SNIPING AT THE FRONT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1575, 11 July 1916, Page 4

SNIPING AT THE FRONT.

BISLEY SHOT’S GREAT WORK.

At the spring’ meeting of the Notional Rifle Association, hold in London* recently, some interesting details were given in connection wilh the training of snipers. Colonel Lloyd, who formed the first Sniping School in. franco, stilted that the use of expert marksmen had given a. great deal of safety to the lives of the men in the front trenches, and in addition had enormously lessened the nervous strain. Prior to the organisation of sniping on a scientific basis the casualties due to German sniping were very heavy, but now the Germans were only second best. Many regiments were especially good at sniping, and Colonel Lloyd mentioned as an instance the line work of a. halt a lion of the Royal Kent. Regi-

ment. Colonel Richardson, of tiro N.R.A. School of Musketry at Bisley, who has recently been on a tour of th« sniping establishments in France, gave similar testimony, and both officers slated that the organisation and training of the modern sniper' had been accomplished by marksmen of the N.R.A., whose ranks contained the most, expert men in the country on the subject of the special sights necessary to make sniping a success. More of these men were going out. The Bermans had carefully (.rained a corps of sharpshooters in lime of peace, but had never sent thorn into competitions. Their appearance in lire war, therefore, was a surprise except to those who had followed the Gorman methods closely. At Bisley, it was staled, 5,409 officers and men had attended during (he war for musketry instruction, and 4,381 had qualified as instructors. At the sniping schools in France thousands also hail hecu and were being trained in the use of sniping sights.