MOBILIZATION OF TERRITORIALS

Southland Times, Issue 24546, 22 September 1941, Page 6

MOBILIZATION OF TERRITORIALS

MEN DRAFTED INTO CADRES 128 FROM SOUTHLAND CALLED UP Approximately 128 members of the Ist Battalion, Southland Regiment, have been drafted into a cadre for territorial training for the duration of the war. Together with other cadres mobilized from the Southern Military District they will enter camp at Burnham next Saturday. Camps for cadres are also being held at Addington, Wingatui, Riccarton and Forbury. Many of the men selected for the Southland cadre are already engaged in training in various camps, so that the number travelling from Southland to Burnham will be considerably fewer than 128. Six infantry battalions, three mounted units and one field artillery regiment are the larger units affected in the Southern Military District. The units and their camps are as follows: — To Burnham: Ist Southland Battalion, Ist Otago Battalion, Ist Nelson-Marl-borough-West Coast Battalion, Canterbury Yeomanry Cavalry, Otago Mounted Rifles, Nelson-Marlborough Mounted Rifles (motor regiment); 3rd Field Regiment, New Zealand Artillery, 3rd Field Engineers, 3rd Field Ambulance, 3rd Provost Company, 3rd Signals Company. To Addington: Ist Canterbury Battalion. To Riccarton: Army Service Corps, 3rd Reserve Motor Transport Company. To Wingatui: 2nd Canterbury Battalion. To Forbury: 2nd Scottish Battalion. STRENGTH OF CADRES The establishment of cadres will be as follows:—lnfantry battalions, 20 officers, 46 non-commissioned officers, 62 other ranks; mounted rifles regiment, 15 officers, 32 non-commissioned officers, 71 other ranks; field regiment, 13 officers, 18 non-commissioned officers, 68 other ranks; motor regiment, 15 officers, 26 non-commissioned officers, 44 other ranks.

The object of the cadres, involving the mobilization of one-sixth of the personnel of larger territorial units for the duration of the war, was explained in a statement by the Minister of Defence (the Hon. F. Jones). “In February last,” said the Minister in his statement, “the Government authorized the full-time employment of a small number of officers and other ranks of each territorial unit to form a cadre to cope with the increased training and administration of units. These cadres have done good work and acting on the advice of Lieutenant-General Sir Guy Williams, the Government has decided that the cadres for the larger units, such as mounted rifles regiments, field artillery regiments, medium Artillery batteries and infantry battalions, are to be considerably increased. MEN TO BE RETAINED “So that units may keep a proportion of their best n.c.o.’s and specialists to facilitate the formation and operation of cadres, it has been decided that some men who are now, or will soon become, liable to be called up for overseas service will be retained with their territorial units for some time. The object of the cadres,” said Mr Jones, “is twofold: (a) To provide a highly trained and efficient nucleus of officers, n.c.o.’s, and certain other ranks, including specialists and tradesmen, on which to build if mobilization is ordered; and (b) to provide an instructional staff for the training of new recruits for their respective units and also to improve the higher training of units when they are assembled for collective training in camps.” The Minister said that as soon as cadres were ready to take over the training of recruits for their units, the present practice of taking recruits into camp in monthly drafts would be discontinued, and recruits would enter camp quarterly. Three quarterly drafts of recruits would be taken into camp each year and the remaining three months would be reserved for the preparation and the carrying out. of unit collective training which was to be increased to two months’ camp training instead of two weeks as previously prescribed. Mr Jones made it clear that the new system of cadres would not disturb the out-of-camp training at home centres. This would continue as at present. REQUIRED MEN TO BE SELECTED EMPLOYERS MAY APPEAL (Special) WELLINGTON, Sept. 21. “The men required will be selected, the intention being to obtain those officers, non-commissioned officers and other ranks who are considered to be most suitable and who are available,” said the Minister of Defence (the Hon. F. Jones) when he was asked what procedure would be followed for the mobilization of officers and other ranks in certain territorial units for service in the cadres that are to be formed. The Minister added that in cases where they were not readily available territorials would be called up and they or their employers would have the right of appealing to the local manpower committee on the ground of undue hardship or of public interest, but, as he had stated when making the announcement of the formation of cadres, it was hoped .that employers would co-operate with the Army authorities to the fullest extent. Personally he felt that their support could be relied upon.