Drill Hall & Rifle Range

Southern Cross, Volume 8, Issue 31, 17 November 1900, Page 12

Drill Hall & Rifle Range

Volunteers and Rifle Club members are invited to contribute to this column Items of news, diagrams of targets reports of matches, meetings, and all events .of .interest to volunteers and shooting men will be received. Address “ Magpie,” Sottthbbn Cboss Office.

Parade nights of local corps : * Garrison Band, Mondays and Thursdays ; City Guards. Mondays, regularly ; Oreti, Rifles, Tuesdays, regularly? Awarua Rifles, Fridays, regularly ; the Gore parade regularly, Government Inspection being held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays in each month ; Southland Mounted Rifles, town contingent, foot uarades every second Thursday at Garrison Hall; mounted parades every fourth Wednesday afternoon at Waikiwi; Winton, Thornbury and Otautau coutingens parade as per dates on cards issued to each member. NOTES BY “MAGPIE.” The O.C. of the District expects very shortly to obtain water-bottles for the local Battalion. * * * The manoeuvres and sham-fight on the 9 h at Riverton beach were very nicely tuned and arranged, each company being actively engaged, and the attacking force —Mercantiles and Monnteds having a particularly warm time at the hands of the Guards, Oretis, Awarnas, and Cadets, who were assisted by much suitable cover. * * * Range - finding practice proved rather a failure, not through any fault of the men, but through the head wind, which brought blinding showers of sand and gravel to combat the riflemen. I understand that the distance given for the first volley varied in the different corps from 1100 to 950 yards, but that all were unanimous that 500 yards was nearly right for the final. * * * Great surprise was expressed at the Mercantiles securing the best average, but the unexpected often happens. The steadiness of the corps, and downright earnestness of the members during camp week wire also very evident. * * * Sunday afternoon found the tents and parade ground of the infantry camp in almost perfect order, and a large crowd of towns-people gathered to watch the church ceremony and march past. Owing to rain the former was not held, but a lull occnring permitted the carrying through of the latter, and while the City Guards were specially mentioned for their marching, the work of the other corps was exceedingly good and close. * * * Major Hawkins was reviewing officer, and on the staff there were also present, Adjutant Henderson, Lieut. Col. Thomson, Capfcs. McKay and Mackenzie, Surg.-Capt. McLeod and Chap.-Capt. Bates. * * The Mercantiles seemed rather to enjoy their first experience of camp life, and soon made themselves at home. The musters at morning and evening parade were good, and the men entered heartily into their work, most of which was new to them. * * Serg.-Major Knee evidently believes in being very thorough. Previous camp experience did not include such a detail as securing tent ropes, for instance, and the party next to pitch their tents will be saved the annoyance of untangling a maze of ropes and pulleys. * * ■ ■ * . Trooper James Aitken (Oreti Rifles) of the first contingent, who went through much of the early stages of the war, and who was wounded after the relief of Kimberley, arrived in Hobart by the s.s. Delphic on Tuesday last, and may be expected to reach the Bluff ere long. * * * Despite the unpropitious weather prevailing throughout, the week’s training which our Volunteers have just come through, must prove of much practical utility to all ranks, and it afforded Adjutant Henderson

great satisfaction in announcing in his final camp orders, that the whole of the Work sketched out had been performed with the exception of the church service, and when we consider that the work was all done outside, we find that more than ordinary difficulties are required to deter our men from answering the call of duty. No doubt the same trait, more highly developed, has helped to bring the colonials into prominence in South Africa.

* * * . . Colonel Penton is now making a tour of the South Island corps.