SAD BOMBING ACCIDENT

Otago Witness, Issue 3291, 11 April 1917, Page 23

SAD BOMBING ACCIDENT

DEATH. OF A NEW ZEALAND OFFICER. (From Otje Own Correspondent.) . Gloom was cast over the 'New Zealand camp at Sling when the news became known of the death, caused through a bombing accident, of Lieutenant George Frederick Carey, of the Canterbury Regiment. . He sustained a fracturo of the skull, and Lieu-tenant-colonel P. C. Femvick, in command of- the Codford Hospital, who performed an operation, said the case was a hopeless ope. - Lieutenant Carey was battalion bombing , officer, and Cantain Ernest Mitchell Gabites, j who gave cvfdcnco at the ' inquest, was group bombing officer, and took charge of all the bombing. He said that on the day i of tho accident Lieutenant Carey was in charge of the central bay, and was instructing Private Hounsell, who appeared to bo nervous. Lieutenant, Carey took every pre- j caution with the man, and after tho pin . had been drawn out of the grenade ho , would not allow Hounsell to throw for at i least two or three minutes. It was tho . first of two grenades which were to bo i thrown, and the delay was made in order : to give the man time to cret confidence in himself. Deceased gave further instructions as to how to throw the grenado_ properly, but Private Hounsell threw it in such a way that it landed on the top of the parapet which was about 4ft high. The clay was wet, and owing to the force of the throw, the grenade sank into it. Lieutenant Carey tried to grasp it. Hero the Coroner asked if there was no chance of getting out of this bay. and Captain Gabites said there was. The office* failed to grasp the missile, and then did the only thing possible—he pushed the man down to the bottom of the bay right up close to the parapet. He then attempted to get down himself as low to tho ground as ho could, and while doing so the grenade burst downwards, in such a way that both officer and private were struck with shrapnel, tho former being hit in the head and shoulder. The latter sustained a slight scalp wound at the back of the head. Replying to the question why the grenada lodged" where it did, Captain Gabites said he thought Hounsell was in a state of nervousness and grasped it ticditly, and while in the act* of throwing, instead of lettinc it go at the right moment, he brought his hand down on the top of the bay and left the grenade in the clay. There was plenty of timo for them to get away. Indeed, he had warned the deceased officer to discontinue tho practice of pickinc: "up these grenades in the bays when they landed there, and Lieutenant Carey agreed that he must carry out tin's order. After medical attention had been procured, tho officer was placed in an ambulance and taken a distance of about 16 miles to the Now Zealand Hospital at Codford. There is a hospital at Bulford. about a mile distant, but Lieutenant Sidney Rhind, N.Z.M.0., explained that tliere were no facilities at the Bulford Hospital. He said that tho officer had a hole behind his right ear about the size of a shilling. This communicated through ' the skull, which was fractured right, into the brain. There w-as no chancs of recovery. Lieutenant-colonel P. C. Fenwick, N.Z. M.C., gave evidence that an Operation was performed, but it was a hopcless_ and the officer died the same evening, death being due to a fracture of the skull from a bullet wound. Private Hounsell was suffering from slia'hfc j concussion and was not well enough to give. evidence. The Coroner expressed the opinion that where a large number of froons were congregated some facilities should be given . in case of accidents. It was ridiculous that ; a man should be put in an ambulance and • taken for 16 miles over bumpy roads before receiving proper attention. The jury, returning a verdict of ace : den- ' tal death, agreed with the coroner that better facilities for accidents should be provided at Sling Camp.