TRENTHAM TROOPERS AT RACES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 20, 25 January 1915, Page 3

TRENTHAM TROOPERS AT RACES.

A Stratford man at Trentham writes: The whole of the men in camp at Trentham had a day out on January 20th, being the guests of the W.E C.' at the first day's racing. The men were marched over to the course (just over the road) and entering + lo course proper at the hack of the cotli'so marched down in front of the stands, from which there was a good deal of cheering. We have since heard that some of those in the stands were ninth impressed with our marching. Whatever was lacking in quality (though we deny anything lacking) was made up in quantity, there being roughly five thousand men in column of fours. On arrival beside the stands the troops had a nice "hand-round" luncheon, alid Were then dismissed, having the entree to all parts of the course. The weather was excellent, and everybody seemed to have a good time. Platoon 0, J) Company/rhlrd, turned out in the morning at full strength, which probably few platoons or troops cfld, a fair number of men having to be accommodated in special quarters to enable them to collect their scattered thoughts and sort out their number of their mess. Not that there was any disorder or any unseemliness beyond the natural breaking down of the frail human system under the strain of sociability. There were some present whose first experience it was on a lug course, and the Trentham course is certainly one to open the eyes of gentlement from the tussocks and the tall timber. There is the three-tier stand. You put your money on the machine, oil the engine, and walk up to the third tier in time to see the race run. You walk down again, oil the engine, draw the dividend, oil the engine, and.by the time you have got up against the sky again the next race is run. And so on. After putting the money on the machine, draAving the dividend and oiling the engine, you have to hurry up the stairs to bee the race. It is a great institution. All the appointments are excellent, more especially the tea room. Mem:. From the top of the stand the camp, in which it is two weeks befort you get able to say on the instant where Home Sweet H<#me is, looks I'ks a collection of thimbles which you could wipe off with a dish-cloth. For the benefit of tussockies and tall timberites a description of the rage track might be useful. There is the usual oval track, probably ten furlongs round. Tho judge's box is just past the stands. Counting back from the box the oval course is used for all races for about two furlongs. At this point an extra two tracks are provided The first is only for four furlong ' races. It runs out from the oval course at a very slight angle, the course thus provided being two straight stretches with a very slight bend in the middle. In the same way the course for five and sxx furlong races branches off at the same point, but at a sharper angle, being between the four furlong course and the oval.