Newsletter August 2013 - Moth

Winston Churchill Shellhole
Old Bill : Johan Meiring, (031) 2622671 or 076 202 1558
P.O.Box 55, Westville, 3629
August 2013 Newsletter
Delville Wood Parade 16 th July
There was an excellent turn-out of 11
members of Winston Churchill Shellhole amongst 70
Moths on parade at Flame Lily Park in the VC
Corbishley Hall to honour the memory of the South
African troops who died at the battle of Delville Wood.
Under the watchful eye of VC Corbishley are,
from the left, Moths Nolan Goldstone, Warren
Burgess, Tony van Heerden, Vernon Rudolph, Fred
Johnson, Old Bill Johan Meiring, Roy Sanders, Adj
Tony Povey, Howard Nurcombe-Thorne and Norman
Edwards.
Old Bill Johan laid a wreath on behalf of the
Shellhole using, for the first time as its centre-piece, a
tin hat with a Winston Churchill badge made by Moth
Warren Burgess. Following the parade, flower
arrangements were donated to brighten the lives of
those in FLP Frail Care. Thanks to Sergeant Major Joe Hunter who moved the two wreaths to the FLP Cenotaph
the next morning. It is hoped that future parades will again be held at the FLP Cenotaph which many feel is a more
fitting venue.
Following the parade we all adjourned to Flame Lily Shellhole for some True Comradeship and welcome
liquid refreshment.
Corporal Francis Pegahmagabow (March 9 th 1891 – August 5 th 1952)
The Battle of Delville Wood took place during the second phase of the Battle of the
Somme which we associate with large scale engagements involving thousands of men but it
also involved individual battles where one man alone took on the enemy - the sniper.
Apart from the obvious skill required with a rifle, a sniper needs great skill at
camouflage and concealment, patience, self-reliance, single-mindedness and fieldcraft. One
such man was Corporal Francis Pegahmagabow, a member of the Ojibwa tribe who
displayed great courage throughout the war.
He was a volunteer who served with the 1 st Canadian Infantry Battalion throughout
WW1, first seeing action during the Battle of Ypes, he took part in the Battle of the Somme
where he was wounded in the leg. He finished the war with a Military Medal and two Bars. His
Military Medal was awarded for bravery while carrying messages along the lines during the Battles of Ypes and the
Somme. He was awarded a bar to his MM during the second battle of Passchendaele when he acted as a guide,
leading his battalion’s reinforcements when they had become lost and a second Bar during the battle of the Scarpe.
When Corporal Pegahmagabow’s company were almost out of ammunition and in danger of being surrounded he
went out into no-man’s land, braving heavy machine gun and rifle fire, to bring his company a resupply of
ammunition enabling them to repulse a heavy enemy counter-attack.
It was during the Battle of Ypres that he established a reputation that was to eventually lead him to be
recognized as the most effective sniper of WW1, Corporal Pegahmagabow was credited with killing 378 Germans
and capturing 300 more.

Corporal Pegahmagabow’s weapon of choice was the Ross rifle. A typical example is seen above fitted
with what appears to be a Model 1913 Warner & Swazey telescopic musket sight.
During the Second Boer War, a diplomatic falling out between Canada and the UK resulted in Canada
being denied a licence to produce the Lee-Enfield SMLE rifle. Sir Charles Ross, a Scottish nobleman, offered them
his newly designed straight-pull rifle as an alternative. This later version of the Ross was also chambered for the
.303 round but instead of a bolt requiring a quarter turn to open the breach, the bolt on the Ross had locking lugs
mounted on a screw which, when pulled straight back, automatically rotated the locking lugs.
Despite many teething problems,
not least of which was a poorly designed
bolt lock that could allow the bolt to fall
right out of the rifle, a vulnerability to
jamming when exposed to dirt and the
possibility of re-assembling the bolt such
that it did not lock properly, resulting in the
bolt to flying back into the face when fired;
it was a popular sniper rifle with Allied
snipers as it was more accurate at long
range than the SMLE. The model 10 was the standard weapon issued to the Canadian Expeditionary Force on
arrival in France in 1915. Some 420 000 were produced and 342 040 were actually purchased by the British.
Not all snipers during WW1 depended on their skill at concealment alone to stay alive while they plied their
trade. Many on both sides hedged their bets, wearing almost Medieval armour in the form of steel breastplates and
visors to protect themselves from counter-fire.
Left top: A snipers face mask.
Left below: A German sniper’s breastplate and helmet. There is a fine example of a pair of these
in Warriors Gate Museum where the helmet is also fitted with a visor. The helmet shown seems
to have lost its visor, only the mountings being visible. Right: WW1 soldiers wearing a variety of visor helmets and breastplates. The two on the
left seem to only have dents in their breastplates but the man on the right appears to have numerous holes in his. Since he is still standing
unscathed, maybe this was just a demonstration pose for the camera and he was not wearing this when it took the hits.

Tenant – Winston Churchill Memorial Hall
The new lease has now been signed with Get Fit Challenge for a 5-year period, effective from 1 st January
2014. Members are all invited to make their suggestions for the proposed alterations to reinstate the original
entrance to the Memorial Hall and for an external braai area.
Donation to Winston’s
Your Shellhole received a very
impressive donation of a pair of optics made
from two 105mm tank shell from Mr Cosavelo, a
bowls playing acquaintance of Old Bill Johan. I
am sure they will be put to very good use.
Whiskey lovers casting their eyes on the bottle
of Grants should be warned, the only
resemblance the contents has to whiskey is in
the colour!
Recruiting
The drive to identify the means of
attracting new recruits to the MOTH in general
and our Shellhole in particular, chaired by Moth
Nolan Goldstone, has resulted in some positive
suggestions being received for consideration by your Exec. Please keep any ideas coming in, the more the merrier,
we need the involvement and contributions of all members of the Shellhole.
Shellhole AGM – Thursday 1 st August
Your Exec will be installed for the coming 12 months by Mainline Old Bill Eric Clarence, following which
Moth Warren Burgess will give a talk on the AK47.
Next Shellhole Social Evening – Friday 16 th August
Our monthly social evenings continue to grow from strength to strength. The last Social Evening held on
Friday 19 th July attracted 20 members, wives and family who enjoyed a social get-together, sharing good food and
conversation together. This is an opportunity to bring along like-minded friends to enjoy the evening, introduce
them to other members of the Shellhole and maybe recruit new members.
Next raid
The next raid is planned to take place at Shrapnel/Kum-A-Kye shellhole on Tuesday 30th July at 19h30.
The address is 111 Underwood Road, Pinetown. To minimise the number of cars used, parking inside the grounds
of Shrapnel/Kum-A-Kye Shellhole is limited, we suggest we meet at Winston Churchill Shellhole in time to depart
by 18h45. There was an error in the date given in the last newsletter, the above date is correct.
Forthcoming events
• Twilight Saints Raiders Fun Shoot – 24 th August.
• El Alamein Remembrance Day – 23 rd October.
• Wayside Cross Parade - 3 rd November.
• Poppy Day – 9 th November.
• Armistice Day – 11 th November.
See you at your shellhole.
YUTTH
Compiled by Tony Povey – Adjutant - Winston Churchill Shellhole