Training Exercise Last Cut

Demolitions safety training weekend.

This was a fairly standard training weekend that is run every
year for the whole squadron usually at the demolitions range at
Waiorou. 
The weekend starts with classroom revision of the safety rules
and regulations about the handling of explosives materials and
other range ordinance as well as their performance and functions
before a short examination is given. A 100% pass mark is required.

Once this is out of the way then we collect stores and head out
to the range to do the Basic Charge. The basic charge is a 1/2
kilogram of High Explosive initiated by a powder fuse and a
chemical detonator. To save time the charges are blown in groups
of 10 so when you line up to prepare your charge each person has
to add an extra 10 seconds of fuse length as each sapper is given
the order to light fuse in turn. (This often leads to the
uncomfortable situation where sapper number 10 breaks his 3rd
match fusee while you stand there sweating, watching yours burn
merrily ever shorter!)
After you have measured your length of fuse and cut it just so
(the fuse cord is always test burned prior to use to determine
the rate of burn for that roll) you collect a detonator to fit to 
the fuse. The fitting is quite a delicate operation and is done
with a crimper (similar to a pair of pliers) held daintily behind 
your buttocks so that if you accidentily crimp the unstable
explosive part of the det it should only take a chunk out of your
bum rather than your face. Once every body is ready you take your
block of TNT or bundle of Powergel tubes out to the firing line
where you tape the det in very gingery and await at attention to
be given the order to fire. When all ten charges have been lit
you all walk back to the 20 meters line and count down to the
BOOM!

The picture below is basic charge 1/2 Kilo of TNT taken from 20 Meters.

Firing the basic charges the study tends to take up much of the
Saturday so we usually head back to camp for a barbeque
and a few beers. The next day is filled with practicing various
common techniques such as cratering, creating antitank ditches,
lifting charges, cutting charges, shearing charges and generally
experimenting with whatever we can lay our hands on. This can
range from making sky rockets from LPG cylinders and warratahs to 
cutting cars in half with culvert bombs to mass tree felling!