THE CAMP AT SLING.

Marlborough Express, Volume LI, Issue 86, 13 April 1917, Page 2

THE CAMP AT SLING.

NEW ZEALAND SOLDIERS IN

ENGLAND,

(From Malcolm Ross, War Correspondent with the N.Z. Forces in the Field.)

February 14

A close examination of the training and other institutions in connection with the New Zealand Forces in England leads to the" gratifying conclusion that capable organisation and strenuous effort have done all that could reasonably be desired to put che. training and the comfort of the force on a thoroughly satisfactory footing. Owing to the exigencies of the situation, the various camps, hospitals, etc., are scattered over v rather wide area, and it takes some time to ;;et round them all from the Headquarters in London. My journeyings were done at a time when England was held in the grip of an iron frost and the country \?as white with snow. It was the severest wintor that England had experienced for about twenty-five years, yet, notwithstanding the severity of the weather, I found the men in excellent health and spirits, and the new men especially keen to get over to the firing-line in France.

The main camps are on the Salisbury Plain, that at Sling being devoted to the further training of the reinforcement drafts that have come regularly from the little islands so far across the seas. _ A day or two before my visit a reinforcement bad come in. I saw them marching through the camp, and one could not wish i!or a finer lot. They certainly looked the right stuff, and I have not the least doubt that they will do the eoimtry that sent them great credit in the next great "push" in the coming spring and summer. They were eleven weeks.on the way, having been detained by ; circumstances over which they; had no: control. ' When, "they arrived in camp : they found " a hot meal awaiting'"them; .there were fires in the stoves in the huts, and blankets also were ready for them. It is inadvisable to give figures, but when I state that the camp is about the size of the Featherston Camp New Zealanders will be able to form some idea of its size and numbers.

In the Camp Commandant I found an officer well known in New Zealand politics and in Canterbury soldiering. There have, however, been several changes in the command, and there will probably be others still. One of the most recent commandants was a brigadier who had been on the staff in New Zealand, and who has been with the Main Expeditionary Force since it sailed in 1914. He is now returning to his duties in France, and one of the other brigadiers is likely to take his place. i A great improvement has been made in the comfort,' convenience, and- tidiness of the camp since the New Zealanders took charge of it. There -arc neatly dug plots in which spring bulbs and flowers have been planted, and it is the intention of those in' authority to aid the food supply by planting several acres with I potatoes." Since the New Zealanders went into camp in April last a great deal has been clone in making if the-model camp it'now is. For this an Otago officer who was with us on Gallipoli and was badly wounded there is in great measure responsible. During my visit the ground was frozen-^hiird, and owing to the absence of mud the camp was seen, to best advantage, but it bears the reputation of being one" of the clean- j est and healthiest camps in England, j and the various British Generals who have inspected it have expressed their, satisfaction, with the conditions tha,t obtain. The system of training is arranged ( on that of the base camp in France.,, Needless to say it is therefore both constant and strenuous, but the men seem to thrive on it and look the pit> ture 9i good health. They are also well dressed and smart in appearance. There is the x iisual "bull, ring,'' with specialist instructors who have uad fch? experience of actualv warfare in addition to courses of. special instruction. ■ Amongst them:; are a number of English instructors.. Bayonet exercises, bombing, wiring, machine-gun instrjticuion, and all the^ many things' a modern, soldier has to learn continue from morn .till night. Old' staples, built for another division, and now no longer needed, have been converted into sheds so that the drilling can go on in comfort, even on wet days. "The command from time to time sends officers and N.CO.'s to Aldersbot so that, they-can keep up with' the training. there.' Bub occasionally the New Zealanders have been a little more up to date than their comrades in the Motherland. The men are quick to learn and keen on their work. In the bayonet training there are three or four Aldershot men assisting. At "the bombing school I found a Timai:uv captain __in charge-—a man whom I had frequently seen on Gallipoli. The accidents have beeri very few. Several thousand?! of men have been put through wihh only one. serious accident, when Lieut C.vrey was killed in heroically saving the lives of several1 men. The sauitai;y arrangements of the camp are first class, and the percentage of sickness is very low indeed. There have been only three cases of meningitis in seven months, and two of. these cases recovered. The first two occurred in the first month. The medical examination of the new arrivals is very thorough. A thousand men are put through in one day, and the unfit are rejected. A number of the reinforcements have failed to pass the eyesight test, and have to be supplied with glasses to suit each case. There is a small hospital in which the sick get every attention and necessary treatment. There are now three dental sections, and these have been found to be very necessary. I

The kitchens are roomy and clean and well arranged. The cooks have a fairly strenuous time. They can supply several thousand men. There are smaller cook-houses for the officers' messes. The men have their dinner fit night after the training. They get frozen beef, mostly from Australia and the Argentine. What •mutton they get is from-New Zealand. There are hot and cold shower baths, which are even better than the Featherston baths. There is a small supply depot, the supplies, being drawn at frequent interva"? from London. The big dining-hall* seal. 450 men. I went through them whon the men were at dinner, and every man I spoke to was quite satisfied," not only with the quantity, but also with the quality of the food. TlicmeaE looked excellent. There was plenty of vegetables, cheese,'and jam —the latter ""from Nelson. '"The .best camn I have over boon in," was the verdict of more than one hefty warrior.

The men are well catered for in the way of amusements. Everywhere one meets the representatives of the

Y.M.G.A. and hears of the. splendid work they are doing, not only in England; but also at the front. At SlingI had the pleasure of meeting Messrs Varney, Jamieson, and Smeaton, whom only a few weeks before I had seen busy with the welfare of our men in France. Mr Varney is shortly returning to New Zealand. At Sling as elsewhere, this splendid organisation has built recreation halls for the soldiers. There was a concert room, a recreation room, an officers' tea room, and billiard tables which were always in request by the men. Carpenters arid others were at work on another concert room to seat abovit eight hundred. A librai'y was well slocked with books, and the English and New Zealand newspapers were in evidence on the tables. In charge of the Y.M.O.A. was an English' lady, the wife of an officer whose husband was killed in the war. She has with her eight voluntary women workers who have their own cubicles in the camp. - In an article written in August last I gave details of the round our men make from, England to the firing line, back again to England sick or wounded, and thence through the hospitals and camps back to France again. In this round the New Zealand Command Depot at C'odford, also on Salisbury Plain, plays an important part. There is little to be added to what was the* stated, except to say that the round now goes on, if anything more satisfactorily than it did in August. The gradual process of hardening up is scientifically carried on until the, men are quite fit again. By that time most of them are rather keen to get back to the front. As soon as they are able to march about ten miles a day without undue fatigue, they .go into a reserve group, where they get more training until they are fully fit. From this reserve group drafts are taken to fill up gaps at the front. The present very satisfactory condition, of the New Zealand administration in England .is the result of a gradual process of evolution.which has not been achieved without '. much thought and a great deal of hard work. In a few months it has improved out of all knowledge. It has been attained largely owing to the initiative and tireless organisation or a gunner, now a brigadier-general, whose very successful career will have been* followed with interest by many of his old friends in New Zealand". He has been loyally supported by an able-and enthusiastic staff. •

In* future articles I hope to deal wibli other matters in regard to the welfare of our New Zealand soldiers in England. -

UteOMuUiMiftßfr %k]uS&<l«&tet>K<*>:iSKK>.&ii