THE REAL THING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 17, 29 May 1939, Page 3

THE REAL THING

CAVALRY AT WORK ARDUOUS WHANGAREI MANOEUVRES

(By Gallopei- for the Beacon) The<annual training of the Firs' "Composite Mounted Rifle Regimen 1 of 20 days culminated in ten profit able days spent at Kensington L'ark where the weather wa; gloriously fine and the reception accorded the regiment by the people was an inspiration,. The regiment represents the three Mounted Rifle Regiments which pre. viously composed the Ist M.R. Bri. gade, and is now made up of a squadron from each of the regiment* namely the North Auckland Mounted Hlfles, Waikato Mounted Rifles ami fthe Auckland-East Coast Mountei « Rifles, tlie latter being recruited ''.Xrom the Bay of Plenty centres Opo 'tiki. Awakeri, Te Puke and Taurangj ivith the addition of Parawai and Herrisvillc. The regiment ii commanded by Lt. Col. C. J. Piercc E.D.., M.cr, with Major H. Cnrrutt as second in command. Interesting Journey The journey from railhead at Tancatua to Whangarei was packed with moments of interest. Comrades and rivals of previous camps were "brought together once again for the first time for 12 months. Station after station brought to us more and more men-and horses. Te Puke was the last entraining station of the Bay of Plenty troop ■ys- and with a total strength of fifty odd men and horses we proceeded to Claudelands where horses were un. trucked, watered and fed. Here wc Joined details who had ridden in from all parts of the Waikato. There was formed the nucleus of the troop train scheduled to leave Frankton Junction at 19.00 hours. Rctrucking some 100 or so horses i.n the dark off an open platform together with feeding the; men in reliefs in approximately one and a half hours speaks creditably as regards both horses and the horse, znanship of the men. A Cold Night The journey north, even by special train, was not as rapid as one would expect. Frequent stops were necessary to shunt more trucks of horses and entrain more men,. The train grew in length until at Otahuhu it was found necessary to detach onethird of the train to follow independently and attach two engines to the remainder. Thus we proceeded northward through a cold and cheerless night in heaterlesg carriages and not a blanket. A trip s I suppose, that we will never forget. However next morning we found ourselves detrain, ing in Whangarei, a new town to most of us that promised new experi. I ences and associations, and we eagerly looked forward to our first leave. In spite of the travelling and the f sleepless night there were few who resisted the lure of the city and found it good, so good that for the duration of the camp there were few who heard "lights out." Whangarei 4:ook the regiment to its arms. Field Training However the purpose of the camp was training and characteristic of the Commanding Officer, "a man of the field,the tr-alir.ing was of the field -and real Mounted Rifle training too. Never for many years have we had less barrack square and ceremonial «toill and never have We got nearer active service conditions where we were able to demonstrate the dependability and superiority of the mounted arm. Never before has the mount-

Ed rifleman of toulay had such an opportunity of .seeing for himself the characteristics of his arm so forcibly demonstrated and learning the magnitude of the task performed by his cfrfcr brother ifi, Sinai and Palestine tliiring the Great W&i', The ,c ßig Show'® The ''Big Show" at the exclusion of the camp was designed to test not only the administratioft but the stam ina and dependability of both men and horses, particularly in relation to mechanised units. The country chosen for l this manoeuvre was in, the vicinity of Titoki approximately '.MV miles west of Whangajrei, and as the starting line was to be crossed by 8 a.m. it necessitated an all-night ride. Accordingly the regiment rode out of camp at 10.30 p.m. reaching Its destination at 5 a.m. where saddles were removed and picquets posted, and half an hour later every man. with his bridle rein over his arm, was sound asleep beside his horse. Short Sleep At 6 a.m. everyone was astir and horses were moved off to water at a nearby stream. So the "few hours sleep'' reported by some newspaper;; did not altogether do justice to th;» facts. However the troops were very

| amused. . \ At 8 a.m. the advance guard (tin North Auckland Squadron) moved ofl to the fray, with instrugtions to rc port clear certain, features by 8.3t a.m. All went well, and presently the regiment l was following in columi of route. However on the next ridge the advance guard made contacl with the enemy (A Sqn. 4th M.R. Motorised) and very soon machinc ; guns were rushed up to take up posi. ; tions to cover the advance. The twe . Bren machine gun carriers, the prid* , of New Zealand's Mechanised Army were also rushed into exposed posi. tions where they were able to use their guns to great advantage witl: a minimum of risk as they are armour plated.. Enemy Attacked The Waikato Squadron was retained as a reserve and the next into the ; field was the Auckland-East Coasl Squadron who were given a definite objective which was made good aftei three hours heavy going and achieved by No. troop launching a frontal attack while the second and third troops carried out a wide outflanking movement engaging the enemy's left flank. Gun Carriers Bogged In this they were supported by tlw' two Bren Carriers. The nature of the country was rough and infested with the gum diggings and hillside sAvamps peculiar to the northlands. Here the Bren Carriers got out of their depth; and although the advance was delayed for approximately half an hour they were not seen again till next morn, ing. It is not necessary to describe thfl "fight' 1 in detail., suffice it to s"y that the exercise was highly success, fill and typical of M.R. work. At the end of hostilities friend and foe i hor 5 e and man, greeted the transport lorries with equal enthusiasm and after a hurried lunch the regiment headed for camp, arriving there as darkness fell, and watered and fed their horses in the dark. Home, Sweet Home Home again to the comforts of camp and a square meal. Home after tlie biggest "war'' staged in this country for some years. Home after a. fifty mile i"ide by road and across country occupying,' including the some hour s of almost continuous riding, considered by experts as a remarkable leat for green men and horses. Much publicity has been given the cam]) and training. Newspapers have assisted tremendously in interesting the public. Reports published have been eagerly read by the boys themselves. Some accounts have been glowing in_ their reference to the llttounted men. while others have fa.v_ oil red the mechanical unit designed to deprive the cavalaryman of his horse. "Oats and Oil" However, it must be obvious to any fa irm hided person, that mechanised units co.n do a wonderful job of work provided roads and such communications are maintained. When that happy state no longer exists or the petrol supplies run low the horse must play a tremendous pant in a country such as this. It is saiel that since this exercise critics favour a mixture of 4< oats and oil. 1 ' C.O. 's Confidence When the writer was discussing the camp with the C.O. on the last morning the C.O. said: ''The authorities! wanted to see what we could do, well we showed them.'' I think they were surprised. I am proud of my regiment and after vesterelay I would confidently "take the Acid" with a month's training. I think the boys and their horses were wonderful. »1

lionaj seat. However he hoped fo l * his appearance later on t as men of his calibre, who had made a success in their own affairs, were required to guide the future of New Zealand, j For over tvo liours Colonel Haivj gdst spoke to an attentive a,udicnc<? ; on matters important to farmers. He dealt with the question of guaranteed prices and the rising costs of production. Because of the high costs many farmers wives and daughters for the first time in their lives had been forced to work seven, davs a week in the cow sheds. Empty Coffers Wa,s it not a, strange thing that after three years of world-wide prosperity and high prices, that New Zea land's coffers were empty and that Mr Nash had had to hasten to En l ', land to borrow more money? If that moirv was not forthcoming a finai\. cial crisis could not lie avoided he said. On the social security question he said that shortly 45 per cent of the population of New Zealand would be called on to support the other 55 per cent,, as well as keep themselves and that the system would be almost sure to break down with its own weight.

weight.