FIELD ARTILLERY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2719, 25 April 1906, Page 16

FIELD ARTILLERY.

The various aspects of the reoent Easter encampment have been discussed at length by diver 3 scribes; the strategic and tactical points have been fully enlarged upon by critics; but the inner life of the different corps during the time spent under canvas has of necessity been neglected by

these gentlemen, who arrive on the field of battle merely to witness and criticise the conduct and result of certain operations ere they make a hurried retreat "whence they came. Without doubt ifc is most beneficial to all interested (o learn of their shortcomings and success so far as the mancem res aie concerned, but possibly a resume of the daily work of a corps also has its attractive side. B Battery, the local field arhl'ery corps, ordinarily numbers some 70 members, and an indication of their enthusiasm is displayed in the fact that close on 40 of these attended the recent camp.

Barewood i* lapidly becoming identified with artillery fire, the Battery having now carried out shell practice there three times within 15 months, and to Barewood fhe company \\a=i despatched on Thursday evenin?, 12th inst. The guns and harness hnd already been entrained, so that on the Thursday evening rothing remained to be done except the entraining of the hor^s and baaraagre. This wr.s carried out expeditioiHy. and departure taken about 9 p.m., the bulk of the men being accommodated m the "common or garden" open truck. The train trip was just such an experience as the usual night travel affords, save that the Taieri Gorge by moonlight proved a most picturesque relief, the scenery in parts being almost impressive. The keen wind, cutting its way down the gorge, penetrated to every corner of the waggons, but recourse to creature comforts at intervals went some way to overcoming this discomfort. Music — principally produced .from a mouth-orpran. successfully manipulated by a prominent driver, -^song." and story served to occupy the time until midnight, when Barewood Station was reached, horses, etc . detrained, and the men marched to the tents pitched a few yards distant.

By 2 am. on Good Friday all were ensconced in the tents except (he horse picket, the solitary individual told off for this duty ha\ ing of necessity to postpone Ins retirement until allowed "to arouse another to relieve him, an hour or so later. The arrival of the second troop train and the shunting operations during the night— Barewood is quite a Clapham Junction at th:s 6eason — were not altogether conducive to sleep, but an hour's indulgence had been granted by a thoughtful 0.C., so that at 7 a.m., when reveille sounded, a refreshed body of men turned out to enjoy the early morning air of Barewood. And it is in the early morning, and again in the evening, that Barewood becomes beautiful. At high noon the barren nature of the country is too evident, the absence of trees and of shelter from the fierce sun too noticeable, to be pleasant. But at sunrise, and towards sunset when the soft lights play around the rocks, casting restful shadows and throwing into relief the 6urroundmg hills and valleys Barewood delights the imagination.

After "stables" — the call which entails {he watering and feeding of the horses, — the men come into touch for the first time with those important officers, the cook and quartermaster. Closer inspection proves the latter to be a well-known and popular robust member of the corps, and the former, with his quaint accent, forcible expressions, and good nature, soon establishes himself favourably. The quartermaster's officg is no sinecure. Hg hflfi U&Uir his

direct control the victualling of the company; innumerable requests for sundries i are hourly hur'eclat him. and a;l deficknc.es j or imperfections are attributed to this unfortunate person, who, if ho were of a,. sensitive nature, would be reduced to * state of imbeei.'.'ly within a week. It &p»aks volumes for the Battery quartermaster, therefore, that he returned to town apparently as sane as when he departed. The company bugler, too, comes into prominence on these occasions, and not the least pleasant memories of the camp are the oalls sounded by Trumpeter Harrison, of the Battery. The clarion-like, harsh reveille, calculated to disturb the heaviest slumber, followed in quick succession by the musical " stabics," and the peremptory "short warning" and "fall in," tho welcome me«s call." and later tho melodious " sunset " (the notes of which seenv, always in exquisite harmony with the depaKing day), "first post," and "last post," and the drowsy "lights out," all receive cap.tal treatment ot his hands, anr) are appreciated accordingly.

On Good Friday afternoon the first work was done by the Battery, a couple of hours being spent in manoeuvres, preparatory to the actual firing on the morrow. This over, the men were dismissed for the night, again excepting the horse picket, who, from " lasfc post " to reveille, in hour watches, kept law and order amongst 'the equities. There is a certain fascination about this duty on a fine night. Those whose fortune it is to be allotted the first hour certainly enjoy what advantages are to be game"d from the company of an occasional gunner, but later, when all is quiet, the '-sentry go" along the horse lines, past the stolid gun horse and the more restless hack, is not without its charm. This, of course, does not apply to wintry weather (such as prevailed the previous Easter), when the benefits to be derived from leaving a warm bed at, say, 3 a.m. to undergo an hour's tramp in sleet are somewhat doubtful.

