THE ARMY WANTS EYES:

New Zealand Listener, Volume 6, Issue 139, 20 February 1942, Page 12

THE ARMY WANTS EYES:

of them (literally thousands). Big binoculars, little binoculars that had drooped sadly rels, some with one (also telescopes ); binoculars that had jigged with excitement as a horse romped home to pay a fat dividend; binoculars that had dropped sadly as another hot tip went wrong; ornamental binoculars for discreet use at first nights; huge affairs with magnifications which would make a mole on a chorus girl’s leg look like a tarpaulin. The Government’s appeal must have been one of the most effective sales talks ever broadcast; it seems that hardly a binocular-or telescope-owner in the country had the heart to resist it. Fifty or 60 binoculars to a big wicker basket they arrived, and day after day, baskets by the dozen from Post Offices from Whangarei to Invercargill. The number mounted up — 5000, 60006 7000. It was incredible that there were so many aids to magnified vision in the country. Ordnance officers requisitioned an army hut, set the W.W.S.A. to work, and endeavoured to control the flood. If they didn’t pass the ten thousand mark, said a lieutenant, he would eat his forage cap. sg Some Are UselessTen thousand binoculars offered to the Army won’t mean 10,000 binoculars put into service and doing their bit artillery-spotting and coast-watching. Not by any means. There are binoculars and binoculars; telescopes and_ brass tubes with glass at either end. As soon B INOCULARS .. . Thousands

as a package of glasses arrives at Ordnance, it is checked over rapidly, and obviously useless glasses are thrown out. Some may be battered and broken, or have parts missing; some may not have sufficient magnification. It is surprising, said a sergeant, who used to be an optical worker, how few people take the trouble to have binoculars . overhauled every few years. Many arrive in a hopeless condition, lenses scratched or broken, balsam sporting vigorous "fern" effect. One fine pair of German glasses had a peculiar fungus growing on the prisms; they had little value except for spare parts. (The expert, by the way, doesn’t have to take binoculars to pieces before passing judgment. He looks through them backwards, and cracks, flaws and finger-prints resulting from amateur repairs, show up clearly). Glasses rejected because of insufficient magnification are frequently ex-pensive-looking and ornate, and carry optimistic claims as to their number of lenses. Their magnification may be one and a-half or perhaps two, which may enlarge a leading lady’s glamour delightfully, but would be of little use on the field. On the other hand, a few have magnifications too high for comfort. A tele- scope with a magnification of 250 would require a couple of tripods to support it, and even then, the slightest gust of wind would make the field of view joggle disturbingly. Binoculars which are too highly powered are useless for the same reason. The first effect of a disturbed field of view is to make you sea-sick, believe it or not. And so several thousand people who gave up treasured glasses, may be distressed to receive them back with thanks. That is not to say, Ordnance (Continued on next page)

Appeal For Binoculars

(Continued from previous page) explains, that the glasses are quite worthless, or that they do not appreciate the gesture. It is simply not possible to turn them to good use. In the meantime, every gift is welcome, whatever its value. Many of the instruments date from the last war, which does not mean that they are obsolete or beyond repair. The German instruments, of course, are trophies. The British ones are usually accompanied by a note explaining that they were purchased at dispersal sales after the Armistice. * AN EXAMPLE As an example of the kind of story behind some of these binoculars, a speaker. from the National and Com- % *

mercial stations the other night gave this reminiscence: "My company had been ordered to take the road in front of a town called Cawdry and to establish a defensive flank with one platoon. I was allotted only one officer who had seen very little active service, and none of the company had field glasses. Without glasses we had no option but to send a man ahead to act as the eyes of the company, and so lose a great deal of valuable time. By 10 p.m, that night we had covered another mile, and it was not until 3 a.m. that we had our dinner and went to sleep. At daybreak I took the sergeant to his defensive flank-some old disused trenches — when suddenly he whispered hoarsely to ‘Look, look, Germans.’ I looked across to where his finger pointed, and gasped quickly, ‘Put a shot into them, you ass! I haven’t got my revolver.’ ‘Well,’ said the sergeant, that’s fine. I haven’t brought my rifle.’ "Acting on the spur of the moment, I waved a stick hopefully in their direction, and to my astonishment, up went their hands. ‘What are we to do now?’ I said to my sergeant. But he was even more astonished than I, so I instructed him to go over and collect them. When the sergeant found his voice he suggested that perhaps it would be advisable for me to go over, as I was the possessor of at least a stick. So putting on a very brave front, I set out with the sergeant close on my heels, and we managed to round up the party. Then we replenished our stocks of revolvers and ammunition, and to my dismay, the sergeant made straight for a beautiful pair of Zeiss field glasses. I was sorry to see that splendid pair of binoculars go to the sergeant, but I managed to secure another jolly good pair of glasses, not quite as good as the Zeiss, from a man of lesser rank. Now I am handing them over to help the boys to win the present war."