COMBINED ACTION.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXIV, Issue 935, 4 December 1933, Page 4

COMBINED ACTION.

Army and Navy Operations at Ripa Island. CONDITIONS FAVOURABLE. Forces representing the Royal Nava Volunteer Reserve and the Ist Bat talion, Canterbury Regiment during the week-end joined in combined man oeuvres at Ripa Island. Major O. F, Baker, acting-battalion commander stated afterwards that the operations were well carried out and the lesson gained were useful and instructive. The naval party, consisting of nine officers and forty-one ratings, was under the command of Lieutenant-Comman-,der R. Newman, and the army forces were in the charge of Major Baker. The army forces consisted of thirteen officers and forty-eight men from the A. B and C companies, with two officers and twenty-seven men from the 16th (Howitzer) Battery. Captain F. Wilson was in command of A company, Captain M. Osborne of B company, with Captain D. S. Boyd as acting-quartermaster. The advanced guard was under the command of Captain M. Osborne. The vanguard was in charge of Lieutenant A. Mac Duff and was made up of members of B company, and the main guard, comprising men from A and C companies, was commanded by Captain F. W. Wilson. Major Baker and Lieutenant Newman directed operations and Lieuten-ant-Commander 11. A. Rhind was in charge of the Deveron. The Plan. The scheme of operations was that the North and South Islands were separate countries, and with the straining of relations war was imminent. Word had bfeen received that preparations had been made by the North Island for a raid on Lyttelton, with the capture of Fort Jervois as the main objective. As a precautionary measure the South Island division had been ordered to concentrate at Burnham and the 3rd Infantry Brigade had already assembled and was marching on Ripa Island. The parties left Lyttelton on Saturday afternoon, the naval cutter Deveron and the Owaka being used to transport the troops. The advanced guard landed at Diamond Harbour and immediately started on the march to Purau. The naval men, who were the raiders, under the commands of Lieutenant P. D. Hail, divisional gunnery officer, and Lieutenant I-'. G. Tidswell, signal officer, placed their men in prominent positions to stave off the assaults of the defenders. A deadlock had been reached and the signal was given for the recall of the men. Night Attack. In the evening a night attack from the sea was staged. Two whalers, under the command of Lieutenant G. Tidswell, left Ripa Island, and with muffled oars quickly made their way to Wreck Bay, their plan being to land and try to make their way through the army pickets which had already been placed. The pickets, which were made up from men of A company, were in charge of Captain F. W. Wilson. Several of the naval men succeeded in getting through, thus demonstrating the abilities of a wellorganised landing party. Yesterday morning the army officers and senior n.c.o.'s carried out the usual reconnaissance work from where they had been held up the previous day. the position being discussed in detail, and in the afternoon the troops were deployed and placed in their defensive positions and the engagement gone through again. The naval men started the day with the usual physical drill, and later the whalers were used for the purpose of instructing the new ratings in the art of handling a boat. Later, a number of them took part in the action with the army. The men left Ripa Island shortly after 5 p.m. yesterday, the Deveron and Owaka again conveying them. Y.M.C.A. HONOURS. There was a large attendance of parents and friends at the Young Men’s Christian Association’s honours night, held in the Boys’ Cordon Hall on Saturday evening. Following is the honClub competitions—Employed, Spartan 1; secondary, Waimak 1; City Primary, Hawea; suburban primary, Make. Champion club member—employed, C. Hulston 1 ; secondary, A. Thompson 1; city primary, R. Duke 1; suburban primary—F. Mitchell 1. Scripture test—Senior, C. Hulston 1; junior, !R. Kinley 2. Basket-ball—Te Anau 1Athletics—Kea 1. Champion athletes— Senior, A. Thompson 1 : junior, R. Thompson 1; runner-up. R. M’Kinley. Ainger .f; junior. \Y. Beazlev I.’ Ping pong—Senior, .1. Paferson 1: junior, C. Pentecost I. Quoits—Senior, D. Miller 1; junior, 1.. Cope 1. Table croquet—Senior, A. Almond 1: junior, B. Peacock 1. Swimming, Annette Kellerman Cup, half mile—R. Norton. (Previous holder, S. I Kingdom) Senior champion, R. Norton J: junior champion, W. Ogston 1. Best all-round camper—Senior. R. Hcanev 1; junior, D. Hamilton 1. Secondary club debate—Otaki I. Hockey. most improved boy in B grad*—B. Savage; C grade, V. Smith. Five-a-side hockey team—R. Lulfe, J. Stapleton, N. Smythe, 13. Savage and J. Bolland, 1. Gymnastic champions,—Employed, K. Williams 1. C. Blackett 2, B. Ainger 3, W. Kngland 4. Secondary, C. Tobeclc 1. S. Baker 2. D. Fairthorne 3. Primary—R. Rowland 1. R. Young 2, R. Stone 3. D. Webb 4. Under twelve—J Allison 1. A. Barnsdale 2, T. Rounthwaite 3, L. Allison 4. Queen carnival (special prizes) Individual collector—Dorothy Rountluvaitv 1. John Hamilton 2. Team collection— Boa Clu !.