Please wait. Contacting image service... loading

Article text

mr. andrew chirnside's
horse artillery battery.
ENROLMENT OF RECRUITS AT
AA'ERRIBEE.
The liberal and patriotic offer of 3Ir. Androw
Chirnside, of Werrlbce Park, to raise a. half
battery of Iiorse artillery, ha9 been accepted by:
the Government, mul, authority having been
given, tho first batch of recruits was carolled at
Wcrribeo on Saturday evening. It is tho inten
tion of the Defence department to return into
store the Nordenfeldt rifle-calibre machine
guns now in use by Sir W. J. Clarke's
battery, and obtain a park of horse
artillery of 6-pounder breech-ldading quick
firing Nordenfeldt guns. The machine
guns will then bo available for coast
battery work, where tlioy will be much better
employed than in the field, as their woodwork
and fittings aro defective hi construction. The
new horse artillery battery will be a four-gun
battery, 60 strong, one half-battery being
stationed at Sunbury and the other at "Werribce.
Mr. Chirnside's offer covers tho finding and
feed of thcliorsc3, and theco3t of uniform, ac
coutrements and instruction. Tho Govern
ment is tq fiud the guns and pay tho meu. By
this handsome offer tho colony will be put in
possession of a very valuable weapon of defoncc
at tho cost of only about £400 to the State. The
Defence department, however, in pursuance of
an ideal of economy peculiar to itself, proposes
to use this generous gift as an opportunity for
some cheeseparing, which avjII save something
like the £400 involved by the formation of Mr.
Chirhsido's battery, but will 'at the same time
destroy a great uctu of. tiie valuable work that
has been done in building up our present
efficient field artillery brigade. The pro
posal to reorganise tho threo six-guu bat
teries as two eight-gun batteries means
the disbandment of ono of those batteries,
and that one not the -.least efficient. Tho
changes which must take place iu the new bat-
teries willproduce a disturbance of conditions and
consequent evil results whicli it will take a long
time to make up for. It should bo clearly un
derstood that the wisdom of a chango to eight-
gun. batteries is very questionable, on tactical
grounds, and the effort of tho Dcfcnco depart
ment to push this reorganisation once mora
directs attention to the hand-to-mouth policy of
that department and tho experimental vagaries
into which it periodically plunges. The depart
ment might save money and preserve existing
efficiency by a very different innovation— the
establishment of a permanent stable for tho field
artillery, the absenco of which is a standing chnl-
lcngeof theadministrationof this department. Or
it may be suggested that some private organisa
tion, the Tramway and Omnibus Company for
instance, which could very easily undertake it,
should volunteer to horse the field artillery, and
thereby put that branch of the service in the
stato of efficiency denied to it by tlio Defence
department. But ns for the reorganisation of
. the fiold artillery brigade, tlio proposal is likoly
to bo received with much dissatisfaction, and to
do more harm than good if curried into effect.
Tho horse artillery battery will doubt
less be popular. Its work is exceed-
ingly interesting anil useful, ns it covers
a wide range of military training,
and the instruction received is often of much
value iu civilian occupations. The uniform will
ho the same as tho picturesque dress of the
English Royal Horse Artillery, except that tlio
busby will be discarded and a white helmet with
plume worn instead. This will bo tho full dross
only, artd a ffiiakec or other working suit will be
vrorn at drill. Tho country round AVcrribeo is
a fine training ground for mounted troop3, and
presents favorable conditions for all kinds of
oxcrciscs. In nbout 13 miles from their respec
tive quarters, tlio AVorribee and Sunbury half-
battcries can meet on the lCoilor Plains for
limited camps and battery mnnceiivres. AYith a
free hand allowed them, nnd plenty of ammu
nition, this battery should he a brilliant suc
cess.
Tho formation of the battery was begun on
Saturday night at a meeting hold in Mr. M.
AVall's A\rerribcc Club Hotel, Worribec. Circu
lars stating tlio object of the meeting had been
sent round the district, and nbout 40 young men
attended.
Lieutontent Chirnside, of tlio fiold artillery,
tho son of the donor, explained tho object of the
meeting. Ho observed that tliey had mot to
initiate a movemont, not only for the defence of
the colony, bnt for tho good of their township,
for tliero was nothing liko having a military
body stationed in a district to bring it forward.
His father's offer liad been accepted, and the
Government had sanctioned tho formation
of a horse artillery battery, for which tliov
now. wanted recruits. There were at present
in use three Nordenfeldt machine guns, which
would be sent into store and replaced by light
Iiorse artillery guns. They wanted 30 recruits,
and on looking rolind tlio district he could think
of fully 50 eligible young men from whom they
ought to bo able to get the required number.
