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Northamptonshire Regiment
Military History Army English Regiments Northamptonshire |
How Private Charles Gudgeon, Of The 1st Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment, Won the D.C.M. At Ypres Gudgeon travelled at an ordinary pace until he reached a house which marked the beginning of the danger zone; then, crouching low, he made a dash for the cover afforded by some machine gun emplacements about three hundred yards away. There he paused for a few moments before embarking his next dash, to a ruined house about one hundred and fifty yards distant. This was a very hazardous undertaking, as it was hereabouts that the snipers had brought down many an unfortunate British soldier, while the ground was dotted with shell holes, among which he had to pick his way, thus rendering rapid progress difficult. However, he got safely across, through more than one bullet hummed past his head and took refuge behind the ruined house to prepare for his last dash of one hundred yards to the firing line, the most dangerous part of the whole journey, as the ground was swept by both shell and rifle fire. But he accomplished it in safety and delivered his message. He had then to make the return journey and undergo the same nerve racking experience over again; but this, too, he accomplished without mishap. The brave fellow made this journey on another occasion, when he volunteered to conduct some reinforcements who had just lost their way to the firing line. Private-now Lance Corporal Gudgeon, who was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for these valuable services, is twenty-five years of age, and his home is at Northampton. Extracted from 'Deeds That Thrill The Empire' How Sergeant David Brunton, Of The 19th Hussars, Won The D.C.M. At Le Bizet As they raised him up, they came under a heavy rifle fire at almost point Blanc range, and were obliged to let the lieutenant go and rush for cover. Happily, neither of them was hit, most of the bullets whistling harmlessly over their heads, and, after waiting a little while, they made a second attempt; and, though again exposed to a hot fire, succeeded in dragging Lieutenant Murray under cover. Then they found, to their sorrow, that they have risked their lives to no purpose, as the unfortunate officer was quite dead. He appeared to have been wounded in three places, in the head, the left hand, and the region of the heart. Since they could do nothing more for him, they decided to leave him and endeavour to reach their horses; and, stooping low, they doubled across some ploughed fields towards the place where the rest of the patrol was waiting. The distance they had to traverse was about four hundred yards, and the ground absolutely devoid of cover; but though they were heavily fired upon, not only from the rear, but also from some brickfields occupied by the Germans on their left, they succeeded in getting back safely. By this time the squadron had arrived from Romarin, and on their approach, the enemy, who seemed to have numbered about eighty, evacuated the village and retreated. Sergeant David Brunton, whose gallantry on this occasion gained him the Distinguished Conduct Medal, was severely wounded in the right shoulder by shrapnel and slightly gassed on May 24th 1915, during the Second Battle of Ypres. He is thirty-four years of age, and his home is at Aldershot. Extracted from 'Deeds That Thrill The Empire' How Lance-Corporal David Finlay, Of The 2nd Battalion The Black Watch, Royal Highlanders, Won The Victoria Cross Near The Rue Du Bois The Bareilly Brigade, of which the 2nd Black Watch formed part, attacked early in the afternoon; but while our artillery preparation was still in progress. Lance-Corporal Finlay advanced at the head of a bombing party of ten men; with the object of getting as near the enemy?s trenches as they could under cover of the bombardment. It was a desperate enterprise, for the German parapet bristled with machine guns, and each one of the parties knew that his chance of returning in safety was slight indeed. About fifteen or twenty yards fro our trenches, which were separated by some one hundred and fifty yards from the German, was a ditch full of water, ten to twelve feet wide and between four and five feet deep, spanned by three bridges. The party had got as far as the ditch before the enemy realized that they were advancing, when a fierce rifle machine gun fire was at once opened upon them, and eight out of Finlay?s ten men were put out of action, as all made for one of the bridges. Two were shot dead while crossing the bridge, and the others killed or wounded immediately upon reaching the other side. Undismayed by the fate of their comrades, Finlay and the two survivors rushed on, and had covered about eighty yards, when a shell just behind Finlay. He was uninjured, but so violent was the concussion that it knocked him flat on his back, and he lost consciousness