TIE SEVENTH MAKE CAMP

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2489, 16 June 1915, Page 8

TIE SEVENTH MAKE CAMP

MEN LAUGH AT ADVERSITY

STERLING RECRUITS

SPIRITS NO MOISTURE CAN

DAMP

«n j*■ Tre ntham, June 15. itound there, through that trif.e don'tf In! 10 lOiu! ' au i. stra 'Sbt ahead; politely? J '° Ur M ' ay < Said off™; - my way I Lo S g m y way!" ejaculated the recruit who had been ha f-an-hour in I rent ham camp. "Don't

liiic erl nf tl i - S 0110 of a ,luml)e r who in ' Th l '' a "" ng eround this mornV- j y Z ll , came from TaraD tri,T d °j Military iji&tnct, and their cheerfulness in the circumstances of the day was remartKPo+i anci y am,lsl "g—amusing to bee these young men in civilian clothing ploughing through acres of mud smiling miii « s , supremely happy as the man who parades tho lawn at the races after he has struck tho big dividend? they? They Jlave alread y been through somo test, and thev are smiling yet. Th ey did i lleir C^onrwilling/ J tralu ' and reached Wellington on Monday evening. Thev camped on straiv for the night, fed at the barracks, entrained for Trentham TW? 0 a ?\ d JICW the ? ar « h«elientliam is cold' and dreary-lookin<r. Shoivers of ram arc passing by, ai?< tlie greyness of winter is over all The road—it still bears the name—is a sea Fv/r tr' ® . calll P i "g-ground worse. L\mthinK is cheerless, save the men. 11l single filo tliey stride into camp. Many conditions of mon they are, m all sorts of attire. Some have even VI wliicli. will have WTc Their area officer ffiwTn r s - 0 ,alt them ° ,itside Bifle Association's Hall. Someone in his tent hears the strange tramp of feet and looks out. He calls hi? .mends, wiio waited till the "rookies" are m tho middle of one of tho camp's finest stretches of mud. Then: 'Tre you down-hearted?" The "rookies" halt in the mud. Back conies the answer: "No " They reach the old hall'at length, and line up while camp officers inquire their Sng. ° arry ° Ut £ome process of They are drafted into the hall. There their papers are examined, and they swear this oath:— y '•} f sincerely promise and swear that I will bo faithful and bear true allegiance to our sovereign lord j 7?°?' t lus • I ?, olrs ' alld successors, and that I will faithfully serve in the New Zealand Military Forces according to my liability under tho Defence Act, and that I will observe and obey all orders of His Majesty his heirs, and successors, and of the officers set over me, until I shall be lawfully discharged, oo help mo God." ' Being sworn they arc sent on to him whom the camp calls the fashionable Uiloi and /outfitter—Major Mounsev m cliargc of the clothing store. From 6? ' ua » appears with an armful of raiment—a blue dungaree suit shirts, underclothing, hats, boots, and tL OI L+ Iv ? rdro , b ° . ho carries to where are ttd" and L ' S frioJlds i,tiV^ lea i dy l or th ? now Carders. It hut hiM* 7 m . ake -, tellts !ook enticright " re «uits deem them "All Lunch time arrives. Ihe new hands lino up. Someono in Khaki makes a considerable clatter nnnM f'l ?nd a^e!llS ' ™tll an armful of shiny, bright, new tin-plates. Knives and forks and pannikins of the samo colour follow; and Tommv-m-the-maknig ploughs away through tho mud to the place wnere his lunch will eventually turn up. "Carry your mug, sir?" savs a polite voice from a tent where half-aiozen and italic" a '° en ' oyins a smoli ® The "rookies" heed not. Hiehlv amused .with their new tools, they plough on. ' > j Ta'Si.- y °" lik ° 7m,r crockery ' TarSi CiShtCe "' Carat Silver '" answerß i te your eggs done— hard or soft? ' inquires one who has taken camp fare long enough to know that Tommy is a total abstainer from egg at luncheon. "I don't care if thov'ro raw " k?°d lad. I'll shout for yon!" .Rightr—l'll l)av G it j u Berlin." Eventually these, the most junior Tommies of the big camp, tako possession of their huts and await the arrival of the lunch, which is brought aloii"by two out of each tent party. One tetc ies the tea, the other the eatables. tli' /«i,t y tlle . mselves in making the tents more comfortable. One sergeant is very particular-no trouble is too much for him His face is familiar jes, he was well known in sporting circles in Wellington in days gone Ajici ho s a hue sergeant. observes' 1 WOt * bt>Ut here '" sonleono Jd NOt »TU b ? d aS / estorda y." ho is told. Ihe boys slept in pools, and thev never did a single growl. They it'all"" tllulgs ~ but tlle J' laughed at Lunch arrives, and these robust fallows from up the coast sit down ohfeercheese a " d tlltter> and i am and Awhile later they are enjoying the expenence of getting into camp clothes, ilie youth who came in through the mud with his stylish suit and light walking shoes_is standing in the doorway attired in dungaree and camp boots, inquiring for a mirror—and still smiling. So they were left afc lunch time. By the nest luncheon time they will hav© tested camp work, as well as carapfaro. rronably they will have taken a hand at roadmaking, or wielding the pick and shovel._ And they will have learnt that there is a canteen, to which adjourn men who have finished their rations and want more. They will find the canteen iilled with men buying tea or coffoo, and cakes, or buns, or pies. Ana they will do likewise.