MILITARY AND NAVAL NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18623, 27 November 1928, Page 14

MILITARY AND NAVAL NOTES.

NEWS FROM BARRACKS AND PARADE GROUND.

(By

GUNNER.

The Canterbury Regiment. A wonderful spirit was shown at the infantry officers’ and n.c.o.'s camp that concluded at Addington last week. That the spirit that animated the old volunteers is far from dead was clearly shown by the keenness and interest that those attending displayed. That the camp could go on for another week was the chief wish on the last day, and this was from men who gave up their entire time voluntarily, with no recompense whatever. Starting work each morning at five o’clock, they set about preparing themselves for their duties in the regimental camp until seven, when breakfast was provided in time for them to get to their ordinary daily avocation at eight o’clock. Five o’clock in the evening again saw. them making post-haste for the Show Grounds, where the lighted ring permitted work to be carried out till a late hour.

During the week-end no time was wasted, no one w’anted to waste it, and the tactical schemes carried out on the Sunnyside farm property were interesting and instructive. The country in the middle of the big block, where the men were quite free from interruption, was found to be almost ideal for minor tactical schemes with sections and platoons. The natural undulations of the ground, broken by the convolution of the Heathcote River and the trees and hedges, provided excellent cover for advances and equally good defensive positions, and, though the enemy was imaginar}', there were many serious scratchings of heads by platoon and section leaders as they puzzled out the best way to win the war.

Probably one of the most valuable features of the course was the regimental spirit that was engendered. There was a feeling that they were doing something useful and that the regiment would benefit by their efforts, as it will, when they get down the Waianakarua in March. That there is an excellent spirit now existing right throughout the Canterbury Regiment is further evidenced by a quite casual conversation with two of this year s recruits. One was extremely disappointed that he was not going to camp this year. He had heard a great deal about it, and felt that he was being left out. The other’s grouse was that so much time was wasted on parade. Not that they were not receiving instruction, but that with parades only once a month they and a lot of others did not get their bearings properly till halfway through and did not get the full benefit of the evening’s programme. • K K St Unit Camps. The first unit camp to be held this camping season is that of the Medical Corps at Addington during the latter end of January. After that the other units established in Canterbury carry on in succession in their various camping places. The chief feature in the programme is the combined camp at Waianakura, where two battalions, a battery and the necesary administrative troops, assemble early in March. The site is an excellent one for tha purpose of combined manoeuvres, the first since the war, and most of the senior officers concerned have already visited the place and been over the ground. Very complete administrative arrangements are in hand, and a most interesting time should be spent. Among the other camps, it may be noticed that the C.Y.C. has gone back to Burnham, which is not suitable for mounted training owing to the closeness of the county, and the flatness. In addition, the country in the neighbourhood is getting to be very well known. The artillery have found for themselves a very good site near Scargill, but they are, perhaps, the most favoured of the units in that respect, as it is essential that they have room to fire, which means that they have great liberty of action in selection of their range. The dates of unit camps are as follow, the dates given being those of going into camp and leaving:— Southern Depot N.Z.M.C., Addington, January 19 to January 26. 9th Field Battery, N.Z.A., Scargill, February 9 to February 16. 10th Field Battery, N.Z.A., Scargill, February 16 to February 23. Southern Depot, N.Z. Engineers, Rangiora, February 22 to March 1. Southern Depot N.Z.A.S.C., Rangiora, February 22 to March 1. C Company, 1 Bn., Nelson, Marlborough and West Coast Regiment, Burnham, March 2 to March 9. 16th Light Battery, N.Z.A.; Ist Bn., Canterbury Regiment; Ist Bn., Otago Regiment; Supply Section, N.Z.A.S.C.; Otago University Medical Coy; Waianakarua (near Oamaru), March 5 to March 12. • C.Y.C., Burnham, April 20 to April 28. * X » The competition for the “ Weekly Press ” challenge shield in the South Island resulted as follows: A Coy., Ist C. Bn., N.M.W.C. Regt. (Nelson College), 70.2. C Coj’., Ist C Bn., Canterbury Regt. (8.H.5., Christchurch), 61.4. C Coy., Ist C. Bn., N.M.W.C. (Nelson City), 60.3. a » x Promotion. The following promotions have been made in the Ist x Battalion, Canterbury Regiment: Lance Corporal J. M. Bailey to be Corporal, Privates F. 11. Bartlett, A. E. Green and T. Green to be LanceCorporals. XXX Cadet Parade. The cadet parade on Saturday was highly successful. Out of about 900 cadets some 700 attended and performed the movements that were asked of them with commendable precision. The afternoon’s work was confined to company and battalion drill, a programme hitherto unattempted, and at the conclusion the ceremonial movements of an advance in review order and a march past in column of platoons were carried out in excellent style. Considering that in the ordinary way, with the congestion that exists at the Barracks, there are no facilities, time or space for practising such massed manoeuvres, the 4th Cadet Battalion must be heartily congratulated. x Staff Course. All members of the Permanent Forces in the Southern Command, go into camp at Burnham for their annual refresher, after which they will go on their annual leave. The first, twelve days will be spent at Burnham iii the formal methods of military training, but after that a move will be made to Waianakarua where the remainder of the three weeks will be spent in tactics. Parades in the barracks are being carried out as usual, but cadet parades will be discontinued from December 13 to February 1.