in ordt 1- — 765/ Coipoial •). Kt-inwclv, to be -errant, uce F \V. Robcrt-on. de-cited. 8121 Lauce 1 oipor.il F. Ma-011, to b« cm poral. v,ol- Ki'imedy, projnoted. 7612 Private T A. Ballantyne. to K» l.v.ice corporal, vhc Ma-on, piumoti-d.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OW19020416.2.218

Bibliographic details

Otago Witness, Issue 2509, 16 April 1902, Page 54

Word Count
1,074

SOUTH ISLAND BATTALION. THE VOYAGE TO ALBANY. Otago Witness, Issue 2509, 16 April 1902, Page 54

SOUTH ISLAND BATTALION. THE VOYAGE TO ALBANY. Otago Witness, Issue 2509, 16 April 1902, Page 54