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Introduction

David Taylor served in the 7th Company of the 4th Yorks regiment, no 1628. 

This note book was carried by David through the first World War. 

Davids daughter has kindly loaned me the book to transfer the information in it to this web site. 

Many Thanks to Davids Daughter Connie for allowing me to do this. 

Alison 

 

Page 1

Roll Call 

Sergt Massingham. C. 1390 
Sergt Rigg. H 
Cpl Clarkson. R. D. 1372 
Cpl Agar. W 1819 
Cpl Dawson. 2635 
L/Cpl Taylor. D. 1628 
Pte. Allinson. J. C. 2498 
Pte. Bell. R. 4041 
Pte. Brown. 2413 
Pte. Bell. J. E. 4045 
Pte. Butcher. T. 3843 
Pte. Burnette. J. 2912 
Pte. Cranston. J. 3874 
Pte. Carter. C. 3390 
(last two names unreadable, but numbers 4163 and 4814) 

 

Page 2

No 1 General Service Bomb 

(1) When the bomb is marked with a red band only it is charged with Lyddite. 

(2) When it has two bands red green it is charged with both Lyddite and T.N.T. 

(3) Cap of bomb is indented and slotted for turning, to safety in carrying, to allow to remove and to turn to position for firing. Inside of cap is striking pin for igniting detonator which is specifically made and inserted inside a cavity:- detonator. 


No 2. Hales Hand Grenade. 

(1) Brass body, longer short cane handle with streamers to keep head down when thrown. 

(2) Has small brass cylinder in centre containing detonator, anvil or striker and spring. 

(3) Anvil held in place by safety pin which passes right through brass body and striker pellet. 

(4) Always make sure that safety has handle fast before placing detonator in bomb. 

(5) Detonator very much like rifle, grenade only shorter. 

 

page 3 & 4

No 3. Hale's Rifle Grenade. 

(1) Segmented iron body. 

(2) Anvil held in place in a narrow brass cyclinder by two studs in neck of grenade. 

(3) Studs are held in place by wind vane, propellor shaped wheel which revolves whilst in the air allowing studs to fall out and free anvil or striker pellet which explodes detonator and bursts main charge making shrapnel of segmented iron body. 

(4) When at rest wind vane is held fast up by brass collar. 

(5) Brass collar held in position by Safety pin. 

No 5. Mills Grenade. (better than Egg bomb). 

(1) Egg shaped, iron segmented body, when grenade bursts forms sharpnel. 

(2) Alluminium lined. 

(3) Two holes in the alluminium sleeve, perpendicular one for spring, striker and sparking plug. Sloping one for detonator. 

(4) Very powerful spring and striker which when released fires ignition cap, lights fuse and explodes detonator thus exploding main charge. 

(5) Safety handle one side to be kept down until thrown. 
 

Page 5 & 6

No 6. Time and Friction 

(1) Heavy concussion bomb. 

(2) Thin Metal casing. 

(3) Heavily charged, T.N.T. 

(4) Specially prepared safety match-fuse and detonator. 

(5) Detonator - No 8 mark 7 

No 7. Time and Friction 

(1) Very similar to No 6, only 7 sometimes shrapnel. 

(2) Shrapnel held in place by wax. 

(3) Same detonator, safety match and fuse as no 6. 

(4) Inner cylinder contains charge. 

(5) Outer cylinder contains shrapnel. 

No 8. Double Cylinder or Jam Tin Bomb 

(1) Ammonal charge 

(2) Nobel lighter, 5 seconds fuse. 

(3) No 8 mark , 7 detonator. 

(4) No Shrapnel. 

No 9. Double cyclinder or Jam Tin Bomb 

(1) Ammonal charge. 

(2) detonated same as No 8. 

(3) Heavier bomb than 8 

(4) Outer cyclinder contains shrapnel packed in wax. 
 

Pages 7 & 8

No 12. Hair Brush. 

(1) Shaped like a collected box with Iron segmented sides. forming shrapnel when the grenade bursts. 

(2) Other sides are thin metal. 

(3) Used chiefly for trip wires. 

(4) Nobel lighter, ordinary fuse 

(5) No * mark, 7 detonator. 

Pitcher Bomb 

(1) Ammonal charge 

(2) Segmented iron body, cylinder shaped. 3 1/2 inch by 1 1/2 inch. 

(3) Ordinary detonator, special lighter. 

(4) Lugs on top for footing lighter. 

(5) Affix fusing yo suit distance to throw. 

Ball Bomb 

(1) Ball shaped as name infers. 

(2) Stong outer iron casing. 

(3) Strong Ammonal charge. 

(4) Copper detonator well 

(5) Ordinary detonator with a special lighter - brock lighter which is waterproof. 

(6) Lighter ignited by enemy or frictional rubbing. 

Newton Pippin 

(1) Ammonal charge 

(2) from segmented body - pear shaped 

(5) Cartridge case cut down for lighter. 

(6) Cap with pin on inside to strike anything solid, fires fuse and explodes bomb. 
 

page 9 & 10

The Lewis Automatic Machine Gun 

Gas Operated, Air Cooled 

Worked by two forces - gas and return spring. 

