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The following indorsement was made on the order, and returned :"' No surrender' is the motto of the Taranaki Cadet Battalion.—H. Dempsey, Major." The reply was received by the main body at the junction of Devon and Te Arei Roads, and the attacking force was immediately divided into suitable units for action, the light wing being under Captain Okey, who advanced along the Te Arei route, and the left wing, under Captain Mills and Lieutenant Bellringer, continued on Devon Road, turning towards the camp at Mountain Road. Sergeant Kendall, with a picked body of men, proceeded up the western side of the Mangaraka River to attack the camp from the south-west, fording the river to do so, and good work was put in by this detachment. Captain Okey with his detachment made an attack from the north-west across the old Mangaraka Bridge. The left wing on meeting the defenders on Mountain Road subdivided into three forces, the right under Lieutenant Bellringer, centre under Colour-Sergeant Beadle, and left under Captain Mills. The right and centre detachments engaged the defenders, and the left were allowed unopposed to occupy an old pa on the east side of the camp and within 500 yards of the camp-site, which practically gave the attackers command of that quarter. Advance was the order until within 100 yards or so of the camp-lines, when the defenders were too numerous, and the attackers were taken prisoners and marched in after being relieved of the rifle-bolts. The first batch of prisoners caused considerable commotion, but batch after batch continued to arrive under escort of the defenders, much to the delight of many witnesses. The whole proceedings served as good and useful instruction to all concerned. Certain weak points were marked, one of the principal being lack of taking advantage of cover. The attackers were treated well by the defenders after the fray was over, and a return to New Plymouth was made per 7 o'clock train, the outing having proved thoroughly enjoyable to all taking Fifteen sacks of vegetables and several boxes of fruit arrived in the cadet, this will be more than sufficient for the wants of the boys, friends are requested,no^t^BerKi~a^-mwje , '7 % Divine service will be held in the camp at 2.30 to-morrow, after which there will be a parade of the cadets. 5[ (x>XjN ~*D* C */ '■'It The Hon. C. H. Mills will be asked to visit the camp fo-morrow, and a Maori haka will be danced in his honour. / i r-> n a.

[Taranaki Herald, 2nd and 3rd April, 1906.] Good Work in the Camp.—Officer Commanding pleased. Excitement ran high in camp on Saturday morning when the news got about that a sham fight would be carried out that afternoon. The forces were distributed so that one-third, under Captain Brown, with Captain Sullivan as second in command, formed the attacking party, while the remaining strength, with Captains Johnson and Pritchard in command, defended the encampment. The front was from river to river on the southern side of the camp, the tents being pitched between the streams. During the engagement it began to rain very heavily, slightly hindering manoeuvres at the front. In spite of the rain the boys retained their vigilance to the full, and after some clever work on either side Captain Sullivan got through the defence with ten men, sixteen of the attackers being captured. The work was very instructive, and the manner in which the boys reserved fire in spite of great excitement said a good deal for the discipline of the cadet battalion. After breakfast on Sunday a general " clean-up " was ordered by the Major, and the whole camp soon resolved itself into a veritable beehive. This done, the battalion immediately fell in, and practised the movements for the afternoon ceremony. At 2 p.m. the Rev. G. W. Dent conducted Divine service, at which a large number of visitors were present. The Hon. C. H. Mills then entered the camp, accompanied by the Mayor and several officials of the Education Board. After the review and inspection by the Minister, the whole battalion formed up for the march past, which was carried out by the boys in a very creditable manner. They were then formed up in quarter-column, and the Hon. Mr. Mills addressed them. After a brief introduction, he congratulated the boys on their general appearance, behaviou -, and drill, and expressed surprise that - so much could have been done in the short time at the disposal of the instructors. He would be able to go back to Wellington and tell the Defence Minister of the capabilities of the Taranaki public-school cadets, and also express an opinion on the floor of the House on the value of such camps. To Colonel Loveday the credit was due for the present position of the cadet forces of the colony. During the afternoon tea was dispensed by the orderlies to the visitors in the mess-room, and the camp presented quite an animated appearance. The tent which secured the highest marks for cleanliness, order, and arrangements was that of Sergeant Priest, No. 1 Company, Stratford Corps ; No. 9 tent, Stratford, came second, with two points between them. The tents as a whole, says the quartermaster (Captain Barry), were excellent, exceptionally well kept, in one case actually decorated with a vase of flowers. The Colonel expressed himself highly satisfied with the march past yesterday. The boys highly appreciated the work of Colonel Loveday among them, and to-day they made him a presentation as a mark of their appreciation of his services. He is a very popular officer amongst the boys. The following letter has been received by Major Dempsey : — "Camp, Sentry Hill, Ist April, 1906. " Sir, —I have the honour to inform you that I cannot let the camp of the Taranaki Battalion of P.S. Cadets, and the two companies of the Stratford D.H. School Cadets, under your command, break up without asking you to convey to all ranks my hearty appreciation of the excellent manner they at all times carried out their respective duties, and the zeal and energy they always dioplayed; and when it is considered that not a single case of breach of discipline had to be dealt with it speaks volumes for the training of the cadets. "I have, &c, "L. W. Loveday, Lieut.-Col., O.C.P.S. Cadets."

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