for some ten minutes. When he recovered his senses, he saw one of his two men lying on the ground about five paces to his left, and, crawling to him, he found that he had been wounded in two places. He opened his field dressing and bandaged him up, and then, quite regardless of his own safety, half carried and half dragged him back to the British trench. Lance-Corporal-now Sergeant-David Finlay who was awarded the Victoria Cross, ?for most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty,? is twenty-two years of age, and his home is in Fifeshire. Extracted from 'Deeds That Thrill The Empire' How Second Lieutenant Cecil Frederick Holcombe Calvert, Of The 3rd Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment, Attached 179th Company, Royal Engineers, was Recommended For The D.S.O. His commanding officer wrote: ?I feel sure it will comfort you to know that he died as he had lived, a victim to his high souled sense of duty. The Army can ill afford to lose such men. Although he had only lately joined the 179th Tunnelling Company, he had already made his mark, and we shall deeply feel his loss.? ?I cannot tell you,? wrote one of his brother officers, ?how we all mourn his loss, which has cast a gloom over all of us. During the short time he had been with this company he had already won the admiration of all his fellow officers, on account of his absolute fearlessness and coolness on all occasions. His death will be a severe loss to the Service and particularly to his friends. Since not only did his coolness in action inspire confidence in all, but his cheerfulness had also endeared him to all the officers of his unit.? Extracted How Acting Corporal George Dagger, Of The 1st Battalion Duke Of Cornwall?s Light Infantry Won The D.C.M. At La Bassee The men of the fair West Country have ever responded nobly when their Sovereign required their services, whether on land or sea, and many a mother in the ancient city of Bath is today mourning the loss of one or more of her sons. Among them is Mrs. Arthur Dagger, two of whose three soldier sons, Sergeant Arthur Dagger, of the Somersetshire Light Infantry, and Corporal George, of the 1st Battalion, Duke of Cornwall?s Light Infantry, have already given their lives for King and country. But at least she has the consolation of knowing that they fought right valiantly, and that the younger, ere he fell, had won for himself a foremost place on the British roll of honour. Corporal George Dagger?s D.C.M. was awarded him for gallant conduct in somewhat unusual circumstances. During the fighting at La Bassee on December 16th 1914, the company to which he was attached found themselves suffering many casualties from hand grenades discharged at them from what they had supposed to be an unoccupied trench, lying between our trenches and those of the enemy, at a distance of some fifty paces, but into which a number of German bomb throwers had contrived to crawl. These enterprising gentry having at length been driven out, the officer in command of the Cornwall?s decided that the trench must be filled in without delay, otherwise the bomb throwers would be certain to return when darkness fell; and he called for volunteers to perform this dangerous duty. Corporal George Dagger was the first man to offer himself, and having been placed in charge of the digging party, he crawled out to the trench and remained there for three hours until the work was finished, during the whole of which time he was exposed to a very heavy fire. Unhappily, Corporal Dagger did not live very long to wear his well-earned decoration, as he was killed early in the following April, not long after his return to the front from a brief visit to his wife at Northfleet, Gravesend. In an interesting letter to the dead hero?s mother, published in a Bath Chronicle of April 17th 1915, the widow writes: ?I hope you will try and bear up, as I know you have lost one son already. It is a terrible war. I greatly sympathize with you, as I have lost a brother as well out there. But I did hope and trust that my husband would come back. I received a very nice letter from his officer, which gives George great praise. All his officers speak well of him. The chaplain of his regiment buried him, and a cross has been erected over his grave. The officer has sent on his D.C.M. ribbon; he had it cut from his tunic.? A comrade of the deceased in the Cornwall?s Private R. B. Allen, writing from Flanders, also refers to Corporal Dagger?s death, and says: ?He was killed by a sniper?s bullet o the 7th of April, and we have laid him to rest in the grounds of a big chateau, and were are going to get flowers for his grave.? Corporal Dagger, who was twenty-eight years of age, worked for some time in Bath before joining the Army. Extracted from 'Deeds That Thrill The Empire' How Second Lieutenant Geoffrey Harold Wooley, Of The 9th Country Of London Battalion, The London Regiment (Queen Victoria?s Rifles) Won the V.C. At Hill 