Weight 26lbs 

Empty magazine 1 1/2lbs, full 4 1/3lbs 

Divided into two parts - barrel group and body group 

Barrel group, consists of barrel which has a small hole about 4 inches from muzzle-: gas vent. 

Over this is clamped a ring to which the gas chamber is screwed and the gas regulator is fastened to this with the smallest hole in the rear, this is then keyed in position. 

The barrel is covered with an alluminium casing with vaines running length wise on barrel - for cold air to be drawn through. Round this is thin steel tubing which gets smaller in diameter towards the end. It is in two pieces the small end is clamped to the ?. It can be removed to get at the barrel mouthpiece. This is screwed on to the barrel by a left-handed screw. 

Body group consists of the mechanism of the rifle. 

Loading. To load, place the magazine on the magazine post with short channel to the right or white part to the rear. Pull back cocking handle to fullest extent. It is now fully loaded. Pull the trigger and while pressure is maintained will continue to fire until magazine is empty. 

Backward Movement 

A small portion of gases following the bullet are deflected through gas-vent - into gas chamber and through hole in gas regulator into gas cylinder, striking the cap shaped head of piston forces it back. The rack on piston engages with teeth of piston winding up the return spring. Nose of seer engages bent in piston. The striker post bearing against side camslot in bolt and takes the bolt freeing the locking lugs - from reccesses in body. The locking lugs are now in guide grooves and the striker post bearing against rear part of camslot pushes bolt back to its fullest extent. The extractors on bolt draw empty case from chamber. The rear of bolt knocks tail of ejector out of bolt way and the head swings in knocking empty cartridge off face of bolt out of ejector slot. The loss on feed arm actual tiny stud carries feed arm activating stud. 
 

No 13 platoon

Number  Name 

2691  Sergt Hartson A.    wounded / killed

2618  Sergt Barker H. 

1628  Cpl Taylor D.    wounded

1575  Cpl Egglestone E.A. 

1603  L/Cpl Atkinson A. 

2257  L/Cpl Pickering A. 

1591  Arnold L. 

4215  Beeforth W. 

4522  Clark E. 

8926  Fawcett G.W. 

4002  Groom A.W. 

2638  Hall G.W. 

3178  Husband W. 

2552  Scott A. 

2839  Tweddle G. 

1681  Waller G.F.    killed

966   Wiles J.    wounded

3925  Willden E. 

2960  Knaggs A. 

2803  Taylor D.    killed

2642  Wilding W.    wounded

4024  Boyes G. 

2634  Jackson W. 

1594  Jefferson J. 

4195  Jarvis T.     wounded

4700  Mohan G. 

4245  Rayner E. 

2575  Robertson G. 

1755  Robinson W.H. 

2824  Lever H. 

3513  Robinson J.N.   killed

           Fowler J.N. 

3147  Blake B.    killed

2650  Fletcher T.H. 

4697  Atkinson A. 

5357  McKen K.    missing

3119  Sheppard F.    killed

2192  Pearson T. 

4588  Micklethwaite F. 

4949  Brazier J.    missing

5455  Garbutt E. 

4440  Dickinson S.    wounded

4926  Callaghan V.G.    wounded

5464  Coates S.    missing

4026  Clayton H.L. 

           Slater M. 

3829  Kent J. 

1624  Bell G.    killed

4700  McManus P.    missing

3884  Fowler G.    missing

2723  Mohun E.G.  runner at 15

3281  Dunning J. 

4132  Dunn L. 

2582  Graham M. 

5225  Graham F. 

4044  Glendinning 

1622  Hesslewood J. 

3905  Hunt H. 

4524  Hunter S.W. 

4009  Hodgson H. 

4285  Knaggs 

3882  King D. 

4055  Lea A. 

1704  Magor E. 

4018  Marwood R. 

4138  Mayes P. 

4216  Newton A. 

4227 Smith A.B. 

123   Smallwood R. 

3394  Spence J. 

4574  Speak R. 

1815  Thorpe A. 

1712  Wood T.N. 

4253  Wright J. 

3820  Wright W. 

4092  Wright H. 

4577  Wisbey J. 

3838  Whitfield 

3907  Wilson J. 

4919  Welham 

1528  Wallace C. 

3452  L/Cpl Ward D.S. 

2829  Crosby C.    killed

3233  Peach B. 

2444  Jardine T.A.    wounded

3967  Pollock W. 

3075  Johnson J. 

3413  Amies G.    wounded

 

Visual Training

(1) to see the enemy 
(2) To recognise aiming point 
(3) To report what is seen 
(4) To understand instructions 

Visual training is to:- 
(1) Train the eyes to see 
(2) The brain to understand 
(3) To learn expressions of lips 
(4) Comparison of vocabulary 

Attached visual training is the trainig of the ear. 

Stages of visul training: 

Barracks 
Open vicinity 
Examination of ground 
Recognition 
 

Judging distance

Breaking method in judging sdistances 

Think of the maximum and minimum distance and average 

1400 - 900 - 1150 
 

Judging by sound

Sound travels 365 yds 

i.e 
If a rifle puffs and you hear sound 
fire sounds after. 730 yds

 

Aiming 1st stage

Object - absolute accuracy 
Appliances - rifle aiming rest

 

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