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Western Mail, Thursday 27 July 1933, page 2
Some "Windy Corners."
Dear "Non.-Com." - Further to "Emma Gee's" par about the wind-up. In the Epinette sector, Armentieres, the 44th had their full share of minnies, pineapples, whiz-bangs, pom-poms, and five-nines. The minnies were the worst draught-creators. At Plugstreet Fritz barraged us all on night with minnies. We called our possie, Minnie Hill, and I can tell you that the wind blew freely that night:
Before the Paschendale stunt we were camped near Poperinghe and those big Gothas laid eggs all night for several nights in succession. He dropped bombs on us, then the 28th and to show his impartiality gave the Chinese labour camps a go. There were Chows scattered all over Northern France for a week afterwards. The night after he dropped some on our camp a few of our officers were visiting the 28th when a couple of bombs hit their headquarters, killed the C.O. and several others, and smashed up Major Darling, an original 44th officer who had transferred to the 28th. Then he dropped a bomb on a working party I was in and got about 40. They were windy nights, I can tell you.
Talking to Fritz prisoners afterwards I was told that the British "pig" was the most demoralising of all the projectiles used. I saw a pill-box at Messines where the "pig" had gone in under the concrete and when it exploded it lifted the whole, thing out of position and dropped it on its side. Intact - but what a concussion! The "pig" was the equivalent of Fritz's biggest minnie. Whenever the trench-mortar men fired them they got plenty of retaliation, so no doubt Fritz loved them just as little as we loved his minnies.
B.B.. Mt. Magnet.