TERRITORIALS AT WORK.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 March 1917, Page 7

TERRITORIALS AT WORK.

CHURCH PARADE. i Church' parade was held 'yesterday morning at the Waiwakaiho camp, where the Xlth (Taranaki) Regiment is in training. Chaplain Lieutenant-Colonel Evans conducted the main parade, and was assisted by the Citizen's Band. Chaplain-Captain Tate conducted the "Presbyterian service, and. Cliaplain•Captain Doolaghty, the Roman Catholic service. In the afternoon the camp was thrown open to visitors, and a large crowd attended. The band was present, and played an enjoyable programme, the ■items being:—March, "The Academy"; intermezzo, "Our Fallen Heroes"; patriotic selection, "For King and Country"; hymns, '-Jesu Lover of My Soul," "Eternal Father," "Abide With Me"; cornet solo, "The Rosary" (Bandsman H. Voght); Allies anthems, France, Russia; waltz, "Willowdene"; march, "Red, White and Mlue," and the National Anthem. The members were entertained .by the officers of the caMp to luncheon. Among the visitors were Colonel J. E. Hume, ollieer commanding the Wellington Military District, and Captain W. E; S. Furby, assistant adjutant-general TRAINING OF Xl.th REGIMENT, i. .SPECTION BY MAJOR SLEEMAN. A visit of inspection .was paid to the camp of the 11th (Taranaki) Regiment by Major J. L. Sleeman, I.G.S. (Director of Military Training) at Waiwakaiho on Friday. The Major was most fayorablv impressed with the site of the camp. Situated on a flat area, with picturesque hills surrounding, and spacious grounds near at hand for training purposes, the site is in every way suitable for the purpose for which it is being used. The men are accommodated in new belltents, and as the weather has been delightful since the opening of the camp, the men have been trained under circumstances as near ideal as could be wished for. I Accompanied by Major C. Henty, of] Hawera, Major Sleeman was met on arrival at the camp by the Officer-Com-manding, Lieut.-Colonel F. J. Bellringer, and proceeded to the -Ngamotu golf links, where the four companies comprising the regiment were at company drill. The Ngamotu links cover a wide stretch of undulating country, admirably adapted for military manoeuvres. The inspecting officers watched the various companies at work for some time. The distance between the areas occupied by the companies was considerable, and in a given time the regiment concentrated at one point. A noticeable feature of the regiment is the youth of many of those comprising its ranks. Tho Director was informed that the ages of .the men averaged between 18 and 20. The regiment has suffered greatly owing to enlistments, and there is a general dcartli of experienced -non-commissioned officers. That 500 men were mobilised for the camp speaks well, for the work done by the staff in arranging the post- ] ing and transfers of senior cadets so as i to be done in time.

AN AMffiESS TO THE MEN. When the regiment was got together the men were told to sit down and smoke if they wished. Major Sleeman addressed them, and commenced by congratulating them on being tryere at all. He felt sure all must realise the great responsibility that rested upon them, especially in view of the war. He stated that his own personal experience of modern warfare, combined with that of officers from (he other Allied fronts, convinced h'un that the three great essentials in a soldier were discipline, individual efficiency and smartness of movement. Everyone present, from the lat-est-joined private to the senior officer, must recognise the value of discipline; Major Sleeman said he had seen hundred? of thousands of men in the war, ind had learned that without discipline no good could be done at all. In the Imperial Army all were great believers in discipline. If he had the choice between 3CMVweak, nervous 'hut disciplined men and SflO brave men without discipline, he would take the former, because he knew that under fire the former would make the best soldiers. Discipline * saves the lives of men. For instance, in the early «tages of the war two battalions went into action. They were in the same trenches, living under the same conditions, and subject to the same degree of fire. One was a highly-trained, well-disciplined body. Tlie other was composed of very brave but untrained and undisciplined men. The first battalion lost 5-1 men, the second lost 540 men. Majoi Sleeman said one 'rotter—he could find no other name for the man who would not play the game—cfiuld let down a regiment. He had once the mortification of seeing a number of men killed owing to the stupidity and carelessness of one man. The Director said a man who shirked his ''job" when in cam]) was useless, and when war came to our shores was only fit to be sent into the interior with the women. He impressed on his hearers the importance of training for the defence of their country —an honorable and pleasing duty. He had seen 20 years' service in South Africa. India, Ireland and England, and for seven years he had been instructing officers in England. Major Sleeman said the instruction given was more or less theoretical, but no one could tell the time when Nev, '•iealanders might be called on to defend their own country. When he was instructing in England before the war not one man in a hundred guessed that war would break out. But when war was declared the army was ready, and it succeeded in holding up the Germans until fresh armies could he trained. The whole of the Imperial Army was sacrificed in that effort, and its officers and men died nobly. The Director pointed out that when the war broke out there were three forces between the enemy and the British citizens —the Regular Army, comprising 200,000 men, who hud done between seven and thirty years' service; the Special Reserve, comprising 200,'P00 men who had done six months' training on enlistment and t'iree weeks annually; and the Territorial Force, wlio.se training was car- • ried out on lines similar to those of the N'ew Zealand Forced There was also the fleet. In New Zealand wc had the Territorial Forces only, and the fleet when it arrived here. Major Sleeman pointed out, that this country was very rich; it was under-populated, and had a vast area of sea-coast that was open to invasion, As fr.r as one could tell, no enemy threatened these shores just now, but if those present had seen what he hnd seen—the atrocities and horrors suffered by the Belgians—they would not hesitate to devote every day of their lives to the /service of their country and

