Trench and camp. [volume] (Augusta, Ga.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-10
CARE OF EXPLOSIVES
MEMORANDUM ISSUED BY
GENERAL
Attention Again Called to In
structions Issued March q.
Carelessness Cause of 95 Per
3 Cent of Accidents.
VOL. 1.
TRAINING SECTION.
Handling Explosives.


Camp Hancock, Augusta, Ga,
April 8, 1918
The handling of explosives IS now or
soon will be, the constant work OF tne
members of the 2Sth Division. Ninety
five per cent. Of the accidents are due
to gross Carelessness. Realizing TINS,
Major General Muir ordered the pubilca-
ton and reading of a memorandum IN re-
gard to grenades. This order, as read e
each organization, follows:
HEADQUARTERS Twenty Eighth Division
Camp Hancock, Augusta, Ca,
March 2, 1918
Memorandum No. 1.
Grenades.
l. Grenades (Hand or Rifle) must al
ways be considered as very dangerous and
as being always loaded. even When they
give the appearance of being dummies:
g. Unless under instructions OF the
bombing officer of an organization, II IS
absolutely forbidden to pick up Grenades
bland or Rifle) found in any part of the
training ground, excepting the dummies
used in training.
8. Should grenade be observed on the
training ground, the spot where 1T hes
should be marked off by stick OF piece
of paper and an officer notified at once.
The officer notified will at once report
presence of this grenade to his organl-
cation commander who will detail the
bombing officer of the unit to destroy it.
q. Bombing officers destroying hand or
rifle grenades will carry out the follow
ing directions:
The grenade viii be picket up carefully
and finally removed and destroyed.
Rifle Grenades.
1st American Type, Rabbit. being a
percussion grenade, must be destroyed on
the spot by means of a high explosive;
under no circumstances should it be pick
End French Type v. B., should be pick
ed up carefully and destroyed as soon as
possible thereafter.
This roar0ora Ddun1 will be read by
all organization commanders to the en-
listed men.
BY command of Major General Muir.
Official: Edw. L. King,
David T. Davis 1t Col. General Staff,
Lieut. Col. Adjutant. Chief of Staff.
In every city with as large popula-
ton as we have in Camp Hancock, there
are daily many accidents which result In
the death of it's citizens, mostly due to
carelessness on the part of someone, but
this is no excuse for carelessness on the
part of anyone in Camp Hancock for in
this camp everyone is of mature age and
things are managed Systematically. The
distribution of all explosives and other
dangerous material is made with great
care and each man is instructed as to
it's use and cautioned about letting ltget
into the hands of people who do not real
ize it's dangerous qualities.
In the American soldier there is a
very commendable spirit. of "ShoW Me"
both as to the makeup of weapons and
use. AS commendable as this spirit may
be normally and if followed to reasonable
lengths, it becomes despicable when
through curiosity or a desire to ''slip one
over" one person endangers the life and
limb not only of himself but of his COM
rades by experimenting" with explosives
or dangerous weapons. 1t is always the
pistol that is not loaded that shoots one
best friend; it is always the shot that
cannot go off that explodes just in time
to MAIN one for life; it is always the boat
that cannot be sunk which goes down
with all on board.
If we expect to be a 1ive-wire, wide
awake organization we must realize our
selves and we must impress upon every
one else connected with the organization
the necessity of using care and good
sense in every act we do. BY using this
care and exercising good judgment, we
can eliminate 95 per cent. of the casual
ties which might occur to members of
this division. In order that every man in
the division might realize this, Maj. Cen
eral Muir caused the following order to
be issued and required every officer and
man in the division to either read 1t or
hear it read:
Headquarters Twenty Eighth Division.
Camp Hancock, Augusta, Ga,
April 8, 1918
Memorandum No. 1.
Explosives.
l. The attention of this command is
called to Memorandum No. /, Headquart-
ers 2Sth Division, dated March 2, 1918,
which will be read again by an officer to
the assembled company or similar unit.
2. In addition to reading this memoir
andum referred to, Company and similar
unit commanders will explain to their as
Bembled companies the danger in connec-
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