SECOND ECHELON

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20097, 17 November 1939, Page 12

SECOND ECHELON

N.C.O.’S NEXT MONTH SPECIAL TRAINING COURSE Non-commissioned officers for the second echelon of the Second New Zealand Division will be called into camp about December 9. They will do an intensive course of training in readiness for their appointment to the units of the echelon. It is suggested that if young men are hoping to receive appointment as non-commissioned officers they should enlist at the nearest area office without delay. Selection will not be left until the last minute, since circumstances have enabled the military authorities to prepare for the training of the second echelon in much less haste than was the case with the calling up of the first echelon.

Whereas non-commissioned officers now in camp have to work extremely long hours and take special lectures in the evenings to keep ahead of their men, those of the second echelon, will have a far better opportunity of learning their duties before they go into camp with their units. They will also escape having to put up tents and get camps ready for the men—a job which took most of the time of the non-commissioned officers who by a few days preceded the men of the first echelon into camp.

Officers of the second echelon are enjoying similar opportunities, since they are already in camp. They will thus have had about a month’s refresher course before their non-com-missioned officers are called up, and a very reasonable time before they take command of the echelon. The non-commissioned officers will not be sent to any one camp. Rather they will go to various camps according to their arm of service. They will cover the full normal range of unit, infantry, artillery, engineers, army service corps and divisional cavalry.