THREE BOMBS FOR ONE

Taranaki Daily News, 21 August 1915, Page 10

THREE BOMBS FOR ONE

"SOCK IT INTO 'EM, BOYS* Mr. J. P. Firth .master of Wellington College, has received if unique trophy from the tiring line in GallipoH in the shape of one of the Turkish hand bombs which are thrown from the enemy; trenches into those manned by Xew Zealanders, when the distance between them permits of such exercise. The bomb, which .was sent by Lieutenant Alex Cross, a former assistant master of the College, is made of iron, and is about the siae of a cricket ball. It is. capped with a screw top, and has a' brass ring attached, evidently for carrying purposes. The accompanying letter from the sender describes very vividly what sort of exercise hand-bomb throwing is, and how its effects may be milliiied if one is seen to fall in a trench. The letter runs:—This is the type of bomb the gentle foenian is at present throwing into our trenches. Here the trenches are in places 15 yards apart, so you may guess we do not sutler from ennui. The modus operandi is as follows: —A grenade such as you see falls fizzling into our trench. A man specially told off for the purpose throws an overcoat over it to localise the effect, and our bomb-throwers throw back three of our bombs. This bomb did not explode. I got one of our engineers to extract the explosive (a yellowish powder) and the detonator, so that it is quite harmless. They explode upwards at a steep angle, so that if one throws oneself downwards they are quite harmless a few feet away. However, one killed Golding a few days ago. I understand that he was also an ex-mas-ter of Wellington College. Also poor old Bruce Morrison is at present in hospital suffering from the effect of splinters from a bomb like this. 'Sock it into 'cm, boys. Give 'em three for one!' is the advice of General B , and our fellows take an unholy gleo in doing so. Big 'Tiny' O'Neill, of my company, has a stiff arm as a result of throwing seventy bombs in one day," I