AN INTERESTING SOUVENIR.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXV, Issue 8215, 12 August 1915, Page 6

AN INTERESTING SOUVENIR.

UNEXPLODED TURKISH BOMB

WELLINGTON, August 11

An interesting souvonir straight from the hard-won trenches of Gallipoli -as been received from Captain A. J. Cross (formerly a master at Wellington College), by Mr J. P. Firth (Principal of tho College). It is'an unoxploded hand-grenade thrown by the Turks into the „ New Zealanders' trendies. Tho bomb is about the size of a cricket ball, weighs just on 21b, and can be comfortably accommodated in the palm of the. hand. It has a brass top, which can be unscrewed, and attached to this is a small brass ring. The b-oinb is beautifully made, and has a. fv.fw attached to it. The unique token arrived in an empty and much-dented tin, which had apparently contained bully, boof, and which was neatly stitched up in a piece of undershirt. < A piece of the same garment was utilised as packing. • ■ In a letter under separate cover, written in lead-pencil on a scrap of yellow paper, and dated June 16, Captain Cross has something interesting to say regarding this particular bomb ho has forwarded, and bombs in general: "This is the type of bomb the gentle foeman is at present throwing into our trench here. The trenches are, in place's,-15 yards apart, ' so you may giiess that we do not suffer from ennui. The modus operandi is as follows: A bomb, or to be most accurate, a grenade (as you see it) falls fizzing into our trench. A man specially told off for' the purpose, throws an overcoat over it to localise the effect, and our own bomb-throwers send back, three-of our bombs. This bomb did .not explode. I got oa<: of o'.ir engineers to extract the explosive, a yellowish powder, and the detonator, so that it is now quite harm-, less. They explode upwards at a steep angle, so that if one throws oneself face down they are quite harmless. At a few feet away, however, one killed Captain Goulding a few days ago. I understand he also was an ex-master of Wellington College. Poor old Bruce Morrison is at present in hospital suffering from the effects of splinters from a bomb like this.

" ' Sock it into 'em, boys, give 'em three for one/ is the advice of General B , and our fellows take an unholy glee in doing so. Big ■ 'Tiny' O'Neill, of my Company, has a stiff arm as a result of throwing 170 bombs in one day."