Soldiers in the Making

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVII, Issue 20, 15 May 1912, Page 7

Soldiers in the Making

THE ROYAL MILITARY COLLEGE OF AUSTRALIA — HOW THE STUDENTS ARE TRAINED—A NURSERY FOR BR AINS-POTENTIAL GENERALS STUDYING THEIR ART.

yOV wiil see the same thing away in the bungalow barracks at Delhi. under the canvas tents at- Khartoum, on the dusty fields of the Transvaal, and in the dank marshes of West Africa. The faces are different, but the man is the same—the race little changed. Here is the fa-.mat-ing world of the soldier again, the same cri-p command and the same flash of response, the same trim, adequate dre--, and the same steady, unflinching air. On all sides are facet* clear-cut. cle.iashaven and browned by exposure. Everywhere i- precision and unity of move ment, with a dominant note of di- ipline. When one sees the rigoronsK ordered I st 1 * I - - ’ ' that A i-traliaiis never knew etore what E ■ - ■ to twenty—-an _ 1 so in mischief and apt to revolt against authority; yet at* ag* k capable of ar-.kir. enthusiasm and unselfish devotion to m ideal, Tai- i- when Huntrooii does i - v.ork. I: takes hold of a boy when his mind is re-pan-ive to Impressions, when bi- body is tempered to exercise, and Fess >f its ha I!-mark —eflk ietr.y. It steels his reliance, drills into him the endie--technique of hi- ar:, h i- before him model- of patriot c -elf-saorifice, and turns him out a - ddler —indubitably an I a* way*. Her** he ’earns light-b>oted. un questioning obedience; here he learn-* : » give his best to the ta--k in hand an I t-> take a iggiiig ift silence, stand tent ion—just as the man who give- it took it t.vents year- before. If a:rh »r ity in it- wrath should say just what it thinks in the precise word- that •? first to it* mind—word* tha: may be cuttingly frank and straight—he m t-t simply take i< and -ay nothing. Abo'e all. he g?t* to know Irs fellows with an i sid barracks nr a si ip’s mess-i s. that if he i* to hold hi- own he nnm the game." if he i- to reach the sere-: road to < mtrpl of others h s f 1 it in 1 It is well that the people of New land should know Huntroon to b w : •: H is—a nursery I ms. a j our potent ia 11 t, and - ■ - * - - into have given their lives to the defence of their Islan 1 Home. H the ; ing s d-

dter is taught — Tt» set the cause above n-nown. To love the srauie b.*y»u»«l the prize. To Log-mi r, while fie strikes him tl-uvn. The foe that .'••me- with fearless eye*. To count the life of battle good. And dear the land that jjare him birth. And dearer yet the brotherhood That binds the brave of al! the earth. Realising that the readers of this journal can hare tittle opportunity to know much of the college through their <!:— tance. from it. I take this chance of te'ling them of Duntroon ami what it means to them. Site of the College. The actual Federal city area i- separated from the college ground- by a three-rail fence, so that Duntroon -a practically in a suluir’i of the capital-to-be. It is well that it is not in Sydney or Melbourne. If boys are to be strictly disciplined and put through an arJuo :* course they should be away from the distractions and temptations of a.great waterside city. Out here in the quiet of the country the work seems less irksome and the discipline less pressing. YassCanberra will proliably never be more than n seat of culture and n purely a lzninistratite centre. And as sm-h i: is ■well that Xesr Zealand officer- shou'd have- spent some time in close touch wi.h It. The situation is delightful. From the bill behind the college a superb panorama opens out. In a great circle, ringed in by mountains. U a well grassed, undulating plain ribbed with black fences an t bare of trees, save where a rounded knoll rises boldly above the general level. From Hovember to February the colouring <3

