Lieutenant Rex
Sunday 9th April 1916: Rifle grenades, as their name
suggests, are grenades fired from rifles. The grenade looks a bit like a
lollypop as it is fitted with a six-inch long “stick” which does down the
barrel of the rifle. When the rifle is fired with a blank cartridge the grenade
is propelled a greater distance than it could be thrown. This gives infantry,
in effect, a light, portable mortar. It is reported that rifles have to be
dedicated to this purpose as the rod damages the barrel making them useless for
firing bullets with any accuracy.
Lime ordinary
grenades, those on sticks are not always reliable. A few days ago Lieutenant
Rex and three other ranks of the 1st Bedfords were injured by a rifle grenade
with exploded prematurely.
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