WAR-TIME SPORTS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2559, 6 September 1915, Page 6

WAR-TIME SPORTS

AT NEWTOWN PARK ASSAULT-AT-AEMS & MILITARY GYMKHANA REALISTIC MOCK BATTLE It is fairly safe to say that Wellington has never beforo witnessed such nil exhilarating shoiv of its.kind as tho military sports and/ assault-at-ahns given in Nowtown Park on 'Saturday afternoon ami evening under tlio auspices of tho Wellington Patriotio Society, which is still keen to augment 1 its fund for wounded soldiers and sailors. ' There was an originality in conception and a facility of execution that made the turnout kalcidoscopically interesting, and certain entirely now features gave a tang to thf proceedings, credit for which must be given to Captain Leopold' 31'Laglen;, tho director, who w.as in his element both as an organiser and "staJ'" performer. "The Patriotio Society's hick 1" said one gentleman, at noon on Saturday when after a rainy and threatening morning tho sun burst through the packed clouds and established himself gloriously as overlord for the day.- Tlio result was a.perfect afternoon, ■ tlio only . deterrent being the rather soft going for the. horses at the park owing, to the heavy rain of the previous day and night. The. Trentham Camp Band paraded through the town between 1.30 p.m. and 2.30 p.m., and tho sth Regiment (in charge of Major Win. Simm) an,d Cadets, headed by tho regimental drummers and .band, .marched' from Buckle Street to. the park, making a gallant show. ■ , The sports were ; witnessed by Briga-dier-General A. W. (Robin, C.l}., C.M.G., 1 and also on tho.dais were: Tlio Hon: A. Myers (Minister^of Munitions),,the Hon.' A.' , L. • Herdnian (AttorneyGeneral), the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke), Colonel G. F. C. Campbell, LieutenantColonol J. E. Humo (Officer Commaudiiig the Auckland District), LieutenantColonel Courtenay, Stalf-Cantains Hudson . and Kobinson,' other officers. 'Captain P. Skelly, Assistant AdjutantGeneral, acted as marshal. • The gymkhana was opened : by. tho mossed bauds (Trentham, sth Regiment, and National-Reserve) playing a fantasia of patriotic airs under tho baton of Bandmaster W. Jaipp. Following this was a grand march past, ivitli BrigadierGeneral Robin .as review officer. First came the D Battery (two,'guns), then followed the Trenthamßand, : tne sth Regjment (under Major > Simm),; the Regimental Band,, a small troop of mounted, infantry (from Trentham Camp), the Y.M.C.A. Cadets, tlio National Reserve (Jupp's Band), and. tho Wellington College Cadets. From the grandiose to tho comic was the order. Tho next item was a 100 yards race for bandsmen; and as each competitor.had. tovplay his instrument while running,: one can: imagine the cancatenation of sound caused, by the scurrying musicians. The big drummers 'were'given the limit handicap; and one of them banged himself homo first-, winning by a drum. Olio cornet player trie.d to pla,y a "galop" and gallop himself, but his wind giiye out at'.the 50-yai'd mark. The cymbals found, that ho could not expand his chest to.'the full and .'■play at the, same time, whilst the bombardun-playor foiuid it difficult to steer, a. straight course; Tlio . result was _ as .follows: —W. Cliristeson (sth Regiment Band), 1; A. Carey (Bth Reinforcements), .2; . H. R. Wilson (N.Z.M.C., Trentham), 3. Drunimors': Race (100 yards).—Pte. Annand '(C Company,' Bth ' Reinforcements), 1; . W. Trilford-(Fifth Regimental Drummers), ; 2;-S.. Chatfield (Bth ■Reinforcements, Mounted), 3.. . ' . Playing at War. 'A lively cracklo oi rifle firo from the well-wooded western ridge ofi.tho sauperlike park, startled the comprehension that there was something doing. From the'direction of the fire' ,not -a man could be ;seen—they were evidontly well dug-in, and were prepared to resist any 'attack'.'". This came from tho eastern ridge,, some 600 yards away. The attackers, who had beeii completing their plans in tho Zoo, commenced' by shelling the position, but :the effect of this did not seem to Jesseu the volume of the rifle fire from the! west._; Following the shelling came shrill whistles >, directing horso and foot to attack.' The mounted infantry (only a dozen) were decimated by a hot (ire as they''crossed tlie. lovel zone of firo, but tho infantr.v made a valiant dash, .taking '■ every advantage of any. shelter offering, and though they lost heavily managed;to gain, the slope immediately below tho enemy's trenches,' and comparatively safe' from thoir fire. Here they were given a "breather" before being ordered to assault 'the position. "Fix bayonets! Forward 1 Up. you go'l" rang out the order: And tho. infantry sprang up the grassy' slope, clambered over the fence, and chargea irresistibly up -the heavily timbered slope and'into the trenches,' and completely overcame the enemy, whose -position it was discovered had been badly damaged by shell fire. The bugle rang out the "Como to Parade!" the'roll was called, and the dead and wounded' recorded. Meanwhile tho spectators wero subjected to the spectacle of "wounded" bodies scattered about the battlefieldcandidates for the roll of honour. To those came consolation in the form of a ministering band of iSt. John Ambulance Brigade nurses, who did their duty with unflinching lieroism, and had tho wounded carted off by. motor ambulances to a field dressing station. . "Get up, you dead men, and fall in!" j ordered tho marshal in a- c-ompeltely disillusioning manner, and so elided the fight for M'Laglen's Hill. In the fight tho sfch Regiment and Artillery were the ' attackersj and the Cadets (without artillery) the defenders. Had-the last-named been aided with a battery, the gallant Fifth would assuredly have been wiped out of existence. : . Fine Display of Bayonet Work. The massed bayonet display was wonderfully interesting and strikingly spectaoular. The entire force was arranged iti pairs, centreing in tlio mounted figure of Captain. M'Laglen, who had trained 1 the Territorials and Cadets to do all tlio exercises, feints, and ruses by whistle signal. Those figures in which one of the combatants is thrown to the ground and tliero spitted with tho bayonot was comically effective.; The now bayonet-fighting drill combines physical exercise"with very valuable instruction '. as to the most use of the bayonet and rillo butt' ill hand-to-hand fighting.. The display concluded with tho formation of a "British■•square"- and the firing of a round of "blank " police as iliu-]ftsuists. One of the mo3t notable exhibitions was that givon by thirty hefty members of tho Wellington Poljce, who have been , trained in jiu-jitsu trickery by Captain M'Laglon. In pairs they illustrated the various falls and holds and their coun- ! tors, in a very interesting manner. They flowed at a glance the simplest way to break a man's arm or paralyse his, nervous system. The display was heartily applauded. Bayonet Work on Horsebaok. There was a,fine 1 thrill in watching ' how mounted infantry with fixed bay- - onot-s taekle an enemy. The enemy m - this oaso were pudding-like objects, two , resting on. the top of posts abmit sft; < high, and a-Wiird.hung from a gibbet at j