aiostly made up of reds, browns, and yellows quivering and blinking under the stress of midsummer heat. ’ From March to October it is rich with varie-i tones of green. Through this {sain wind: with ea-y j>aee, a pretty little river varying it- flow as the rain come- and goes, and screened by graceful willows Beyond the plain black ridge- and blue grey mountain ranges rise up. in ever increasing height and granleur, till th< tops of a range in parts, over tiOOOft. in height, shut off the view. Occasional farmhouses, with patelie.- of growing crops, give a note of brighter colouring here and there. Near by, thousands ol sheep, and tens of ti-.ou-ands of rabbits crop incessantly at the grass. Looking ■with delight upon this sig it, tively pleasing at - inset. • t lought comes that it represents a great possibility, nay a great < - tainty of the future. Une staff-cadet, with' quaintly innocent, yet quite reverent air. remarkc I ■’ 11 hen the (. reator moulde.l this beautiful countryside, He little thought it was one day to be the capital of Australia.” From a military point of vleu the plain is specially of value f *r manoeuvres, as it is almost treeless and quite free of undergrowth, yet offering goon cover owing to its undulating surface. The river, too.affords tin-.- pra.ti eln military bridging. Climatic Conditions. The whole plateau. Being -ome HXK’ft. above sea level, the climate i- cool ar. t bracing during mo-t of the veir. tn w’inter it :s sharp an I told: but it rarely snows. Ihe college is in the shelter of a hill that form- the end of a spur pro jectmg into the plain much a.- a proiwmtory thrust- itself into the ocean. This hill cuts off the worst of the chill westerlies that gather in the cold from snowcapped peaks among the ranges. Yet it i- sharp enough at time-. The tir-t batch of New Zealanders wh i came over were greeted by the sharpest snap of cold felt for years. They were very blue about it. Not a tap would ran. ■’ New Zea land might snot -id one, ” but, ugh!" shiver— ” it never cuts t oug to one's bones likr t s.” 'n■■ tl the calm still b >auty of the S] ng and ait inin lays lias w irked its charm upon them.

The Buildings. The homestead i- the fme-t of these. It is a rare old mansion, erected some. N> years ago. with walls in parts two feet thick. At present it i- used as headquarter- office, library, and officer-' mess. A beautiful old garden, planted with poplar, elm. oak, and cedar, extends for some 25 acres round the liouse. Beyond that is a great stretch of pastoral country some .30,000 acres in extent. Rightup against the homestead, at the rear, is the parade ground, on which staff-cadets are drilled. It is a centre of constantactivity, the whole life of the college circling round it. Ordered rows of white barracks hug it closely on two s-des. and in these each ea.*et wia* a room of his own equipped with electric light, steam heating apparatus for the winter, a writing-table, bookshelf, bed. wardrobe, and washing basin, the latter supplied with running water. These rooms have a comfortable, clean, and inviting appearance. Stewards scrub them; but. the occupant- keep them tidy. An occasional penalty acts as a handy and effective stimulus. Opposite the barracks on one side is a large, airy room of a size to seat 150 nt meals. It is well ventilated and lighted, and here the cadets pass their leisure minutes—l dare not say hours—till the recreation room is completed. A piano and a gramophone help to keep things lively. Further round the square are six lecture rooms, a science laboratory, equipped with a bewildering army of apparatus, and a large hall specially adapted for lectures and fitted with a cinematograph. Behind these buildings are numerous other structures used as quarters for the subordinate staff. The laundry is a hnost up-to-date concern, the clothes all being washed and

