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Hi, I've recently been going through some of my late father's photographs taken during his army days in Palestine in the late '40s & came across the following image:
Attachment 30152
It obviously looks like some kind of training exercise, but can anyone say exactly what they're doing?
Cheers,
Kevin
They are almost certainly doing "target indication" training. I.e. they are learning to describe the location of a target/enemy either by reference to a visible object (as in the picture, "a hand's width to the right of the minaret") or to an imaginary clock face.
The No5s on aiming stands are probably being used to point to the "enemy" that they then have to locate & describe to the rest of their section.
Dead right. Target identification, recognition and indication plus range estimation. I used to teach it using exactly the same kit/method but using L1A1's. Still current today. The bore of the first rifle is 'aimed' at the target given by one of the class and the second rifle is 'aimed' using the sights, with the sights set to the 'shooters' estimation of the range.
It's a great means of teaching or background activity on a range plus you can always make it a competition with a few £££'s for the winner and the losers making the tea or picking up the brass
If it was my class, the rifle would have been pointing at the minarette in the right background
Thank you very much to both of you - another little mystery solved :)
Kevin
That photo is just begging for the sort of captions that Spike Milligan did in his wonderful books.
Any takers?
It looks like they're all saluting and saying '........seig heil o' wonderful fuhrer'
Those aiming rests must have been in service as long as the Enfield Rifle family.
http://www.rifleman.org.uk/Aim_teaching_devices.htm
Gunner Milligan! You and Edgington .........
My dad taught me to aim and shoot from one of those rests when I was little, using a No8. When I'd aimed and consistently hit the bull, he let me use the rifle in the prone position over a sandbag. My scores have gone downhill ever since!
Are they overlooking the sea? Is that a ship in the background?
The finger method of target indication?Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Laidler
Waving to the Grand Mufti perhaps?:lol:
Peter, I didn't know that you were once a little kid, I just thought you'd been a big kid all your life.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Laidler
Private Pike eh!. I vill remember your name Pike.......
Don't tell him, Pike!
Yes to both, Peter - the photo's not captioned unfortunately, but I suspect it was taken in Haifa, overlooking the bay.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Laidler