The Use of Armour

Horowhenua Chronicle, 8 October 1915, Page 4

The Use of Armour

LESSONS EROM CHANGE,

•Sir Conan Doyle, writing to the Times as "an avdocate of armour in modern 'Wii'rfare for the last 25 years." says it hals always seemed to me extraordinary tlnat the innumerable cases where a Bible, a sigarette case, a watch, or some other chance article have saved a man's life, have not set us scheming so as Io do systematically what has so often been the result oi it liappy chance. As a man faces a hostile rifle his forehead and his heart are tlie only points presented which are certainly vital. The former would be protected by such a helmet as the French have now evolved. The second should be covered by a curved plate of highly-tempered steel, which need not be more than a foot in diam- '■ eter. With this simple and light equipment. the two centres of life are safe. The remaining dangers to life are the abdomen. TFfe tormer is not common front n rifle bullet and cannot he guarded against without complete armour, which it out of the question. The latter is no longer a certain death wound, thanks to the advances of sugerv, but a third curve of steel strapped across j from tlie border of the ribs to the crest, of the hip bones' woud afford protection. But granting that the individual life, would be saved, this does not bear upon the capture of a position, since so many j would fall won 11, tied that the. weight of tho attack would be spent before tho Ktormers reached the trenches, for this armour which Trill give complete protection is ncededl', and since the weight of this is more than a man can ndilv eaiTy, it must be' pushed in front upon wheels. I picture a great number of plates held together .1 ilce""tTt f e *' shioTuS of a Roman tortoise, and pushed by the j men who crouch: behind them. Such apparatus would not> newssitate a groat addition to thd impedimenta of an army.