Organisations > Roll of honour of Caxton House Printing Office, Dundee

Andrew Towns
shots. But far ahead in some cranny in the rocks, or
sheltering behind some scrap of ruined dwelling, there
crouches the officer at the observation post — it is he
who sees the target, who sees the spot to which each
shell is sent. Under his control is a telephone, which
a wire connects with his battery of guns. With a
word he. can bid them fire or cease to fire, he can
order them to raise or lower, he can move them to
the right or to the left.
To-day now, what hears our telephonist who sits
in his telephone pit in the centre of our battery of
guns, his telephone receiver at his ear? What hears
he from the officer in his observation post of danger
a mile, or two, or three away ? Listen ! — " Corrector,
140. Range, 2500. Depression, 20 minutes. Report
when ready."
Our four gunners bestir themselves to make the.
necessary adjustments, then our telephonist speaks into
his telephone — "No. 1 ready, sir!" And the officer
whispers back along the wire — " No. 1 — Fire ! " or " No. 1
— Six rounds rapid fire."
Was Andrew Towns greatly startled when the gun
first fired its shell ? No, but what surprised him was
the lightning speed of the recoil — so violently back-
ward, then forward again before he could wink.
"Must the gun," we asked him, "be aimed afresh
for every shot ? "
" Not altogether," he replied ; " as the spade of the
gun has already embedded itself firmly in the ground
the gun itself cannot travel backward, but it wall re-
quire to be slightly readjusted by means of the short
traverse handle until the wonderful No. 7 Dial Sight
has its aiming point (be it tree or stone or steeple — be
it before the gun or behind) focussed exactly upon
the crossing of the threads in its eyepiece."
" After your gun had been fired with a pull of the
firing lever, what did you do next ? " we asked further.
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