NEW ZEALAND FORCES

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 59, Issue 4220, 6 December 1939, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND FORCES

FILLING SECOND ECHELON. NO. 4 AREA MEDICAL TESTS. With plans (being formulated for the despatch overseas of the first contingent of the New Zealand Second Expeditionary Force “sometime” in the New Yea-, consideration is also being given to the question of calling up the second echelon for training when the camps are vacated by the men now under arms. Officers are already in camp for the second echelon, and the non-commissioned officers will commence their training next Saturday. Steps were taken in the No. 4 (Hamilton) area yesterday for the calling up of the men of the ranks. The first step towards calling up the men will be the medical and dental examinations. Men in the No. 4 area likely to be chosen for the second echelon will receive notification within a few days to report at various centres for medical and dental examinations next week. In the area, 517 men, all of whom are single, will come before the medical board. Of these 158 will be examined in Hamilton next Monday at intervals commencing at 8.30 a.m. Four or five boards will be engaged on the important task of declaring which men are suitable for military service in any part of the world. The other men will be examined at other centres on days next week which have not been finally determined. At Te Awamutu 95 men will go before two (boards, at Huntly 72, at Otorohanga 29, at Taumarunui 43, at Cambridge 42, and at Te Kuiti 78. The 517 men being called for exaknination include many single men engaged on reserve occupations who are not at present being accepted for service. They will be examined, however, in case a change of plans enables them to start training. In view of the considerable number of men of this class, ajid allowing for only a percentage of fit men, it would appear now that the area will have difficulty in filling its quota for the second echelon. Recruiting, however, has been a little more brisk during the last 10 days.