to sending showers of 'fishtails' whenever
a rifle-grenade was loosed off. The 'fishtail' was a small
trench-mortar bomb, which the Germans substituted for the
rifle-grenade and used with great effect. Needless to say our
demonstrations were not very popular with the infantry in the front
line. But Capt. Vernon Merivale, M.C., appeared to take a special
delight in these harassing shoots.

FOOTNOTES:

[5] Brigade Transport, Capt. Kinsella; 7th N.F., Capt. B. Neville; 6th
N.F., Lieut. F. Clayton; 5th N.F., Lieut. M.G. Pape; 4th N.F., Lieut.
W.M. Turner.

[6] 2nd-Lieuts. Toon and Thompson (6th N.F.) and Lawson and Woods (7th
N.F.).

X

THE BRIGADE BOMBING SCHOOL

The staff of instructors at the Bombing School consisted of three
highly trained sergeants--two of these had been instructors at the
50th Divisional Bombing School which was now given up. Sergt. Hogg of
the 5th N.F. and Sergt. P. Flannigan of the 4th. N.F. took it in turns
to be at the school and at the Brigade Bomb Store. So with Sergt.
Moffat, who was now appointed Brigade Bombing Sergeant, I had always
two to help me at the school.

On the two bombing days sixteen untrained men came from the battalion
resting at Locre and sixteen others from the battalion resting at R.C.
Farm.

During the two days these men had to be sufficiently instructed to
throw three live Mills grenades. Generally they threw one live grenade
apiece after the first day's instruction, and the two others the
second day. The first thing was to give a lecture to the men,
explaining the nature of the Mills grenade and the proper way to hold
it and throw it.

After this a party of sixteen men were lined up in two lines, about
forty yards apart, and each of the eight men in turn threw a dummy
grenade towards the man opposite him. The instructor had to be careful
that the man threw in the correct way and held his grenade right. The
action of throwing the grenade was more like bowling overhand than
throwing. After about an hour of this the first party of men, eight in
number, went down to the firing-trench, which had to be 200 yards
clear of any troops. There were two sandbag walls, breastworks, about
five feet high--the one in front with a small traverse wall. At the
front wall stood the recruit, the sergeant-instructor, and the Brigade
Bombing Officer. In front about thirty yards away was a deep pit,
mostly full of water, which had been excavated by innumerable grenades
thro