Saturday was the most interesting day of the camp, by reason of the shell-fire that day. A beneficent Government allows the Battery a couple of hundred shells a year, the firing of which is limited to two or three occasions, each of which is always eagerly anticipated by the men, as shell practice, apart from the added interest of effective fire, is concrete evidence of the value of all preparatory drill, etc. After firing some 60 rounds in two series, tho corps returned to camp, and after routine duties the men were again left with time at their disposal. A camp-firo concert at the Battalion camp was attended by many, but the majority, tired after the events of the day, slept early. Easter Sunday brought no work. Breakfast was a lordly meal, the commissariat excelling themselves with real mutton chops and coffee. After a perfunctory cleaning up of uniforms a church parade, at which' the whole company attended, was held, the sermon being preached by Chaplain Dutton. After dinner a general demand for horses prevailed, and *by 3 p.m. all the available steeds were out of sight. Most of the riders headed for the scene of Saturday's operations, armed with spades and picks, with' a view to securing as curios any spent shells. But an occasional party,^ cleanshaved for the occasion, would penetrate to an adjacent station, returning jn the evening reports of .wondrous doings,.

Sleep on Easter Sunday night was fitful. 'A night alarm was momentarily expected, and every stray sound "served to awaken the occupants of the tents. Nothing eventuated, however, and the only firing on Monday proved to be a fairly leisurely series or two with blank ammunition. This was completed by about 1 p.m.j but as the railway authorities unfortunately could not arrange for the return of the company until 9 p.m., time hung heavily, the only relieving incidents being the departure of the Maniototo Mounted • Rifles, the purchase of sundries from Mjddlemarch passengers, and the inspiring sight of a six-horse Battery team transporting 1 cooking utensils. After entraining the jpxns and horsSs, Barewood was left at' 8.30 p.m., and Dunedin reached by midnight, after a" camp memorable alike for tho ideal weather and the military experience gained. engineers; 'At the Lovell's Flat camp the signallers kept .up comunication between the outpost and the camp with the flags by day and the, lamp 3by night, and successfully carried out the I 'duties allotted to them. The work was hot 'arduous, and during the day they had the assistance of two of the Clutha Hifles J with the -flae^. These Jatter, however, ■ had - had . no . previous practice with the lamps;- 'and' Aver© consequently -unable to receive messages- during the evening. Th^;field engineering. section" was ; split up into* two sqHadsj-.one being in charge of Lieutenant- Lacey, . the other in charge of Se-rgeant Keilkr^and. ■ under their .super--vision the camp »was~ put in a "state of defence. On one side of the camp a. line of fire trenches was constructed by the infantry corps, soine~'giving- shelter for men kneeling, and others giving shelter for men firing at the standing position, the latter also having overhead cover as protection against artillery fire. On the other side the kneeling trenches were adopted, use being made of «. line of trees as a further protection and for concealment. In both cases the. work was well done,, and occasion was taken to instruct the men as to the best positions to take up in order to obtain the best command, field of fire, and protection against an enemy. The infantry corp3 took great interest in the construction of the trenches, and many questions were asked in connection with the work. Concealment was given special attention to, tussocks being placed on the parapets to make these correspond with the surrounding country, and after the work was completed it was difficult to tell where the exact positions of the trenches actually were. Instruction was also given N in mat-making, and the engineer - squads took the opportunity of making straw mattresses for themselves to sleep en.

Communication between the respective tinits at Barewcod was well maintained by the field telegraph and t signalling detachment of the Engineers, under the command of -Lieutenant Teitch. On Friday a headquarters^ station was established on a ele-"v-ated position close to the camp, suitable -for. both branches, but especially so for signalling purposes. This was placed in telegraphic communication with No. 2 outpost, and by lamp with No. 1, until the pjequets were withdrawn. For Saturday's operations, signallers were detailed to proceed with the infantry and mounted rifles, while the mobile telegraphs accompanied the guns. The task of the latter became one of great difficulty on account of the eccentricities of their horse, and as a precaution an auxiliary signalling equad had to remain with them. Every kind of persuasion was tried but failed to produce the desired effect on the wayward equine. Patience at last became exIhausted, and the animal was replaced by the men, who, dragging the cart, followed the guns to both their positions, and with Tery little delay the instruments were in connection with headquarters. They were not, however, utilised to the extent that the commendable efforts of the detachment •to supnly the service entitled them to expect. The signallers had a busier time, but were well able to meet the demand. On the ■way back to camp the cable cart dropped a line to connect headquarters with No. 1 outpost for the night's work. Sunday was a. slight relaxation, and after divine service ihe signallers had useful practice in working cypher message through -a relay station and as the field telegraphs were not required the men laid and fired a small mine in close proximity to the camp. ' Monday was the busiest day for the engineer detachment. Establishing stations •with each unit in well-chosen positions, they ■were kept going hard transmitting reports from* all officers commanding units to Colonel Sfconeham, advising him of the evident effect of their fire and of their proposed movements, and receiving his instructions in return. The work this day proved to be heavy, and the signallers had a --warm time, but they were equal. to the "demands, and the whole of the work was promptly and accurately performed—sur3>TisanKly so when it is considered that the signalling squad, with the exception of ifcwo men from the battalion, was drawn wholly from the cadets. They were directly undgp their QWn signalling officer, Lieuten-

