The Pursuit of Knowledge

Observation Post, Volume 1, Issue 30, 11 December 1942, Page 9

The Pursuit of Knowledge

After six weeks of training in which the ■ gunner- learns everything but, evidently, the most importantthe attaching and detaching of chevrons, one often sees that far away pensive look and sombre gaze of the newly intelligent in the by-ways and cul-de-sacs of this Area. One sees that twist of expression and sudden blaze of exultation as from nowhere, involuntary and suddenly, a • surge of knowledge breaks ’from the mind and’ our keen subject lapses into a profound coma and with mutterings and weird quotations releases an overflow of Wing Training secretion. He may ask a barrel of cook-house oil that about the gun with telescopic legs and a scale of 1/25,000 that when testing for oil in the master cylinder, we tightened the wheel nuts and tuned in with the crank handle, always remembering to plant the aiming posts with the arc to the rear and an elevation of Ideg. 20min. on the ( windscreen wiper. Perhaps this sounds maniacal— that spoon that stirs/ all knowledge into an unrecognisable —an examination in some queer ways. Leaving the oil drum, he may meet a pig-stand and begin a tirade on the practical application of all knowledge—those amazingly ingenious R. and O’s that are staged for the officers to see how the other half lives. A pig-stand isn’t very quick on the uptake, but he will tell it that they were I due to pass the starting point at 0900 hours and left it behind at 1145 hours. He may ponder and then realise that this bears out his point that the Army likes as many roughs as possible in the time. The convoy on this occasion apparently was very impressive. The cooks advanced first with 30,000 copies of the “O Pip” but met a belt of fog—the cooks being promoted to .Field-Mar-shals and the 30,000 copies of the “€> Pip” were sold to a tramp with Maori fever. The interval was always hesiant and allergic to controlthree B.C. cars with tactical lettering being found together and mobbed by a crowd of spark-spitting and frog-throated gunners, who were ahead reconnoitering for

troop areas and gun positions. A troop I of guns were lost in the Square and 60 I Subalterns were ordered to proceed in the other direction in search. However, a string of fire orders were heard exuding alcoholically from a popular hostelry causing suspicion and a conference was called ‘for the Wednesday of the next week, this being very satisfactory. Arrangements were in hand on Friday when the Prime Minister was asked to find room ,in the Statute Book for a law prohibiting gun crews from firing their weapons in public houses, thus releasing the sacred formula for the firing thereof. Things began to run smoothly on Sunday when M. and I. was carried out by a party of ’ale and | hearty gunners with vehicles and guns sprouting hops from radiators and muzzles. This had to be discanted when the public were unnerved and driven to a state of hysteria by. the arrival of a vehicle with an “H” in Neon lights suspended on- a 40-foot tower from the canopy with 17 pots, a rake, 24 spades and a cowcatcher strapped to the sides, its inmate murmuring in a strange language and carrying a 20-foot length of sheet iron. The incident came to a head when he asked a civilian for wood with which to construct a shell in his terrifying velocipede. Some semblance of order was seen on Tuesday when one action was attempted . and proved abortive when the gun crews were found to be all esconeed in that

honourable institution, the cook-house, learning the finer points of the culinary arts. N.C.O. ’s were plentiful and enough men ■were found On Thursday, the only hindrance in this action being when the guns were layed on a sheep and a locomotive chimney. The drivers were likened to cats after being led in front of the guns three times and still driving the tractors back to camp, the Troop Sgt.-Major apparently being able to bring his men back to life for further torture. Here our friend sees the pig stand is getting bored and wanders aimlessly to the signals, where the honourable game of “Knock” is in full sway and proceeds to add to the lives he has lost in his R. and O. —The Bellboy. POT HUNTING During the operations at MSrjayoun, the troops were famished for a decent meal. ■ Two enterprising Australians saw a number of fowls, but these fowls scattered at their approach. An Arab woman coming from a house at last understood their gestures when they asked for wheat, and soon returned -with a handful. The boys then approached the fowls again and scattering wheat in a ring quickly had the fowls eating. Then a blast from a tommy gun, but if “took them all their time to gather them all up before the enraged Arab woman appeared with murder in her eyes.