CAVALRY UNDER CANVAS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2955, 2 November 1910, Page 58

CAVALRY UNDER CANVAS.

REGIMENTAL TRAINING CAMP

FIVE SQUADRONS AT WAITATI

A regimental training camp for tiie First Regiment, Otago Mounted Rifles, was most successfully started at Waitati on Saturday. This is the first occasion on which the whole regiment has been together for a week's training, and the parade of 315 officers and men showed the largest combined muster on record. The camp is a Territorial one, said to be the second held in the Dominion under the new military regulations. The whole is in charge of Lieutenant-colonel R. Logan.' A visit of inspection from Lieutenant-colonel Smyth ie anticipated towards the end of the week. and there is seme probability also of Colonel Robin being present. _ I The spot chosen for the camp at Waitati could scarcely have been a more picturesque one, and certainly no campers could have been favoured with more ideal weather for pitching canvas than prevailed on Saturday. The A Squadron "(Otago Hussars) and B Squadron (North Otago Mounted Rifles) are located in Kilpatrick's paddock, while the 0, D, and E Squadrons (the Clutha, Maniototo, and Tuapeka Mounted Rifles) are situated closer by in the Show Ground. Part of tho .material for the camp arrived' on Thursday evening, and on Friday fatigue parties were sent, i ahead to commence arrangements The I -work of pitching camp began in veal | earnest at 6.30 a.m. on Saturday, and did i not cease till early the next, morning. The Otago Hussars, who reached Waitati about ■ 5.3€ p.m. on Saturday, were the first to arrive, having ridden out Dunedin | in a little over two hours and a-half. | About 5.45 the North Otasro Mounted j Rifles arrived by special train from ! Oamaru with their horses and baggage, ' and proceeded to camp as toon as these

' could be unloaded. The Clutha and Tuapeka Mounted Rifles arrived together in a long special train from the south, with two engines, shortly before 8.30, but it ■was not till well after 11 o'clock that the last of the squadrons—the Maniototo Mounted Rifles—reached Waitati, also by special train. Details of the staff and of the parade states of the squadron and of the whoio | regiment are as follow: Staff.—Lieut.-colonel R- Logan, in oom- ' mand; Major G. W. C. Macdonald, second in command; Captain R. M. Turnbull. I adjutant; Captain W. E. Christie, paying quartermaster; Major Snowball, veterinary officer; Surgeon-captain A. R. Falconer, sanitary officer; Surgeon-captain Flemming; Chaplain-captain Jamieson. Lieu-tenant-colonel J. C. Nichols, a former O.C. Regiment is also in camp. Two staff sergeant-major instructors arid four.N.C.O.'s | on the regimental staff complete the list '. of the staff. A Squadron (Otago Hussars). —Captain Black, Lieutenants Shand and Cowie, 66 \ N.C.O.'s and men. B Squadron (North Otago Mounted Rifles). Captain Orbell, Lieutenants I Swindley, Jenkins, Henderson, and Barnes. 72 N.C.O.'s and men. C Squadron (Clutha. Mounted Rifles?).— Captain Grigor, Lieutenants Jackman and Landells, 47 N.C.O.'s ;md men. D Squadron (Maniototo Mounted Rifles). Captain T-rott'cr. Lieutenants Bell, Dowling, and Kerr, 49 N.C.O.'s and men. E Squadron (Tuafoka Mounted Rifles).— Captain J. B. Mackinlaj-, Lieutenants ' Graham and Blackie, 52 jS.C-'s and men. Lieutenant Wayte, of the 2nd Regiment, is also attached for duty. | Parade State First Regiment Otaigo 1 Mounted Rifles. — Li'-.ucnant-ooloneis, 2; majors, 2; captains. 9; subalterns, 14-; I sergeants-major and quartermaster-ser-geants, 9; sergeants, 28; corporals, 24; privates, 218; trumpe rs, 9; —total, 315. Some idea of the. size of the camp will be gained when it is slated that there are altogether 84 tents in use. Of these, five ( aro marquees, two of which arc used as ; messrooms, two for the regimental - institute, and one as a hairdresser's saloon. Not more than six men are allowed to a tent. The horse linos extend for a distance of 800 yards, or nearly half a mile. The two squadrons in Kilpatrick's paddock have ample 6paoe, but the three in the Show Ground find themselves somewhat cramped for room. . • An interesting and, so far as New Zea- : land is concerned, an entirely novel feature of the' camp is the regimental institute, which has been arranged by Lieutenant-colonel Smyth and' Mr C. J. Bush-King. The institute is being conducted by Mr Buah-King under the auspices of" St. Matthew's Branch of the Church of England Men's Society, which, is to be congratulated on the initiative and enterprise dt has shown. Two big marquees are to be in use, in one cif which a supply of aerated waters, tea, coffee, pies, cakes, sandwiches, etc., will be on sale to the men. A piano ie there for their free use, and a bagatelle table. In the second marquee there will be a 20ft table with magazines and journals, ' and also the daily papers, supplied freely by the local firms. Popular games, suoh as ■ chess and draughts, are also on hand, and on another table full provision* of stationery, pens, and ink is rnade free of charge. A post-bag will also be kept and cleared to suit the local mails. The marquees are well lighted by means of an acetylene gas plant. The committee which has "planned the arrrangements consists of Canon Curzon-Siggers, Colonel Smyth, artd Messrs C. J. Bush-King, Husband, Crowder. and E. Cameron. The catering is in charge of Mr J. C. Kroon. In camp the order for the day posted by the O.C. is as follows: —Reveille and stable, 5.30 a.m. ; parade (dismounted; stable dress), 7 a.m.; breakfast. 8 a.m.; orderly room, 9 a.m. : parade, 9.45 a.m. ;■ stables, 12 neon; dinner, 1 p.m.; parade, 3 p.m. ; stables, 5.15 p.m. ; tea, 6 p.m. ; retreat, 7 p.m. : first post. 9 p.m. ; last pest, 9.30 p~m. ; lights out, 9.45 p.m. Strinjrent orders have been issued against the use of unboiled water, particularly from tho Waitati Stream. Saturday evening was spent by the men in settling themselves and their h«>TSos into their quarter.-?, and fortunately the night was so calm that liehtod candles stood about in 'the open without a flicker. On Sunday reveille was sounded at 5.30, .and a church parade was held at 9.30, when the men were marched to a quiet grassy roa.d near by. Captain-chaplain* Jamieson. of the North Otago Mounted Rifles, .*ead a abort Church of England service and addressed the men from Nehemiah viii, 10. " The joy of the Lord is your strength." He maintained that (here was no force that. was so absolutely irresistible as the force of ar threat ioy, and he went on to show some of the directions in which this joy would turn into strength. The proceedings closed with tho hearty sinking of the National Anthem Most of the rest of the morning wis taken un with regimental and squadron drill without arm*, mainly for the sake of exercising the horses. Tho parade ground, though large enough, appears to be inconveniently steep, and so uneven that the whole of the field cannot be seen at once from a civon point. General leave was granted in the afterncon, and many took the opportunity of having a ride to Dunedin. Some visitors froer Dunedin. mostly young ladies, , showed keen interest in tho proceedings on Saturday.' and on Sunday a good man; went out to the camp by cycle or motor or on foot. The present is to spend tho first three days of the week in instructing' tho individual squadrons, and t.he fourth. day in giving regimental instruction. The fifth day may be spent, in field manoeuvres, bait this programme is liable to bo interrupted by the visit of Lieutenant-colonel Smyth. Camp will be struck early on Sat turd ay :nor n i ag .