Twelve of -the employes at AArerribeo Park had
promised to join, and that left only 18 to be
drawn from the district. Horso artillery was
quite a new thing in tho Australian colonies,
and those who now joined would be able to say
with pride that tlioy had the honor of forming
the first Iiorse artillery battery ever established
in Australia. He had engaged the best British
sergeant-major in tlio Australian colonies
to drill them. He had his father's sanction
for all that v.-as required to carry the offer into
eftaet, and tho Defence department had given
him permission to recruit. He reminded them
that it was the lot of every one to die at one
time or another, mul there was no more noble
death than that of the man who fought and died
for iiis nativo country. They would, perhaps,
remember the splendid example of the three
Romans who held tlio bridge against au anny,
and remember also the words of their gallant
leader —
Then out spake brave Iloratius,
Tho captain of tlio gate :
"To every man upon this earth
Death cumeth soon or lino.
Ami how can man die belter
Than facing tearful oiltls,
For the ashes of his fathers
And the temples of his gods?"
Ho hoped they would all take their part in tho
dclenco of their homes and of tiie British fta".
(Applause.)
Captain Hughes, commanding the Norden-
fclt Battery, then explained the regulations
under which the recruits would enlist as militia,
referring to the term of service, drill, discipline,
pay, promotion, &c. The work for tho year
included 6 whole, day parades, 20 half days and
45 night drills, all of which would have to ho per
formed to earn the full amount of pay. There
wonld havo to be 3 wholo day parades and 24
night drills attended as the least number allow
able for efficiency, bnt if a man absented him
self from tlio full number of drills ho would
lose pay accordingly.
The recruits were thou enrolled by Captain
Hughes, witli the assistance of Brigade Quart»r-
uinster Sergeant May, F.A.B., ana Sergeant
Dunham, B Battery, F.A.B. They wore after
wards passed on to another room for medical
examination by Surgeon Bryant, of the Naval
Brigade, AVilliamstown. Tho men were all young,
and of very good physique, aud passed the doctor
with few exceptions. In all respects they in
cluded tho material for the mailing of a smart
battery. There were 27 enrolled altogether, in
cluding a few doubtful cases, 24 of those being
from tiie township and district, and as only a
small number of the AArerribeo Park employes
who had undertaken to join, were able to be on
the spot during the enrolment, there is no doubt
that tlio full" number will be easily obtained,
cither from tho station or the district. This
result of the initiatory meeting was therefore a
very good beginning.
During the enrolment Councillor P. Kelly ad.
dressed the gathering, and hoped the young meu
would como forward to join tho battery. This
was a red letter day for the district, for the
proposal was one of the be3t ever thoueht. nf
nnd should be accepted eagerly by every man
who could do so. They should rally round Mr.
Chirnside's banner, and thank him heartily for
the patriotic undertaking, which would do more
good for their district than any land boom or
anything else.
Threo hearty cheers were given for Mr.
Andrew Chirnside, and three more for Lieu
tenant Chirnside.
AVhon tho enrolment was complotcd for tho
evening,
Captain Hughes proposed tho health of
Lieutenant Chirnside, m the presence of a
number of tlio recruits and of older residents of
tiie district, and congratulated the people of
AVerribee on tho formation of what would
doubtless be a .very capable and useful arm of
defence for tho whole colony.
The toast was warmly received.
Lieutenant Chirnside, in replying, said tliat
his family had been identified with the district
for very many years, and they hud always
lulled together witli tlio other residouts— (hear
rear)— and he could think of nothing in which
ho would liko them to pull together better than
in this union for their defence of thoir home
and country. (Applause.) This was the best effort
tliey had ever made to bring their district to the
fore. It wonld promote discipline, good order
and other desirable habits among the people.
Ho proposed Success and Prosperity to the
AVerribee Battery. He wished success
to those who had enrolled themselves,
and thanked Captain Hughes, Surgeon
Bryant nnd the other members of the
Militia present for their assistance ou this in
teresting occasion.
Tho toast was acknowledged by Captain
Hughes.
The health of Mr. Andrew Chirnside was also
toasted amid hearty cheers.
Brigado Quarter-JIar.ter-Sergeant May gave
the toast of The Press, which was supported by
Cr. Kelly, nnd acknowledged by tlio representa
tive of The Aye. The proceedings closed with
an announcement tliat the first recruit drill will
take placo at 5 o'clock this afternoon near the
railway station. Sergeant-Major Mailer, for
merly of he Field Artillery Brigade, will take
tho recruits in hand ns tiie instructor to the new
battery. ' '
$