"SEEING WHIZ-BANGS"

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2886, 26 September 1916, Page 8

"SEEING WHIZ-BANGS"

———» ——— A whiz-bang is a small 12-pounder shell fired at short range at incredible speed.' It derives its name from the fact that the noise it makes is a whiz, followed at once by the report of the burst. It is utterly impossible to see them. A trench mortar, on! the other hand, is hurled high in the air, comes slowly, and can be easily seen. Sentrios aro posted to watch for them in the sky and to blow warning whistles of their approach that people may dodge them. A British officer went along to a new sentry—not a mortar sentry—staring fixedly in his periscope. Officer: "What aro your duties?" ■Sentry: "To watch in this 'ere. glass for whiz-bangs." . • That was funny euough, but farther along was the mortar sentry blowing his whistle to warn people of whizbangs that, of course, had burst al- • ready. Whiz-bang! Then a shrill blast. "What was.that?" asked the officer. "Trench mortar, sir," was the calmly confident reply. "Did you see it?" "Yes, sir." AVhiz-bang! again. Another blast. , "Did you see that, too?" "Yes, sir; seen 'em all." "My lad," said the officer, "you're a marvel."

On September 30 the Wellington Industrial Association will have reached its majority. •In presenting ' the twenty-first animal report members of tlie general committee- state "that the first annual meeting of the association was held on September 30, 1896. The president of the association then was Mr. Samuel Brown. The vice-presi-dent was Mr. W. H. Millward, and the following gentlemen formed the general committee:—Messrs. E. Arnold, T. Ballinger, A. S. Biss, F.'C. Crease, H. Flockton, H. Gab'y, H. Hurrell, ; P. Hutson, Martin Kennedy, A. I. Littlojohn, J. P. Luke, J. R. Mack, W. H. MUlward, J. 'A. Plimmer, Nicholas Reid, A. J. Suckling-Baron, and. .1. Young. Mr. C. D. Morpeth was secretary and Mr. A. S- Biss was treasurer. Of this number Messrs. T. Ballinger, A..S. Biss,. F. C. Crease, J. P. Luke (His! Worship the Mayor), and J. A. Plimmer are still enthusiastic members of the association, while Mr. P. Hutson, who has resided at Frankton Junction for some time past, has been made a life member. Mr. Martin Kennedy recently died, and we sincerely regret his loss'. We also regret loss by the recent death of Mr. Charles Palliser, who was an enthusiastic member of the . association. Letters of condolence. have been sent to the widows and relatives of the two deceased gentlemen named."