60 At seven o?clock in the evening of April 17th the British exploded seven mines on the hill, which played havoc with the defences, blowing up a trench line and 150 men, after which under cover of heavy artillery fire, the position was stormed by the 1st West Kent?s and the 2nd King?s Own Scottish Borderers, who entrenched themselves in the shell craters and brought up machine guns. During the night several of the enemy?s counter attacks were repulsed with heavy loss, and fierce hand-to-hand fighting took place; but in the early morning the Germans succeeded in forcing back the troops holding the right of the hill to the reverse slope, where, however they hung on throughout the day. In the evening the West Kent?s and the King?s Own Scottish Borderers were relieved by the 2nd West Ridings and the 2nd Yorkshire Light Infantry, who again stormed the hill, under cover of heavy artillery fire, and drove the enemy off with the bayonet. But Hill 60 was of vital importance to the enemy if they intended to maintain their Hollebeke ground, and on the 19th another fierce attack was made on it, with the support of artillery and asphyxiating bombs. T was repulsed, but the hill formed a salient, which exposed our men to fire from three sides, and all through the 19th and 20th a terrific cannonade was directed against them. In the evening of the latter day came another determined infantry attack, while all the night parties of the enemy?s bomb throwers kept working their way up to our trenches. At 9.30 that night two companies of the queen Victoria?s under Major Rees and Captain Westby, received orders to advance from their trenches and take up a position close to the top of the hill. Although the distance to be traversed was only some 200 yards, so terrible was the fire to which they were exposed, that it took them two hours to reach the post assigned to them, where they dug themselves in close to a huge crater made by one of the British mines which had been exploded on the 17th. Towards midnight Sergeant E. H. Pulleyn was ordered to take sixteen men to the very crest of the hill, some twenty yards away, to fill a gap in our trenches line there. A withering fire was immediately opened upon the party by the enemy, who were not thirty yards distant, and only the sergeant and eleven of his men reached the position, while of the survivors five fell almost immediately. Pulleyn and the remaining six maintained there ground for a few minutes, when, recognizing the impossibility of holding it longer, they retired and rejoined their comrades, carrying their wounded with them. Both Major Rees and Captain Westby had already been killed, and of 150 riflemen who had followed them up that fatal hill, two-thirds had fallen. The remainder held on stubbornly, however and so accurate was their fire that the Germans did not dare to advance over the crest. But the crossfire to which our men were exposed was terrible; never for a moment did it slacken, and man after man went down before it. When day began to break there were but thirty left. It was at this critical moment that an officer was seen making his way up the hill towards them. The men in the trench held their breath; it seemed to them impossible that anyone could come alive through the midst of the fearful fire which was sweeping he slope; every instant they expected to see him fall to rise no more. But on he came, sometimes running, sometimes crawling, while bullets buzzed past his head and shells burst all about him, until at last he climbed the parapet and stood amongst them, unharmed. Then they saw that he was second Lieutenant Woolley, who learning that their officers ad been killed, had left the security of his own trench and run the gauntlet of the enemy?s fire to take charge of that gallant little band. His arrival put fresh heart into the Queen Victoria?s, and there, in that trench, choked with their dead and wounded comrades, shelled and bombed and enfiladed by machine guns, this Oxford undergraduate, the two brave N.C.O.?s, Pulleyn and Peabody, and their handful of Territorial, held the German hordes at bay hour after hour, repelling more than one attack, in which the young lieutenant rendered excellent service by the accuracy of his bomb throwing, until at last relief came. Of 4 officers and 150 N.C.O.?s and men who had ascended the hill the previous night, only 2 N.C.O.?s and 24 men answered the roll call. But, though they had suffered grievously, the battalion had gained great honour, both for themselves and the whole Territorial Force. Second Lieutenant-now Captain-Woolley had the proud distinction of being the first Territorial officer to be awarded the Victoria Cross; while Sergeant Pulleyn and Corporal Peabody each received the Distinguished Conduct Medal for ?the great gallantry and endurance displayed, and for the excellent service rendered, in the flight for the possession of Hill 60. Other decorations, which have fallen to the share of the