Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-03-09
CHAPTER MI.
Bombing.

The boys in the section welcomed me
back. but there were many strange
faces. Several OF our men had gone
west in that charge. and were lying
somewhere in France" with little
wooden cross a their heads. We We're
in rest biliets The next day our cap
tain asked for volunteers for bombers'
school. l gave my name and wa sac
copied. ! had joined the Suicide Club,
and my troubles commenced. Thirty
two men OF the battalion. including
myself, were sent to l.. whore we
went through "A course in bombing.
Here we were instructed in the uses.
methods of throwing and manufacture
OF various kinds OF hand grcnadeS,
from the old jam tin" now obsolete,
TO tho present Mills bomb, the STAN
dard of the British army.
1t all depends where YOU are as to
what you arc called. In France they
call YOU n "hombcr" and give you
medals, 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
lighting as in many others. Al bomb
ing school an old sergeant OF the
Grenadier Guards. whom I had the
discouraEerents this branch of the ser
vice suffered before thcy could moe:
the Germans on an equal footing.
0acitists and small army people in
the United States please read with
careD The first English cSpcd:tionary
force had no bombs 1T all. but had
clicked 4 lot OF casualties from those
thrown by the Bochcs. One bright
morning some one higher up had an
idea. and issued an order detailing two
men from each platoon TO go TO bomb
ing SCHOOL to learn the duties of 4
bomber and how TO manufacture bombs.
Noncommissioned officers were gem
orally selected for this course. After
about two weeks at school they re-
turned to their units in rest billc;s or
in the fire trench, as the case might
be. and got busy eaching their
platoons how 10 make Jam tins"
Previously an order had been issued
for all ranks TO save empty jam tins
for the manufacture of bombs. 4 pro-
lessor Of bombing would sit on the
fire step in the front trench with the
remainder Of his section crowdinE
around TO see him work.
Tommy would stoop down. get an
empty jam tin" take handful OF
clayey mud from the parape;. and line
the inside OF the tin with this sub
stance. Then he would reach over, pick
up his detonator ana explosive, and
t44sNlk ihcIIi III lUt VIZ, lnt IuSt DlC-
trudine. on tn" fire step would be Il
pile of fragments Of shell. shrapncl
balls. bits OF iron. nails. etc. anything
that was hard enough to send over to
FriU; he would scoop up Il handful of
this junk and put il in the bomb.
fernaps one OF the platoon would ask
him what he did This for. and he would
explain that when the bomb explode
these bits would fly about and kill or
wound any German hit by same: the
questioner would Immediately pull "A
button off his tuaic and hand IL TO the
nomh-maker with. We'll. hlime me.
send this over as souvenir" or an
other Tommy would volunteer an old
rusty and broken jackk life; both would
be accepted and inserted
Then the professor would take an
other handful Of mud and fiji the tin,
after which he would punch hole In
the lid OF the tin and put II over IN.
top OF the bomb. the fuse sticking OUT.
: Then perhaps he would tightly wrap
wire around the outside OF the tin and
the bono was ready TO send over TO
Fritz with Tommys :. compliments.
piece OF wood about four inches
long and two 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 matchbox; IL was called Il
striker There was Il tip like the
mead OF match on the fuse OF the
! bomb TO ignite the fuse. you had to
| RIB IT on the Striker" Just the same
as striking n match. The fuse was
! timed 10 five seconds or longer. Some
/ or the fuses issued in those DAYS wcul,,
! burn down In second or two. Will.
others would "siZz" for n week before
! exploding. Back in Elighty the mu-
milton workers weren't quite M IN
! Sn"r the way they are now If thc
fuse took notion 10 burn too cui2I;ly,
they generally buried the bombmaEer
next day So making bombs couI,,
not be called "cushy" or safe Job.
TO he continued Tomorrow