Trench and camp. [volume] (Augusta, Ga.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-17
ORDNANCE MEN
NOW IN CAMP
Come From Many Sections
Varied Personnel of Experts in
Trades and Professions. All
Trades Required. Champion
Big Time Boosters.
BY w. H. HENDRIX.
Company T. Ordnance Training
Camp.

thousands OF ordnance men, naming
from camps scattered from the Middle
West to the Eastern coast, are pouring
into Camp Hancock, filling up the
area vacated by the Motor Mechanics
and Transforming the maroon and
white district into a vast assemblage
of red and black hat cords. The first
delegation to reach Camp Hancock
hailed from Camp Dodge, Iowa, and
arrived five weeks ago Since then,
additional increments have come in
from Southern camps, and the num-
Der of companies from Camp Jackson,
South Carolina, are the latest arrivals
Camp Hancock is, according to the
belief of seasoned officers, ideally sit
uated for the final training period for
these men. The larger portion of the
enlisted ordnance corps are men from
the extreme Northern and Eastern
parts of the country, and it is thought
that the adaptation to altogether new
climatic conditions will be of material
advantage. With the advantage OF the
Southern weather, 1t is thought that
the finishing training will be accom-
pltshed much more quickly here than
in any of the other camps from which
men are being brought to Hancock
No other branch of military service,
according to authoritative announce
ments, embraces a more varied per.
sonnet than the ordnance In "the
army behind the army" as the branch
is officially designated there is the
wagon builder and candlesticlS- max.
er, and the men in every instance are
specialists In some one particular
branch of work or are professional
men in given line. While this fact
makes the organization of complete
companies more complicated and slow,
1t results in the building of an organ
lzation which has striking, individ-
ual PERSONAL---VERY. organization OF
men thoroughly capable of doing their
bit
Together with the regular military
training which will be given at Camp
Hancock, the various training schools
will also be given consideration. 1t
is reported that motor training
school will be established for the post
graduate training of men in that line.
Exprts in other lines will also be given
additional training where it is need
ed to bring the personnel up to the
highest efficiency attainable.
In the struggle over there" the ord
nance will be called upon to maintain
and distribute munitions and mechan-
tcal equipment and supplies, and to
keep in perfect repair all the mechan-
tcal contrivances used in the prosecu-
ton of war. For this huge task men
of every trade and ranch of achieve
ment are required According to au-
thoritatiye statements, the ordnance
corps now stationed at Camp Hancock
embraces In it's personnel practically
all the men of every Id that will be
needed by this department for some
time to come.
Compiled statistics regarding the
ordnance corps would read about like
this: Fully forty per cent are college
men; at least Is per cent are men who
are either under CT over military age;
all have attained a degree of profile
iency in their trade or profession; ALL
except a small number who weru
transferred from other departments,
are men who enlisted through the re-
cruiting stations Aside from=y being
thoroughly earnest, hard working men
of war, they are also the champion
big-time organization of the army, as
this will evidence. AT Camp Dodge,
Iowa, the Ordnance Carnival consist
ing of shows made up of their own
talent was voted the biggest offering
on the midway; and recently at Camp
Jackson, the glee cub and other vau-
deville offerings was declared by Sec
rotary Baker, "the mos commemorate
entertaining feature he had seen at
any camp in the country.
On almost any company street which
the incoming ordnance boys have just
occupied may BE sesA expert xslecilan-
les, RECALLED in the conventional blue
denim suits otherwise known as the
official ordnance uniform" indus
trlously wrestling with Georgia sand
banks professional men who at home
wore Prince Alberts and dress canes
Sticking up" the sidewalks, while
round the kitchen door group of ac-
countants and former bankers play an
air from Mendelssohn on pots and
pans. This much by way of introduc-
ton.
Boys page the City of Augusta 1t
is wanted by the ordnance corps-one
of the bulliest gangs of good fellows
who ever came to any camp, and who
are earnestly anxious to make their