Queen Victoria?s Rifles up to, the end of 1915 are: Lieutenant-Colonel R. B. Shipley-C.M.G.; Captain S. J. Sampson-Military Cross; Sergeant E. G. Burgess-D.C.M. Extracted from 'Deeds That Thrill The Empire' How Private H. J. Hastings, Of The 2nd Battalion Oxfordshire And Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, Won The D.C.M. Near Zonnebeke On the outbreak of war, Mr. Hastings was one of the first to answer Lord Kitchener?s call for men, enlisting in the 2nd Oxfordshire Light Infantry. He went to France with one of the first drafts, saw service at the Battles of the Marne and the Aisne, had his trousers ripped above the knee by a fragment of shell and his water bottle smashed by a shrapnel bullet, and on the evening of October 23rd found himself with his battalion entrenched near Zonnebeke, some five to the northeast of Ypres. It had been a day of desperately hard fighting; the Germans, for the most part new levies, though mown down in swathes by our fire, coming on again and again with the utmost courage and determination, and it was not expected that the night would pass without a renewal of their attacks. Private Hastings had already made something of a name for himself by his cool courage and the excellence of his marksmanship, and he and two other men entrusted with the task of holding a culvert over a brook and a narrow footpath connecting the enemy?s line with ours, From which screened the mouth of the culvert in direct front, but they had to hold the gaps on each bank. Hastings, having been given a free hand, put up some barbed wire over their side and across the brook and built a sod barricade. Scarcely had these preparations been completed, when two companies of the enemy advanced to the attack. He waited until they were almost level with him and he had them black against the sky, and then opened fire. One of his comrades stood by to keep him supplied with ammunition, but by the time he had fired twenty-six rounds, the Germans had had enough of it and retreated. On going out to ascertain the loss he had inflicted on them, he found nine Huns, one of whom was an officer. Lying dead and another wounded. They were all from the 223rd and 235th Regiments-two corps raised since the outbreak of war-and most of them mere lads, in new uniforms. With the assistance of another man he carried the wounded German into the British lines next day, together with five others, who had fallen in a previous attack. They were very grateful, and one of them called him: ?Kind Kamerad!? Their friends in the German trenches were much less appreciative, for they fired upon Hastings and the other soldier. The next night the enemy made another attack, this time from a slightly different direction. As the advance was beginning, Hastings saw two men approaching along the side of the brook, and under the impression that they were from his own battalion, he allowed them to come quite close, when he called out: ?Hullo! How many of you are out?? One of the men looked up in surprise and said something in German, upon which Hastings fired at him; but, being so close, the bullet passed over his head. The German immediately levelled his rifle, and he and Hastings fired together. The Hun?s aim was bad, his bullet striking the bridge above, but the Englishman?s bullet took effect; and with an oath, his adversary fell and rolled into the brook, where he was drowned. His comrade made off. The enemy?s attack that night was a very determined one, and they advanced to within twenty yards of our trenches before the withering fire, which they encountered, drove them back. Hastings, on his part, accounted for a dozen, four of whom were killed; for, after the attack had been broken up, he crawled out to where the dead men were lying and got their shoulder straps with regimental numbers for information. His ?bag? in two nights thus totalled twenty-three, fourteen of whom would never see the Fatherland again, and he had thus taken a spacious revenge for the loss of a great friend and fellow telegraphers. John Holder, who had been killed at his side a little while before. Private Hastings, who a few days later was wounded in the arm, though only slightly, was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, ?for conspicuous gallantry.? Extracted from 'Deeds That Thrill The Empire' How Squadron Sergeant Major Harry Croft, Of The 5th Dragoon Guards, Won The D.C.M. At Zillebeke