mangled by means of electric power. Beyond this second line of buildings again are to Be seen tents innumerable. The whole forms quite a township, and is in a buzz of activity al! day. About 500 yards away stables to accommodate 50 horses have been erected. Here - atfcadets are taught to ride and handle horses in the most approved cavalry manner. One day a magnificent structure is to be erected of which Australia will be proud. The present quarters are temporary, but efficient. The reel for officers was too pressing to keep things waiting for more su's-tantial buildings. Fine two-toriei houses made of concrete block- have been erected for the staff. These are »ermaneni, and present an imp-— ng appea ranee. Discipline. The discipline i- strict, but i -t a I reasonable. StalT-.adet- nui-t w uniforms at all time-, except at game-. Wherever they go. and whatever they do. they never forget that the;, have a uniform to honour, and the pre-tige of the college to uphold. Prompt obeli- . ■: ■ niust be rendered to all - officers, and a gentlemanly, -tia iuhtforward demeanour i- expected of all. The tone of the place demand- it. and nothing else seems possiMe. < igarettv sm iking, intoxicating drinks, betting and kindre.; vic-.-- are forbidden. Pipes are allowed when off duty. Notwithst the discipline, a visitor -annot fail to notice the cordial feeling that existbetween the staff and the -tit: idets. There i- t> ready and kindly sympathy of interest on tx>th .-ides that is very marked. Penalties for di-ol»edieneo ma. take several forms, defaulters' drill de- rii-ed in a later article, being the common- -t. Other punishments are reserved for m -re serious eases. Rustication is also pre vided for. A vacation of three weeks i- allowed at midwinter, ami allot -.er of two months at the end of the sceon 1 year in residence. During Christina-. :t the first and third years, all lecture- are suspended, and cadets go off to -pend two months in camp. Here the c< operate taught much of the practical -ile of soldiering on service, and the technical schemes developed approximate to those carried out in actual eamguijiiing.

A High Standard Necessary. The course is rigorous and exacting, comparing favourably with that given in any part of the world. It i- really a military university—and rightly so—since soldiering to-day takes rank with tin- learned profe-sions. Officer- nui-t be capable amt posse—cd of sound technical efficiency to cope with modern warfare. The great nati >us of t ie world take every care to make their offi ers highly expert, and we cannot afford to be below the higiie-t - inlaid set el-ewhere. The time when an officer was more or less of a social butterfly is gone. He is now a strenuous student and a hard thinker. On service his mistakes may mean death and disaster. since he is always pitted again-t a positive and trained energy in the shape of the officer commanding the opposing troops. It is imperative that he should I>e strong of brain as well as strong of heart. The first essential is to give staffcadets a thorough training in those civil subjects that help to soldierly efficiency and a knowledge of which is a sine qua non with every professional man. For this purpose various professors and lecturers have been appointed all men of university distinction. During the first two years these subjects take first place on the curriculum. It will readily lie granted that staff-cadets will bring from a grasp of such matters a capacity marked by greater breadth and elasticity. These two years are. of course, not exclusively civil. In practice military applications are made clear, whenever possible. And part of every day during these two years is spent in mastering the rudiments of all branches of military knowledge, and in forming habits of soldierly smartness and thoroughness. A glance at the subjects taught will give at once an idea of the broad, farseeing lines on which the instruction is based. The full course is of very wide range. On the civil side are mathematics, physics, chcmi-lry. Kngli-li. history. French, German, sanila tiuii. hygiene, and first aid, while on the military side are strategy, military history, tactics, field engineering, fortification-, map reading, surveying, field and coast artillery, military la,v and administration, drill, musketry.-physical training, signalling, riding, ami driving.

Four years are given to t ie task of mastering this formidable array of work. It may look stiff, and it -; but experience has shown it to lie quite within the power of young men of average ability and earnestness it is very similar to the course at West Point, the famous military college in the United States, of whi-b. Lord Kit chengr spoke so highly. Fverv graduate must have proved his coir.j in all these subjects l*fore lie i- printed his commission. What. then, is threat value of this place to Au-tralii and X'ew Zealand* The commandant is an Australian officer. li<. in ril W. T. Bridges, C M.G.. K A. a- I he is assisted by a very able stuff "f offi cers. some of whom have borne the I runt of actual fighting. The healt' >: the -t iff-cadets is in the care of who hold- the rank of captitn thKoya! Army Medical Corp-, and wh > gives instruction in hygiene. - tatioi and firs', aid.