WOMEN IN THE ARMY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 48, 16 February 1943, Page 3

WOMEN IN THE ARMY

VARIED TRAINING FOR

RECRUITS

INTERESTING EXPERIENCES

To a girl Avho joins the W.A.A.C. to man anti-aircraft equipment, the croAvning object is to be posted, to a Unit, but before, she can achieve this she must spend several weeks in intensiA r e training, during AA'hicli she learns the mysteries of general soldiering, and hem- to become proficient in her specialised duties. The Army realises lioav difficult the change from civilian to military life is for a recruit, and: therefore does eA'ciTthing to make things as easy as possible.

A recruit coming from another area to, say, Wellington avouM travel in a party under the care of a non-commissioned officer, and would be met on arriA r al by a W.A.A.C. Sgt.,, Avith the imposing title of Raihvaj'- . Transport Officer. The partjr of somewhat. apprehensiA'c recruits is then packed into an Army van, and taken to the elementary training camp. Here, most of their fears are swept AA r ay by the A T ery \A r arm avc Iconic they arc giA-en by those aa'lio, haA'ing iioav spent tAVO or three Aveeks in camp, consider themselves old soldiers. The next step is the -allotting of huts, each of Avhich houses three. By the time all the personal belongings haA r e been placed on the dressing table and the photographs on the Avails, the recruit beings to feel very much more at home, and thinks perhaps this life is going to be as much fun as she had hoped, after all. The rest of the Aveek is spent in collecting clothing and equipment, receiving protectee injections for all kinds of odd diseases, and settling in generally. The second Aveek training really begins, and. the recruit is introduced to many military subjects, which, up to then, haA'e probably been only a name to her—map reading, security, militarA' etiquette and channels of communication are some. In keeping Avitli the Army's policy that, a healthy body breeds a healthy mind, outdoor actiAdties fill in eral periods of the day. Chief among these is parade ground drill, because eA r erv soldier, whether male orfe male, must learn to march and obey orders 'inslinctiA r cly. Physical training, under experienced; instructors, is also daily routine. Gardening is another part of the. syllabus, and in the Avarm Aveather sea bathing paraded, during Avhich life-siu*-ing drill is taught, arc organised as often as possible. Lectures on first aid and sanitation are giA'en by an Army Nurse, aa*lio is in -charge of the health of those in camp.

The food, -which is cooked, by W.A.A.C. cooks in the large kitchen attached to the camp, is considered to be equal =to that cooked in any camp in New Zealand.

At the end of six "weeks the. W.A.C., -who, of coursc, can no longer be called a recruit, under normal circumstances is sent to an Artillery School for training in radio location or to an Antiaircraft Battery for training on fire control instruments. She now feels that her life in the Army' has really begun. But there remain a further six weeks of hard yet intensely interesting work before her. At the end of this time the W.A.A.C. (officially a Gunner now) takes her place either in the plotting room, at the identification telescopy?, the heightfinder, the predictor, or 041 the radio location sets. At last she is a real soldier! The weeks 1 behind her, besides; training her to take her part in this, vital arm of defence, have taught her much in the way of self-discipline and comradeship, and have; made her fitter in mind and body for the job she has to undertake.