Slowly and cautiously, Croft made his way through the wood, and had come within thirty yards of the German entanglements, without seeing any signs of an advanced post, when suddenly he heard voices quite close to him; and there, only a few paces ahead, was a trench filled with Germans. Croft had not brought his rifle with him, since it would have hampered his movements; but he had provided himself with a couple of revolvers, and drawing these, he took cover behind a tree and began blazing away at the astonished Germans. Shrieks and curses told him that some at least of his shots had not been wasted, and in a minute or two the enemy, evidently under the impression that they had been surprised by a party of our men, got out of the trench and made off to their own lines as quickly as they could. Nor do they appear to have returned it; anyway the 5th Dragoon Guards had no longer any reason to complain of their unwelcome attentions. Squadron Sergeant Major Croft was awarded the D.C.M. for ?conspicuous gallantry,? the official announcement of this honour adding that ?he had been noted for courage and enterprise on previous occasions.? The brave sergeant major is a Warwickshire man, his home being at Saltley, Birmingham. Extracted from 'Deeds That Thrill The Empire' How Private Henry Devenish Skinner, Of The 14th South Otaga Regiment, N.Z.R., Won The D.C.M. At Chunuk Bair, Gallipoli The great movement began in the afternoon of August 6th, with a general attack by the Allied forces at Cape Helles upon the Turkish position at Achi Baba. At 4.30 p.m.; when this action had well started the 1st Australian Brigade advanced to the attack of the formidable Turkish trenches on the Lone pine Plateau, a position which commanded one of the main sources of the enemy?s water supply, and rushing across the open, amidst a veritable hail of shell and bullets from the front and from either flank with irresistible dash and daring, carried them with the bayonet, and what is more, maintained their grip upon them like a vice during six days of counter attacks! Magnificent as was this achievement, it was in essence only a feint to cover the movements of General Godley?s New Zealand and Australian Division on the left, which, as night was falling, began its march up the coast towards the heights of Koja Chemen. This force was divided into right and left covering columns and right and left columns of assault. With the right column of assault, which was under the command of Brigadier General Johnston, and was to push up the ravines against the Chunuk Bair ridge, were the 14th South Otagos, and in the ranks of the South Otagos marched Private Henry Devenish Skinner, the hero of the gallant deed which we are about to relate. By ten o?clock on the morning of the 7th-a day of blistering heat-the gallant New Zealanders had carried the hog?s back known as the Rhododendron Ridge, just to the west of Chunuk Bair, and a dawn on the 8th, having been reinforced by the 7th Gloucester?s and the 8th Welsh (Pioneers)-two of the battalions of the New Army-the Maori contingent and the Auckland Mounted Rifles, they advanced to the assault of the crest of Chunuk Bair, and, after a desperate struggle, carried that also, and through a gap in the hills were able to catch a glimpse of the blue waters of the Dardanelle?s. But our losses had been very great, the Wellington Battalion, which had marched out of the Anzac lines on the 6th seven hundred strong, being now reduced to fifty-three, while the 7th Gloucester?s, in the words of Sir Ian Hamilton, ?consisted of small groups of men commanded by junior non-commissioned officers and privates,? every single officer and senior N.C.O. having been either killed or wounded. That night the 14th South Otagos received orders to take over the trenches just on the reverse side of the crest of Chunuk Bair, and scrambled up the slopes in the dark, through the midst of the dead and wounded who littered them. Immediately on reaching the trenches, Private Skinner was sent by a captain of the Sherwood Foresters to find the headquarters of the South Otagos and deliver a message. On the way he was three times stopped and covered in mistake for a Turk, but he delivered his message and returned safely, stumbling repeatedly over the dead as he walked. During the night the battalion repulsed a counter attack and dug themselves deeper in. Towards dawn Skinner caught sight of a small fire just in front of our lines, which he though might be attracting the enemy?s fire, and having passed the word down the trench several times that he was going out to extinguish it, in order to prevent his comrades shooting him under the impression that he was a Turk, he crawled out, accompanied by his chum, Gus Levett. On reaching the fire they found that it was a dead man burning-the head thrown back towards them, the eyes staring, the white face covered with dust, and the fists tightly clenched above the chest, which was burning with a small livid flame. At that moment one of their own comrades fired at them at a range of ten or fifteen yards, the bullet grazing Levett?s check and striking the ground between Skinner?s hands and knees, throwing up sand and dust. They crawled back and worked until dawn, strengthening their defences. Then came a violent bomb attack, during which skinner crawled out of the trench and lay just behind the parados. This was followed by an infantry charge, which the New Zealanders drove back with rifle fire. A wounded man, who was lying exposed to the