OFFICERS & MEN

Camp News, Volume 1, Issue 16, 29 March 1940, Page 2

OFFICERS & MEN

Good Relationship COMBINED DINNER Camp Gatherings

; The good relationship existing between officers and men of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force and the good spirits of all ranks were strikingly exemplified at the Central District Mobilisation Camp, Trentham, on March 12, when officers and men joined together in farewell dinners before departing for their homes on final leave. The messes were decorated for the occasion with coloured streamers and the Army cooks put forth their best efforts to provide a special menu. The dinners took the place of the Christmas fare provided for the men of the First Echelon. The four-course dinner was fully appreciated by officers and men alike, and at the conclusion the mutual regard of officers and men was expressed in a series of speeches. There were three separate gatherings. The * 22nd (Wellington) Battalion entertained their officers in the No. 1 Mess, the brigaded units gathered in No. 2 Mess, and the officers and men of the Ist New Zealand General Hospital and the Ist New Zealand Convalescent Depot dined in their own mess. At the Wellington Battalion gathering the company commanders congratulated the men on the high standard of training achieved and the willing co-operation of all ranks. During the dinner the mess was visited by Lieutenant-Colonel J. W. Andrew, V.C., N.Z.S.C., Commanding Officer of the Battalion. In the brigaded units mess the Commanding Officer, Major J. W. Barry, N.Z.S.C., similarly stressed the happy relationship among officers, n.c.o.s, and men of those units. He said that in 29 years of soldiering he had never found such cheerful cooperation or willingness to serve. He hoped that spirit would always remain a feature of the units he had had the

pleasure of commanding at Trentham. Lieutenant-Colonel A. C. McKillop, N.Z.M.C., Officer Commanding the General Hospital, spoke to the men of the medical units in their mess. Though they were the most recently enlisted of the Second Echelon units, already the work done showed how efficient they would be, he' said. He thanked the men for their enthusiastic support of the training syllabus. In the absence of Lieutenant-Col-onel F. M. Spencer, Officer Commanding the Convalescent Deport, Major N. F. Boag spoke on behalf of the officers of that unit. COOKS REMEMBERED. A popular toast in all messes was that of the cooks, who, it was said, while serving something special on I that occasion, had always maintained a high standard of cooking. All speakers stressed the general excel- . lence of the meals served in the camp. Prior to the dinner the brigaded units formaly marched to the mess room led by the band of the Second Echelon under Lieutenant C. E. Miller, bandmaster. The friendliness between officers and men was illustrated by an incident after dinner, when the officers of 1 one unit acted as mess orderlies to a ■ number of sick men who were unable , to be present in the mess. The offi- : cers, led by the Commanding Officer, carried the food from the kitchen to : the hut and there served the patients.’ . The other men of the unit were quick » x o appreciate this kindly thought and , swarmed into the hut to cheer their J officers. J The menu served consisted of roast - lamb, beans, pumpkin, baked and boilJ ed potatoes, plum pudding, cream i sauce, fruit salad, trifle, nuts, fruit i soft drinks, and coffee.