ON TREK WITH THE A.S.C.
AN INTERESTING DAY AND NIGHT
HANDY MEN OF THE ARMY
When the bugles were sounding their warning fur morning parade, a line of wagons swung out from the Army Service Corps stables at i'eatherston Camp and clattered away along the main road. There wore eight O.S. wagonsj-G.S. meaning General Service—of the .\iark 10 pattern, and each was drawn by two ncrsa:, tuough on active . service' there would be iour. Two pack horses trotted behind tile last wagon, and six hacks, some ridden by the O.C. and N.C.O.'s, and tiie others led, went with the column. Tho Fourteenth Reinforcements of the A.S.G., numbering 4a men, were off 011 a three-days' trek through the Southern Wmrarapa. A New Development.. The A.S.C.—so often referred to inaccurately as tho Army Service without the important woiil "Corps"--is a new development in New i'ieaiand.' Before this war it scarcely existed. And it is oiny in recent months that it has assumed tiie completeness and capability which aie now its characteristics. The ottieeiv and uien receive all their training at FeatUerstou, where, under Captain Petty, the supply oliicer, and Lieutenjint Salt, Instructor, the four Reinalways in camp, are trained. Uurinp the iirst month the N.C.O.'s and ineu go through foot drill and musketry, just as the infantry do. Then comes the riding school. Nearly every man who is aliowwl to join i the A.ts.C. knows aIL about the management of horses. But ho has to learn the Army way of doing things. This instruction includes harness instruction, the care of .horses, learning the parts of wagons, and how to repair them if parts arc shot away in action or broken through accident on tho road.- Long-rein driving and the ride-ard-drive, postillion fasnion, have to be learned too. The wagon parts of the A.S.C. wagons arc interchangeable with artillery limbers and wagons of tho same mark, and the harness is of the samo quick-release pattern. Tho A.S.C. are not non-combatants. They go into 801116 of tlic- hottest corners of. tho fighting, and when on the road form their waguns into a laager with poles outward, ard horses inside the square of wagons, when there is any danger of attack by patrols. Then tho A.S.C. men (iro at-the enemy from beneath the wagons while the horses aro sheltered by tire vehicles and thair loads. When on the road, the column halts about every five miles,' and the horses' hoofs are closely inspected, while tlio-wagons and their loading are also looked to. The importance of these things when everything depends on mobility cannot bo overestimated. On the Road. The Fourteenth A.S.C. draft, under Lieutenant, lave, had halted at the end of their first live miles. The wagons were hauled off tho road on to the gTeen sward at the side. A line ofibare poplai trees made a background for,tho column of loaded grey wagons. The drivers—it was ride and drive style—had descended from their horses, their teams wero resting, and the loads had been taken off the pack-horses. This gavo an opportunity to sea tho Army pack saddle, which is used in every sphere of British military activity, and was used at Gallipoli. It is wonderfully light and strong, with plenty of hooks and straps, and is si mado that it can be taken to pieces very easily. ' ' . While the men were still chatting and taking it easy, a whistle blow. "Stauil to!' said the O.C. Presently he asked: "Ready, at the rear there?" "Not qujte, sir," a corporal answered, who was assisting in the adjustment of the pack-saddles. "Ifcaily,, sir,'', he said., when lie had given .the. st.rapsa few; more expert pulls. Agaiii the'whistle, and the O.C.'s hand was raised. Every man mounted with a unisofi of movement which suggested that a long row of men had suddenly and automatically been raised to the level of horseback and wagon seat. The whistle blew again, aud the hand and arm of the O.C. -was moved forwards. The column moved away towards their camping place at Martin's Ford. The Camping Place. This proved to be an idyllic sort of spot. It was a radiant day of'sunshine and clear air. The hills and distant ranges were clear-cut ngiiinst the blue sky. Tho road which the wagons were following dipped to a river-bed, " and skirted the stream for a time. Then, as though it had made up its mind about it, plunged into-the clear water. Tho horses splashed through, and tho wheels churned and seethed. Just across the ford, on a level area, screened by willows, was tho selected camping ground. Tiie wagons were wheeled to the left, so as to form a line on the side from which the prevailing wind would blow. Behind thcrn, the horse-linos were laid down, with a long rone, pegged to the ground at intervals. To/this the horses' headrope's wero attached. Hero and there heel-ropes were fastened to a horse with •a reputation for being restive in tho linos. Near the heels of each horse, but out of reach, a horse-cover was laid, neatly folded, the whole of' them forming a line behind the horses. And all the harness was laid against tho. wagon wheels. While these arrangements were being made, the cooks, at a service fire, consisting of a shallow, narrow trench on a slope of ground, with side trenches to provide good draft, were cooking the midday meal of' meat .and tea. The horses had their feed-bags on already. Some Wheel Magic. During tho afternoon a lecture was given by the O.C. It was not, of course, for civilian ears.. But it : will not.be out of place to mention some of tiie things which can be done with A.S.C. wagons and their tarpaulins. If part of a hind wheel is shot away, the wheel is lashed so as to form a runner with tho good part; if a front wheel is so damaged, a hind wheel • can bo exchanged for it, ,while the damaged fore-wheel can bo used as a skid on the rear axle. The reason that the