World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, Australian
At once quite a number of the sergeant's pupils present fags, and having
made a selection and put a few in his pocket for future use, the
sergeant proceeds:
'There's another man I want to tell you about—Captain Shout, V.C., of
the 1st Battalion. 'E was throwing bombs at such close range at the
Turks that 'e had to have three lit at once for 'im, and 'e fired them
just so as they would explode among the enemy. 'E kept this up a long
time, and 'eld the enemy up, but one burst too near 'im, and after some
time, he died of 'is wounds. A great loss to the A.I.F., believe me. You
needn't worry about such-like 'appenings now; only one in two thousand
of our Mills' grenade goes wrong, and with the odd one you've got your
sporting chance.
'Now, what about bombs that land close to you, sometimes thrown by the
enemy, and sometimes by accident, our own, when a man 'its the side of
the trench? Don't be too scared. Even then bombs is 'armless properly
treated. Get behind a traverse if there is one. If not, then you render
the live bomb 'armless. Gather round. I'll show you.'
Sitting on a chair, he took a bomb, and, after counting three, threw it
on the ground, not a great way off. The men scatter for all they are
worth; but the sergeant, having thrown an overcoat over the bomb, calmly
resumes his seat. Crash! goes the bomb at the fifth second. The coat
rises with the bomb, the fragments drop harmlessly around, and the coat
is not much worse.
'Now then, let that learn you to throw sand-bags, blankets, your own
overcoat or some such thing over a bomb, and ten to one no 'arm will
follow.
'Did you ever hear of Mulga Bill at Quinn's Post? A bomb dropped in the
trench amongst them, and 'e promptly put a sand-bag from the parapet on
top of it. To make sure, 'e sat on top of the sand-bag. When it exploded
'e went up with the bag a little way. 'E came down all right and none
the worse. But 'e was _narked_--annoyed, to find his chums laughing at
'im. "What are yer laughing at?" 'e said. "I did that to save you
fellows, but I'll never do it again."
'That's where Mulga Bill was wrong. He done right, except sitting on top
of it. That was an extra act—a sort of curtain-raiser at the wrong end
of the play.
'Let that learn you not to put 'ard substances on a live bomb. It don't
take kindly to pressure. I'll show you. Gather round.'
The instructor then proceeds to throw another bomb. As, counting three,
he throws the bomb down, he proceeds quickly to put a sheet of
corrugated iron on it.
'Now,' he cries, 'run like hell!'--and he showed them the example.
The bomb, exploding, sends fragments, throws the torn iron all around,
and the men have learnt another strange lesson in regard to the
behaviour of bombs.
Notwithstanding the confident handling of bombs by this expert, I am
privately of opinion that men should beware of 'the familiarity which
breeds contempt' in the matter of bombs.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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