IN ACTION WITH A SEARCHLIGHT

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 304, 12 September 1918, Page 9

IN ACTION WITH A SEARCHLIGHT

SPOTTING THE HUN AIB HAIDERS. "Ding! ding! .. ding!'' "Hulloscarchlight here." "Take air-raid warning." .. . . Almost before the sentry lias finished blowing his whistle the men have turned out of their but—equipped with steel helmet and gas mask—and are lining up,-every one in liis proper place, for, although they are trained to work on any position,-'each man has what, is called his "raid-post." ; , The n.c.o. in charge inspects them qiticldy to sec that everything is correct, and. on giving tho order, "Take post" th'e.v imriiediately double to, |lieir various positions. and await-the order to test : tho light. .( .■' ■ • ' When this, has been done, and ovejrything is proved to be feady for receiving the taiders in a befitting manner, the men aro ordered to "stand by" in their hut , . r Unless'tho sarchlight is milos away from any town or railway there are almost sure to be several, false alarms, which turn out to be either motor-cars or trains, as these when heard at- a great distance are often extremely difficult to recognise as; such.- ■ ' After waiting- for a period' which may be .anything'from' a few minutes to "several hours the unmistakable _ drone of aeroplanes flying at a great height ia heard,' and, the alarm being given, tho searchlight is soon ready for action. . Th'iir period of waiting, with its continual strain, is .the hardest part of the work, and now that-the raiders oto actually approaching every man is galvanised into-life, and a feeling of tense exciteriiont, tempered 'with a sensation that is-almost ono Of relief, takcß hold of every man and is expressed in the joy of action. With the exception, maybo, of one or two quiet jokes, not much is said as'each man tries to sight tho target first. ' . ■ . When the aeroplanes are judged to be within'range of the searchlight the order to expose is given, and a beam of light immediately shoots across the sky, searching out its darkest recesscs, with tho result that presently a Gotha-which bliows up as a small glittering speck-is caught trying its utmost to escape the unwelcome altontion. The guns concentrating upon the raider, it is not long before the nervetesting sounds of falling bombs—a sound which is more trying to the men than the actual explosio^—mingles with that of shrapnel and high explosive. To these aro added the thud of Jailing' shrapnel and tho whistle and whine of shell splinters, and between whiles one may catch the rattlo of machine-guns. _ • With .a- suddenness that is startling, everything is quiet once and when onr ears are again attuned to the stillness thw raiders can be heard rapidly receding in the distance. After nn examination to see that' no part of tho plant has been dttmnged the men Teturn to their hnt, thoro to snatch a brief rest bofore the next ajamv is given.—"W.A.s[., J,r in the "Daily Mail."