THROUGH THE NIGHT

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2994, 3 February 1917, Page 7

THROUGH THE NIGHT

"TWENTY-SECOND'S" MARCHING

ACROSS THE HILL IN THE DARK

While citizens of Wellington were sleeping in the early hours of this morning, the Twenty-second Infantry Beinforcements were marching across the Rimutaka Hill. It was their second night march on the journey from Trent-ham to Foatherston. and they would reach their destination about 6 o'clock this morning. The idea in making the trip by night was to avoid the heat of tho day, and to give the troops further training in night work. It has become a saying that whenever the troops are due to "cross the hill" it begjus to rain, and this proved true on this occasion. After weeks of dry weather, when tho Twenty-seconds began their march, tho rain started. Trentham Camp Band played them out of camp at 6.45 on Thursday evening, and led them as far as Upper Hutfc The troops in camp gave the senior draft a rousing send-off, th,e cheering being continuous till the last company had passed the. camp gates. Lieuten-ant-Colonel C. B. Macdonald marched at the head of the column, B Company, under Captain J. Keir, Officer Commanding the draft, being in the lead. By the time Upper Hntt was passed, the ram had set in. Yet the troops were cheerful. As a soldier said, at yesterday's bivouac, "If the Colonel didn't mind the wet, it was good enough for us." Advanced and rearguards, according to daylight disposition, were sent out, and when darkness fell the disposition was changed to that for night conditions. After ntime these guards were withdrawn, and the troops marched in column en rontn through the darkness and rain, with the usual changes of position of companies, over tho twelve miles of road to Kaitoke. The long Kaitoke Hill did not noticeably retard their speed, and Kaitoke was reachefl at 10.45 p. m About midnight, as tho troops were settling into bivouac after a hot meal, a very heavy shower fell. The men, however, settled down like old soldiers, and slept soundly. The A.S C wagons from Featherston had reached the bivouac before them, and the motor ambulance from Trentham, under Captain A. H. Hogg, -N.Z.M.0., accompanied tho troops on the march, and stayed with them till yesterday, afternoon, when the ambulance from Featherston took over. It would travel with the men on their midnight march over VI c , road ftoross tfl o liill- ., -Yesterday broke grey and threatening, but after tho sun rose tho weather cleared, and a fine, hazy day followed. -Uio troops spent it in bivouac, with diversions in the shapo'of bathing and other recreations. A most animated scene was that of the informal bathing parade.. The deep pool in tho river, ot considerable size, was packed with men, while hundreds more splashed about in the shallows up-stream. During the day, many of tho men rested, m anticipation of this morning's early • a L_ a start ' n ' as *° D 0 i»ad« at 1 a.m. Tho chiropodists' hut, uuclcr the trees near .the farmhouse, was kept steadily busy attending to tho feet of tho men. Blisters which, to tho civilian mind, would Mem to debar further "!*« ii ns ' lrero trcatef U and bandaged skilfully, so-that tho soldier couH' walk without feeling thorn at all, and every man was mado fit for the road, and was keen for the. moment to arrive to he off again.

A long khaki column of over 1600 mon would go winding up tho mountain road in the dim starlight this morning Roveillo would stir them out at" midnight, arid -after hot drinks and a meal they would- fnll-in in tho dark and swing away from tho farm which lias become a historic snot in the annals of tho Now Zealand army. Imagino the tramp of these troops in tho middle of the night, through country as wild as any in tho world. It is only a training manoeuvre, yet it thrills one a little to think of it. They would reach the Summit: just when dawn was showing saffron lights abovo the far eastern ranges across tho Wairarapa valley, and their halt there will bo like the pause of an invading army cro it swoops down upon tho plains. Throughout this journoy of night marches, tho arrangements niado havo been excellent. The Twenty-seconds had already marched across the hill, as nearly all the Reinforcements havo done. But they .are the first to back on their tracks. What all ranks thought of the niattcr may ho summed up in the words.of a soldier—not an officer or an N.C.O.—who said:

"The Colonel always marches every bit of the way, and he looks after us tip-top. And wo're glad to follow him, for he knows the game!" -