For the militarily uninitiated, here is a brief explanation of the main branches of the New Zealand Army in World War One, particularly those which trained at Featherston Camp.
Infantry: Soldiers who fight on foot with personal weapons (small arms) and in World War One, the predominant part of our army. The men were organised into units of platoons (approximately 50) which made up companies (200), battalions (1,000) and brigades (4,000). Most men carried Lee-Enfield 0.303 bolt-action rifles with a 17-inch bayonet. Within units there were also Lewis guns (light machine guns). The New Zealand Division usually fought as a three-brigade division, with a full strength of about 12,000 infantry.
Mounted Rifles: Infantrymen who travel by horse to the battlefield. They used standard infantry weapons. In battle, one soldier of a four-man section led the horses back from the firing line while his three comrades fought. A MR regiment had about 550 men. A high standard of horsemanship was required. The Mounted Rifles also acted as scouts and screening forces, able to advance and retreat quickly. They did not fight with sword or lance as cavalry would. Although the Mounted Rifles Brigade fought at Gallipoli, it did so as an infantry unit. The main campaign after Gallipoli was the Sinai-Palestine theatre where the brigade was part of the Anzac Mounted Division.
Artillery: The New Zealand Division included field artillery (horse-drawn mobile cannon) which directly supported the infantry. The main gun was the 18-pounder (weight of shell) field gun with smaller numbers of the 4.5-inch howitzer. Field artillery normally fired at visible targets while howitzers, with a steep angle of elevation, could fire over hills to unseen targets. World War One saw a revolution in artillery science and field guns became part of the vast orchestra of the barrage. Guns were towed by a horse-team but on the Western Front were often in static and well-protected positions. Each gun was served by a crew of about six.
Army Service Corps: The ASC fed and clothed soldiers and horses, unglamorous but essential work. Transportation was a big role, requiring drivers and support staff for the horses and vehicles.
Engineering Corps: Military engineers or sappers constructed fortifications, roads, bridges, light railroads, and laid water pipes and telephone lines. Their work on the Western front was vast. They were supported by the labour of pioneer battalions and entrenching battalions, and, often, ordinary infantry out of the line.
Medical Corps: Casualties were treated by doctors, nurses and medical orderlies. Stretcher bearers were in short supply during active warfare and infantry were often seconded to this role as well. Medical science had made great strides since the Crimean War, but the sheer scale of battle casualties and war-induced illnesses overwhelmed medical staff at times. Some staff at Featherston also served on hospital ships and on active service but were not trained for this at the camp.
Specialists: This covers small groups such as signallers and machine gunners, normally integrated with fighting units but requiring extra training for their role. These men still had to learn the basics of ordinary soldiering.
Reproduced with permission of the author:
Safe Haven : the untold story of New Zealand’s largest ever military camp, Featherston 1916-1919 / Neil Frances, published by Wairarapa Archive, 2012.
Infantry: Soldiers who fight on foot with personal weapons (small arms) and in World War One, the predominant part of our army. The men were organised into units of platoons (approximately 50) which made up companies (200), battalions (1,000) and brigades (4,000). Most men carried Lee-Enfield 0.303 bolt-action rifles with a 17-inch bayonet. Within units there were also Lewis guns (light machine guns). The New Zealand Division usually fought as a three-brigade division, with a full strength of about 12,000 infantry.
Mounted Rifles: Infantrymen who travel by horse to the battlefield. They used standard infantry weapons. In battle, one soldier of a four-man section led the horses back from the firing line while his three comrades fought. A MR regiment had about 550 men. A high standard of horsemanship was required. The Mounted Rifles also acted as scouts and screening forces, able to advance and retreat quickly. They did not fight with sword or lance as cavalry would. Although the Mounted Rifles Brigade fought at Gallipoli, it did so as an infantry unit. The main campaign after Gallipoli was the Sinai-Palestine theatre where the brigade was part of the Anzac Mounted Division.
Artillery: The New Zealand Division included field artillery (horse-drawn mobile cannon) which directly supported the infantry. The main gun was the 18-pounder (weight of shell) field gun with smaller numbers of the 4.5-inch howitzer. Field artillery normally fired at visible targets while howitzers, with a steep angle of elevation, could fire over hills to unseen targets. World War One saw a revolution in artillery science and field guns became part of the vast orchestra of the barrage. Guns were towed by a horse-team but on the Western Front were often in static and well-protected positions. Each gun was served by a crew of about six.
Army Service Corps: The ASC fed and clothed soldiers and horses, unglamorous but essential work. Transportation was a big role, requiring drivers and support staff for the horses and vehicles.
Engineering Corps: Military engineers or sappers constructed fortifications, roads, bridges, light railroads, and laid water pipes and telephone lines. Their work on the Western front was vast. They were supported by the labour of pioneer battalions and entrenching battalions, and, often, ordinary infantry out of the line.
Medical Corps: Casualties were treated by doctors, nurses and medical orderlies. Stretcher bearers were in short supply during active warfare and infantry were often seconded to this role as well. Medical science had made great strides since the Crimean War, but the sheer scale of battle casualties and war-induced illnesses overwhelmed medical staff at times. Some staff at Featherston also served on hospital ships and on active service but were not trained for this at the camp.
Specialists: This covers small groups such as signallers and machine gunners, normally integrated with fighting units but requiring extra training for their role. These men still had to learn the basics of ordinary soldiering.
Reproduced with permission of the author:
Safe Haven : the untold story of New Zealand’s largest ever military camp, Featherston 1916-1919 / Neil Frances, published by Wairarapa Archive, 2012.