n ditnnco of about BfL. front Uin [(rot/nth fhoro wero''lists' 1 for dix liorswitftfl lil, ft tiino, jiikl i,ho way thoy Uimltml norm tho i;roiliid Wil.li buyout) I, ])olw!<l JW the , thrust ivnn hoihl f , m j clini'Ko, ol' Ui<) ridorrt losl, Ills m i, but Hiiiikiniid ~«■ Injury boyoiul it klmk' !»«. Ino Minn) tnoii))t.o(l iiioji ludiilml in Homo HiihJ (itiiivploolm/jjiiw, wliMi fii/lCllKlwl Wli.ll 0110 imtll In. <jllHi'!/y () f ffijjf borsiw, liiltniK Mm, u jj t j w skill of a ciroiio iioiioimoi', Tho Plooo do noßlßtanriß( Tlio iw'flw do roilHlmicO of the fifter--noDii whm OiyjiUiiu M 1 Luzon's feu HwonlHijmiiHliip in culling in |j tt |f (sj»| ( fc 1(!.l filirciitodfi of mm/Hi siltiitM • /"!•"ii wll,| st giiltopirig t lit lull Lilt. Por I,hi* h„a CiilMUi , MLaghi ii«m II mvonl tiuuJt. its itikht, I h ?7, »<*" wictlried )>.v I,ho u\ m ,iiii Difke , ol Cttlalravu in tin, mighty b f j opain, bill, whit?)) w ml h , poll of any kind. 'PJiifj hu&vy n m ipon i V l ',? • I,(U 1u1u,,! ml whit ft tlin I lout of HlipiHK c«roi«g«» wiin to tlin lam i captain lilto tho iilivinff of innhy ciit^ , rots. Iho nilihntii from which tin, atif* , causes were Hiispoixlod mto on tho leftr handsido ol tho coum l , mid ait each | occasion ho wit mimhh body ftoril let I, . to right, tho invord in hiit right iiiitiil. ( m only:ono mm wan tl/o cfucass not . complotoly divided, and ill that mit; it only hung by a pieoo of «ldii. '(lie font 1 was vigorously applauded, , Anothor font was thoshuck--5 ling of himself between two dmft horses > T>y moans of colliirn. fitted to tho hitapH. i That arranged, the'horses wore urged to , pull in opposite directions, whilst tlio - strong man took tlio strain, As invari- ; ab|y both liorsns moved jn tho ono di- , Toction—one pulling and l tbo other back- [ iiig—it was impossible to toll if a, very great strain resulted. [ Other items on tho programmo wero 1 wrestling on barebacked horses, a tugl of-war on horseback, etc. Among those 1 present—between GOOD and 7(JOO—wero I tlio members of tlio estecutivo of tho i Patriotic Socioty ond Mcosrs. J. Lowis i, and W. J. Colloy (Bocrotarios), and Mr. J. M'lntosli (treasurer). Who gathering . was a credit to all oonccrncd. i ' - ' : By Eloctrlc Light. 1 ' The sports-wero repeated at night by ' electric light, tho grounds boing Jightcd 1 on a far moro claJwrato scale .than has ' over before bdon attempted. This holp- ' ed to make every movement almost as ' clear as though it was being performed • in daylight/ Tho sham light was mado moro realistic than by day, as ono could ' see the flash of the rifles and! flame of the cannon as thoy wero discharged in mimic ' wrath at an imaginary enemy, ivhose 1 position was detected by 'the searchlights. Tlie display was quite a unique ! one, and infinite credit is duo to the 1 Patriotic Society, the organiser (Captain ; M'Laglen), and all who so enthusiastic- ' ally assisted, including tho Fifth Regiment, the Cadets ; the bands, :and the Trentham rough-riders. :