FIELD AMBULANCE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2670, 17 January 1916, Page 7

FIELD AMBULANCE

IN CAMP AT AWAPUW ! MEN AT WORK AND PLAY During the next fortnight the greater portion, of the 400 men .of the New Zealand Medical Corps, now in training a. Awapuni Racecourse, under Colonel Bardie Noil, wiil have completed their : training and be drafted out to different spheres of usefulness. This week, a °f them, under Captain Wilson, will join the Maheno. They will all be fully trained in their, work;. An even, larger exodus from the camp will bo that of the Field Ambulance, which is tt> join the 3rd.and 4th Battalions of the Eifle Brigade and to embark with them from Auckland when those troops sail for, the front. Colonel Hardie Neil wiil go with his Field Ambulance. The camp at Awapuni is, however, an estab- • lished training place for the Meaical Corps and every week fresh drafts havo been going in to take tie place of those who go on active service.' A Snug 'Camp. There are neither tents nor hutments . at the Awapuni Camp. The ollicors and n.c.o.'s sleep on the ,balconies of the* stewards' stand and secretary's offices, and the men have their quarters in the grandstand, : sleeping in the upper part of it and taking their meals in the portion used as the public diu-iug-room on race days. Tlio officers' mess and the sergeants' mess are held in smaller rooms, also in the basement. The various detached buildings in' tho beautiful grounds are used as stores, and the stewards' and secretary's offices are by the headquarters staff. An important adjunct in the form of a shower bathroom has been x built among the trees oil the bank of a dry riverbed, into which the waste water is conducted and disposed of in a soak-pit. The end of the grandstand, which is exposed to the prevailing wind,"is sheeted in with railway tarpaulins. : The men have their beds oil the broader of the ledges and place their gear in the seat 3 bore them. Everything is kept' in ship-shape" order and the quarters are comfortable and itidy. A Field bay. ' On Friday last the officers and men had a field day, actual service'conditions being imposed and ■ the work carried out as it would be in the field. - At nine a.m. the Field Ambulance and the Maheno men marched out to a place about two miles from the camp, and began their mimic operations; it was assumed that a battle was in progress and the ambulance men had to play their part, as .they do in actual warfare, "without regard for ; their safety. These operations , lasted all day,-and when night fell they still continued, 6o that the men might be taught <to work in the dark; in finding and tending the wounded. The camp was reached at 10 p.m., the only officer who had n&t been calledf upon to use his instruments being tho army dentist— that is how an officer' jokingly put it. On Saturday morning reveille sounded i at 7 instead of 5 o'clock, to give a little extra rest after the hard day. ■ Kit Inspection. : Kit inspection was carried out on Saturday afternoon, each man having his mattrass neatly folded in three folds. On top of thai were his blankets, then his overcoat, folded in a new and neat manner, peculiar to their camp, and the man s cap was laid on top. The kit-bag, containing personal effects and clothing, alongside iii a way to show the soldier's name and while his spare boots were set alongside,, with toes towards the inspecting officer. The scan© in - the big grandstand, while the 400.men stood to attention beside their neafcly-placed - belongings, ivas very fine; It N must bo -written of these Medical Corps men that they show a remarkable keenness, in their a smartness m appearance and behaviour. ■

Bouts of Massage. They have a playful way in the Medical Corps Camp of describing boxing as massage. On Saturday afternoou, a boxuig tournament was held, under the -patronage of .Colonel Hardie Neil and his officers. A highly-creditable ring had been arranged in front of the stewards 1 stand and round it were gathered all the officers and men who wcr& off duty. Some good displays of boxing ■ were given, all the bouts being marked by the pest of good feeling on the part of the combatants and of tbe onlookers, in lact, the first encounter was so funny that the spectators were nearly breathless from langhter. The opponents in ■this bout were not trained boxers. Thev knew nothing about the. game. One belonged to the Maheno detachment and the other to the Field Ambulance, and they .were to fight for their w n noUr of th eir detachinent. One man jvas little, and short, and dark-; the otheV was taller and fair. , as though the matter was to bo settled withm the first ten nnpn S ' 7 ¥ 1 man had his mouth open, and his tongue protruded, and quavered all the time he fought. Hie littles man threatened to deal some terrific. blows, , but .invariably backed Tn With, one arm ; over. his liead, and -let the other man punch him.'. At the end of the first . round they went; to their corners,-and the little man's trainer ed Wm and , b l at i l? , lng Us * ace > ask " Monft' wo " ld , hko ' Ws Wtlp'nf + he would, but the bottle of water was hardly put ; to his !S '"I'y I: ' t!a ' n " r relied it'away, -S'St i » k But he persisted in drinking it, and probably that accounted for his phvsirouncL P SO at tie end of Church Parade and Review. A church parade of the Medical Corns was held, yesterday morning at the Show Grounds at Palmerston North Headed by their band, the officers and men marched to the grounds, a distance of three miles, .and marched back S after the service. The camp has®Z excellent band and an equally good orchestra both being in deinand merston North at social gatherings.' On Saturday next tho Field Ambulance will be reviewed bv Ron eral Henderson, Army Medical Services, when another through operations will be gone