THREE BOMBS FOR ONE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2539, 13 August 1915, Page 8

THREE BOMBS FOR ONE

"SOCJK IT INTO 'EM, BOYS." Mr. J. - P.- Firth, master of .-Welling-. ton College, has received a .unique trophy from the firing line in Gallipoli in tho 'shape of ono. of the Turkish hand bombs which are. thrown from the eiieiny trenches into those manned by New.Zealanders, when the distance between, them permits of such- exercise. The bomb, which was sent by Lieutenant Alex. Cross, a former assistant master of the College, is made of iron, and is about the-size.-; of a cricket ball. It it is capped with a solid screw top, and lias a brass ring attached, evidently for .carrying purposes. Tho accompanying letter from :tho.'sender describes very vividly what sort of exorcise handbomb throwing is, and how its effects may bo nullified if'one. is seen to fall in ft trench. Tho 'letter- runs:—"This is tho type of bomb the gcntlo foeman is at present throwing into our trenches. Hero the trenches aro in places 15 yards apart, so you may guess wo do not suffer from; ennui. The modus operandi is as follows:—A grenade such as you see falls fizzing'inti) our fa-ouch. A man specially told off for tho purpose'throws an overcoat over, it to localise the effect, and our bomb-throwers;throw back three of our bombs. .This'bomb did not explode.. I ■ got. one-of. our engineers to oxtract tho explosive (a yellowish powder) and the detonator, so that it is quite ha'rmless. They explode upwards at' a steep angle, so that if ono throws oneself face downwards they are quite harmless at a few feet away. However, one killed Golding a few days ago. I understand that he was also an exmaster of Wellington College. Also poor old. Brace Morison is at present in hospital suffering from the effect of splinters from a bomb like this. • 'Sock it into'em, boys. Give 'em threo for one!' is the advice of General B- , and our fellows take an unholy glee in doing so. Big 'Tiny' O'Neill, of'my company, has a stiff arm as a result of throwing seventy bombs in ono day."