Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), Wednesday 3 November 1926, page 11


I NAVAL AND MILITARY

News and Notes

Visit of Headquarters Officers

Several officers from arm} headquarters will visit Hobart in Çhc near future. The adiutantrgeneral of the forces (Major-Gene-ral V. C. M. Selheim) and Lieut.-Colonel H. D. Wyntcr (director of mobilisation) will arrive at Launceston by the t.s. Nai-rana on November 20, and the director of universal training administration (Lieut.-Colonel F. J. Alderson) will ar-rive at Hobart from Sydney on November 19. They will remain iu Hobart until

thc end of the month.

The ships participating in the »pring cruise are at present in Port Philip. H.M.A.S. Brisbane, which has paid off for refit, has been replaced by H.M.A.S. Melbourne as sca-going training ship. H.M.A. ships will leave Williamstown on November 15, arriving at Sydney on No-vember 18. The cruise will end at Sydney.

One of the many active service experi-ences of Major-General Sir Frederick Mer-cer, who has been appointed a colonel commandant of the Koyn Artillery, was that of taking part in the famous march to and relief of Kandahar during the Af-ghan War of 1880, which gained for Lord Roberts his peerage. MajoKiencral Mercer has fought in the East, m South Africa, and the Great War, and m his half cen-tury of soldiering has won many decora

.tions.

H.M.A.S. Swan, the training destroyer stationed at Launceston, is undergoing refit at Sydney.

Captain T. E. Weaver, of army head-quarters, will visit Tasmania next week on behalf of the inspector-general of the Commonwealth military _forces (Sir H. G. Chauvel), He will inspect units at Hobart until November ll, when he will leave for Launceston. He will also visit thc North-West Coast and will return to Hobart before returning to the mainland.

The next lecture at the United Service institute will be given by Captain R. L. Bennett. His subject will be "An Out-line of the Campaign in Waziristan (North-Wcst Frontier) in 1919-20"

Warrant-Officer Fitzmaurice, attached to the RJV.G.A. at Hobart, will leave for

Sydney on Saturday to attend the Rand-

wick school of musketry.

Having completed the course of flying training which commenced in April, six cadets, subject to graduation, will embark on the Themistocles on November 27 to take up appointments as pilot officers with squadrons of the Royal Air Force in England. They are Cadets L. C. L. Murray, E. H. Irving, G. Selk, F. Townsend, A. A. Koch, and C. H. A. Col-man. The party consists of officers from the naval and military forces, and officers, cadets, and airmen of the Royal Austra-lian Air Force, trained as pilots at Point

Cooke.

Members of the 106th Howitzer Btatcry went to Ralph's Bay during thc week-end to calibrate the guns of the batter}-. There was a big muster of officers and men, and the operation was successfully carried out. The shells were fired into.Fredcricl Henry Bay. On Saturday members had some practice at tent pegging in pre paration for the military gymkhana.

PARADE THROUGH THE CITY.

Naval trainees and militia forces wil combine on Tuesday night in . a paradi through thc principal streets of the city I The naval representatives, who will b< I commanded by Lieutenant Harland R.A.N.K., will leave the drill-hall on the Domain at 7.45 p.m., and lollow ; route via Park, Macquarie streets, and tin east side of Murray-street, where tbej will await the arrival of the military col utnu, under the command of Lieut.-Col ouel L. H. Payue. The military columt will march past thc formation commande; at a saluting base on the parade grouni ut Anglesea Barracks, anti at 8.15 p.m will move off via Davey, Barrack,' am Macquarie streets. When the head o thc military column arrives at Hairing ton-street the naval men will move off si that there will be about 100 paces betweei the two forces. Both forces will thci Sarade via Murray, Liverpool, Elizabeth

riBbanc, Argyle, and I'atrick street* where a halt will be made. " They wi! then return along Elizabeth-street, am the naval formation will become detachci at the G.P.O.

A feature of the parade will be th display of service vehicles. The Otl A.F.A. Brigade will draw two 4.5 howit zers; members of the 12th Field Co. En gineers will be in charge of a pontooi waggon used in the construction of bridges the 12th Mixed Brigade Signals will cor vcy a cable waggon, and the type of fie! kitchen used on service will be taken b the 40th Battalion. The field kitchen i capable of cooking for about 250 met and dinner can be cooked while the troop arc on thc march. Other waggons wi! comprise a general service waggon fo carrying baggage and supplies and a fiel ambulance waggon.

COLONEL FOSTER'S APPOINTMENT.

A high compliment hoB been paid the Australian military forces by the appoint-ment of Brevet-Colonel \V. J. Foster, director of military training at array headquarters, to command the 2nd Cavalry Brigade at Tidworth, England, for the six monthu of the ' 1027 training season, which commences in April. . His choice by thc British Army authorities for the command is intended to inaugurate a sys-tem designed to lead to uniformity in the training of the forces of the Empire. Colonel Foster, who is a native of Queens-land, had a distinguished career with thc A.l.F. at Gallipoli and in Palestine. He left Australia with the First Division in 1914, holding the rank of senior A.D.C. to the late Major-General Sir William Bridges. He was successively brigade major to thc Second Light Horse Brigade and general stalf officer (second grade) of the Anzac Mounted Corps. On bio promotion to the rank of lieut.-colonel he was appointed general staff officer (first Sade) to the Fourth (British) Cavalry

¡vision, and held this uutil tho Armis-tice. After the Armistice he was selected to attend the Staff College at, Camberley, and on his return to Australia in 1920 was appointed to army headquarters.

SHOOTING AGAINST AIRCRAFT.

An interesting practice with aircraft was carried out by citizen force officers last week at a small arms course at Wil-

liamstown range (Victoria). Thc mili-tary correspondent of thc Melbourne "Her-ald" says that by arrangement an aero-

plane circled round thc range'at varying heights, firing various coloured lights at two, i bree, and four thousand feet, to de-monstrate the appearance of a hostile plant at heights about thc extreme limit uf vulnerability from small arms (ire3.000 feet. To demonstrate the low tra-jectory of t'nc weapons, the Lewis gunn (ired "tracer" bullet*, which leave in their wake a phosphorescent track, from which they derive their name. Remarkable re-sults were obtained with Milla bombs, (ired from n special discharger fitted to ii service rifle. The discharger, a cupshaped receptacle, shaped to contain the bomb, is fitted on the muzzle of the rifle, and the bomb ifl projected by a special cartridge, thc range being regulated hy-the opening or closing of a gas check door in the base of the discharger. Firing with thc high wind, ranges up to 300 yards

were obtained.