BATTALION TO MALAYA

Press, Volume C, Issue 29516, 18 May 1961, Page 17

BATTALION TO MALAYA

No Plans For Increase

There was no immediate plan to increase the size of the Ist Battalion. New Zealand Regiment, which would leave New Zealand for Malaya at the end of the year, said the Adjutant. General (Brigadier W. S. McKinnon) yesterday. Brigadier McKinnon had been asked whether, in view of the present problems in Laos and New Zealand’s military commitments under the South-east Asia Treaty Organisation, there would be any need to increase the size of the battalion.

Brigadier McKinnon was visiting Burnham military camp to inspect the battalion. Asked if it would be possible to transport the battalion to Malaya at short notice in the event of a flareup in Laos, he said that at present there were about 400 well-trained officers and men in the battalion, but the remaining 300 men needed to bring the battalion up to its full strength had yet to be trained. No Significant Changes There would be no significant changes in the new battalion's constitution, he said. There would be some minor details altered, but nothing which differed markedly from the other battalions which had served in Malaya. The recruiting campaign for the battalion had been very satisfactory. More than 900 applications had been received of which about 600 would meet the Army’s requirements. As only about 300 men were needed for the battalion going to Malaya the remainder would remain in New Zealand and receive training at military depots. Brigadier McKinnon said one of the most satisfactory features of the recruiting campaign was that the applications had not been reduced when only single men were asked to apply.

A class of New Zealand officer cadets would be graduating from the officer cadet school at Portsea. in Australia, shortly and they would join the battalion. Eleven men had also been selected by a Regular Force officer selection board as suitable for the Army and these would be sent to Port, sea for training.