MILITARY AND NAVAL NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18581, 2 October 1928, Page 5

MILITARY AND NAVAL NOTES.

NEWS FROM BARRACKS AND PARADE GROUND. By GUNNER. N.Z.M.C. Trainees in Hospital. With a view to increasing the efficiency of the trainees and adding to their interest in the work, the officers of the Southern Depot of the New Zealand Medical Corps have made arrangements for a party of twenty Territorials of the Headquarters Company to undergo a week’s training in the Christchurch Public Hospital in lieu of the usual six-day camp at Addington. Six other Territorials will do duty as medical orderlies at the camps of other units. This is the second year that trainees have been admitted to the Flospital for practical training. The scheme already has proved very successful. Week-end Gamp. • There have been a number of changes in the routine of the Medical Corps this year. With the appointment of a number of new officers, it has been possible to extend the training operations, so that now the Territorials, instead of doing the same work each year, are trained in classes according to their experience. In this manner, it has been possible to attain a much greater degree of efficiency. Last Saturday and Sunday, a week-end camp was held at the Barracks, and was attended by a large number of Territorials. The course consisted mainly of lectures on various phases of medical work, given by the doctors who are the officers of the corps. Stretcher and company drill were also given considerable attention. At the. conclusion of the course, Major W. 11. Simpson, who commands the Southern Depot, expressed himself as very pleased with the bearing and spirit of the corps. Canterbury Regiment. Promotions of n.c.o.’s in the Ist Battalion Canterbury Regiment are as fol-low:—Lance-Sergeant R. N. Crampton to be sergeant; Privates W. W. Duder, W. "H. Ilaase and E. R. Larsen to be lance-corporals. A six-day advanced course in light automatic machine-guns began yesterday at Trentham. The work goes further than the ordinary mechanical knowledge that is the usual theme of instruction and will be concerned more with fire under service conditions and tactical schemes. The representatives from the regiments are Second-Lieuten-ant O. W. Johnstone, S.S.M. P. T. Curran, Sergeant J. J. Brunt and LanceCorporal J. M. Bailey. They left for Trentham on Saturday night, and will return at the conclusion of the course next Saturday. Those who attended the advanced Vickers gun course last week have now returned to Christchurch. The training. was most interesting and dealt with such subjects as indirect fire, laying out lines of fire, and the use of various instruments. The annual armourer’s inspection is now taking place and all the rifles that have been on issue to members of the battalion have been called in. Usually a few deficiencies are discovered, but as a whole the arms arc looked after very well. 4th Cadet Battalion. The new Commanding Officer, Lieu-tenant-Colonel 'W. W. M’Kinney, is taking great interest in his new command. Last week he inspected A and B Companies, and this week he is inspecting E, C, and D Companies. This evening, accompanied by LieutenantColonel N. W. B. B. Thoms, he will inspect E Company, and to-morrow and Thursday C and D will show what they can do.

Last night there was a meeting of officers, when the C.O. told them what was expected of them. He intimated that he hoped to be able to organise a number of tactical schemes for the officers, with the object of giving them a change from the routine of the drill in the barrack, and he hopes to initiate a riding course for the seniors. As far as the cadets are concerned, it might be said that the lads are as efficient as they have ever been and that the colonel is lucky to take over a unit when it is at the peak of its efficiency. It is stated, however, that some of the younger officers are showing signs that the interregnum between the retirement of the last C.O. and the appointment of Colonel M’Kinney has not had a good effect on their discipline and regimental spirit. Permanent Forces.** The batteries will be pleased to learn that the members of the R.N.Z.A. return from their course at Burnham during this week, and that once more the horses will be available for work. It is practically two months, including silch disturbances as the winter show, since parades in the Barracks for the artillery units have been effective. An examination was held recently for the promotion of n.c.o.’s of the Permanent Staff. Those in Christchurch to pass were:—Staff-Sergeant F. Brown, for warrant officer II.; Sergeants G. F. M’Culioch, W. Andrew and W. L. Shilton, for staff-sergeant. » k a Jutland Bells. In a recent order, the Admiralty announced that it had decided to dispose of about sixty bells which are surplus to requirements. No bell will be sold, however, until three months after the order authorising its disposal, so that officers serving abroad who have a personal claim for consideration should have an opportunity to apply. The bells will be sold for £5 apiece'to any naval and civil officers, naval establishments or R.N.V.R. divisions. Most of the bells are from ships which were engaged in naval actions during the war. The “Jutland bells” to be sold include those from the Ajax, Comus, Constance, Moorson, Mounsey, Morris, Mons, Morning Star, Mystic, Obdurate and Obedient. The bells of ships engaged in the Dardanelles include those of the Jackal, Renard and Savage. The list also includes the bells of several submarines. The sixty bells which are to be sold form only a proportion of those which are at present surplus to requirements, but the serviceable bells from the more famous ships are to be retained and later issued to new warships after the nam6 with which they are now inscribed has been erased.