CARNIVAL IN WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 287, 23 August 1918, Page 7

CARNIVAL IN WAR

MERRY MEN FROM OVERSEAS

HIGH JINKS ON THE NEW ZEALAND FRONT

i,From ilic New Zealand Official War Correspondent.) .Inno -I. 'I'hfii'c cojih's a time in (he moat strenuous of all buttles when men must have their tnoughts turned from war. At least he is a wise general who, alter the stress and strain of fighting, endeavours In give. liis jnon some men till rclaytliuii. Jlu'sl of Ihe divisions on the Western front, 1. believe, manage to do this at intervals, and Ihe New Zealand Division certainly not less than any u f the others. The lasi. two weeks—in spile of strenuous training in and behind the support lines —have been carnival time for those New /ealnndcrs who are not in the Hue.

The carnival days begun with the liritgade Horse Shows and Military Tournaments. These, successful in every way, were, followed by the Divisional Horse Show. Held on'ii breezy upland, amidst the green woods and valleys of i'ieardy, this was one of the events of the year, and attracted a large attendance, including generals of corps,' division, and brigade. Though it meant a day of relaxation for (he great majority, it meant hard work for days before hand insofar as the competitors were concerned, for there was great "rooming of horses, polishing of chains, and furbishing of harness and of transport. Much of this the average man might designate as "eye-Hash," but it all serves a very useful purpose, for it carries with it lessons in method and discipline, and generally adds to the efficiency of the men and uf all the miscellaneous equipment needed by a division engaged in war. The eye* 0 f (he average New Zealand farmer would be dazzled with the glistening silver brightness of the -bains, and he would stand amazed at the satin coats and the trim manes and tails of (he horses, and the attention bestowed upon the harness. If, lie might ask, these men can do such things in war, what might not they accomplish in peace?

When you find the whole of the personnel under tho immediate chargo of iho Camp Commandant divided into two sections, industriously grooming for days and nighls ahead two pairs of heavy draughts, and making their harness and (he general service wagon article!) of reverence such as would never have been dreamt of in the ante-bellum days; when you learn that each individual lias from live to ten frolics on the issue, you may expect a result such as even the beau mondo of militarism might gaze upon with delight, if not with envy. That colonials, of all the peoples in the world, should do this amazes you still more. It is mainly the result of discipline, of that discipline at which (he colonist has been always inclined to chafe, but to which, in the great war, even his unruly spirit has become convert. If, in the military training system which no doubt we shall have after the war, we can continue to inculcate theso principles of discipline, of neatness, and of thoroughness in all things, then we shall have learnt a lesson that will have nu small ell'ect for the better upon (he character of a nation that is still in the making. The. arrangements in connect inn with this.show alone were proof of Die value of thoroughness and of discipline. They were as near perfect as could be. The Gymkhana, To-day, on tho same breezy upland, we held our Military Tournament and Gymkhana, which thousands of New Zealandcrs and a goodly number of olliceis and men from neighbouring divisions attended. In this {here was great variety oi interest, and, in addition, much that was amusing. From !)..'lll in [he morning I ill late afternoon, events succeeded one another quickly, and often there were two or three competitions going on at Ihe sumo time. In nearly every case I here wcvu large, fields and keen' contests. Running shoes were, of course, conspicuous mainly by their absence, and the men ran barefooted in the Hat racos, and even over the hurdles.

One of the competitions that attracted great attention was the guard mounting, which was judge 1 'by two officers of llie' Grenadier Guards and a New Zealand officer. But a few years ago. a New Zenlandor would have smil'.d sarcastically, and. have perhaps made ribald remarks at ihe marionetl.o.like movements and the sharp commands associated with the changing of the. guard. On a parade ground at tho front, with th" men 'in drab outfit of service conditio::-, the ceremony is shorn of all its glider. In comparison willi tho gorgeous display that aways attracted a crowd lo the courtyard of the castle in Vienna, our warzouo parade is a subdued show. ".Hoards for squaring up packs will not be permitted, but units may draw on divisional baths for clothes required to complete up to service scale." So ran a notice in the rules of tho tournament, so you will know that thero was only ibrown khaki, against which even polished brass anil tin of "dixie" cannot shine in any great effulgence. Yet in spile of a'l these defects of colour and glitter, "guard mounting' is one of the most popular events at our military tournaments. UHiccr.s and men crowd about Ihe ring an! watch the drill with the keenest interest, and .where, in bygone days, would have been only ainuricd or sarcastic comment, now there is hearty applause for the guard tflht acquits itself with honour. It is but olio more tribute to the god Discipline, at which' the nation, perhaps, has been too much inclined to look askance.

The lug-of-war produced now fewer than twenty entries, and the Maori team, which was a line example of physical term and Fitness, easily beat all its opponents and won. The wrestling on barebacked mules by 'barebacked men in teams of six was an amusing feature, and tho hurdlo race for mules had the great crowd in fits of laughter. Some of Ih« mules—.several of them ridden without saddles—proved themselves splendid jumpers. .In the officers' jumping the>re were included competitors from English divisions, but all three prizes were won by New Kcalamlcrs. Finally, there was a mounted obstacle race, in which English and New Zealand officers competed. This was the most merry and exciting event of a long day's sport. An almost devilish ingenuity had been displayed in the invention of obstacles with a. view to scaring the horses and puzzling the horsemen. The most formidable of theso was the gelling past a blaring brass 'band that emitted the weirdest and most unluiieful noises with a view lo "putting the wind up" the horses but! one dashing rider, revealing -horsemanship of a high order, came along at such a band gallop (hat he succeeded in 'putting the wind u,p" Ihe band, and had his steed well through the terrible ordeal before Ihe animal had time to realise what was happening. Altogether it was a most successful tourney.

The carnival will come lo an end this week with a boxing conlest, swimming sports, and a band competition—the latter, probably, the first: band contest lo be held on the Western or any oilier front.