THE WAY OF THE SNIPER.
HIS DIFFICULT WORK DESCRIBED.
"You will all be glad to hear that an Old Boy, Lieut. Hami Grace (since killed), is to-day mentioned in despatches for coolness and daring when conducting a night patrol." writes Captain Cro»s. from Gallipoii. in a letter to the boys of Wellington College. "With one man he crawled through the scrub and hurled bombs into a Turkish picket, and then profited by their contusion to crawl still further and throw bom!).-, right into the Turkish trench. They had to lie in a watercourse till the hail of bullets, which the Turk* fired w:ldly into the darkness, had .subsided, and then crawl down a gully back to our lines. Ho i.> in command of our snipers, and has done good work in keeping down the enemy-snipers, who were very cheeky before Tie "took over.' Wlien we have been 'in rest.' T have gone on. his round* with him.
"Th!:- is the way our snipers work. Come with Hami and me down a steep gully below our position, to the foot of the main valley. On our left a> we face inland is the famous Ridge. which so many of our boys gave their 'ivcs to take. ();i mir right is our mo-r advanced post, rbe famous Post. which our battalion now holds. .Making our way warily up the valley, and dodging the danger spots, we come to a dry watercourse which we ascend some 60 yards. Here we drop into a e.irefnlly-dtig pit. and find two men in it. One is looking through a telescope, and the other has a rifle in his hal.d. He is a. picked shot. Xow you, as our guest, are given the telescope. Carefully parting the twigs, so as mi; to give away the concealed position, you push the telescope through, and directed by the sniper's observer focus on to witt-re he has located an enemy-sniper. You look and see nothing: but you must be patient. Fifteen minutes, half-an-hour passes, then you see the muzzle ot a rifle gently poked out. Our sniper, who knows the spot, takes aim and waits. Xext you see a blue cap and part of a face appear for a. moment and'then disappear. Then heis up and h-'s fi'r 1 a hasty shot. The bullet whisths down the valley, but stil! our sniper wait-. This occurs several times, till Master Turk gains confider.ee ;uid begiu.s to lake aim. Through the telescope he looks stai'tiinuly close. Again the blue cap with the red lace underneath. "There he is.' yon <ay. -Crack!' goes our sniuer's rifle almost in your ear. and the Turk sprawls grotesquely out of his loophole. After the lapse o'f a few minutes, someone pulls him away from behind. and with a grin of satisfaction our. -:iip-r adjusts his sights for another loophole. Ho % knows that no one will show himself at that particular nlace for some hours to come. Lieut. Grace makes an entry in his little book, with the sniD-.-r".s name and the date: ard we make our wav to the next post. We have been lucky enough to be pre>ciir when ear snipers ""'made a bag,' !■>!• ro <-\> this meat's hours, .sometime* days, of patient watching."
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OAM19151126.2.3
Bibliographic details
Oamaru Mail, Volume XL, Issue 12705, 26 November 1915, Page 1
Word Count
538THE WAY OF THE SNIPER. Oamaru Mail, Volume XL, Issue 12705, 26 November 1915, Page 1
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