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[Page 16]
The trenches were very so narrow and tortuous, and that two men passing each other, had to turn side on. The communication trenches were much wider so as to allow easy access to the firing line. From the front line to the main communication trench (called the Broadway) was about 20 yards in width and then the Ridge fell down straight for a 150 feet to a small flat, which then after that descended 100 feet further into Mule Gulley.
Brighton Beach was about 300 yards away and the road down to it was so steep and winding, that it took ten minutes to get down, and half an hour to return. My company moved to Russells Top, which is a continuance of Walkers Ridge, and much closer to the Turkish lines, being at places within bombing range. My job was to look after the bombs, ammunition etc., and to keep a good supply available. Several kinds of bombs were used; percussion, etc., but the most favored was the jam tin bomb. It was made; as its name denotes, from a jam tin, filled with cut cartridges and half a plug of gelignite with a detonator and a 5 second fuse attached. Another style was the bat grenade, which was of wood, with a cake of guncotton affixed, and it which caused more noise than damage. The Turks had several varieties and a peculiar kind was the skyrocket bomb. I had a narrow escape from one of these as it landed close to me squibbing, but did not explode properly. I examined it and found it was a large brass cartridge from a big gun and stood standing about 18 inches high and four inches wide at the base; and well packed with compressed gunpowder plugs and cartridges. A stick four feet long and two inches in diameter