The Year 1942 and the Future
CAPT. READ’S MESSAGE. To-day, as I write to you, I realise very suddenly that a year has slipped by since most of us were mobilised for continuous service in the N.Z.A. This last December, we turned our homes upside down, crammed our gear into kit bags and with a loud “whoop” said “cheerio” to “civvies.” *• There have been great changes since then, I, for one, have been in all three Batteries of the Regiment within the year. Many of our friends have gone to the . N.Z.E.F. and other regiments. We have recruited the Navy, Air Force and kindred branches of the Army. Truly we 'have lost many friends but in their absence we find fine fellows taking their places. We have trained many men for overseas service and at this time we wish them safe keeping and good luck. Last Christmas we nearly had a Battery full of personnel and equipment was rationed, but now we find that we have much more to look after. During the year we have migrated, we have tasted being in high schools, tents and huts. How many realise that pur camp was grassland full of stumps a short ten months ago. It
would appear that during the past few months we have been a large training unit, fitting men for bigger things to come, and their letters tell us- how thank ful they are for the good old 4 Battery days. In our training we have been fortunate enough to do a series of live shoots, combined with manoeuvres through Hawke’s Bay and later more shoots in the Scott’s Road and Roxton areas. This experience will be invaluable to us all at a later date. This year has brought renewed hopes for our forces overseas, a year ago we all wondered what Hitler was going to do next, what was Japan’s next move, all the time there was a state of anxiety prevailing. Now ,we realise quite confidently that at last the tide has turned in our favour and a much happied Christmas will result. I think that this fact should make everybody think very quickly, and without delay, we should all realise just what the future holds in store for us. We must take notice of events overseas and model ourselves along the following lines. < - First of all, we must make ourselves tougher physically and mentally and this can only be achieved by greater personal effort on the part of every man. The order of the day in 4 Battery from now on will be harder work and less sleep on R. and 0., more frequent route marches gradually increasing over longer distances. Within a few months we are aiming to march 90 miles in three days. This goal can only be reached by hard work. Every soldier must realise that his hope of survival in modern warfare depends largely on his own initiative and skill in his Army trade. No soldier must rest until he is satisfied that he has mastered his present trade and then he should thirst for knowledge of what the other man is doing. I should like to say a word regarding guard dutips. Quite a number of men do guard duties once a week and think they are hard done by, not realising that overseas, guard duties are performed by every man all day and every day. He does not grouch because he realises that his life and the lives of others rfnrxnnrla An Flirt?
In conclusion I should like to thank all members of the Battery for their good efforts and co-operation during the past year. I realise that you are doing good work and will keep it up. I sincerely hope that you all have have j a very Happy Christmas and Happy New Year and that most of you will be fortunate enough to be with your families and friends on at least one of these occasions.
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Bibliographic details
Observation Post, Volume 1, Issue 30, 11 December 1942, Page 8
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659The Year 1942 and the Future Observation Post, Volume 1, Issue 30, 11 December 1942, Page 8
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