The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-03-16

cause it is nervous work. especially
when new at it. lights the fuse on his
striker. The fuse begins to "sizz" and
Spntter and spiral of smoke. like
that from a smOldering flag. rises from
it. The platoon splits in two and
ducks around the traverse nearest to
them. They don't like the loolS and
sound of the burning fuse. When thar
fuse begins to smoke ana "SiZz' You
want to say good-by to ii as soon as
possible so Tommy with oil his might
chuckS It over the top and Cr0ucheS
against the parapet, waiting for the
explosion.
Lots of times in bombing the jam
tin" would be picked up by til" Ger
mans. before it exploded, and thrown
back at Tommy with dire results.
After lot of men went West in this
manner an order was issued. reading
something like this:
ITO all ranks in the British army:
After igniting the fuse and before
throwing the jam-tin bomb. count
slowly one, two. three"
This in order to give the fuse time
enough to burn down. so that the bomb
would explode before the Germans
could throw it back.
Tommy read the order-he reads
them all. but after he ignited the fuse
and it began to Smoke-orderS We're
forgotten, and away she went in record
time and back she came to the further
discomfort of the thrower.
Then another order was issued to
count. lone hundred! two hundred .
three hundredw But Tommy didn't
care if the order read to count up to
Il thousand by quarters, he was going
to get rid of that liam tin" because
from experience he had learned not
To trust it.
When the powers that be realized
that they could not change Tommy
they decided to change the type of
bomb and did So-SuhStituting the
hair brush" the Cricket ball" and
later the Mills bomb.
The standard bomb used in the Brit
iSh army is the Mills" 1t is about the
shape and size of large lemon. Al
though not actually a lemon. Fritz in
siStS that it is; perhaps he judo ~ it
by the havoc caused by its eXI j. >icn.
The Mills bomb is made of steel. the
outside of which is corrugated into IS
small squares. which. upon the eXpl"-
sion of the bomb. scatter in & wild"
area. wounding or killing any Fritz
who is unfortunate enough to b. hi
by one of the flying fragments.
Although a very destructive ana et
ficient bomb the Mills" has the con
fidence of the thrower, in ti.It he
knows it will not explode until re.
leased from his grip.
1t is mechanical device, wit: q
lever, fitted into Il slot at the top,
which extends half way around the
circumference and is held in place at
the bottom by Il fixing pin. In this pir
there is small metal ring, for the
purpose of extracting the pin wher
ready to throw.
You do not throw a bomb the way d
baseball is thrown. because, when il
Il narrow trench. your hand is liable
to strike against the parados, traverse
or parapet, and then down goes the
bomb, and. in couple of seconds OF
so, up goes Tommy.
In throwing. the bomb and lever are
grasped in the right hand, the left foot
is advanced, knee stiff, about one and
a half its length to the front, while
the right leg, knee bent, is carried
slightly to the right. The left arm is
extended at an angle of 45 degrees,
pointing IN the direction the bomb IS to
be thrown. This position is SIMILAR
TO that Of shot putting. only thai the
right arm is extended downward. Then
you hurl the bomb from you with ar
overhead bowling motion, the same as
in cricket, throwing it fairly high in
the air, this in order to give the fuse
q chance to burn down so that when
the bomb lands, it Immediately ex
plodes and gives the Germans no time
to scamper out of it's range or to re
turn it.
AS the bomb leaves your hand. the
lever, by means Of spring, is projected
into the air and falls harmlessly tt
the ground a few feet in front Of the