TWO LETTERS MAY BE DELIVERED

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 298, 13 September 1941, Page 10

TWO LETTERS MAY BE DELIVERED

Man Who Faces Sudden Death BRITON’S JOB OF WORK (BritlUi Official Wireless.) (Received September 12, 7 p.m.) RUGBY, September 11. Two letters will lie on a padre's desk at an anti-aircraft headquarters in the Midlands for the next few days. At the end of this time they will either be returned to the writer, a second-lieutenant in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, or they will be delivered to his mother and fiancee. The destination of the letters will depend upon the outcome of two dangerous jobs on which the officer will be engaged shortly. Already he has faced sudden death on many' occasions during the past few weeks. ’ With a few other members of the corps he has taken part in removing and destroying more than 14,000 pounds of high explosives, aud all this explosive was in a dangerous condition and liable to explode at the slightest touch. Now the officer will be faced with two of the most difficult tasks of his army career. With two senior officers and a few specially appointed helpers he will, first, carry SOOlbs. of gelignite stores in a dump to a truck, in which it will be driven to a selected spot for detonation; and, secondly, he will convey 7501 b. of gelignite on stretchers from another dump for similar purposes. It is not possible to explode the gelignite in its present position in either case, as it would endauger personnel aud property. Recent Experiences.

While engaged in these tasks the men will wear rubber, boots, and all metal objects will be removed from their clothing to reduce the risks of an explosion. Stringent measures will be taken to guard against accidents. The police in the areas will have been informed arid the ‘local residents warned to evacuate temporarily to a safety zone, and the route along which the van will travel will be closed to other traffic.

During the past few weeks the officer and his helpers have had many experiences. On one occasion, with a staff sergeant who he recommended in his report for brave conduct, he entered a deep pit to move a quantity of gelignite which had only partially detonated. Though a mere finger pressure would have set them off, they lifted up the sticks and placed them together in heaps, and the whole lot was successfully exploded. On another occasion unexploded sticks of gelignite were hurled ou to a roadway by the force of an explosion. Three other officers of high rank rushed after them, and though the sticks were smoking they carried them to a place of safety.