18-POUNDERS IN ACTION

Southland Times, Issue 25703, 12 July 1943, Page 3

18-POUNDERS IN ACTION

; ARTILLERY SHOOT BY HOME GUARDSMEN The keenness of the men who belong I to Home Guard artillery units in No. ! 12 Military Area was shown by their • good work in a practice shoot held at I I Howell’s Point, near Riverton yesteri day. It was their first shoot. The ! units were formed a few months ago • and included in their ranks are a num- ; ber of men who had artillery exper- ■ ience in the last war, or who at one time were in artillery units in the ter- • ritorials, but many of the men are new to this branch of the service. Lieutenant-Colonel H. C. Mackenzie, ; officer commanding No. 12 Military : Area and Major G. R. Park, Staff Offi- ■ cer, Southern Military District, who is i in charge of Home Guard artillery in the district, complimented the men on their work. SHOOTING PRAISED Major Park said that the shooting was as good as any he had seen by a Home Guard unit, and its accuracy was such that if the Japanese had been attempting to land on the shore from barges they would have had a rough time. He had been impressed by the drill of the men and by the speedy and efficient way they had carried out their orders. It is understood that although the Home Guard has been placed in reserve the guns will be left with the artillery units provided the men are prepared to put in a certain number of hours at voluntary parades each month. Judging from the keenness of the men it is likely that there will be sufficient volunteers to make this arrangement possible. The shoot was favoured with ideal weather. Following the sharp frost overnight conditions were very cold when the convoy of guns left Invercargill about 9 a.m. But later in the day, when the sun had gained in strength, it was very pleasant at Howell’s Point. There was an absence of wind and the sun shone brilliantly. Five guns were used in the shoot. They were 18 pounders of the same type as did much good service in the Great War. Tlie only difference was that instead of the high, wooden iron-shod wheels the guns now have lower set, pneumatic tyred wheels. Also, instead of being drawn by horses or mules they are now towed behind motor trucks. This, of course, makes for speed in transport. THE TARGETS The guns were ranged along a terrace some distance from the water’s edge. There were three targets, a buoy moored about 1000 yards off shore and about 1300 yards from the guns, a reef of rocks at 2500 yards range and Pig Island at 4800 yards range. The buoy, which was a very small target | was not hit, but many of the shots landed near enough to have made things very uncomfortable for the enemy had it been the periscope of a Japanese submarine. Many of the shots landed on the rocks which were a narrow target allowing for little margin of error, and except for a shot or two that fell short in testing for the range all the. long range shots landed near the indicated spot on Pig Island. There were two observation posts, one to the right and one to the left of the guns. Communication between these and battery command point was maintained by members of the signals units of the Riverton and Invercargill ' battalions of the Home Guard under the direction of the area signals officer, Lieutenant A. McKenzie. The arrangements made by the signallers worked without a hitch. , The shoot was witnessed by area officers and by officers from a number of Home Guard battalions in the area. Members of the Riverton Home Guard 1 battalion, who had had a parade in the morning, and a number of civilians,. including women, swelled the ranks of the spectators. The units that took part in the shoot were a troop of the Invercargill battalion, a section of the Gore battalion and a section of the Clutha battalion.