hind wheels cannot be made into skids is that they have to turn with the swing of the pole. When a wheel is utterly smashed, a long sapling is braced under the axle and against one of the irons on the wagon's side. Then the wagon moves on with tiie sapling dragging and bearing the weight. The men aro taught to take a wagon l to pieces in ijuick time and to put the parts inside it. This is nccessary when the> wagons have to bo ferried across a river. To assist in this operation tho tarpaulin is filled with brushwood and the corners are tied together. This strango bundld is placcd under' its wagon at the water's edge, and floats the whole thing across, while some of the men swim the horses over, and others haul tho wagons over with ropes. Evening in Camp. The sunset lights fade early on the Featherston hills in winter. Soon the camp was in semi-darkness, made luminous by moonlight; the lanterns, which had ridden all day, tie<l to each rear axle, were lighted; tho glow of tiff oopk's (ire made a pretty effect among lnw=. By the lisht of lantern's . the N.C.O.'s were looking over their notes for their road reports, of them, while on trek, has to notes down details of crops, stock, houses, niul the possible number of men who could be billeted, aud all information connected with billeting and feeding an army. Tho lanterns were nut out at last, tho fire's glow became fitful; men took their blankets.under the wasnns. Soon all'was still, except for tho whisner of tho river, the cries of a mopoke in the distance, and tiie stamping of the horses. Two ghostly figures moved silently to and fro in the grass—they wero tho horso picket' and the sentry. During tho first night . all passed quietly, and at an early hour the wagons were on the road again, making for the next camp at Euamahanga Bridge. A Sudden Order. Camp was? made, and the men turned in on the second night, in the ordinary way. But, somo time .during the night, a messenger arrived with an order for the column to move swiftly and silentlv away. The men were roused, and ail
orders were given in whispers. The same quietness was observed in the handling of all gear. Within twenty minutes of the receipt of the order tho wagons moved off, only tho muffled sound of harness wagons being driven over grass being heard. They had proceeded about a mile along a narrow road, when tho order came:
i "Right reverse." This meant 'that the wagons which are only quarter-lock—that is,- the guncarriage will only turn, in a quarter of a circle—had to be turned right round. It was a difficult thing to do, though tho moonlight made it easier. When the column had turned, it went back to its camp, and in twenty-five minutes every man was in his blankets. This was considered to be excellent work. A return to Featherston Camp was made on Friday afternoon- A feature of the trek was the keenness shown by officers and men. CHILDREN'S TRAM FARES « WELLINGTON'S SCALE—AND OTHER CITIES. At the meeting of the City Council on Thursday, Councillor John Fuller's suggestion that children be carried tree on the tramways up to live years (instead of three, as at present) was rejected. Councillor Fuller , contends that the -charge for young children is another form of penalising those people who are doing their duty towards the State. Apropos, there are many hotels, plenty ot boarding-houses who will not take in peoplo with children, and landlords who will not let theirjiouses to people with children, Every restriction of the kind tends to kill the desire of parents to rear a family. In Auckland ouly half-fare is. charged. That is to say,. that children from 3 to 12 years may travel over any penny section for a half-penny, as the Auckland Order-in-Coimcil provides for hall'farcs tor children between the aues stated. , : ■ Councillor Fuller wrote to Dunedin to .ascertain the position there. The answer was as follows: "In reply I have to inform you that children up to five years of ago are carried free, and children between tho ages of 5 and 14 are carried over any three sections for a penny fare. This means that a child can travel three sections for one punch- of a concession ticket. Wo also issue apprentices' tickets, which entitled any person earning under 10s. per week to travel 30 sections for one shilling; and school tickets are issued at 2s. 6d. per month, which works out at a little over one-tenth of a penny por section."
Napier replied to Councillor fuller's inquiry as follows:—"Our line is divided into three penny sections averaging 75 chains each. Children up to twelve years of age are carried over the three sections for ene penny." Napier does not' state at what age children are exempt from payment of fares, but it is understood that the ago is five yeuis. The Christchuroh rule is that children up to three years of age will be carried free if not_ occupying a seat, but fares jnust be paid if a seat is occupied. From 3 to 12, children pay Id. for one, two, or three sections, 2d. for four or five sectiorifi, and 3d. for six sections. Wellington's policy respecting children« fares is set out in the time-table as follows*. Children not exceeding three years of age will'be carried free providing there are not mere than two in charge of one adult. Children over three and not exceeding twelve years of Age may travel three sections over the city lines for 0110 penny."
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19160617.2.72
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2799, 17 June 1916, Page 10
Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,961ON TREK WITH THE A.S.C. Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2799, 17 June 1916, Page 10
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Dominion. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.