ARTILLERY UNITS

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 75, 30 March 1933, Page 5

ARTILLERY UNITS

CAMP SEASON OVER

NEW PHASES OF TRAINING

The annual camp season of the Central Command Artillery units concluded last Saturday with the week's training put in by the 19th Medium Battery at Waipukurau. This C-inch Howitzer Battery is commanded by Major K. W. Fenton, who had with him in camp Captain A. V. Jenkins, and 2nd Lieutenants G. Nelson and K. A. Maxwell, with Major M. B. Tweed, N.Z.M.C., as medical officer, and Rev. B. D. Ashcroft as chaplain. "Other ranks" numbered about fifty. A very interesting and busy week was spent, the only interruption to a very full programme being about an hour missed one- afternoon on account of heavy rain. Arriving in camp, the members of the battery soon settled down, and on Sunday morning a church parade was held by the "padre" in the V.M.C.A. tent. Sunday afternoon was free, and on Monday morning, in really ideal weather, the week's work began. Besides the ordinary routine jobs of the camp and such familiar work to the gunners as riding schools and gun drill, much new ground was covered. Gas training was the first innovation, tho whole battery being instructed in the use of the service respirator. On Wednesday, a practice shoot with blank ammunition, in co-operation with an aeroplano of the New Zealand Air iorce, was carried out, and that evening the preliminary training was wound up with practice at night firing, another phase of training which was ucwto the battery.

Thursday and .Friday were field days, being spent at live shell practice from several different positions. Various methods of engaging targets were used, including the usual method from an observation post, and, in addition, survey shoots, shoots with flank observation, and finally with air co-operation. Tho shooting all through was very good, tho series in many cases ending with direct hits. Tho survey shoots were extremely interesting, as all the necessary information was worked out from the map, making use of trig points, and in both of these shoots the line was found correctly, the few rounds fired falling just short of or just over tho target. Survey methods were also employed in finding tho line and range in the aeroplane shoots, which were certainly the most interesting of them all, as this is the first year that aeroplane co-opera-tion has been used at Waipukurau. Excellent observation was provided from the Air ITorce machine piloted by FlightLieutenant S. Wallingford, New Zealand Permanent Air Force, who flew his aeroplane, observed the fall of the shots, and transmitted wireless messages to the battery single-handed, as is the case with Army co-operation machines on active service. From the observations received by the battery the necessary corrections to line and range were made, and effective fire was quickly brought to bear on the targets. During the week, tho battery at work was inspected by the G.0.C., MajorGeneral W. H. Sinclair-Burgess, C.8., C.M.G., D.5.0., the director of artillery, Colonel F. Symou, C.M.G., D.5.0., A.D.C., and tho coast and medium group commander, Major V. P. Ha ughton. The social side was not forgotten, and a veTy enjoyable camp was brought to a most successful conclusion with a ball in the Municipal Theatre. Owing to transfers and retirements tho battery is still under strength, and intending members should niako application for enrolment early in order to take- advantage of the full year's training before the next camp.