TRAINED RIFLEMEN

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 53, 4 March 1939, Page 10

TRAINED RIFLEMEN

VALUE IN DEFENCE N.R.A. PRESIDENT SUMS UP MUST BE PREPARED [ Per Press Associative. I WELLINGTON, March 3. ’ Many of you played a part in the j Great War and know the horrors of, war and can join in the prayer, 'Give ■ us peace in our time, O Lord,’ but in I these times when there are so many I war clouds on the horizon we must be, prpared, and trained riflemen are of’ great value in the defence of this country,” said the president of the National Rifle Association (Captain A. F. Ritchie Crawford, V.D., N.Z.M.C.), when addressing the competitors in the annual rifle meeting of the association at Trent ham this morning. “Perhaps this is an opportune time to say something to you about the part you play in the defence of your country.” Captain Crawford said. Many authorities had stressed the value of trained riflemen in modern warfare. The late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who saw service as a surgeon in the Boer War and had many opportunities to see the deadly effects of the Boer marksmanship, had said that, i the general public must realise that the defence of any country was not the business of the professional soldier alone. With modern weapons every brave man who could use a rifle was a formidable soldier. In wars where men had to be transported thousands of miles one man who could hit the mark was equal to 10 who missed it and only required one-tenth of the food and transport. The Great War had proved that this was correct. General Jack Seely had declared that accurate rifle shooting was of great value in war, and Field-Mar-shal Sir William Robertson had written that Britain would probably have suffered fewer losses in the Great War if her civilian armies had been trained riflemen. “Considering the valuable service given by riflemen and their potential value as experts in the possible defence of our country, the least, that the department could do would be to restore the concession to riflemen, which, after all, would mean only very little expense as it would not entail the running of special trains,” Captain Crawford said. The riflemen were grateful for the assistance rei reived but their expenses were still I too heavy.