OUR ARMY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 84, Issue 16, 19 January 1940, Page 6

OUR ARMY

WHY 2ND N.Z.EF ? FOURTH FORGE RAISED BATI ALIGN M MBLK MYSTERY. All manner of terms are being used Io describe the troops going overseas from New Zealand. When the formation of the force was announced by the acting-Prime Minister, the Hon. P. Fraser, he was careful to style it "a special force.” For a period it was the fashion to refer to it as "the” special force whose mission, stated in carefully chosen official words, was "for service at home or abroad, as and when required,” states the Auckland Star. A little later the units of this special force began to be called "the Second New Zealand Division." the First Division, of course, being the now non-existent bodies of troops which, covered themselves with glory on Gallipoli, in France and in Palestine in 1914-18. In recent weeks some writers, and even some military documents, have used the words, "Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force” in reference to our troops going forward. Now, whatever this force may be. it certainly is not the second New Zealand Expeditionary Force, as a moment's reflection will show. The force which New Zealand sent to the Boer War (1899-1901) in 10 contingents totalling 6500 men, was nothing if it was not an expeditionary force. Again, on the outbreak of war in Europe in 1914 another expeditionary force was sent from New Zealand to Samoa, and some of the members of this force on their return io New Zealand some months later were required to re-enlist in the main body N.Z.E.F. for service on the European and North African fronts. Thus the first New Zealand expeditionary force was that sent to South Africa, the second was that which went to Samoa, and the third the one which went to Gallipoli, Europe and Palestine. The present force, stricth speaking, is the fourth New Zealand expeditionary force. It may be that the best term to use in speaking of the present force is Second New Zealand Division, and that the force that went to the last war is most accurately described as N.Z.E.F. 1914-18. Not the British Way. One will recall that there is such a thing as the British expeditionary Force, and that actually there have been such forces connected with the British Army away back to the days of the Black Prince, or thereabouts. But they do not attempt in Britain to number their expeditionary forces away back in the dark ages. If they did the force now in France might be No. 99 or some such figure! One would expect New Zealand tn follow the British precedent. But that has not been done. The force will comprise three brigades—Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury - Otago battalions and

starts with the 18th. (Auckland) Bat- | talion, 19th. (Wellington) Battalion [ and 20th. (Canterbury-Otago) Battalion. In this rotation the 21st. Battalion becomes the Auckland. Uw 22nd. Wellington, and tty? 23rd. Cani terhury-Otago, and so on. The old regimental numbers ano associations with the last war's force have been discarded, and the men do not wear the regimental badge, but have a universal badge associating them with ( t heir hat talion. Old Tie Gone. Who and what are the 17 battalions which have gone before? This question was put to persons in local military circles, when the inquirer found that the point was one on which no official information had come from headquarters. There arc two treories in existence locally; one that the four provincial brigades ot four battalions each in the N.Z.E.F. 1914-18 accounted for 16 of them, and that the Maori Pioneer Battalion was the seventeenth. The other theorx. which is more widely held, is that the numbers apply to the old territorial force, which comprised 17 battalion.' and finished with the 17th. Ruahines. The impression was gained that there are many interested in the Army who sincerely regret the destruction of the old tie associated with the regimental badges. The substitution of "echelon” for “reinforcement” is generally approved in clerical quarters; it’s shorter to write and say. Bui the fact remains that th<- reconstructed Army nomenclature entirely ignores the fact that there was any such thing as a New Zealand force engaged in the Boer War.