fire of the enemy?s snipers a hundred yards from the trench, lost his reason and attempted to shoot himself; but one of the Anzacs, at great risk to himself, most gallantly ran out and took his rifle from him. An elderly man in a trench behind them also lost his senses and kept firing wildly over their heads. The Turkish artillery shelled them heavily, and shrapnel about four inches above the knee tore the left leg of Skinner?s knickers, and his leg grazed. A sniper, some sixty yards off, who had already killed about a dozen of the New Zealanders, fired at him, the bullet smashing his bayonet, which lay across his temple, knocking him down, and wounding him on the top of the head. The wound, though a slight one, bled a good deal. It was now about three o?clock in the afternoon. At 10 a.m. reinforcements had arrived, but since that time no one had been able to cross the fire swept ground between the troops on the crest of Chunuk Bair and their supports at Apex. A second detachment had been set up, but had vanished under the terrible shrapnel, machine gun and rifle fire concentrated upon them into a hollow on the right of the slope, where it was supposed they were still. The New Zealanders had no water and were suffering terribly from thirst, and were exhausted by their desperate exertions of the past two days, and, unless reinforcements reached them, their prospect of retaining the ground they had won was very slight. The officer commanding the South Otagos wished to send back a dispatch to Divisional Headquarters at Apex, and a captain wanted a message conveyed to the reinforcements who were believed to be in the hollow. He called for a volunteer, and Skinner at once afforded himself. Crawling to the end of the trenches, he made a dash across a stretch of fairly level ground, which ended in a gully, where he would be comparatively safe. The sniper, whose bullets had so nearly cut short his career a little while before, was on the alert, and immediately let drive at him, but failed to hit him, and he reached the shelter of the gully with no worse mischief than the loss of his hat. This gully, in which our men had suffered terrible losses, was so choked with dead and wounded that he had to pick his way amongst them. The Ghurkas, three days dead, were ghastly sight. Skinner saw a New Zealander in a sitting position, but quite dead. He met a friend there, shot through the leg and through the lungs, but still cheerful. Many of the wounded were delirious; one cried for warm milk; almost all were calling for help. He took one man?s water bottle to get water from a well. Lower down some of the wounded told him that he could not leave the gully, as the Turks held its lower end and had snipers on the watch for anyone who attempted to climb out. He took the water bottle back unfilled, and began to climb up the long, steep slope, which led to the hollow. About half way up the snipers opened fire upon him, and he started to run, bounding along so as to dodge the bullets, and reaching the hollow, where the reinforcements to whom he was to deliver his message were supposed to be, and flung himself flat on the ground. On recovering his breath, he looked about him for the reinforcements, but the only troops he saw were an officer and some twenty or thirty men belonging t an English regiment-all stone dead! A couple of milk cans filled with water for the firing line lay amongst them. As he lay there alone with the dead, shrapnel burst just above him, and he knew it would be unsafe to remain longer. So leaving this gruesome hollow, he began to run down the slope towards Apex. Scarcely had he shown himself than a Turkish machine gun opened fire and played upon him for the whole of the one hundred and fifty yards which lay between him and safety, while he was also exposed to a heavy rifle fire. But, marvellous to relate, he was not touched, and Divisional Headquarters presently beheld a hatless young man, with a blood stained bandage round and over his head, his face streaked with dry blood, and the left leg of his knickers torn almost to shreds, come panting up with a torn scrap of paper-the all important dispatch for which this heroic New Zealander had so readily risked his life clutched tightly in his right hand. Private Henry Devenish Skinner was awarded a most richly deserved Distinguished Conduct Medal, the official announcement adding, ?his bravery and devotion to duty had been most marked.? He is twenty-nine years of age, and his home is at Wellington. Extracted from 'Deeds That Thrill The Empire' How Bandsman Thomas Edward Rendle, Of The 1st Duke Of Cornwall?s Light Infantry, Won The Victoria Cross At Wulverghem Bandsman Thomas Edward Rendle was engaged in attending to one of the wounded, whose number was increasing every minute, when a huge shell struck the parapet not far from him, blowing the top completely in and burying several wounded men beneath the debris. Without waiting to look for a spade or