CADET MANOEUVRES For the mock battle held on 9th May, the cadet corps was split into two sections, namely, as one might expect, the attackers and the defenders. Mr. Milner led the blitz krieg attack, while Mr, Hopkins, at the head of his band of warriors, put up a heroic resistance. Both these masters, thanks to this invaluable experience, have now left us, to let off a few live rounds of ammunition instead of blanks. The attackers marched off at 2 p.m., making a detour round to the back of the opposite hill, Alverston. At approximately 2.30 the brave defenders wended their way to the bottom of the valley, and crawled, as the saying goes, "on their stomachs," for what seemed miles and miles through the dry grass. At last they were in position, and a weary period of waiting and watching ensued. At last, a few stragglers were sighted, exposing themselves on the skyline, either accidentally or intentionally. Nerves already keyed up strained for sights and sounds. Round about this time Mr. Smith, who entered the battle for some fun, together with one or two scouts, sur prised a party of attackers, but some misunderstanding of the regulations seems to have ensued, for he was forced to retire precipitately down the hillside. On the strength of this, he has also gone to have a crack at the Italians. Then the firing began. The attackers were very lavish with their ammunition, firing almost continuously, while the defenders wisely conserved their supplies. (The writer was a defender—Editor.) Night brought a new terror—cold. Jerseys were donned but still we shivered. Visibility naturally deteriorated, too, and when the main attack was finally launched, most of the firing was done at random. That did not matter, how ever, as the thought uppermost in the cadets' minds was to shoot off as many rounds as possible, no matter where. At last, as was natural when those who were shot refused to die, the attackers broke through and the battle was stopped. Dinner was served, and very welcome it was, too. Before this pleasant ending to the proceedings, however. Major Hardaker, who had been judging operations with Mr. Medworth, gave us a short talk, pointing out our main faults. And so to School, to cocoa, and to bed. JC. 18
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