to regard their week's annual training as the finest thing in the world. FUTILITY OF CONVENTIONS. The speaker impressed on all ranks the extreme importance of their seizing every opportunity to fit themselves for the efficient defence of their country. "I .sincerely hope, after having seen the sufferings of unhappy .Belgium," said the Director, "that war will never enter New Zealand, but remember that this war has shown the futility of conventions and of placing one's faith in treaties, and has proved that the best form of insurance against Avar is an efficient and powerful defence force." New Zealand, ho said, was a rich enougli and weak enough plum for picking, and the value of preparing for -\rar was too great to be over-estimated, and it was essential that the Territorial Force should be as well-trained and disciplined as the Regular Army was at Home. TRADITIONS'OF REGIMENT. ' Major Sleeman said, he had heard that the Taranaki Regiment was one with traditions. ' A feature of the Imperial Army at Home was its traditions and its faith in itself. For a regiment to gain the reputation the Taranaki Regiment had at headquarters, it must have fine traditions. A regiment might be wiped out time after time, but the spirit of the regiment always remained. The speaker said he hoped the spirit of thej regiment was behind those who made up 1 ' its ranks at the present time. He called on the men to do their utmost to maintain the reputation the regiment had gained. New Zealanders were "good sports," and if they put the same spirit into training as they did into their games they would progress rapidly towards efficiency. TRIBUTE TO COLONEL MALONE. - Major Sloeman said on his trip to New Zealand he had heard a great deal concerning r.n officer whose dash, bravery, heroism and extraordinary self-sac-rifice were admirable. That officer was the late Colonel llalone, of the Taranaki Regiment. Mr. Ashmead Bartlett, the war correspondent, had described Colonel Malone as one of the best men on the 'Peninsula. To be one of the best men on the Peninsula, said Major Sleeman, was a very high honor indeed, and to produce a man like that was a great thing for any community. When a territorial learned to keep his head erect, to march properly, and to observe other minor rules of the military game, he started on a very good wicket when lie joined the Expeditionary Force, and stood a good chance for promotion. In conclusion he congratulated the men on their numbers and expressed himself as well pleased with what he had seen.

ADDRESS TO OFFICERS. In an address to the officers and noncommissioners, delivered at a -oint some distance from where the men were gathered, Major Sleeman onjonied upon them the great responsibility that was theirs, and particularly urged upon them to mako the work so interesting for those under their command that they would better recognise the vast amount of amusement and interest contained in ' all military work, and acquire a taste for it. The Director criticised the work o.f the men. , They were too slow, he said, and should quicken their movements and spring smartly to the svords of command. Laudable as was 'the aim of the officers, lie thought company drill was too advanced at the present stage of the men's training. He suggested that competitions between squads should be encouraged. Major Sleeman strongly discouraged "bullying" as. practiced by some n.c.o's. He advocated the checking of the men's faults, but advised discretion. When the men realised their faults and were imbued with the true spirit of the Army, they quickly improved, and cultivated great respect and love for their officers. In the Retreat from Mons there were hundreds of instances of that brotherly lov,e between officers and men that impelled eacb to do deeds of heroism and self-sacrifice to save the other. ''The spirit of a regiment never dies," said Major Sleeman in conclusion. "Your regiment lias a good name in the Dominion, and its honorable name remains In your keeping. Whether its value is increased or decreased rests entirely with you." INSPECTION OF* CAMP. The inspecting officer's returned to the camp, and Major Slecnjan visited every department. A number of men were lying in their tents sick, suffering from dysentery. The Army Service Corps, Medical Corps and cooks were examined. Particular attention was paid ■to the cooking' utensils and food, and Major Sleeman was satisfied that all was as it should be. He was impressed with the neatness and cleanliness of the lines. Before his departure lie was er.tertaijicd to tea bv the Officer Commanding. Major Sleeman, who left by the midday train for Wellington, served with the. First Division of the British Expeditionary Force in Flanders and France, and he is therefore one oL the very few of the old "contemptible IKtio army" left.