War Conditions

Camp News, Volume 2, Issue 55, 10 January 1941, Page 3

War Conditions

TERRITORIAL. UNITS OPERATIONS IN SNOW. WAIOURU CAMP I (Courtesy* “Evening Post.”) The grit and keenness of the young

men in the ranks of the Territorial , artillery units which have just completed advanced training and shell i firing practice at Waiouru Camp were i the subject of high praise by the Camp Commandant (Colonel C. G. Powels, C.M.G., D. 5.0.) in an inter- ; view with “The Post” at the camp re--1 cently? “These young fellows . got right into the spirit of adventure which should permeate advanced i training,” he said, “and the snowi storm they encountered for the major ' scheme 'on which they were engaged here gave them valuable experience of the really tough conditions they might encounter on active service.”

After several months’ training at the Winter Show, Wellington, and later at Foxton Camp and at the camp in the Northern District at I Avondale and Rotorua the artillery units brought their guns to Waiouru Jto carry out a series of live shoots. I The colonel said that these units treated Waiouru as enemy country. Entering Waiouru they “fought” their way in from their respective camps and when they left on trek for home stations, fought their way out again. Snow had begun to fall when the guns left Waiouru camp for the major scheme. The guns were taken out during the night and dug into positions selected from maps and an earlier reconnaissance of .the area. When daylight came they opened up on their targets. Snow had now fallen so heavily that the advanced ob-

servation post was unable to see the

shell-bursts, but it was decided to | carry on and the shoot was completed. At the end of the day all units returned to the camp. Colonel Powles said the spirit of all ranks was splendid. They had spent a night and a day under most trying conditions, but there was not one complaint. A few of the men were nearly “all in” by the end of the day, but I they spurned any suggestion that they

should be relieved from duty. Colonel Powles visited the guns during the shoot and as an example of the grit evident in every unit spoke of one young private, a signaller, he encountered when returning to camp in

the late afternoon.

Refused a Ride. “The signallers were walking back taking in their wires as they did so,” said the Colonel, “and we came upon one young private, a lad of 19, who was obviously ‘all in.’ I told him he had better get aboard the lory and come back to camp, but he refused. ‘No, sir,’ he said, ‘I want to stay with my mates.’ ” The Colonel said that a few of the men who were tired out when the units got back to their quarters were put to bed in front of warm fires in one of the huts. As a result of this action not one of the 1500 "gunners in camp became a hospital case. That was an excellent record. Colonel Powles said the good health of the camp was due in a large measure to

the splendid work of the camp medi-

cal staff.

“Although the camp is not yet completed,” he said, “the visit of these artillery units has given all departments a useful try-out and experience which will prove of value when the full complement of men arrive here in January.

Waiouru is an excellent camp site from the training point of view. Its central situation is an important feature and the training area gives every opportunity for tactical schemes and other phases of advanced training to be carried out under service conditions. In the construction of the camp itself lessons learnt in the building of Burnham, Papakura, and Trentham mobilisation camps have been a great help, and it is confidently expected that when Waiouru is completed it will be the best equipped camp in the Dominion.” - \

The big sailor was home on leave and was celebrating in the local. After consuming about ten pints he suddenly glared, round the bar and shouted “Anybody here want a fight?”

' The locals were all busy with their glasses.

Again he shouted, “Anybody here want a fight?” But again he received no answer.

He drank his beer, walked across to the door, turned round and said “Well, you’re the most unsociable lot of blighters I’ve ever met.”