CITIZEN ARMY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20068, 14 October 1939, Page 4

CITIZEN ARMY

TRENT!-lAM CAMP ! MR. SPEAKER’S VISIT j | WAR-TIME MEMORIES j MODERN CONTRASTS j (Sperinl to the Herald.) .WELLINGTON, this day. Personal experience in the ranks last war enabled the Hon. W. E. Barnard, Speaker of the House of Representatives, to make vivid contrasts when, in the company of Mr. J. A. Lee, another member of the Defence Council, he visited Trentham camp a few days ago. Many things which in the last war required hours of monotonous instruction have been cut out to-day as being relatively unimportant compared with the essentials on which training is immediately concentrated, and a spirit of comradcliness is being shown, without undermining military discipline, which makes for happier times for the man in the ranks. “We went out to inspect tire camp and watch the training," said Mr. Barnard to the Herald’s correspondent, “and while we were not out to pick holes in the system, we were naturally keen about tlio.se little difficulties which Mr. Lee and I encountered as private soldiers on the last occasion. “The outstanding question used to be that of the grub, and we had opportunities of getting the men’s individual viewpoint on this all-im-portant subject. The invariable reply to our question was that the food in camp is ail right. One man told us the tea was to thin, and was not real tea at all, but this was all right now. The Spirit of the Force “One does not look for evidence of democracy in a military camp,” continued Mr. Barnard, “but I was impressed with the sympathetic and even fatherly attitude of the senior officers towards the men under their charge. My impression was that the officers consider themselves citizens of New Zealand first, and soldiers next, and that they realised that the men they control are fellow-citizens of New Zealand, “A little side-light on this attitude told me a good deal. With an officer we passed a private who failed to salute. The officer did not pull the man up sharply, but told me that his method of dealing with such minor oversights had proved highly effective. Next time, he intended to salute the private—and that man would never forget the little lesson. “The sharp distinctions in comfort between officers and other ranks which I personally observed in the British Army,” said Mr. Barnard, “were strikingly absent. Inspecting a cook-house, we found that on one side was the officers’ mess, and on the other side, an exactly similar building for the sergeants, who took their food from the same cook-house.” Training Methods Though more than half the men in camp had no previous territorial training, and had only been a few days at Trentham, Mr. Barnard declared that he could not help but feel impressed with the keen intelligence of .he men in what they were doing, and their fit and healthy appearance. Training is done mostly in little groups of a dozen to 20 men. The instruction was informal, with nothing of the parade about it. “No,” said Mr. Barnard in reply to a question, “these men are not going to repeat our experience of spending a morning endlessly repaling the proper method of saluting, and form-fours has been replaced by another system of drill. We discovered that there is a minimum of restriction in the camp; that is to say, that much confidence is placed in the men themselves, and all unnecessary guard duty and inquisitorial methods have been dispensed with. “The huts in use are excellent,” was Mr. Barnard’s opinion, “and the tents are not overcrowded. We used to be eight in a tent, but at Trentham the total is six, and the tents have floors, beneath which is well rolled metal. It is intended to seal this evenelually, and give perfectly dry conditions. At the moment there are plenty of cold showers, but hot showers are in preparation. The Salvation Army and the Y.M.C.A. are at work to provide amenities, and there is an official dry canteen.”