CAMPS AND THE MEN

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2695, 15 February 1916, Page 6

CAMPS AND THE MEN

LATEST APPOINTMENTS TWELFTH INFANTRY FIRING Tho- Twelfth Infantry completed their group.Bring in tho recruits' course at Trentham on .Saturday, and with few exceptions all tho men qualified. Yesterday a beginning was made by the same troops with their two hundred yards class-firing. In view of the fact that some of the men had never fired from a rifle before, tho result 9f tho shooting iu tho grouping section is considered to be good. Hard Luck. "Yes," said the soldier, "there's hard-luck cases in camp, ali right. There's one chap I know of, a middleaged man, a good rifle shot he is, too. In fact, 1 heard that was why he enlisted; sri's' to place' his marksmanship at the service of his country. Anyhow', he ca'rno into camp, and we expected to see some. shooting wllen ho got looso on the butts. • But it' seemed that he couldn't keep step in the ranks, so they made him a quartermaster. He had horrid luck, all right." "Why?" a civilian asked, "where does tho hard-luck oomc in?" ."Quartermasters dou't have ' rifles," was the soldier's, reply. Soldiers' Tempers. _ Although their training and their khaki uniforms tend to give the soldiers a sameness in appearance, the individuality of each remains unimpaired, and their tempers, which constitute the fighting spirit, are likewise unchanged. There is a rule in force in all the train-, ing camps of New Zealand which forbids an officer or n.c.o. to touch a man, except in the early days of squad drill. However difficult the drill and however tantalising a man's slowness, only by. voice aiid gesture may the instructor direct him. He must never touch a man. But, in the heat of the moment, an instructor may forget. Recently, after drill hours, a soldier approached his platoon sergeant. The man was almost speechless with rage, but he managed to give the sergeant to understand that ho wouldn't stand it. "Stand what?" asked tho sergeant. "You touching me," wan the reply. "On tho parade ground this morning you shoved me." "I don't remember it," said the sergeant, "but I believe what you say, and I'm sorry I did it, and thank you for teljing me about it. I'll try uet to do it. again, but, you know, I get a bit hot myself at times." "Yell at mo as much as you !.Lc, but don't touch me. I cari*£ stand it," said tie soldier, as lie went away.

On Sentry Go. The sentry outside the gnardroom at the camp gates felt a drop of rain. When he came on duty it had teen starlight, and he did not put on his overcoat. It was inside the guardroom. As more drops of rain foil, he decided that he must have his overcoat. But ho couldn't get it without the corporal's permission. Ho called the corporal of the guard. Unfortunately, the corporal misunderstood him, and turned out the guard, the men swearing softly at being awakened from sleep. When the matter was explained, the sentry was the most r-npopular man in that neighbourhood. The corporal, however, agreed that he didn't seo why the sentry shouldn't have iiis overcoat on. But he would ask the sergeant of the guard. By the time the' sergeant came and stood in tho doorway, it was raining steadily, and the sentry was nearly. wot through. After a lot of argument, the sergeant said he thought tie sentry might have his overcoat, and he called a man out to take the sentry's place while he came in, got into his coat, and transferred his belt . and other accoutrements, so that they were on the outside of the overcoat. The sentry was wet through by this time. Then tho sergeant decided that the whole of the guard must be similarly equipped, in case they had to turn out. It wouldn't do for the sentry to have his overcoat on and the others to be without them. So he awakened the sleepers again, and mado them get into their overcoats. AH this time the substitute sentry was out in the rain without his overcoat. When the sentry returned to his beat the sentry was wet through, but the rain had stopped, and tho stars were shining again. , The remainder of the night Was warm'and fine. Trentham Gamp Notes.

Captain W. Hartshorne, C Company, 10th, lias returned from sick leave and reported for duty. Chaplain-Captain Sullivan, Methodist, has arrived in camp and reported for duty. Captain Harden, N.Z.M.C., has reported for duty. Chaplain-Captain Hardie, Presbyterian, lias arrived in camp and reported for duty. The following civilian dentists have arrived in camp and reported for duty: —Messrs. A. W. "Willis, C. E. T. Woods, K.. C. Morpeth, W. B. DodcLs, E. G. Bender, Appointments at Featherston. The following temporary appointments have been approved by the Camp Commandant 'at FeatlierstonCorpl. M'lntyre, Machine-gun Section, to be sergeant; Corpl. M'Kenzie, Machinegun Section, to he sergeant; Corpl. Kelly, Machine-gun Section, to be sergeant; Sergt. Beeson, N.Z.D.0., to be sergeant-major.