to summon assistance, for he knew that there was not a moment to be lost, the bandsman ran to the rescue, and began digging away furiously with his hands, and burrowing through the fallen earth to reach his unfortunate comrades. Soon his fingers were raw and bleeding from such unaccustomed work, while he laboured at the imminent risk of his life, since the fall of the parapet had, of course exposed him to the fire of the enemy?s snipers, and every time he rose to throw away the soil bullets hummed past his head. But he toiled on heroically until every man was got out, and even then, though utterly exhausted by his exertions, he remained on duty, administrating what relief he could to the sufferers. Bandsman Rendle was awarded the Victoria Cross, ?for conspicuous bravery,? and well indeed did he deserve to have his name inscribed upon the most glorious roll of honour! Extracted from 'Deeds That Thrill The Empire' How Corporal James Upton, Of The 1st Battalion Sherwood Foresters, Won The V.C. At Rouges Bancs How Sergeant John Crane, Of The 2nd Royal Munster Fusiliers,Won The D.C.M. At Festubert The ground in front of the British lines was so swept by shell and rifle fire that they found it necessary to make a wide detour, until they came to an old trench of ours, along which they advanced for some five hundred yards, when, not having seen any signs of the Munsters, they got out again, and, with bullets humming all around them, made their way, by short rushes, for some distance across the open ground until they came upon their battalion, or rather remnants of it. For it had been badly cut up, and was besides in a very precarious position, having lost its way and being completely isolated. They returned to their Brigade Headquarters and reported accordingly, and were asked to go out again and guide their comrades back, while arrangements were being made for troops to cover the sorely tried battalion?s withdrawal. And this task they successfully accomplished, under a heavy fire and through a very difficult country, displaying, says the Gazette, ?great courage, endurance and marked resource.? Subsequently, notwithstanding the fatigue, which they must have been suffering, they took out stretcher-bearers and brought in a number of wounded, including the colonel and the adjutant. Sergeant Crane, who is only twenty-three years of age, was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, ?for conspicuous gallantry and ability,? and a similar honour was conferred upon Lance-Corporal Eccles. Extracted from 'Deeds That Thrill The Empire' How Lieutenant Smyth, Of The 15th Sikhs, Won The V.C. And Ten Brave Indians The Indian Distinguished Service Medal, At The Ferme Du Bois Towards dawn Captain Cates observed that the Germans were endeavouring to reinforce their comrades in the trench, as numbers of men were seen doubling across the open towards its further extremity. He immediately ordered the Sikhs to fire upon them, but in the dim light they presented exceedingly difficult targets; and when morning broke, it was ascertained that the German trench was packed with men, who were evidently meditating an attack. Shortly afterwards, in fact, a perfect hail of bombs began to fall among the Indians, who replied vigorously and, to judge from the shrieks and curses which came from the other side of the barricade, with considerable effect, until towards noon their supply of bombs began to fail, many of them having been so damaged by the rain which had fallen during the night as to quite useless. The situation was a critical one; only the speedy arrival of a bombing party from the reserve trenches could enable them to hold out. The reserve trenches were some 250 yards distant, and the ground between so exposed to the fire of the enemy as to render the dispatch of reinforcements a most desperate undertaking. Twice had the Highland Light Infantry made the attempt, and on both occasions the officer in command had been killed and the party practically wiped out. Nevertheless, the Sikhs were resolved to take their chance, and on volunteers being called for such was the magnificent spirit of the regiment that every man stepped forward, though no one doubted that, if his services were accepted, almost certain death awaited him. Ten men were selected and placed under the command of Lieutenant Smyth, a young officer of one and twenty, who had already distinguished himself on more than one occasion by his dashing courage. The names of these ten heroes deserve to be remembered. They were: Sepoys Fatteh Singh, Ganda Singh, Harnam Singh, Lal Singh, Naik Mangal Singh, Sarain Singh, Sapooram Singh, Sucha Singh, Sunder Singh, and Ujagar Singh. At two o?clock in the afternoon Lieutenant Smyth and his little band set out on their perilous enterprise, taking with them two boxes containing ninety-six bombs. The ground, which they had to traverse, was absolutely devoid of all natural cover. The only approach to shelter from the