Norwich bulletin., 1918-02-06
CHAPTER M-continueds
Over the Top.

.t
 Then something hit me in the left shoulder and my left side went numb. | It felt as if a hot poker was being driven through me. I felt no pain - just sort of nervous shock. A bayo- net had pierced me from the rear. fell backward on the ground, but was not unconscious, because could see dim objects moving around me. Then 1! a flash of light in front of my eyes ] and unconsctousness. Something had ! hit me on the head. I have never found out what it was.
 I dreamed I was being tossed about in an open boat on a heaying sea and opened my eyes. The moon was shining. I was on a stretcher being carried down one of our communica- ton trenches. At the advanced first aid post my wounds were dressed, and then was put into an ambulance and sent to one of the base hospitals. The wounds in my shoulder and head were not serious and in six weeks l had rejoined my company for service in the front line.
 CHAPTER XII.
 Bombing.
 The boys in the section welcomed me back. but there were many strange
 
 West, in that charge, and were lying somewhere in France" with a little wooden cross at their heads. We were in rest billets. The next day, our cap- tain asked for volunteers, for bombers' school. I gave my name and was ac- cepted- I had joined the Suicide Club, and my troubles commenced. Thirty two men of the battalion. including myself. were sent to L., where we went through a course in bombing Here we were instructed in the uses methods of throwing, and manufac- ture of various kinds of hand gren- ades, from the old jam tin,'' now ob- solete, to the present Mills bomb, the standard of the British Army.
 It all depends where you are as tc what you are called. In France they call you a bomber" and give you medals, while in neutral countries they call you an anarchist and give you life" From the very start the Germans were well equipped with effective bombs and trained bomb-throwers but the English Army was as little prepared in this important depart. ment of fighting as in many others. Al bombing school an old sergeant oi the Grenadier Guards, whom I ha(
  the discouragements this branch O the service suffered before they could meet the Germans on an equal foot ing. (Pacifsts and small army peo- ole in the U. $. please read witt care.) The first English Expeditionar, force had no bombs at all, but ha( clicked lot of casualties from thos' thrown by the Boches. One brigh morning someone higher up had al idea and issued an order detailing twt men from each platoon to go to bomb ing school to learn the duties of { bomber and how to manufactur bombs. commissioned officer were generally selected for thi course. After about two weeks a school they returned to thefr units il rest billets or in the fire trench a the case might be and got busy teach ing their platoons how to make 'jan tins''
 Previously an order had been is : sued for all ranks to save empty jan e tins for the manufacture of bombs. : Professor of Bombing would sit on tn fire step in the front trench. with tn remainder of his section crowdin around to see him work.
 On his left would be a pile of empt and rusty jam tins, while beside mir on the fire step would be a miscel laneous assortment of material use in the manufacture of the jam tins. Tommy would stoop down, get a empty jam tin," take a handful C clayey mud from the parapet and lin the inside of the tin with this sub stance. Then he would reach ove pick up his detonator and explosiv and insert them iE the tin. fuse pro truding. On the fire step would be pile of fragments of shell, shrapn balls bits of iron. nails, etc.-any thing that was hard enough to sen over to Fritz; he would scoop up handful of this junk. and put it in tI bomb. Perhaps one of the platod would ask him what he did this fo and he would explain that when tl bomb exploded these bits would f