Uniform Again

[Dave Homewood]

Here is an interesting article from the NZ Herald, dated the 27th of January 1939, just over eight months before the start of World War Two. A bunch of ex-WWI soldiers answered their country's call to join the Army again to defend New Zealand's shores.

UNIFORM AGAIN

RETURNED MEN ENLIST

COAST DEFENCE SERVICE

FIRST BATCH ATTESTED

MUSTER AT NORTH HEAD

It was "Back to the Army again, Sergeant", for nearly 40 Auckland returned soldiers last night, though not quite in the sense of Kipling's barrack-room ballad. They had been selected from a group of about 80 who answered the call made last year for returned men to join the Coast Artillery for manning searchlights and performing kindred duties, and having already passed a medical examination, mustered at the artillery yard at North Head to be attested and have uniforms issued to them.

It was an interesting gathering. All types and occupations were represented among the men. Some, wearing business suits, arrived in motor-cars; others with open-necked shirts were obviously manual workers. Former officers and warrant officers were to be found among them, willing to wear private's uniform as an example to the younger generation. All looked uncommonly fit and carried the burden of years too lightly to be called veterans.

Naturally enough, the artillery contributed a large quota, to whom the prospect of wearing the familiar blue-and-scarlet puggaree and "Ubique" badge was quite like old times, but other arms of the service were there also, including the mounted rifles.

After Twenty Years
As always when returned soldiers meet, reminiscences passed back and forth. In fact, one group of half a dozen became so engrossed that it had to be broken up by a call to fill in attestation papers. Many of the men were old acquaintances, but there was at least one reunion when a former gunner discovered the rough-rider who had put him through all the horse's paces at an artillery depot near Aldershot; they had not met for a full 20 years.

After completing their papers under the guidance of the R.N.Z.A., the recruits were called upon to take the oath, and then went into the clothing store to get their uniforms. Fitting tunics and trousers put a good deal of strain on the establishment's resources, for it soon appeared that several required "O.S." garments ' quite outside the usual Territorial range. One man of 18st. or thereabouts had to leave with only a partial outfit — the rest deferred for action at a later date.

"Hay Foot, Straw Foot"
Comments on the clothing question were amusing, and the permanent force were bombarded with questions. "Can I wear my old Bedford cord 'strides' if they match? I used to cut a dash in Southampton Row in them." "When do we get our blue uniforms?" "Reckon the Government ought to provide medal ribbons. I'm not going to. I'm too poor." "I'll be feeling self-conscious; you'll find me keeping to the back streets." "It feels rum to have a hat on. I haven't worn one for years."

"You fellows will have a job dealing with us," remarked one man to a couple of R.N.Z.A. gunners. "It's 20 years since we knew our right from our left. You'll have to make it 'hay foot, straw foot' for a while, anyway."

In due course all the recruits were fitted out as far as possible and departed shouldering kit-bags with uniforms, greatcoats and military boots. They will parade for the first time on Tuesday night, when it is expected that the Chief of the General Staff, Major-General J. E. Duigan, will be present. The detachment is to begin 11 days' camp with the 13th Heavy Battery at North Head on February 8.

[davidd]

Interesting little article there, Dave.

[Dave Homewood]

SIX-INCH GUNS

NORTH HEAD PRACTICE

DEFENCE OF THE PORT

EX-SERVICEMEN ENGAGED

13TH HEAVY BATTERY

When two six-inch guns manned by the 13th Heavy Battery thundered from North Head in a practice shoot yesterday, it was far from being baptismal fire for most of the 16 ex-servicemen who are attached to the unit during its annual camp at Devonport. Veterans of the Great War, they are among the returned soldiers who have volunteered for service with coastal defence batteries, performing valuable work in manning the searchlight, operating the Diesel engines and assisting at the direction stations.

Of the 116 officers and men in camp, perhaps the greatest interest has centred in the reappearance in the territorial service of men who were demobilised in 1918. Enthusiastic and painstaking in their work, they were said by one battery officer yesterday to have set an example to the younger men. Carrying the burden of years too lightly to be regarded as veterans; they have mixed happily with their more youthful fellow territorials, and their keenness has resulted in many of the camp tasks becoming efficiency competitions between the representatives of the two generations.

Use of Half-charges
For the first time since the commencement of the camp, live shell practice was carried out across the Rangitoto Channel yesterday. However, only half-charges were used to propel the shells, from which the charge had been substituted by non-explosive materials as a safety measure to protect traffic in the gulf and on the neighbouring coastline.

The line between two buoys, towed by a tender some 5000 yards out to sea, represented the target. The exercises yesterday were regarded as close defence work against hostile ships which, under cover of darkness or fog, might attempt an entrance into the port.

