BOMB FATALITY AT TRENTHAM CAMP

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2798, 16 June 1916, Page 6

BOMB FATALITY AT TRENTHAM CAMP

AN OFFICER KILLED ANOTHER OFFICER INJURED A bomb ranlosion, which resulted in »ho death of Captain A. Beekman, of the Now Zealand Kailway Engineers, and the •injury of Lieut..Bale,assistant Field Engineers instructor, occurred at, Trentham Cam]} yesterday-afternoon,'while instruction in boml> throwing was being given. : The 14th Infantry Iteinforcomtnts were : being instructed in trench warfare at the v time of >the acoident, and His Excellency the Governor and tho Countess of Liverpool were' amongst, the. spectators. The ; work-was being ; carriod out "under the .. supervision of Major Sleeman (late of the Royal Sussex Regiment), Assistant Director ,of Military ■ Training, who has had ;; considerable experience of trench' war- >'•; "France, and he was assisted-by. Captain Sir Robert Walker (Coldstream ; Guards), who has also had experience on tho Western front. There were also proBent General Robin, Colonel C. M. Gib- : ■ bon, and Lient.-Colonel Potter, the Camp Commandant. ■. The accident occurred at about 3.30 p.m., when Captain A. Beokman,'chief '.Engmeer, instructor,., assisted.by Lieut. , and Gaminage, assistant Engineer instructors were engaged in bomb throwing:. Captain Beekman,-was handling a fabulito high explosive bomb,- . with a 15-seconds fuse, and.evidently held V:it: too" long, tlie bomb exploding, and • mortally wounding, him. The explosion --also ..injured Lieut. Bale, :-who sustained ', a lacerated leg,, but Sergt.-Major Gamimage escaped unhurt. . Medical assistance was procured lmnie•diately, but the doctors could do nothing to save Captain. Beekman. Lieut. Bale was. removed to'"Wellington Hospital to •-have his injuries treated. ■~ Captain Beekman belonged to -■the ,South Island,- and was an eilimir m the original company of New Zealand 'V®?g}pe er s who left-with the Fourth or 7 Fifth. ..Reinforcements,- under . Lieut.Barclay. He went to Egypt with tho company, but suffered a sunstroke,- and wiis - invalided - back to New Zealand. About eight months ago hp. reported fit' . 'for duty, and was appointed Chief Engineer Instructor at Trentham. Liout. Bale was at ono time a'warrant .officer in. the 'Royal. Engineers, but caiiie out to New Zealand, and was appointed •lieutenant for,.the period of the war, and -..assistant instructor in' the Field Engineers. . • ' When the'fatality occurred His Excellency the. Governor, General Robin, nud Major, Sleeman were about 50 yards away. _ Tho- Defence authorities state that the ~Dumb which : exploded was manufactured in Now Zealand. Similar bombs ar® , being used now in Franco. The accident reported above is the first of tho kind at Trentham during two years .; of constant instruction. ' .. On inquiry at the Hospital last evenr ing it was stated that Lieut.- Bale was progressing as well as could be espected. STATEMENT IN PARLIAMENT. GENERAL ROBIN'S REPORT. : / unfortunate occurenco was referred to in the House of Representatives by tho - Minister of Defence, the Hon. J. lilen, last evening. When the members reassemblod at 7.30, after tli© dinner adjourn- , ment, Mr. Allen briefly referred in term* of • regret to the accident. He then read : :.tho following.. report from General Sir . Alfred Robin:— . - ' ' ; "At .the close of the instruction in trench warfare this -afternoon,, when bomb-throwing with the satellite' balls .was in-'progress; one unfortunately exploded (whilst 'still in the act of being thrown) in tho liands of Captain Beekniaii, tho Chief Instructor of Engineers ■at the camp. Lieutenant Balo, fate of the Royal Engineers,; Assistant" Instruc- : ■ itor, with Sergeant-Major Instructor Gamnißge, wero in' the : same- portion of tho . trench. Captain Beekman and Lieutenant . Balo wore injured and Captain Beekman , ; has unfortunately since, died of his ill-, juries; Lieutenant Bale, it is hoped, will resume duty in a few days. SergeantMajor Gammage" was unhurt. There is .no blame attachable fro anyone. The ; bombs were in good order, and it was one of unfortunate accidents-which ' cannot be avoided in dealing with .bombs, and. is' incidental to . training a well as to active service, and is a not uncommon occurrence in the bombing: schools in France and England. , "Captain Beekman; was second in cojnraand.of the Engineer Company that was largely drawn from the New Zealand . Railways,;and went to the" front under Lieut. r Colonel Barclay.. Since his return to New Zealand, some five, month? ago, he has boen' Chief; Instructor to the Engineer Reinforcements at Trentham, and ' was carrying out part of his duties when the unfortunate, accident occurred." ~ Mr. Allen added that the late Captain i Beekman loaves .a wife and three child- . ran;- He-was sure that, the. House would . .regret the accident and sympathise with : -the bereaved widow and family.