The Irish standard., 1915-09-11
TRAINING MEN
IN THE ART Of
BOMB THROWING.
Anarchists Weapon in Warfare
Has Become as Respect
able as the Rifle.
fine POINTS OF THE GAME
The Absent.Mlnded Fellow Makes
1rouble-Bombs Well Behaved 10
You Treat Them Risht-FIrst
Chuck 10 Really What's
Important.
BY FREDERICK PALMER.


BY FREDERICK PALMER.
International News service.)
British Headquarters, France.-M
was at a bombing school on q French
farm where chosen soldiers brought
back from the trenches were being
trained in the use Of the anarchist'9
weapon which has now become ID
respectable as the rifle. Specialism
develops as the war goes on. There
are no M. B. degrees for Master Bomb,
ers yet: but that may come. any day.
Present was the chief instructor,
young Scotch subaltern with blue
eyes, a pleasant smile and a cock Of
the north spirit. He might have been
twenty years old, though he did not
look It. On his breast was the purple
and white ribbon of the new order Of
the military cross which one gets for
doing something in this war which
would have won Victoria cross IN
one of the little wars.
Also present was the assistant I'M
structor, sergeant of regulars-and
very much of regular-who had
three ribbons which he had won IN
previous campaigns. He too had blue
eyes, bland blue eyes. These two un,
derstood each other.
IF you don't drop it, why it's all
right" said the sergeant. "Of course,
II you do"
He did not drop It.
"And when you throw it, you must
lookout and not hit the man behind
and knock the bomb out of your
hand. That has happened before now
to an absent-minded fellow who was
about to toss one at the Boches-and
1t does not do to be absent-minded
when you throw bombs"
"They say that you sometimes pick
up the German bombs and chuck them
back before they explode" It wa9
suggested.
"Yes, sir. I've read things like that
In some of the accounts of the report
ers who write from Somewhere ID
France. You don't happen to know
where that is. sir? All can say ID
that II you are going to do it you must
be quick about It, I shouldn't advise
delaying your decision, sir, or perhaps
when you reach down to pick It up
neither your hand nor the bomb
would be there They'd have gone
of together, sir"
Must Treat Them Right.
"nave you ever been hurt in you1
handling of bombs?' one asked. Sur,
prise in the bland, blue eyes.
"Oh, no, sir! Bombs arc well be;
haved II you treat them right. It'd
all in being thoughtful and consider,
ate of them!"
Meanwhile he was Jerking at some
kind Of a patent fuse set in she'll Of
high explosive. !
This is poor kind, sir. It's been
discarded, but thought that YOU
might like to see 1t. Never did like
It! Always making t.ouble!" !
More distance between the audi
ence and the performer. .
Nov I've got 1t, sir-get down.
sir" !,
The audience carried out INSTRUCT
tions to the letter as army regula,
lions require. We got behind the pro-
lection of one of the practice trench
traverses. He threw the discard bel
yond another wall of earth. There
was sharp report, a burst of smoke
and some fragments Of earth were
tossed into the air.
In a small affair of two hundred
yards of trench the other day it waa
estimated that the British and Ger
mans together threw about five thou.
sand bombs in this fashion. It was
enough to sadden any minister of mu,
nitions. However. the British kept
the trench. |
do your men like to become bomb
ers? one asked the subaltern.
Il should say so. It puts them up
in front. 1t gives them a chance to
throw something-and they don't get
much cricket in France, you see We
had a pupil here last week who broke
the throwing record for distance. He
was pleased as Punch with himself
A flrst-class bombing detachment has
q lot of pride Of corps
To bomb has become as common Z
verb with the army as to bayonet
1--WE bombed them OUT" means Z
section of trench taken. AS you know
q trench is dug and built with sand
bags in zigzag traverses. In follow
ing the course of trench 1t is as Il
you followed the sides of the squares
of checker board up and down and
across on the same tier OF squares
The square itself is a bank of earth
with the cut on either side and IN
front OF 1t. When bombing party
bombs their way into the possession
OF section OF German trench there
are Germans under cover of the trav
erses on either side Of them. ThV
German is waiting around the corna
to shoot the first British head the
shows itself.