The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1918-04-11


In rest billets. The next day our cap
tain asked for volunteers for bombers'
school, | gave my name and WAS ac-
cepted. had Joined the Suicide club,
and my troubles commenced. Thirty
two men of the battalion, including my
self, were sent to L, where we
went through course In bombing.
Here we We're instructed In the uses,
methods of throwing and manufacture
of various kinds of hand grenades,
from the old Jam tin" row obsolete,
to the present Mills bomb, the standard
of the British army.
1t all depends where you are as to
what you are called. In France they
call you bomber" and give you med
ais while in neutral countries they
call you an anarchist and give you
life"
From the very start the Germans
were we'll equipped with effective
bombs and trained bomb throwers, but
the English army was as little pre-
pared In this important department of
fighting as in many others. At bomb
Ing school an old sergeant of the Gren-
adler guards, whom | had the good
fortune to meet told me of the discour-
agements this branch of the service
suffered before they could meet the
Germans on an equal footing. (Paci-
fists and small army people in the
u. S. please read with care) The first
English expeditionary forces had no
bombs at all. but had clicked a lot of
casualties from those thrown by the
Boches. One bright morning someone
higher up had an idea and issued an
order detailing two men from each
platoon to go to bombing school to
learn the duties of a bomber and how
to manufacture bombs. Noncommis-
stoned officers were generally selected
weeks at school they returned to their
units In rest bllets or in the fire
trench. as the case might be, and got
busy teaching their platoons how to
make "jam tins"
Previously an order had been issued
for all ranks TO save empty jam tins
for the manufacture of bombs. A pro-
fessor of bombing would sit on the
fire step in the front trench with the
remainder of his section crowding
around to see him work.
On his left would be n pile of empty
and rusty jam tins, while beside him
on the fire step would be a miscella-
af ial In
the manufacture of the "jam tins"
Tommy would stoop down, get an
empty "jam tin," take a handful of
clayey mud from the parapet, and line
the inside of the tin with this sub
stance Then he would reach over,
pick up his detonator and explosive,
and insert them In the tin, fuse pro-
truding. On the fire step would be a
pile of fragments of shell, shrapnel
balls, bits of iron, nails, etc.-anything
that WINS hard enough to send over to
Fritz; he would scoop up handful of
this junk and put it in the bomb. Per
haps one of the platoon would ask him
what he did this for, and he would
explain that when the bomb exploded
these bits would fly about and kill or
wound any German hit by same; the
questoner would Immediately pull n
button off his tunic and hand Ii to
the bomb maker with, "Well, blame
me, send this over as a souvenir" or
another Tommy would volunteer an
old rusty and broken jackknife; both
would be accepted and inserted.
Then the professor would take an
other handful of mud and fill the tin,
after which he would punch a hole In
the lid of the tin and put 1t over the
top of the bomb, the fuse sticking out.
Then perhaps he would tightly wrap
wire around the outside OF the tin. and
the bomb was ready to send over to
Fritz with Tommy's compliments.
A piece of wood about four inches
wide had been issued. This was to be
strapped on the left forearm by means
of two leather straps and was like the
side OF match box; 1t was called
STRIKER" There was a tip IKE the
head Of a match on the fuse Of the
bomb. To ignite the fuse, You had to
rub 1t on the STRIKER" Just the same
as striking q match. The fuse was
timed to Ave seconds or longer. Some
of the fuses issued In those days would
burn down In a second or tive. while
others would -six3" for . week before
exploding. Back in Bnxhty the NUM-
ton workers weren't quite up to nuh.
the way they are now. II the fuse took
a notion to burn too quietly they 0en-