This page has already been transcribed. You can find new pages to transcribe here.

Transcription

[Page 391]

bursting overhead & generally the bulk of the contents & pieces of shrapnel bursts forward (on a time fuse) & the back burst is reckoned not nearly so dangerous, however when a "Nose Cap" splashed into the water of the very shell hole next to where they were working & another "Cap" landed in amongst the timber 6 feet on their right, those men just thought that the range was becoming a little too accurate & moved back into the trench for 10 minutes. Of course if a "Nose cap" from any sized shell hits a man he knows nothing about it. It is an ugly thing to stop, although one to be greatly admired "when at rest" on account of the wonderful mechanical work shown in its manufacture.

One one's first acquaintance with the firing line the discovery of a "nose cap" always attracted quite a lot of admiring attention on account of the workmanship shown in the making and adjusting of its various scales, for timing the explosion of the shell, as precise as many expensive and treasured instruments, not of warfare. Further acquaintance with them dulls the admiration and considerably lessens the interest.

A casual examination of a box of even very small shells gives one a very good idea of the amount of money time & skill being consumed in this war. The small shells (18 pounders) are carefully packed in close fitting frames, inside splendidly made, boxes & the "Nosecap" of each shell is protected with a beautifully fitting little rubber cap.

That these shells can be made & fired away by the million is a wonderful acknowledgment of the good work carried out by Mr Lloyd George when acting as Minister of Munitions, when even experts thought that the time necessary to supply the demand for shells for the British in France would

Current Status: 
Completed