Boom! Followed by thump, thump, thump as the blubber meets the road.

Boom! Followed by thump, thump, thump as the blubber meets the road.

http://scrc.swem.wm.edu/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=9752&q=halifax

I was with the Reserve engineer regiment based in Toronto (then named 2FER). I had spent a summer in Chillowack (sp) training and was told about this story. I had always thought that it was a made up story to illustrate a point. The fact that it was officer cadets that got blown up edge me to my assumption since officers were often the victims in stories of carelessness or stupidity. Just as it is NCOs who are the victims when stories are told to officers. I am really surprised that the instructors would allow this to happen as when I went through my training they could not stress enough not to use metal tools. We carry around several pieces of plywood for the purpose of cutting explosives. Even our issued engineer knives were made of a non-ferrous metal to avoid sparks. These knives would not even spark when used on a fire starting tool, the one you see Bear Grils use all the time. But then again, it could be this incident that made our instructors stress this point so much.

A second point, where did they even get the metal tamping rod from. There really isn’t one in the Engineer inventory. The only thing I can think of at the moment would be a large military tent pole. But we don’t usually carry them unless we are specifically tasked to build a hospital, mess, field quarters, op HQ, etc. We just don’t have room in our trucks for it. Did they bring the pole with them for the purpose of this task. I can hardly believe that this pole just happen to be there and they decided to use it.

It also could not be their judgement because, although, the training could get rough, on days where we were to handle explosives or bridging we were always given enough sleep (by military standards anyways) and no morning PT so that we would be alert on site.

Now having said all that I was in Alberta on exercise when an industrial bridge jack went flying two meters past me and centimeters past my friend when an MGB bridge came crashing down. And from that there was an memo issued that bridges were not to be lifted with cargo straps. So, I guess it is hard to judge the situation without being there. But demolition training are always relaxed affairs. It is after we leave the ranges that physical training resumes.

I was with the Reserve engineer regiment based in Toronto (then named 2FER). I had spent a summer in Chillowack (sp) training and was told about this story. I had always thought that it was a made up story to illustrate a point. The fact that it was officer cadets that got blown up edge me to my assumption since officers were often the victims in stories of carelessness or stupidity. Just as it is NCOs who are the victims when stories are told to officers. I am really surprised that the instructors would allow this to happen as when I went through my training they could not stress enough not to use metal tools. We carry around several pieces of plywood for the purpose of cutting explosives. Even our issued engineer knives were made of a non-ferrous metal to avoid sparks. These knives would not even spark when used on a fire starting tool, the one you see Bear Grils use all the time. But then again, it could be this incident that made our instructors stress this point so much.

A second point, where did they even get the metal tamping rod from. There really isn’t one in the Engineer inventory. The only thing I can think of at the moment would be a large military tent pole. But we don’t usually carry them unless we are specifically tasked to build a hospital, mess, field quarters, op HQ, etc. We just don’t have room in our trucks for it. Did they bring the pole with them for the purpose of this task. I can hardly believe that this pole just happen to be there and they decided to use it.

It also could not be their judgement because, although, the training could get rough, on days where we were to handle explosives or bridging we were always given enough sleep (by military standards anyways) and no morning PT so that we would be alert on site.

Now having said all that I was in Alberta on exercise when an industrial bridge jack went flying two meters past me and centimeters past my friend when an MGB bridge came crashing down. And from that there was an memo issued that bridges were not to be lifted with cargo straps. So, I guess it is hard to judge the situation without being there. But demolition training are always relaxed affairs. It is after we leave the ranges that physical training resumes.