Lieutenant H de Buriatte [X550/1/81]
Saturday 7th
August: Lieutenant H de Buriatte of the 2nd Bedfords tells us that he has been
put in charge of a newly formed sniper squad. Sniping, or picking off
individual soldiers at range using telescopic sights, is something at which the
enemy has been our master hitherto. By collecting the best shots in the
battalion together and by nominating them as snipers it is hoped that we will
now begin to catch up. Snipers only kill a handful of men compared to the great
killers – artillery and machine guns, but their effect on morale is out of all
proportion to the numbers they “bag”.
A sniper
means one is frightened to show any portion of oneself over the parapet at any
time, causing men to creep about bent over like their grandfathers and this
continual fear eats away at even the strongest nerves.
Explorer,
adventurer, big game hunter and Hampshire fast bowler Major Hesketh
Hesketh-Prichard has been put in charge of training for our armies’ snipers. He
points out the need for telescopic sights, as the army presently has very few.
These bring the image of the target sharply into focus and closer to the firer,
making a killing shot more certain. It is hoped that appeals to private
individuals for sights and for hunting rifles will yield enough for the first
few snipers to use.
The Battalion
also heard today that Major Cranleigh Onslow has been promoted to temporary
Lieutenant-Colonel and Lieutenant J W Hurrell to Temporary Captain.
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