THE ''TRENTS "

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2577, 27 September 1915, Page 5

THE ''TRENTS "

; 4- -rv'„ ' MINISTERS VISIT RANGIOTU CAMP A GOOD CAMP The Parliamentary party which yesterday visited the two battalions of, the Trentham Regiment in - camp at Rangiotui near Palmerstoii, included the . Prime Minister (the Right Hon. W. F. Massej', tlio Minister of Defence (the Hon. J. Allen), and the Attorney-General ffthe Hon. A. L. (Herdmari),. and their ' impression of the camp was in thehighest decree favourable. " There was no mud; The camp is placed on sand, but even, the sand was seen in infrequent • patches, where the clean, close-knit turf nad been broken by heavy "traffic. The tows of tents which house'22oo soldiers appeared'neat-and healthy, the ample .supply of water and excellence of the cooking arrangements, no less than the very few rubicund > invalids in the . .hospital, further - suggested that 'this was a sanitary and well-conducted camp'. . The. men were brown, their shoulders square, their laugh hearty, and'.their appetites enormous. . These .of the troops who took part in the. rush from Trentham when, spinal meningitis was first detected, and a number of ' -' visitors, mindful of conflicting: theories, asked questions. : The reply was emphatic and unanimous. - This, said the men, ; was the -finest- possible camp. ' "When we came here;"' said'one young officer, "we all bad' coughs -and colds, and the men were scared and depressed. Now | there _ are fewer - than .forty, men altogether in hospital; and as for their general health and spirits—well, look at them." .. ' ■ - The visitors spread themselves over ".the camp, and talked-to the men, and asked questions. All th'o evidence poiuted to a very satisfactory condition of things. The men spoko in terms of praise, and even of affection of their officers, and the officers seemed to be very proud of their men, "They're Rood soldiers, and they are going to be great fighters," declared one captain, . n, Dunedin man. "It's no trouble to manage ■ men who. are naturally clean and decent, and who have enlisted because they know it to bo-.-their duty.- Are ■ they keenP I should just say . they are. They do the ordinary work of the camp and- the drilling quite .well, but it is , ' when they- are taken out for work under, service conditions—attacking, over rough country, practising an advancOj making entrenchments, and spending the night in the. open—that . they show real, enthusiasm. You should just seo_ them 'digging themselves in' with tleir entrenching tools, or preparing for a bayonet charge. Its -worth while leading such men."Tile soldiers in tho ranks include many well educated ana professional ' members of well-known families. One of the first to greet the party was the Prime Minister's son, lately a solicitor practising in Auckland, now Sergeant Massey. Another member of the party, Mr. L'. M. Isitt, [ Was .met hy' hia. son, a sturdy -young Sergeant; and yet other members of V the regiment are sons of the Hon.. S. Tborne George and Mr. T. M. V/ilford, . M.P. In one small section, when the regiment was first formed, there were two privates' witli -tEh© degree of M.A. and another with an LL.B;

' MR. ALLEN'S IMPRESSIONS. . MEN IN FINE FETTLE. After inspecting the 1 camp, the Minister of Defence (the. Hon. J. Allen) stated to a Dominion reporter that the men were in excellent, fettle, and had improved enormously in physiquo and everything else. They , are all m good heart, and very anxious to get away to do their part. Tlio camp., was everything that could be desired,- and was greatly appreciated by the "Trents."