REINFORCEMENTS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 13698, 31 May 1915, Page 7

REINFORCEMENTS.

Kl! Til 1)1 1 A FT ('(iMPLLTIXi;

WORK

' hutching it in tiil: rain

(Special to Herald.) WELLINGTON, this day. Trenllmm i-amp has grown bigger in an ever', and it will soon have \i\a- permanent appearance of a. town with complete drainage, a street of shops, nioie than ,tln« average number of religious centres, and all lighted by electricity. The reason for the. exceptionally large ! population is that the 6th reinforcements, plus the special battalion and the 7th reinforcements, as well as many of the hospital ship .staff, arc undergoing training. Tin' final touches to four months' training arc just being received by the men ot the sth reinforcement draft. They laced 31^ hours' work bivouacking away from tamp> in rough weather, anu came through with tin; greatest cheerfulness. xt\<r test commenced at 9 o'clock, on Thursday morning, when the tour infantry companies of the 6lh re:iiiorcementß were marched out' m full war equipment . to engage in tiekl vvoik and route, marching until 4.2.0 on the iollowing afternoon. 'Ihey iu-nclied in the Held and slept out, taKing. the usual precautions against the enemy. It was ojtterly cold, and the soldiers were unable kv get uvucli sleep, but .they cheerfully niaoe the best of it, auu' created as little noise, as possible, in order not to disclose the.r whKi-eauouis. .During the lught A ami 15 Companies sent out, recoiMioitring patio.,s iu eutUus or to gam information as to tl'io i-ueiny's outposts, pieparatoiv to maiwitg the attack. ATTACK, IN-; POURING RAIN. Well- beloro dawn the attacking force mo veti out of its u.vonac, ami executed a nignt march across the enemy's front, Li order that it nugnt ne uepu>yc<i auu in position ready to a.s«uilL t.ie enemy s line at dawn, j'he men, However, Jiatl not proceeded i'ar an. tne dancness, when a very Heavy downpour of ra'in set in, and continued' w.Liiout interruption uuring tbo greater part, of tne aliacji, but n. had not the biigntest, eifecv in dampening the spirits oi tuner the aitacvaig or defending forces. The latter were Keenly alert, and m spite oi tne greasy nature -of tne fields the attackers I'usncd on, taiiuig advantage of. every possible form of cover, and navdly. making a. sound. . Lieutenant-Colonel Uibbon, chief oi the general staff, arrived in time to superintend the final attack, which, was carried out in excellent style. After a hasty cup of tea the. troops were marched back to Trentham lor breakfast, and Kad no sooner despatched that than they were sent straight out again to engage iit all day field work in the vicinity of tho^Jpper Jlutt. 'Tins meant another lengthy .march, and more trampuipr of wet fields, which, immediately Oil top oi the previous 2ft hours'' continuous operations, required . some grit to 'face. In this the inta-ntry oi ''the sths" Avero again far from lacking. The trial of the infantry of the sth reinforcements did not finish with this. As a further test they were sent out on a 14 mile route march" in the direction of Upper Hutt, and next. week will pursue a course of training equally as hard. The mounteds of the sth reinforcements have been engaged' this week in comple.ting their musketry -course, and this morniug were sent out upon, an eight mile route march in the dTrection of Wallaceville. " Next week they will engage in squadron training.. '>.