Volunteer Field Day.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5186, 17 December 1884, Page 4

Volunteer Field Day.

A held day was arranged by LicutcnantColonel Lean for tl__ Volunteers yesterday, tho parade beiug ordered for D a.m. at the drill-shed. At that hour there was a fair muster of infantry and artillery, aud the Naval Brigade, arriving later from Lyttelton, helped to swell the total to the following figures : — City Guards, under Captain Wolfe, Lieutenants Fraucis and Garnet, 20- Ohristchurch I,'ihYs, under Captain Fergusson and Lieutenant Ward, 18 ; Sydenham Rifle.?, under (7iptain Joyce and Lieutenant Johnston, 22 ; Artillery, under

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Captain Martin and Lieutenant Douglas, 44 ; and the Navals, under Captain M'Lollan, 20. An arinstrong aud howitzer formed th.; battery, and a start was made shortly before 10 o'clock, the band at first in attendance to cheer the column on its way, but dismissed when the real hard work of the day commenced. And that there was some hard work, the following little sketch of the operations to be carried out will show, for it was adhered to j throughout. An enemy, taking advantage of a calm sea, was supposed to have landed in some force from his boats on the sand spit opposite Sumner, and to be advancing , towards New Brighton along the narrow ' neck of land betweon tho Avon and the sea, with tho intention of finding tho bridge ! and making a descent upon Christchurch. I It was, of course, not known exactly where ' he was, but the object of the day's work • was to find out his position as quickly as possible, and drive him back before he had , time to become dangerous. "With this view Colouel Lean, who was attended by : Captain Newall, Major Slater, C.Y.C., and two troopers of the Cavalry as orderlies, marched his men straight through the i town along Cashel street, till well past tho ' East Belt, when a cross road through Linwood, brought them iu close proximity to r the place the enemy might be sup- i posed to have attained. The usual route ; to the New Brighton Bridge was followed, j and on the way, not far from the residence ! of Professor Bickerton, the column had an ' opportunity of doing some exceedingly [ useful work in the shape of amateur fire- ; brigading. One of those enormous gorse j hedges, which are allowed to run wild in | that part of the district, v/as seen to be in I flames. The fire, driven by the strong i nor'-west wind, was rapidly bearing down I on a large cottage to leeward, which was thus placed in great danger. In answer to an appeal for assistance, a detachment of the Lyttelton Navals were ordered to pile arms and do what could be done. After a few minutes' hand to hand fighting with the flames, it was found that they were unequal to the task of coping with them, and men were • told off from each Corps to aid in the novel warfare. That cottage had a very narrow escape, aud had it not been for the presence of mind of Lieutenant Francis, would probably by this time have been in ashes. Ordering his men to cut a gap in the overgrown mass of furze with their sword bayonets, he set the hedge on fire and allowed it to burn gradually up to meet the other fire. In the meanwhile, a line of men kept buckets of water playing on the cottage,, which was barely saved with the greatest exertion, the dense volumes of smoke and great fierceness of the flames making it an exceedingly difficult business. One ' very real enemy having thus been , successfully vanquished, the column pushed ' forward against their other supposititious foe. Before this, Captain Pergusson and his Company had been thrown forward to act as a reconnoitring party, and to feel for the enemy. Flankers were thrown out right and left, and when it was ascertained in this way that there was no danger, the main body moved on across the bridge, and the reconnoitring party with the Lyttelton Navals, who had meanwhile been brought up to strengthen them, now acted as rear guard. It was then taken for granted that the hostile force, having landed from the boats, were hanging about among the sandhills, between the !_umner end of the narrow neck of land separating the Avon from tho sea, and of course the next business was to drive the enemy back to his ships again. " From the right extend" was the order sounded by the veteran bugler Ashton, and the little force plunged into the knee deep sand, and ploughed its way south-east, through the Sandhills, keeping its right flank on the river. But the enemy was not to be let off with a simple peppering of small arms. The valour of the little force, their rapid advance and accurate fire, naturally threw the marauders iuto some confusion, and they were understood to be beating a hasty retreat to the boats. Now was the chance for the Armstrong and howitzer to punish the enemy and turn reverse into thorough defeat and annihilation. Captain Martin and his men were sent away to the left, and opened fire on the boats (some red buoys moored at various distances off Sumner Bay) from a position on the ocean beach near New Brighton Hotel. It was impossible to make very good practice. Tho furious nor'wester drove such clouds of sand seawards that good sighting was out of the question. The heat, too, was intense, and the Tel-el-Kebir march could have been nothing very much Worse than that advance down the spit with the blinding sand-drift and withering heat of yesterday morning's nor'-wester. Still, every man kept the ranks and went gallantly through tho stiff work. One casualty there is to record, and one only. Lieutenant Douglas, of the Art'llery, fainted from the heat and exhaustion. Dr Eobinson, E Battery, was in attendance, and Lieutenant Douglas was sent back to to.\n in a vehicle and quickly recovered from his attack. Tho force made a rather uncomfortable meal on the beach, after routing the enemy and smashing hi3 boats; and began the homeward march about 3 p.m. The Drillshed was reached shortly before 5 o'clock. In dismissing tho men with thanks for the performance of arduous duties under trying circumstances, Colonel Lean said that he considered tho attendance of the several companies at these field days and at the annual camps was an indication of the extent to which officers interested themselves and their commands in the work as Volunteers. He thanked the officers accordingly in proportion to the numbers of their parade status. As this would probably be the last time on which i ho should have the opportunity this year, ' he wished to heartily wish them a merry Christmas and happy New Year when it came. j