The diamond drill., 1918-11-23
sERcT. GooDNEy's LETTER.
CONTINUED from Page Two)

dcTOSSt ABOUT Two ullith VI salt WatcAF
quitting me in mind of the time when
we lived at Nefoundland) Five mine
utes walk from the dock brought us
TO the camp and range.
1t didn't take us long to drop our
packs and hike Cor beat IT'D down to
the beach for a wash. which always
feels quite refreshing after travelling.
Mess call was soon sounded, and,
believe me, those iackies who waited
on table had big job on hand TO
fiji us up, but this was finally accom-
plished. We were told 10 be ready
for formation at o'clock; this gave
us a few minutes 10 look over the
camp and / found II to be better and
much different from what / thought II
would be.
There are three courses, or range
the navy range and the navy expert.
There is also pistol range for the
officers, however | was over and had
an opportunity to try out the Colt au-
tomatoes which the government issues.
At 2 O'Clock we fell in and were
marched over TO the army range to
try our luck. as we thought, but as
long as we qualified we didn't get an
opportunity to shoot again. was the
third man up, there being four men
to a target. We had TO shoot five
shots from the prone position. five
from the kneeling position, and five
from the sitting position and 5 from
the squatting position, making a total
Of 100 points, providing each was a
bull's-eye (Which counts five points,
next circle 4, next 3, next 2. ran up
so points then we had TO go through
the same position at rapid fire, the
targets appearing for 30 seconds, then
disappearing and IL was up to US tt
get the shots fired in the best way
we could before they went down. |
pulled down so, whicn is considered
good work, and the total gave me 10
points, $50 being enough to qualify for
marksman. This was done while fir
ing at l6 inch target from the 200-yd.
line.
The next morning ! was put down
in the butts, as they are called
setting up the targets and marking
them and SO on-some job, I'll say
In the afternoon about 200 of us
were picked out to shoot the army
sharp-shooter course, consisting OF
the same sized target and startling at
the 200-yard line. We had to shoot 5
shots standing, then walk up to the
300-yard line shoot more kneeling,
then back to the 400-yard line, shoot
3 more sitting, and at the 500-yard
our stomachs, or prone as it's called.
We had 15 minutes rest, then start
ing from the 500-yard line we wero
given 80 seconds to shoot s shots,
then 1h minutes to run down to the
400-yard line get set. fire more, sit
ting, In 30 seconds skirmish To the
300-yard line, and more shots kncel-
ing in the same length Of time, and az
last run to the 20O-yard limo and fire
5 more shots at the standing position
This finished the shooting for Thurs
day. but as there were four men shoJt-
Ing on target 1t took until almost
4:30 o'clock before we finally got our
scores, my score being 50, going up,
and 20 coming down on the skirmish
run. The rest of the time until $3.50
was given us In which TO clean our
rifles, and believe me, | gave mine
some cleaning, they say that rife is
a soldiers best friend so took good
care OF mine to see that II had plenty
OF oil, etc
After supper most of us went to the
city on the liberty boat, and went to
show (picture) called "Kultur," and
also looked over the town a little, but
there wasn't mush to see. so we final
ly got into our hunks at about IL.
Friday morning II was cold with
frost all over. also very foggy, but
at 1880 about so OF us that qualified
as sharp-shooters were marched down
to the navy expert course TO try our
| luck. and luck Il was, because II was
so foggy and the sun was shining al
most in our eyes so we couldn't see
the targets at all until nearly
o'clock, and 14-inch target at 500
yards looks pretty small anyways
Well, was lst man up on target IL
shooting / clip tor shells from the
prone. kneeling, squatting and sitting
positlons) at slow fire. / pulled
own 6S points, that's two below pass.
fvv tho ofhor two faiiowq uho shot nr