ARTILLERY PRACTICE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2778, 24 May 1916, Page 6

ARTILLERY PRACTICE

THIRTEENTH REINFORCEMENTS. The 13th Artillery Reinforcements, under Lieutenant Guy Johnston, with four guns, made a, trek to Morrison's Bush from Featherston Camp yesterday, and on arrival there engaged in target practice. Over 20 rounds were fired, the rango being longer than any previously fired ■ oyer by New Zealand Reinforcements. The number of rounds, too, wis much greater than the number fired when the shooting' was done at Trentham.. Captain-Bradley, Chief Artillery Instructor, superintended .the shooting, which was considered to bo decidedly good. Colonel Gibbon and Colonel Adams were present. With Lieutenant Johnston wero' Lieutenants Hull, Grace, and Bennett, all of, the 13th Artillery Reinforcements. N«irly all the Artillery Instructional Staff wero also present. The guns were on ,a slope, near the junction of, the Martinborough and Glonniorven Roads. The targets were across the Ruamalianga River, two miles away. Telephone communication between the targets and the guns had been established by tho Signalling Company of the 13th Reinforcements. The first series of twelve rounds was carried out by direct laying of the gun, Lieutenant ■ Johnston being in command. The first four shots were range-finders. From the fifth to the twelfth were lime shrapnel, exploding in the air. All found the target. The second series was begun by Lieut. Bennett. Th guns had been moved and sighted by indirect laying. As in the previous series the first four shots were range-finders. The . fifth burst over the target, tho sixth to the right, the seventh over the target, and tho eighth to the left. At this stage the. Battery Commander and BatteryiLeader were declared casualties, and Lieut. -Grace assumed command. His first shot went high, the next found the target, and all the rest woijj effective.