"THE FIFTH" MARCH IN

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1414, 15 April 1912, Page 6

"THE FIFTH" MARCH IN

RATHER FINE SIGHT,

THE STORY OP THE WEEK'S WORK,

For tho first time in its history, Wellington had an opportunity of teeing a full battalion of New Zealand infantry on the march, when the local battalion of the Fifth Regiment "marched in," after their week in camp at Trentham. Tho old volunteer battalions were, as most - people knew, only battalions by courtesy, but those who were on Lambton Quay on Saturday Could sec at a glance that this Was no paper unit with a high-sounding ! -name—it was tho "real thing." In drill ;and marching it naturally has something to learn yet—it bas only been in existence for a very short time—but it certainly had one thing which gives an element ■of grandeur to a military force. It had ;mmibers. The regiment marched with fixed bayonets, preceded by, its own band, and followed by its baggage. - The camp, as a camp, and apart from the training which will be mentioned later, was a great' success, considering 'that'practically all the mon were experiencing what was for them quite a novel mode of living. On the average, there were men per tent, and each • tent was considered a separate moss, and provided for as such. Feeding 500 Like One. Two mess orderlies were appointed from >aeh'tent;'and'it'was their duty to par--1 ade before meals, and bring back the -.rations for their own mess. Tho rations ; were served- from the -cook-house, the : men- filing in -at one door and out by ; another, each taking his portion, en route. . Thus, once started, they tiled straight on, and the food was served just as quickly as the men inarched past. Tho quality of the food was all that could be wished, nnd the quantity large enough to appease such appetites as camp life seems to '. stimulate. 1 Hygiene and the Work. The tents themselves were pitched upon gravelly ground, which, kept them- dry underfoot in spite of the severe showers at Easter time. Tho general health of the camp was under the care of SurgeonMajor Cahill, Surgeon Captain Herbert, and Dr. Kemp. Fortunately there were no serious eases. The -sanitary regulations for camps were strictly adhered to, and an incinerator in constant use kept the lines free from unedifyiug rubbish. Tho recruits worked well, and_ seemed to become really interested in their work, and in the standard reached by their respective companies. The syllabus of work included instruction in riHe aiming, rifle exercises, skirmishing, and squad, section, and company drill. Most interesting of all was the instruction in visual training, in jtulgiji;' distances, and in describing the posif'io/i of the enemy, which had to bo ascertained either by sight or by ear, from the flash and smoke of the Tifle or by the report. Physical training was. indulged in for half "an hour every morning before break- . fast, tlie men having first been provided with biscuits and coffee. Each company bad a sergeant-major instructor attached to assist the company officers. ' "The Manly Art" and Music. Work for the day was finished at 1.15 ■p.m., and the men were then at liberty to amuse themselves at football or running. The various inter-company football matches wore greatly enjoyed by the ■ players and spectators. After tea in. the evening .the sports committee' arranged entertainments in the regimental institute, and some boxing contests proved that tho'regiment" possessed some first-class men with the gloves. Before being allowed to engage each man was medically examined by Dr. Kemp., Air. Sampson i was kind enough to come out and referee an act much appreciated by all. Under the supervision of Lieut. Wil- .:. kinson nnd Lieut. Keririy, the' 'musical programmes were provided with items far above the ordinary impromptu smoke concert class. Both officers and men con- . tributcd with excellent taste to these "sing-songs." On Friday afternoon the regimental sports w«ra held on the racecourse, and some capital races were run. The tug-of-war nroved to be the most ex- - citing event of the day, and, after a severe -struggle, was ..won by F Company.;' Spiritual Welfare. The spiritual welfare of the camn was "..attended to by Chanlain-Maior Shiver, • Chaplain-Captain M'Caw, and Rev. Mr. Sykes, vicar of Trentham. Colonel Heard (Director of Military . Training), paid an official visit to the • camp, and seemed well pleased with the arrangements. Colonel Chaytor, Colonel : Campbell, and Major Cochrane. also in- • spcqted' the camp. • • •' * Payinq them .Off, On Saturday the men were paid off, and each received 325. for the seven days, XC.O.'s receiving more in proportion to ■ their rank. During the camp there was - -not a single report made to, or fine levied ' by. the commanding officer. This is v?rv - gratifying to nil those concerned. The .' .'■peace. and quietness which prevailed in ■the lines- at nights -n-as finite a feature of the camp, but after the day's work • aml evening's recreation, the men seemed '. more anxious to get a little sleep than . to go round the camp making a noise. - On Friday night the men showed their . appreciation of tlieir officers by carrying theni shoulder-high through their lines , amidst great cheering. In fact, it seems ;is if compulsory training is not so Unattractive as some ha'-e painted it. J.i»nl.. Colonel 0. Harcourt Turner expressed him-e'-lf well satisfied with (he week's work, and with the u-av in which it was carried out by the men. : ; GOOD MARCHING. -IN THE NEW SCHEME OF THINGS. [By Gyro.]' . It was .with some admiration, and possibly a feeling not far removed from emotion, that the writer watched tho I'ifth Regiment inarch in along the Quay on Saturday. Emotion, one may truly say, lor there is a feeling which almost amounts to certainty that many of the. lads of the present generation may taste battle on fields the like of which the I world has not previously seen. Of coursc they will not have to go, but many of them will go. They will volunteer. But there is no need to dig that omin- ( ous matter up for a few years yet. and tho purpose of these remarks is only, to say a word or two about good marching. It is to be hoped that the military heresy wliich came in .after the Boer war—vix'.. that ceremonial drill is no good—will receive its quietus under our new scheme for good and all. Ono hopes that, under it, we shall soon got rid of the blemishes which largely marked the drill and marching of tho old volunteers. Marching, like the building of Home, is lint a thing that can be compassed in a day. It requires, for instance, a great deal of attention and some practice before u file of fours can wheel at a street corner with something approaching beauty and precision of movement, and many of the old volunteer companies were content to "just get round'anyhow." That, nnd tho matter of' keeping tho files straight from front to rear, were not usually strong points in volunteer marching. But, why should they not be so now?

.And why need a man look to the footpath when on the march? Hardly anything can look more unsoldierlike than tlio spectacle of a company or battalion glancing to right and left when on tlio move, and sometimes even nodding to friend-: on the side rcalk. Sometimes, too, a man marches with a stoop or with hunched shoulder?, and the joint effect of all these things is not pretty. It is certainly far from soldierlike, and it only requires one or two faulty files of fours to spoil the appearance of a regiment. Lastly, there is the important matter of carrying the rifle when at the slope. In the "bad old days" the angle of slope used to vary from nearly level to nearly perpendicular. The cffect when a body of volunteers were on the march was often calculated to , "make angels weep." One hopes that we have seen the last of it now, and that 110 territorial ride will in future be carried at other than the correct angle—to degrees, I believe. It is easily done. In tbe=o remarks there is no allnsion to the Fifth Regiment whatever. Considering that the instructors and officers have only had the men in hand for a few weeks they have done wonderfully "" far, but, perhaps, a word about

tho present regimental band may not bo out of place. Like tho regiment itself it is qnly.just beginning its carcor, and ono is inclined to wonder what possibilities lie before -it —it nuy. - Perhaps' the high standard of tho British regimental bands is out of the question, but, in the new scheme of thin??, could not something be done to make tlie playing of bands on the march something of u -feature? It would be a great thing if it could.