CEREMONIAL IN CAMP

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20072, 19 October 1939, Page 11

CEREMONIAL IN CAMP

MEN SMARTENING UP

TRENTHAIVI RECRUITS GUARD MOUNTED DAILY The men who went info camp at Trenlham a fortnight ago —most of them raw recruits with no previous military training—have smartened up so well in their drill that ceremonial lias now been included, and with the mounting of a daily guard is a feature of camp life. The peak of all drill is the standard attained at guard-mount-ing. The objects of ceremonial are to promote an esprit de corps and by the attainment of a high standard of smartness and cohesion on the parade ground, to assist in the development, of the moral qualities which arc essential to success in war. These objects can be reached by careful preparation and exact execution on all ceremonial occasions. Church Parade The first mass ceremonial was at the church parade last Sunday, when the salute on the march past was taken by the camp commandant. Major F. L. Hunt. The bearing of and their movements as a body would have done credit to troops who had been several months in cam]). A camp guard of a sergeant, corporal and 12 men, are now mounted daily at 5 p.m., and remain mounted until 7 pan., when they are relieved lay the camp police. They then break oft until 4.45 pan. next day when they parade and prepare to hand over to the next guard. The camp guard is one of the smartest of the smaller displays of ceremonial. The various units supply the guard in turn daily front their picked men. and it is the aim of every unit to provide the best guard in the camp. Respect for Sentries. The guard performs sentry duty at main entrance points to the cantp, Respect for the person and office of a sentry is as strongly enjoined by military law as that required to be paid to an officer. A sentry, in respect to the duties with which he is charged, represents tiie supreme military authority of the command to which he belongs and whose orders he is required to enforce on or in the vicinity of his posh As such he is entitled to the respect and obedience ot all persons who come within the scope of operations of the orders which he is required to carry into efi'oet. Over military persons the authority of the sentry is absolute and disobedience of his orders on the part of such persons constitutes a most serious military offence and is prejudicial in the highest degree to the interests of discipline. Therefore those sentries who can be seen at the camp principal points between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. daily represent, within the scope of their duty, men to be heeded by civilian and soldier alike.