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[page 13]
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consists of the 5th, 6th, and 7th Brigades (i.e. Battalions from 17th to 28th inclusive), and had preceded us by a week but instead of halting at a base had gone straight up to Billets at the front. Our job is to keep the 2nd. Division reinforced and they have only to telephone down for whatever men or officers they want and they get them next morning. Meantime we are continuing training within sound of the guns. Our training here is more practical than in Egypt and consists in Bayonet work, trench work, machine guns and bombing. Every man is made thoroughly conversant with the type of machine gun now in use and each of the officers must be capable of acting as 'machine gun officer' should occasion warrant it. Bombing is very interesting work and is carried out entirely with live bombs. One soon gets used to holding a fizzing bomb in one's hand knowing that in three seconds it is going to tear a hole in the earth large enough to bury an elephant. A longer fuse than this gives the enemy a chance to pick up the bomb and throw it clear. You are casually told by the instructor that owing to the unskilled labour now being employed in making the bombs in England the fuses cannot be depended upon, and they might go off any time. They are supposed to be timed for 5 seconds, and to make sure that the enemy has not time to throw it back you ignite and retain it 2 seconds in your hand before throwing. At first your eagerness to get rid of the beastly thing immediately after lighting is irrepressible - particularly after you have heard of the uncertain fuses - but you soon get used to it and I have seen chaps hold them to their ears to hear if the fuse was burning.
The weather was beastly cold, wet and windy when we arrived and we suffered rather severely from this combination, more particularly