OFFICERS & N.C.O’S.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 June 1940, Page 6

OFFICERS & N.C.O’S.

INAUGURATION OF NEW , SYSTEM SELECTION AND TRAINING. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL ENTERING CAMP. By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright. WELLINGTON, This Day. A new system of selecting officers and N.C.O.’s for all future reinforcements of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force, to be trained in New Zealand, will be seen in operation at Trentham for the first time on Monday. Men chosen from the ranks of the Third Echelon and Third Reinforcements as candidates for training and subsequent appointment as N.C.O’s. for the Fourth Reinforcements and officers for the Fifth Reinforcements will parade for posting to training units.

This is in accordance with a recent announcement that future officers and N.G.O’s. will be appointed from candidates selected from the ranks of future reinforcements, after a short preliminary period in camp, during which unit commanders will search out their most promising men. To enable this to be done, reinforcements will take sufficient additional personnel into camp with them. The candidates so selected will transfer to the Central Military District School of Instruction, where a further selection will be made of those deemed best suited for training as officers, who will accordingly be posted to the officer cadet training unit at the Army School. Those remaining in the Central District School will be trained for appointment as N.C.O’s. for reinforcements to enter eamp. Under this scheme, every soldier entering camp will have an equal opportunity to gain promotion to commissioned or non-commissioned rank.