Ten Years Ago Today, item 12

• December 15, 2016 11:01:01 Jake Warren

  5

  Observe the result of the round as it is fired and

  send back to his guns corrections and alterations

  which will put the gun on to the correct line

  and elevation. Gunnery is an advanced science,

  it is in most cases a cold hard method of

  conducting warfare. There is no excitement in pulling

  the firing lever of a modern field gun or howitzer.

  everything is worked out with mathematical precision.

  in fact gunnery is mathematics. – and you know how

  exciting maths are.

                  Well as I was next on the roster of duty the

  Colonel of our Brigade detailed me to go up and act

  as observation officer for the brigade on this morning

  ten years ago. Now this was not an ordinary O.P.

  trench warfare O.P. often was a  very comfortable

  spell with a cosy dug-out, a good book, and very

  little to do. Sometimes it was different. I have spent

  an O.P. duty in the front line trench where to step

  off the duck-board was to go up to the knees in

  squelchy slimy water. And again I have spent

  O.P.’s in a gorgeous mined dug-out with the

  infantry H.Q.  where a good hot dinner, a game

  of cards, a whisky & hot coffee has seemed like

  civilisation. I once did a 48 hour trip in an

  old German mined dug-out absolutely shell proof

  with tunnels running in all directions; during the

  day time we observed, and at night back to

  a gay old Colonel of Infantry who after dinner

  played poker until dawn & at dawn I went

  back to observing & the Colonel went to bed.

• December 9, 2016 21:44:45 Sue Bryant

  5

  Observe the result of the round as it is fired and

  send back to his guns corrections and alterations

  which will put the gun on to the correct line

  and elevation. Gunnery is an advanced science,

  it is most cases a cold hard method of

  conducting warfare. There is no excitement in pulling

  the firing lever of a modern field gun or howitzer.

  everything is worked out with mathematical precision.

  in fact gunnery is mathematics. – and you know how

  exciting maths are.

                  Well as I was next on the roster of duty the

  Colonel of our Brigade detailed me to go up and act

  as observation officer for the brigade on this morning

  ten years ago. Now this was not an ordinary O.P.

  trench warfare O.P. often was a  very comfortable

  spell with a cosy dug-out, a good book, and very

  little to do. Sometimes it was different. I have spent

  an O.P. duty in the front line trench where to step

  off the duck-board was to go up to the knees in

  squelchy slimy water. And again I haqve spent

  O.P.’s in a gorgeous mined dug-out with the

  infantry H.Q.  where a good hot dinner, a game

  of cards, a whisky & hot coffee has seemed like

  civilisation. I once did a 48 hour trip in an

  old German mined dug-out absolutely shell proof

  with tunnels running in all directions; during the

  day time we observed, and at night back to

  a gay old Colonel of Infantry who after dinner

  played poker until dawn & at dawn I went

  back to observing & the Colonel went to bed.

  
  

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