VOLUNTEERING IN THE NORTH.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1418, 14 November 1885, Page 3

VOLUNTEERING IN THE NORTH.

At thft invitation of Colonel Lyon, the officers of the Volunteer District assembled at the drills lied, Auckland, on Thursday for the purpose of meeting Sir George Whitmore. There was a large attendance of officers. Colonel Whit* more had a sketch of the plans of operations spread in front ot him, and in addressing the officers on the operations of the late sham tig!it, said he was, on the whole well satisfied. The Peimanent Artillery had made progress beyond the limit he had anticipated, and the state of efficiency into which Major Bodhnm had brought the Torpedo Corps under Lieutenant Lodder was very creditable indeed. The way in which Captain Fairchild threw himself into the spirit of the thing made this part of the operations highly successful by importing to it a sort of realistic appearance. Referring to the raid of Lieutenant Parks’ detachment of Navals into Auckland, Colonel Whitmore said what Captain Levy did in order to get past the bridge and into Auckland was done entirely without his (Colonel Whitmore’s) approval, and was not to be commended from a military or jocular point of view. He thought it no joke sending the men into a town, and it might have produced a feeling of unpleasantness. If officers were not themselves obedient to orders they could not expect their men to be so. However, this was only technical disobedience, yet it deserved to be pointed out so that no encouragement might be given to insubordination. He next dwelt on Colonel Lyons’ share of the defence operations. He did not regard- his share of the proceedings with unmixed satisfaction. Acting ns Colonel Lyons did, it was quite possible for the Navds to hare crept round his flank and pass him. The way the Navals moved forward was brilliant and very good. Colonel Whitmore went on to find fault for want of unity of action, each trooper seeming to rely on bis own Judgment, and frequently getting amongst the enemy. As the troops were handled it was quite possible for some of the companies to have been taken prisoner in detail. He went on to give praise to Captains Daveney and Dargaville for the assistance they had rendered as umpires. He then proceeded to imprefce on the officers the importance of having absolute obedience from their men if they wished to prevent sham fights developing into something like larrikinism. The men were apt to lose their heads, as a few did on Monday, for he heard some shout “ Charge bayonets,” That kind of thing was to be deprecated. Speaking generally, ho was certain that Monday’s sham fight was the beat turnout of Volunteers he bad ever seen in the colony.