Bombs - Guns - Weapons

1971 - Hen life goes with a bang - it could mean death.: For two months home to Staff Sergeant William Banfield, 29, was a bunk in the back of a three-ton truck. He shared his cramped little home with three others. Work was dangerous, potentially lethal. You could say work was explosive, because explosives are Sergeant Banfield's Business and he was conducting his business in Belfast. Belfast. In the last year a city of riots, grief, mayhem and murder. A city that has echoed with bomb blasts, small arms fire. He is an ammunition technician with Southern Command Ammunition Inspectorate, at Hounslow. His wife and two children live inspections of the army's ammunition. The other half is rather nasty - disarming bombs, shells and grenades. Last August in a new flare-up in Northern Ireland he was posted to Belfast fro a six-month tour of duty with the 321 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team. Most of my work was done at night. I became nocturnal, sleeping from about 6 a.m. to 12p, . Then of course there was Paddy - the Army's nickname for terrorists in Northern Ireland. Out there in the night - in the day too, sometimes - Paddy was laying his bombs and booby traps. Many exploded as planned. Others were found in time or simply failed to detonate, and were left lying in a lethal limbp. It was these friendly little devices that the staff sergeant and the other ammo technicians had to deal. happily, Staff Sergeant Banfield got home to Hounslew in one piece - though his job goes on with old bombs and shells uncovered in Southern England. He's professional and Northern Ireland is no longer his concern. Now he, and his family are looking forward to an imminent overseas posting

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Ammo Ammunition Armys Banfield Bang Blasts Bombs Booby Bunk Conducting Cramped Detonate Devices Disarming Disposal Done Echoed Exploded Explosive Explosives Failed Flare-up Grenades Grief Happily Hounslow Imminent Inspections Inspectorate Lethal Longer Mayhem Mean Nasty Nickname Nocturnal Ordnance Paddy Planned Posted Posting Potentially Rather Shared Shells Simply Six-month Sometimes Technician Technicians Terrorists Though Three-ton Traps Uncovered

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