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[Page 17]
was attached, and came in handy for boiling the "dixies"; hence our nickname, "firewood bombs". They were hurled by some ingenious contrivance about 50 feet in the air, and had no direction practically speaking, but wandered according to the vagaries of the wind; sometimes 200 yards from the starting point. I saw one blow back into the Turks trench, and explode when the wind was against them it.
Demonstrations were occasionally held; that is, a brisk rifle fire was directed on the enemy trenches, so as to bluff, that we were about to attack and then by his return fire ascertain his apparent strength. Sometimes the warships would assist us by shelling for a while and keep him thinking. On the 12/Oct/15, our boys were throwing bully beef into the Turkish trenches; and after a while, a sort of armistice was held, both sides appeared appearing head and shoulders over the trenches, and the Turks threw cigarettes and tobacco in exchange. It did not last long as the Turks suddenly disappeared; so did our lot. Evidently a German officer came along and disapproved of their action. We waited awhile and then a Turkish machine gun played slowly along the bottom of our parapet, so as to give us warning, then bombs were thrown as usual.