Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-03-23
train BRITISH
ROCKIES IN ART
OF TRENCHLIFE

of nerve. expert knowledge and skill
they have to undergo on the battle
front I'm France is now part of the
training in England. Complicated
systems of trenches have been built
one set TO represent the English
French line, the other the German,
and storming parties armed with sand.
bag bombs" with real fuses are sent
out. first from one side, then from the
other, TO try to capture the "enemy's
works. So strenuous Is this training,
which includes teaching how TO throw
real grenades, that accidents are not
! infTeQuent and sometimes fatalities
occur, according to the letter nf q
| regimental instructor officer OF the
British army. printed in The New
York Times.
The letter passed the censor, and
brings the first information OF how
| trench warfare" is conducted in Eng.
land. The training is in charge OF
The Army Bombing School," and the
officer writes just after he had com.
pleted his course there.
1T was absolutely CHASTITY weather.
pouring with rain, showing, hailing or
freezing, but our work in the trenches
! by day and at night was carried out
! just the same" he writes. AT this
school one learns to throw the differ.
ent kinds Of grenades, British, French
and German, and passes examinations
on their construction. Then, besides
the grenades (Which make a most ter
rifle nOiseI trench warfare is studied
and carried out in all the complicated
| branches, such as storming parties,
barbados. etc. Then there is the
handling OF high explosives, carrying
out demolftions, and so on. In the
| trench-fighting at night the bombs
used were small, hard sandbags,
weighing pound and half each.
with fuse sticking out that has to
! be lighted before the bomb Is hurled
at the opposing group or team. The
bombs catch one fearful bang in
the face, and any one hit Is cas-.
! ualty.' 1870 ~ E. -. -. ...... ....-
This night work is done with the
aid of Very Flares, or star Shells of
which the effect is veryS weird, light.
ing up everything in the most brilliant
white light, then dying down and
leaving an absolutely inky darkness;
while the light lasts the attackers go,
for each. other like. anything, with
bomb. bayonets and revolvers. Real
bombs are used in storming down
trenches when the enemy is only i'm
aginary; a splendid barricade that ]
had built up was literally blown to
smithereens right under me; ii is
wonder more accidents do not occur
at the school, Officers are put in
command of one or more of these
trench-storming parties, whom they
have to take into the trenches and to
lead to victory or defeat, according to
how they or their opponents use their
wits to the best advantage. II is all
very complicated and difficult, / con-
slider, but the staff officers are look
ing down into the trenches and watch
Ing all the time, and when an officer
has passed all the tests and examina-
items they report upon him to his
Brigadier as to what sort OF q leader
and instructor he is g.-
The last course Is the anti-gas
school, One has to pass examinations
ill instrueting the troops in all meas.
ures OF protection against poison gas
attacks. liquid fire, etc., besides ones
self being tested in marching, drilling
and generally living In a gas helmet,
including killing route march in
helmets E--.ra
The lectures are very long, necessi-
tating working till the small hours
every morning, getting up and writing
notes. One has to know the thing
from the point of view of the general
right down to Tommy Atkins actually
having to be gased with chlorine (as-
phyxianD and xylylbromide (blinding
! lachrymatory gas), so as to know the
sensation ones self It is distinctly
unpleasant This again includes
long written examination, besides all
the rest
Then took up machine gun work
In this case also the weather was per-
feetly deadly, the icy winds from the
northeast blowing over the sand hills
where the ranges we're nearly proving
fatal to me- This Is another very in
teresting subject. Il is very clever the
way one has to work out problems
quickly, to reckon the range Of an
enemy at long distances, the allowance
to be made for weather, wind, damp
or dry; the number of guns needed,
and the range of each gun. 1t is no
use hitting just one part of force
with one gun, one has to 'strafe' the
whole Of them with several guns, doz-
ems If one has them, at once, with a
different range to each gun.
There is also the mechanism OF the
gun to learn absolutely from A to 2,
so as to be able to strip It entirely and
put 1t together again in the dark. Gun
drill and the handling of teams all
have to be studied as well as tactics,
and finally there are five examinations
ending as usual with corking written
examination that takes two hours and
half Of hard scribbting."