To-day, however, it is proposed to carry out a counter-bombardment series of 40 rounds, against vessels standing further out to sea and presumed to be firing on the city from a distance. The range on this occasion will be between 8000 and 9000 yards and full charges will be used in the heavy guns.

Scene at Emplacements
The smoking breeches, the fierce bursts of flame from the muzzles and a concussion from each round that seemed to rock the hill, furnished a striking spectacle for those who were posted above the gun emplacements as observers. While these men carefully noted the range and line of each projectile, the gun crews, all wearing the regulation "tin hats," worked feverishly to maintain a fire of five rounds a minute.

On the crest of the hill, a party of signallers was in continual contact with the target tender some three miles out to sea, thus adding to the precautions necessarily arranged when firing takes place over a busy waterway. The rare experience of watching the progress of a projectile in flight was afforded the few observers who stood immediately in line with the barrel of either of the guns. The shell could be seen rising gradually to the height of its trajectory before disappearing from sight as it commenced to drop. Seconds after the gun had been fired, a burst of water on or close to the target be spoke the accuracy of the gunlayers' work.

An Augmented Unit
A wide variety of artillery exercises, illustrative of the scope and method of coastal defence, has been practised since the battery entered camp at North Head on February 8. In addition to the searchlight section of returned soldiers, the unit is augmented by a considerable number of men of the special military reserve.

After completing their three months of consolidated training, they are required to attend three annual camps. The camp commandant is Major F. N. Nurse, Australian Staff Corps, who is director of firing practices, and the adjutant is Lieutenant H. E. Gilbert, R.N.Z.A. The battery commander is Captain E. C. Schnackenberg. Captain J. P. Joyce, R-N.Z.A., staff officer, artillery, is also visiting the camp for the purpose of judging the battery for the Hudson Cup, a trophy which is annually competed for by the coastal defence units of Auckland and Wellington. It is awarded on the basis of efficiency in all branches of the work, and is at present, held by Wellington.


NEW ZEALAND HERALD, 17 FEBRUARY 1939

[Dave Homewood]

ROAR OF GUNS

NORTH HEAD PRACTICE

THE 6IN. BATTERY

USED TEST FOR RESERVISTS

FIRING AT TOWED TARGET

With a roll of thunder across the temporarily clear northern sky, two 6in guns mounted in concrete emplacements on North Head came into action yesterday morning to test part of the training of a draft of special reservists who for the last five months have been given army instruction at Narrow Neck. They will return to civilian occupations next Wednesday, but will act as a reserve for the 13th Heavy Battery, with which they will go into camp next year.

The men went to North Head from Narrow Neck some time before the practice started, the time for firing having been set at shortly after 10 o'clock. When everything was ready for engagement orders, however, the Imperial escort vessel Leith, coming back to Auckland from an Islands cruise, appeared on the line of fire and unconsciously delayed the practice.

Engagement Orders
The reservists were stood at ease until the warship was out of danger zone, when they immediately manned the battery and waited for the range of the targets, two diminutive floats dragged across the sea behind a tow-boat, to be observed.

Breeches were opened and barrels wiped down. The range taken, Major F. N. Nurse, district artillery officer, gave engagement orders to the territorial officers in control of the firing. Hiding their excitement, the reservists swung into action like veterans.

At the command of "fire,'' first one great gun and then the second roared explosively, recoiled, and hurled its projectile far out toward the tiny targets. The breech was opened, there was a smother of smoke from the cordite half-charge, another shell was pushed in, and again came the order to fire.

Efficiency of Guns
As the practice proceeded, the observers watched for the high spout of water, which came just after the thunder of the guns had reverberated into the distance, to see what accuracy the firing was showing. Minor corrections were made to the line of fire, and a further shell was loosed at the target.

The range was almost three miles, and, while the most important purpose of the practice was to test the thoroughness with which the men had learned their training, when the last round was fired no sign could be seen of the leading target.

Compared with a hostile warship or even with a small torpedo boat, the targets used were extremely minute, so that quick appreciation could be obtained of the efficiency of the guns. It is commonly said in the city that little protection can be expected from the North Head armaments.

Opinion of Officers
Basing their argument upon the high efficiency of the guns, which are described as being even more accurate now than when they were new, and upon the relative sizes of the land target for an enemy and of the sea target for the guns, officers state their conviction that the chances of a battery being hit before the sea target is struck is one in several thousand.

One of the 6in. guns would offer something about 40 square feet of target; a ship, coming head on, they say, would have a many times greater area, having length, beam and height above the sea.


NEW ZEALAND HERALD, 8 JULY 1939