BODGER, R.G.A.

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3113, 18 June 1917, Page 7

BODGER, R.G.A.

A TANK STORY

(By "C," in the "Daily Mail.") 1

. 'Tli, Bodger! Just keep clear of ray weighing machine! It's only .up to a quarter of a. ton, and I'm not taking any risks."

Temporary Captain Bodgcr, R.G.A., turned sadly away from the -Ration Depot, a.nd lumbered back to'his howitzers. Ho iras an excellent; officer, .ind hKs Bin. shells rsached their address in Booheland with the precision of u postal doli.Tery. Bui he iroighed 20 fitone, and his girth ivas tkroatenin;: his careor. Only yesterday he had. walked five miles to n field artillery obseryin? sbi.tion in l.he Ironches. whenco ho was to range on a. ntnr German'• redoubt, and had ignominiously failed to sot through the tunnel. A. party of grinnintr Tommies had taken id minutes to enlarce tho entranco for him; |ho subaltern to whom the obwrration post belonged had complained of his attracting the attention of the enemy's airmen by waiting out-. Ride, and this general, irho unfortunately went by. had regarded him wiJJj n send-him-to-the-base look in his eye. Something must be'done, but what? I Bodgei- had a light lunch of three chops and a plate of ham, trifled with eorae fuct pudding a-nd cheese, and ordered a eecond bottle of beer to assist his meditations. But tho only idea, that emerged was a. transfer to Coast Defence, and'this involved brat work, which his stomach loathed. With a. regretful glance at UUo omplv bottlos, he went back to lie work. , But in the meantime an intelligence of a higher order had. been shapuw his destinies.' The Army commander, hearing tho tale of the tunnel and tho obcerration post, had remarked: Sound minner. is he? No use sending him to tho Transport; lorries aro overloaded already. There's only one thinff iri this Armr that's ut> to his weight, and I.bau a tank. Shift; him over, vn\\ tour Sittinn on the Tell. \ » •When- the-Rieat man spoke thinee moved auickly. and in the battery BodK er mot an orderly with a "memo, directing him lo report at onco,-,to H.M. landship Mastodon for instruction. The Mastodon was a new ship. Her commander a. cavalry major, was pleased to "et a good cuiincr.r man who was also useful as shiftine ballaflt. Bodgor took kindly to hie new duties, and tho tank steered sweetly under his sympathetic A week later tho Mnstodoa took part in a minor piish-n little aftair of straightening tho line. Thoro was a para|iot to get over, and the Mastodon, according to custom, cocked up her. tail nnd charged it Now if things had cone rinht the tail should havo come down I with » whiimp, throwing- her nose up. and she should have cleared the ba-nk like a porpoise jumping. But the glueliko mud piled tinder her belly, hor tail remained up, her noso down, and she hit tho faco of tho bank with a bump liko a 'luggage train in collision. She ba-cked out, her tail remained high in the air. It was\then that Bodger first distinguished himself. Ho squeezed through a door. Heedless of tho bullets which hummed round him, he swarmed up tho tail with the determination of a bull walrus and Eat on tho end of it. Thero was no mistake about tho tail cominsr down this time. The Mastodon charged again, noso well up, and got over tho bank, kicking up a, shower of oleds bohind hor. Bodger 6tuck to his porch, though the ehell-splintors ivhanged on the armour,, and {got off .with nothing worse than a chipped ear. After this ho became a tank enthusiast, and when his major was promoted Admiral of the I'leet and hoisted his flag in tho Mammoth, Bodger succeeded to tho command of tho Mastodon. Ho painted her in a beautiful chromatic colour-scheme, and fitted a larder and a cushioned beer-bin. 3e woi-lced up his crew at gunnery till they could hit a Boche parapet whilo bumping across country. Hβ enjoyed four solid meals a day and ceased to repine at his increasing weight.

Tho Great Wrestle. | The Big Push came on, and .Bodger's Mastodon proved' the smartest landship in tho fleet, while at gunnery she could have given points to tho Excellent. Thoro caihe a day when we had pierced deeply into the German lines, and with it carne Bodger's 'chance, which has made his name in the Land Fleet, He eaw a locomotive'half a mile in front dragging off a couple of howitzers along a light railway, and, regardless of his admiral's warning toots, he made for it across , the trenches. Furious Germans tried to rush him as he ploughed through their line};, but ho held the Mastodon to her course, spouting: flamo on both broadsides. Field guns were hurriedly turned on him, but the shells missed or glanced from the armour. He headed oiT the locomotive by a bare 50 fathoms, and, reversing his starboard chain, jockeyed the Mastodon sharply round to meet it. Now, when a 60-ton locomotive, hauling <loublo its weight of herfvy howitzer, 111 rets a 100-ton tank, both all out, yimething is almost certain to happen. 'J'hie timo it was tho unexpected. The antagonists stood on their tails, Welted for a moment liko wrestlers, and then suddenly disappeared from view Tho railway crossed a hollow Toad int the point of encounter, and the bi'idge had giveu way. Bown fren.t the locomotive, wheels uppermost, with the Mastodon on top.of it. The trucks with tho monster howitzere lumbered on and pitched on top of the heap. But the tank, though dented liko an old tin can, was little tho worse, and the Germans, who expected' to find a wreck, were met by shells and machine-gun, fire. ■There was no holding our men that day, and they pressed on well beyond tbn hollow road where the Mastodon had "brought up." When tho leading battalion reached her ■Ihoy found Bodger lunching on deck, with a dozen bottles of beer standing ready for his visitors. He was asked to describe his trip across the German trenches, but ■ preferred lo expatiate on the perfections of his cushioned beer-bin. "Only Iwo bottles broken, and I believe one of them had gone flat!" A nmv IOM-h.p. tank, carrying a 6in. gun, is ready for launching, and Bodger will command her. Ho is looking forward to stflerin; her through the streets of Berlin,