DEFENCE NOTES

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19344, 19 November 1932, Page 14

DEFENCE NOTES

ACTIVITIES IN TIMARU. It has been arranged that miniature shooting facilities will be available in the Drill Hall each Thursday night and all ranks may participate. The first shoot resulted as follows. Possible (50). Second Lieut. R. J. Mason, 44, Lance Corporal R. Barbour, 42, Private S. Pilkington, 41, Private D. McKenzie, 40. Sergeant R. Nelson, 38, Private J. Oswald, 38, Private E. Jarvis, 33. Private W. Parker, 31. Private L. Williams, 31, Private N. Aitcheson, 31, Private R. Ancell, 38, Private A. Sloan, 30. A new rifle, fitted with an aperture rear sight and both “blade” and “peep” foresights, is now being tried out, and all who have used it say that they can get better results when they get used to the change. Experiments are being made with the lighting system in order to eliminate a slight blurring of the target, which was experienced on the last occasion. On future shoots an entrance fee of 3d. will be charged in order to provide a first and second trophy. The best results are obtained when four competitors shoot at one time. The remaining men can make themselves comfortable pending their turn in the reading room, where ping pong sets, etc., are also available. Each rifleman is issued with a suit of denims to protect his clothing from oil stains. There is always so much to be done in such a s*hort week in the annual camp that one’s memories remain somewhat kaleidoscopic. It is most enlivening to wake up on a bright clear morning to the strains of the band playing the Regimental March which we all parody and to stick one’s head

out of the tent flap and laugh at the bandsmen. (half awake, half dressed, some in pyjamas, some with one putty on and trailing another), pufifing/away at an instrument that they can hardly see through sleepy eyes. This is a voluntary affair on their part and one would not know them as the correctly turned out, smartly drilling band that they will be a few hours later on battalion parade. A cold shower in the washing lines, a shave interrupted by orders, messages

and batmen cleaning the tent and making the bed, and energetic work seeing that the lines are clean and tidy will make anyone ready for an ample supply of fruit, bacon and eggs and toast. Then an orderly brings a half wild horse, just in from grass, and you wonder how on earth you are going to mount the beast and when mounted stay on. The awful picture of a spill on battalion parade before five hundred men crosses the mind. However one gets mounted somehow and confidence returns and the Territorial Force officer is ready for the day’s work. D. Company will be given an opportunity to make a public appearance on November 26 when the unit will participate in the manoeuvres to be held at Aerodrome. The company will hold a competition in gun drill each platoon selecting and preparing one gun team. Points will be given for speed, discipline, control and accuracy. The event will be judged by Lieut. Colonel S. D. Mason and training is now in full swing. A Cup will be suitably inscribed and presented to the winning team and points will also be given towards the annual platoon cup. The unit will also enter a team in the tug-o-war competition and will participate in the set piece attack by defending wi£h four guns fitted to fire blank ammunition and by use of searchlights, an imaginary dump from air attack. This task will be carried out in darkness and should provide most interesting training. The shooting exercise may also be included in the annual report on the unit's shooting and for this reason is most valuable. Recruiting is being carried on within the company in a most active manner, each platoon and section competing with the others for the honour of tak-

ing the best trained and equipped' unit into camp in March. During the past week, some thirtyfive men have joined, thus making good the losses of men who left the town owing to the seasonal work in the country districts. Further vacancies exist and every effort will be made to fill them before December 31. Any reader may have enquiries answered at the Drill Shed or by any officer of the Company. The recruits will be equipped immediately and will start on a course of intensified training to fit them to take their place in the platoons. Each of these men must first learn to clean and care for his rifle. He is then taught to put on his uniform correctly and comfortably. There are certain little regimental peculiarities about dress which all ranks take a pride in and to which the recruit must learn to conform. Next he must learn how the company is organised and how it works, the names of the officers and N.C.C.’s and how to salute and address them. Finally sufficient arms drill is taught with a little marching to straighten them up into soldierly men and the recruits are ready for their platoon commander to turn them into machine gunners. During the past few weeks each noncommissioned rank has been commented on in these notes. The series can now be completed by mention of the corporals. After one or two year’s training, the period depending

on the apptitude of the man, a lancecorporal may be promoted to the rank of corporal when he becomes an N.C.O. As D Company is at present organised, a .corporal will have under his command one section containing one machine gun, and from five to fifteen men. according to the strength of the platoon. He has a lance-corporal as sccond-in-command who is the gun

No. 1 The corporal must be trained to move his command rapidly, silently and by a covered approach and to bring his gun into action speedily and effectively in a position which may be indicated to him on a map. He must command his men and lead them for everything they need must be found by him, even success. Our corporals are Corporals Shanks, Gibbs, Morrinson, Sutherland, Marshall, Bungate, and Mitchell. It might be explained that a lance-corporal is not an N.C.0., being best described as a private promoted on probation.