ant Hitt, and the work done during the manoeuvres show that they are a highly useful and efficient accessory to the senior corps. . The field telegraph section were severely handicapped, and it was indeed unfortunate that they 1 were denied the fruits of the success they worked so hard for. With the improvements Teosntly effected in their wire drum and winding gear, they were confident of getting in some very fast work in following up the guns, but beyond proving the efficiency of the apparatus there was nothing that could be accomplished that could show up its best work under ordinary circumstances. The detachment of tho Dunedin Engineers that was sent to the Waianakarua camp put in a considerable amount of really good work, in which the earthworks and signalling, of course, occupied' chief place. The earthworks were constructed by the infantry, under the supervision of the- Engineers, who, acting as instructors, took up the duties that would be theirs on active service. Special -mention' should be made of the work done <by the signallers, tspecally Saturday' 6 work. On Saturday morning, reports' having 'reached camp that two hostile- cruisers were off the a description of thc^i was heliographed by the Engineers to their transmitting, station _M^Keuzie's Cairn, and* from -there to_ il'e Heads. A number of small works vvert also clone, jnelirciing tlie' weaving' of mate put of loose straw, the "building of a 'field kitchen .with a. i£od chimney, <-tc , which added materially to the cemfort of those who had to work about camp. At the conclusion of camp the Officer Commanding expressed his appreciation of the work done by each cf the engineering branches. FIELD HOSPITAL. AND BEARER CORPS. This company had a busy week previoue to the Easter manoeuvres, detailing the various detachments for duty and arranging their equipment so that there would be no lack of the needful remedies and appliances should the occasion arise for their use. At Barewood, Lieut. -colonel Will, V.D., and Surgeon-captain O'Neill were the medical officers in camp. This section left by ihe troop train on Thursday carrying the No. 1 Battalion, and upon arrival ai thoir destination were assigned their pesition, placing all stores and equipment under cover and ready for any emergency. The usual camp routine was observed. Sick parades wc-re ordered each morning :'nd evening. On Saturday and Monday lhe whole strength of the section, to which was attached the Garrison Band to act ps sti etcher-bearers, accompanied the troops for ball-firing, and drereing and collecting stations were formed, and everything vas placed in rcadinejsi for any. emergency. The Garrison Baiid received instruction _in stretcher drill, t*nd were of great assistance to the Field Hospital and Bearer Corns.

Tho medical officers present at Hie Lovell's Flat camp were Sur?eon-major Fitzscrald and Surgeon-captain Stenho-use. Practically th-e same routine of duties were observed in this camp as ai Baiewood. Tho only difference was that this section had i:o assistance- from any other branch, having to da all their own work.

At the Waianakarua camp, Surgeon-major Evans and Surgeon-captain Whirton wr-re the medical officeis present. The routine and dutiVs wore- similar to those at Barewood, a field hospital beinsr establi e hed, fnd upon the for:e going out fry ball-firing tl-e detachment accompanied them, and were r<=adv eiuiprod for any emergency. On the Sunday afternoon n rTisolav of ambulance work w.ifi made Ly the section, and was vory much appreciated.

Members of the various sections are uianimous upon one pomt — viz . that four days' practical work in the field, with no other duties to perform onables them to get a good grip of tho fk-ld hospital work, a.nd is the best training of the year. -Already the company are feeling the results of their work in camp, as several men have notified their wish to join. Th*v value of a training in ambulance and field bosp'Ual work is beyond doubt most valuable, and the onportunity of securing low days' uninterrupted traininpr is one that no member of ihe corps should havo missed Th" attendance was very satisfactory, all absentees being accounted for.

During ihe fortnight ended March 24. no less than 221 case 3 of typhoid were reported in Melbourne, including 1 93 in the metropolis. A number of the cases are due to the insanitary milk supply. The comparative buoyancy of the iron trade durincr a scries of years was referred to by Mr John Duthie at the valedictory function to !Mr David Robertson last w^ek. Th«y heard some complaints occasionally, said Mr Duthie, but it seemed to him there was still some progress bein<? made. There was matter for congratulation in this, for no country was progressive unless the iron trade did well ; whenever there was progress, increased work for the ironfounder was sure.