HUMAN MACHINE-GUN.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1494, 8 January 1916, Page 4

HUMAN MACHINE-GUN.

CAPTAIN J. A. WALLINGFORD’S RETURN. Among the invalided soldiers who returned on the Kuahine on Wednesday was Captain J. A. Wallingford, known as an expert rifle shot, and known on Gallipoli as “The human machine-gun.” Before being sent to England with a strained heart, Captain Wallingford was in charge of the New Zealand machine guns. Interviewed, Captain Wallingford said that too much stress could not be laid on the value of machine guns. Riflemen were now coming into their own again ; they must be crack shots. The order of utility was crack shots, machine guns, bombers, diggers and bayonets. Referring to members of bis brigade, Captain Wallingford declared with enthusiasm that nothing could beat them. “They were my own boys, whom I trained in New Zealand,” he said, “and I could have had none better. I have come to the conclusion that our lads are good as compared with the British soldier. Both have the same blood, and are equally brave, but we have an advantage in age. Whereas they accept boys down to the age of 18 years, we do not take them at less than 20. Accordingly, ours can stand the rough work of campaigning better than the average lad of the “K” Army. We had tour machine guns to each regiment, and I consider myself the luckiest man that ever took the field, not only because I had the best of the New Zealand boys, but also because I had the best guns. We were better than anyone in this respect. Our losses were very heavy. During four days on Chunuk Bair I lost 64 per cent of my officers and men. No troops could have stood up better. In the early dawn of the nth August, when the apex we had held was about to give way, the machine gun lads fixed bayonets, and, gathering round in a circle said, ‘We’ll stick to you Captain,' They did and the position was held. I know of nothing finer than that.” Captain Wallingford added that he had been through some of the big factories in England, and he was satisfied that they were _ now turning out adequate quantities of field equipment. He therelore thought that it would not be necessaty to consider the question of manufacturing machine guns in New Zealand. At the same time, he remarked that there were some high-class workshops in the Dominion.