LEFT-HANDERS IN THE ARMY

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21850, 31 December 1940, Page 5

LEFT-HANDERS IN THE ARMY

A PROBLEM. SAY RIFLE INSTRUCTORS (From Our Own Correspondent) LONDON. October 26. Inspecting British troops the other day the King came upon a left-handed soldier. He sympathised with the soldier. “It must make things very awkward,” he suggested. How does the left-hander fare in the modern army? The adjutant of a famous Guards regiment answered these questions this week: Is a soldier allowed to take his choice whether he learns to shoot left or right handed? “No. We make him shoot right handed. If, after practice and training he still proves to be hopeless, then we let him shoot lefthanded. But we don’t tell him that in advance.” Is it as easy to shoot left-handed? “No. I’s extremely awkward. With the bolt on the right-hand side the man has to bring his left hand across in front of his face to draw’ it back every time he reloads. Not only awkward but very tiring.” How many men ultimately fail to learn to shoot right handed? “Surprisingly few. We have a number of men who start by saying they are left handed. But out of the 1500 men we have here at the moment, only two have had to be allowed to shoot lefthanded.”