BACK TO CAMP

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2660, 4 January 1916, Page 8

BACK TO CAMP

• SOLDIERS' TRAINING RESUMED TALE OF A BOMB The exodus of the thousands of soldiers who visited the City on NewA'ear leave, began on Sunday afternoon, and continued until late hist night. At a quartor-pasfc two on Sunday afternoon a special troop train with 50U men lor ltangiotu Camp steamed out of Thorndon .Station, while trains for Hay Morn and Trentham left Lambton Station in the evening, the last train departing at 10 o'clock. Up till that hour the trains running to the station were crowded with soldiers, tile usual civilian passengers finding a difficulty in getting on board. It was noticeable tliat while civilians were told there was no room, the guards did their best to make room for the men in khaki, who wore in a hurry to catch the last train back to camp. A soldier was heard to remark : "My word, this guard is a sport. Ho's turning tlio civilians away and letting tho soldiers get on." Another special for Rangictu drew out of Thorndon Station at 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon. Numbers of men of the rifle battalions also travelled by the regular trams for- Palmerston. Special troop trains for Tauherenikau left the City on Sunday and Monday night. All the camps will now resume their regular business of training moil, which has been interrupted by the holidays. The Rifle Battalions. Since going into camp at Rangiotu soveral weeks ago, the 3rd and 4th battalions of the Hilie Brigade have made marked advancement in their training, and all ranks speak in terms of praise of their camp, which is situated on the I'oxton line, 12 miles from l'almerston North and about 20 miles from Foxton boa<ch. U?ho troops were engaged in night and field manoeuvres, and bivouacking operations just before the holidays. On their return these phases of soldiering will be an important part of their training, and it is likely .that the battalions will, at different. times, 5 march to the beach, spending several nights in bivouac and return to camp after being nearly a week in the open. While at May Morn the men fired their A, or recruits', course of musketry at Trentham. It is understood that their advanced musketry courso will be fired on tho rifle ranges at Wanganui and l'almerston North. No definite arrangements for a route march under service conditions, such as the Reinforcements have undergone in their tramp across the Rimutakas, have been announced. A camp rumour has it, however, that {lie rifle battalion will, in a few weeks' time, make a long route march, which will land them at one of the permanent camps—either at Featherston or Trentham. ' Erratic Rifles. The fact that many, of the rifles served out to the men in camp develop playful eccentricities when being fired at the short ranges, is well known to the soldiers; they ialso know that at tho longer ranges these errors correct themselves, and a rifle which, at the 200 yards range had to be sighted for 300 yards, will throw almost true at 600 yards. Several reasons for this have been offered, but tho most feasible is that in sighting the rifles allowance has to be made for the weapon's performances after several hundred rounds have been fired, and the barrel lias become somewhat worn. Five thousand rounds is reckoned to bo tho lifo of an average rifle, auci, in active service, probably less. After that, the weapon ■ would become untrue, so far as the ordinary sights, with which it is fitted, are concerned. . ■ Story of a Bomb. The sombre side of soldiering is seldom discussed in camp, except when details of soldiers' work at the front aro discussed. There ,is one man in camp who declares that he will neverwear a shirt and a singlet together when ho gets to the trenches. In support of this idea, he tells of th 6 experiences of a friend of his. This man, fighting in the trenches with-liis shirt and singlet open at the neck, was struck by abomb which went inside his singlet. Ho hastily grabbed at it, but his hand went down between shirt and singlet, and all the time thelfuse was hissing and spluttering. Frantically 'he withdrew :Ins hand, and at the next thrust seized the bomb and threw it away. It exploded as soon as it struck the ground, 'flie soldier says his friend's nerves were so broken"up after this experience that ho fell away to a mere shadow. "So I'll only wear a shirt or a singlet," the soldier declares.