AT THE FRONT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXX, Issue 146086, 13 October 1916, Page 3

AT THE FRONT.

NEW ZEAIiANDERS IN TRAINING

(From Malcolm Boss, Official War Cor« respondent with the N.Z. forces).

NORTHERN FRANCE, Aug. 22.

Our Force having taken up its position in the (irhifj' lino in France, let us now consider the questions , of depletion and reinforcement. There is a regular round, from Hnghuid to the firing line, and back from the firing line through the various dressing stations, hospitals, etc., to lOngland. and, often, back to the firing line and thence to England agiiin. There are sonic men

who have made the two circles. Before the war is finished tlu-ro will be sonic who hiive miu'lo it throe, and perhaps four, times. It is a rouiul in which tliere is now a wonderful system, excellent organisation, and one in which everything possible is done I'or the soldier.

As w(> are lighting an alert enemy it is not advisable to publish figures in regard to the Avastage, but our people will bo pleased to hoar that it. is much less than it was on Gallipoli. That is no doubt: largely duo to the fact that here we are much better able to cope with disease, that we are betted billeted, that we are lighting in a more temperate climate, that the food supply is a great deal better, and that the medical and surgical arrangements are just as good as thov could be.

At the sMiiio time (he lighting is in the-aggregate more continuous, and the losses in consequence of the greater massing of artillery reach a higher percentage from this cause than they did at (Jallipoli. AY ( > have to face bigger guns, bigger trench mortars, and there is a great deal more high explosive than we experienced when opposed to the Turks. II may Im> thought that becaus. , nothing sensational has been heard about the New Zealnnder; their lorses kili'lv have boon infinitesimal, and that wi'ili the numbers of reinforcements that are having New Zealand's shores we must be building up considerable reserves. If th;:t id<vi is at all prevalent • : ! will be iu:-i a>: well to dismiss it at ■n.'.e from < i,e luiiiiis of the people. It '-• true we have not been in the limelight yet, but ii must neve;- bo forgotten that in the long line on the Western f'iont the fighting, though varying

gre;:; v in 'nteu^ity. never co;i.-.es. |)ay :mk! ;:ight it goes on, and e\ erv day of the hour - and night men are being killed and wounded. We are always in contact with the enemy, and that means constant losses. Of course, the enemy is experiencing his constant losses ju-si the same a-; we are, and whether they are greater or less or about the same a< our own. one thing is certain—namely, 11;:11 he is not o well able to bear h>.-;-,. :si:d that whilst the :piiit of our men is in the Msi-i •:•!;■ Hi. I;::, , morale is decidelv <>v the down gr:ide. But the fact remains that I'liT rein fi.-r. ■cini-i:! s "ie not more lliau ■ ieciunie. a::d :. : _ -i '-•■' !;ei.f up to the :.: : !•: il on- force ' to in;;; n; ai:i it , - , - josit inn at the front . Tin , quest inn ot' training is an all -important one. and it is a question whether the period <i|' training- in New Zealand -hiii'.b! not be -ihnrt'Mied in order that, the men I he sooner into the superiur tiaiii'ii'j lh:U is available nearer the ■':'■/. The alternative is' to send out jo N't w Zealand oliicers and l:oli-coM! ■. who h: r \e li;i,| OX iKViioilco at the t'vr .. .-nd w}'-.i ! :;•■.' go:se through lino i.! : ''; r of t';.- ■l::' ; : - abl' , schools that e-i-i here. TV> ...ever;;! weeks' training in Kiiii.-ni.i is strenuous, and cr.mini; , after i\m>- months" training in New Zealand -huiild make the men fitted for iheir work at the front. In previous articles I h:i\e m;'de brief reference fo the lii'W bayoiji.'! drill. It i>. , a t-e.'/t to see the way it is taught in the S'd'ool.-: o!" instruction th; - .t the t!ritish hrve estaldishe i in r'rance, and members >>f both the New Zeala;;-! and Australia. , ! Forces 15; ■• t have t.-:k.-n the courfe with a view t<> tv;:-!iv.:g their own men at the frc-.it have c.ime i>; , ck quite enthusi.-wi ],■ with tV , n»-w m>.th- ,- ods. I i!iidei--laiid that ;: < (.■mmenee::ient ha-; alr-tidy been made in the ~ !!' o r ' '•<>i;ii;eri-nt iiiSi: i;.-tu.'s out to New Zo:'.i;:;>.d. ;iii'l this is undoubtedly a step in the riu'it direction. The sys■•'ei.'i of instruction has now reached a vc-ry high mark. :'.nd it is only a question of obtaining a sufficient number of instructors. The training itself has been reduced to a fine art —all the nonessentials have.been eliminated and the '.■■ssentiais only are taught. Before the war it would '■ v .■•.■'u.-'b'ered an impossibil'fy to tin:! o"t :.' finished sillier in rhf brief si rn-e < : : -ime in which lie is r.ow turned out . in Franco, woil 1 oh : :id the lines at certain nln-es, tliere are Idg base camps, each of which may contain as many as , u'o,ooo men. and at these bases there are excellent training s--ho; !s. where the in-ml-ucto:.-- - are •.vcr!::;i.L r ni'jlit and day to put the iimsh touches nil their more ci' less apt pupils. .Recently the writer visited one of these schools' at a big camp that inchiiios New Zealand Reinforcements, and was greatly impressed not only with the methods and also with f ho energy d;splrye«i. A visit to the New Zealand Camp showed that the j.'rrangenient- , were entirely satisfactory, and none of the men spoken to had any complaints to make. The food cooked in a hut iv : rchen by fifteen cooks was excellent, and there was plenty of '■nrieiv. Theie vv; , , , - no waste, and the surplus fat was collected by the army and taken away !'■/:• the manufacture of vjyceriiie. There were two b'.rge mess rooms, a post office, a recreation room with pii'iio, \/:ih'hing rmiin-, "nd drying rooms for clothes and blankets. The camp was on rising ground, and the sanitation and the witter supply were excellent. The medical service was adequate, and there was also a dentist attached to the camp. The Camp Commandant was thoroughly up to his work. He mentioned that in recent reinforcements there had been a sprinkling of elderly and useless men. Such men will probably be sent back, as they are of little use in any force.

In a hollow between sandy hills the instructors were busy putting the finishing touches to various squads from pretty well eveiy part of our scattered Empire. The officer in charge of the instruction was a keen, hard-working man. Drill went on from S o'clock until midnight every day in the week. The New Zcalanders , , we are told, were deficient in bayonet work and rapid loading, as were also some of the drafts that came over from Kngland. The men had to unlearn some of the tilings they had been taugl t, which is always a diflicult matter. We were shown the new drill by a squad under a very smart instructor, and one could not but be impressed with it. Tn this matter the British Army has undoubtedly left the German soldier a. very long way behind, so that apart from his machines the German is never a match for our men. At this school the men are also taught trench warfare, there being on the side of the hills an excellent system of trenches, with barbed wire, communication trenches, tunnels, and great mine craters "consolidated" after the best methods. There is also provided training for artillery, pioneers, engineers, and various other branches of the service.