DOMINION’S EFFORT

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 60, Issue 4233, 19 January 1940, Page 5

DOMINION’S EFFORT

COMPULSORY SERVICE. POSITION DURING LAST WAR. One of the most discussed questions at the moment is whether compulsory military service should be introduced, as w’as done during the last war. Out of this has arisen the question as to when compulsory service w’as introduced on the former occasion, and as to the number of men who served overseas. .We take the following particulars from the New’ Zealand Year Book: “ Immediately the great European war broke out an expeditionary force was dispatched to Western Samoa, and occupied those islands, while 9 larger force in the. form of a mixed brigade was dispatched to Europe. The latter force, however, was landed in Egypt, and took part in the defence of the Suez Canal. It gave a good account of itself in the desperate campaign on Galljpoli, and after being withdrawn to Egypt was expanded into a division and a mounted brigade. The division then went to the western front, and the mounted brigade continued to operate against the Turks in Palestine. Both forces became famous for their military qualities, and took part in practically all the great actions of their respective theatres up to the, armistice. “ A total of 98,950 troops left New Zealand for service with the New Zealand expeditionary forces, and of these 16,697 lost their lives on active service. In addition to the 98,950 of all ranks of the New’ Zealand expeditionary forces, 944 British army reservicts, British naval reservists, and others left New Zealand to rejoin their units in the United Kingdom or in a theatre of war. It is also known that 3370 (not included above) left New Zealand during the period of the w’ar and joined units of the British forces or the expeditionary forces of other Dominions.

“On the armistice being declared in November, 1918, New Zealand had 52,000 troops in the field, and 10,000 more were ready to embark or were under training. “The tremendous amount of transport work involved in the conveyance of these forces to Egypt, France, Britain, Gallipoli, land Samoa was carried out with extraordinary success, not one New Zealand transport having been lost while conveying troops.

“ The troops provided for foreign service represented nearly 10 per cent of the total population of NewZealand in 1914, and over 40 per cent of the male population between the ages of 20 and 45 yearsj .while it is know’n that a very large number of other New Zealanders served in the British or Australian naval and military forces.”

j W/ith regard to compulsory service, the Military Service Act, 1916, introduced conscription as the method of raising the New Zealand quota of troops for service abroad during the w’ar. The Act established an “ exneditionary force reserve consisting, with certain specified exceptions, of all natural-born British subjects of military age for the' ?fime being resident in New' Zealand; Military age” was defined as “ any age not less than 20 years .and more than: 46 years.” The reserve was divided into two classes, the first division including all reservists who on the passing of the Act were (a) unmarried men; or (b) married subsequently to Ist May, 1915; (c) widowers (with no children under 16 years of age); or (d) men who were divorced or judicially separated from their wives, and had no children under 16 years of age. 1 All other reservists belonged to the second division.

The Act was passed and came into operation on Ist August, 1916: