"HARD AS NAILS."

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 69, 13 August 1915, Page 2 (Supplement)

"HARD AS NAILS."

A STUDY OF BRITAIN'S GREAT NEW ARMY. FIT FOR ANYTHING. This Kitchener Army is a clipper. It was a military axiom, before the war, that it took two years to make an infantryman and seven a gunner. When Lieut.-Colonel Alsager Pollock, some years ago, trained the ''Spectator' - infantry company in six months to prove the contrary, military men regarded the achievement as a freak, and said it would not be possible to train a battalion in the same fashion, much less a brigade.

I wonder what these critics* are thinking about it now? (writes "Q.-M.," in the "Daily Express'') for, not a puny brigade, but divisions, armies—a million men who, six months ago, were untrained cvilians under canvas, are hardy, reliable, and efficient soldiers. Thov arc St for the " charge," and they are eager to make it. It is not easy to .explain how this miracle has come about'. When I saw my battalion on a dusty plain the day after it was formed my blood turned to water. There were 1100 men who had Icen cut away from another batalion, and during the few days they had been at th"s depot their boots wore out, their clothes were rent, and their chins unshaven. They looked, indeed, an unlovely rabble. Nor could we do anything to better We had not, nor could we obtain, uniforms, boots, underclothing, plates, basins, mess tins, knives, forks, and shaving tackle. All that, we had were some camp kettles. and I leave you to imagine how (.he poor beggars fed.

FED FOR FIGHTING. But tlic nightmare is now behind us. Look at the boys now. It has been a fetiff job, but each man has his two suits of khaki, two pairs of boots, .■imply underclothing, a plate, basin, p.ncl mug; he has Ins knife, fork, and spoon, his shaving tackle, his cleaning kit. and his soap and towcK He is comfortably housed, and he sleeps snugly. And he is fed in a manner which becomes a fighter. For breakfast, chops and steaks, or bacon and tomatoes, or eggs, herrings or kippers, and the like. For dinner roast meat, or stew and dumplings, or seapie, bread and butter pudding, rolypoly, rice and figs, spotted dog, stewed apples, prunes, and the like. For tea, bread and butter, jam, niarr&ft lade, or cheese, watercress, pineapple. For supper, soup or cocoa. These are dishes, 1 think, which are fit to set hefore a> soldier from whose pay not a penny is stopped to help to pay for a single item. This feeding of the troops is regarded by the men as quite the most important business in tiie battalion, and, u!though the commanding officer has his views about the necessity for good shooting, good marching, and general efficiency, Tie sympathises with the call for good food and plenty of it. They get it, and the procuring and cooking ire done under the supervision of a messing committee, the president of which is a captain who six months or so aco was a keen business man of my acquaintance in town—the right man for the job.

READY FOR TIIE FRONT. The members of this committee are Iho four company quartermaster-ser-geants, the ration-sergeant, the pi-oneer-sergeant (tho batalion handyman and know-all), and live N.C.O's and men who feed in the dining-halls. This committee meets once a week, and after discussing the merits and demerits of the prevous week's bills of fare, iiie diet sheet for the coming week is prepared. Thus we get as near as we can to the tastes of the boys as a body of a thousand hungry foot. They say that the men at the front are al s o feeding well, but, Lord, what a change in the menu, I reckon, will ■my lads experience when they get into the trenches.

The trenches! ah, when shall we got to the trendies ? That is the eternal question. We all swear we are fit to lake our places in them, and ready even to rush the trenches of the Germans. We are hard as nails; we can shoot straight, we can march with our packs full twenty miles live days h week, and come back without a limp; we can dig ourselves in like sappers, and scout and deploy, and we can win the appreciation of our divisional general. We nro ready for the front. On tncraarcli, at mid-day halt, and in the huts you can hear the men saying these things. Many of them have come from the ends of the earth to fight, and they ask again and yet again why—when they have reached the apex of efficiency—should they keep marching over and about Salisbury Plain when, they are fit and eager to march across Flanders to the Rtiine—and then onward, onward, onward.