Clothing and Sport in the Broadmedows camp

Clothing and Equipment

In the early days at the Camp the most urgent problem seemed to be in the provision of clothing and equipment. For the first men to arrive in the Broadmeadows camp equipment was quite sufficient but subsequent drafts were met with inadequate clothing and kit. There were insufficient great coats in the cold Melbourne winter. What coats were available were in very large sizes with only a few in small or medium. No replacements could be found. Many men did not have clothing warm enough for the conditions (the Melbourne winter can be quite chilly).

The boots were defective in make and badly finished. These boots were eventually replaced but the replacement boots were also unsatisfactory. The trousers were 'useless' according to the 5th Battalion unit diary. They were eventually replaced but at at one stage 200 pairs were sent back as unsatisfactory.

Some clothing problems were caused by the new recruits deserting with their kit or men transferring to other units.

The Battalion leadership believed that many of these shortages and deficiencies could be sorted out when they got to London.

Many men, went to Camp in private clothes which they worn in camp whilst these supply issues were attended to. Many articles of clothing and other necessities were provided by private funds.

For the men the clothing and kit provided its own problems. The infantrymen practiced handling and wearing 'web equipment'. This comprised of a tangle of canvas straps and bags. It looked quite simple in the hands of an expert. To a new recruit it was exasperating. There were about 15 pieces of this webbing which ideally harnessed the soldiers kit and clothing.

Sport
Some attention was given to fitness and sports. A championship meeting took part one Saturday afternoon. A running track was laid out between the camp and Broadmeadows station. The 5th Battalion did well with 'F'company in particular providing many fine athletes. Events included the 100 yards dash, the high jump and relay races. There was a platoon marching contest.

Selecting Leaders
A few weeks after the formation of the camp, examinations were held to select non-commissioned officers.

...and in Europe
In the meantime, Europe was plunging into a new type of war. From 26th to 30th August 1914 (100 years ago this weekend), Russian and Germany threw great armies at each other in what is now Poland and then East Prussia. At the end of the Battle of Tannenberg, around 250,000 men - an entire army - was destroyed or taken captive along with large amounts of equipment and supplies. Samsonov the general leading the Imperial Russian 2nd Army shot himself.

...and in the Pacific
On 29th August 1914 the New Zealand Expeditionary Force captured German Samoa. Around 1,400 troops were involved but they met no resistance.