terrific fire which greeted them the moment they showed their heads above the parapet of our reserve trenches was an old partially demolished trench, which at best of times was hardly knee deep, but was now in places literally choked with the corpses of Highland Light Infantry, Worcester, Indians and Germans. Dropping over the parapet, they threw themselves flat on the ground and painfully wriggled their way through the mud, pulling and pushing the boxes along with them, until they reached the scanty shelter afforded by the old trench, where they commenced a progress which for sheer horror can seldom have been surpassed. By means of pagris attached to the boxes the men in front pulled them along over and through the dead bodies that encumbered the trench, while those behind pushed with all their might. The danger was enough to have appalled the stoutest heart. Rifle and machine gun bullets ripped up the ground all around them, while the air above was white with the puffs of shrapnel. If a single bullet, a single fragment of shell, penetrated one of these boxes of explosives, the men propelling it would infallibly be blown to pieces. Before they had advanced a score of yards on their terrible journey Fatteh Singh fell, severely wounded; in another hundred, Sucha Singh, Ujagar Singh and Sunder Singh were down, thus leaving only Lieutenant Smyth and six men to get the boxes along. However, spurred on by the thought of the dire necessity of their comrades ahead, they by superhuman efforts, succeeded in dragging them nearly to the end of the trench, when, in quick succession, Sarain Singh and Sapooram Singhh were shot dead, while Ganda Singh, Harnam Singh and Naik Mangal Singh were wounded. The second box of bombs had therefore to be abandoned, and for the two remaining men to hal even one box along in the face of such difficulties appeared an impossible task. But nothing was impossible to the young lieutenant and the heroic Lal Singh, and presently the anxious watchers in the trench ahead saw them wriggling their way yard by yard into the open, dragging with them the box upon the safe arrival of which so much depended. As they emerged from the comparative shelter of the trench a veritable hail of lead burst upon them; but, escaping it as though by a miracle, they crawled on until they found themselves confronted by a small stream, which at this point was to deep to wade. They had, therefore, to turn aside and crawl along the bank of the stream until they came to a place, which was just fordable. Across this they struggled with their precious burden, the water all about them churned into foam by the storm of bullets, clambered up the further bank, and in a minute more were amongst their cheering comrades. Both were unhurt, though their clothes were perforated by bullet holes; but it is sad to relate that scarcely had they reached the trench than the gallant Lal Singh was struck by a bullet and killed instantly. For his ?most conspicuous bravery? Lieutenant Smyth received the Victoria Cross, and each of the brave men who accompanied him the Indian Distinguished Service Medal, and we may be very certain that ?ne?er will their glory fade? from the proud record of our Indian Army. It is, we may mention, the universal opinion of the men of the 15th Sikhs Sahib bears a charmed life, since again and again he has escaped death by a hair?s breadth, on one occasion a match with which he was lighting a cigarette being taken out of his fingers by a bullet. Extracted from 'Deeds That Thrill The Empire' How Lance-Corporal O?Leary, Of The Irish Guards, Won The V.C. At Cuinchy The morning of February 1st, a day destined to be a red-letter day in the history of the British soldier broke fine and clear, and simultaneously a storm of shot and shell descended on the German trenches, which were marked down for recapture. For the wretched occupants there was no escape, for as soon as a head appeared above the level of the sheltering parapet it was greeted by a hail of fire from the rifles of our men. O?Leary, however, was using his head as well as his rifle. He had marked down the spot where a German machine gun was to be found, and registered an inward resolve that that gun should be his private and peculiar concern when the moment for the rush came. After a short time the great guns ceased as suddenly as they had began, and with a resounding cheer the Coldstreams sprang from the trenches and made for the enemy with their bayonets. The Germans, however, had not been completely annihilated by the bombardment, and the survivors gallantly manned their battered trenches and poured in a heavy fire on the advancing Coldstreams. Now was the turn of the Irish, and quick as a flash they leapt up with a true Irish yell. Many a man bit the dust, but there was no holding back that mighty onslaught which swept towards the German lines. O?Leary, meanwhile, had not forgotten his machine gun. He knew that it would have been dismantled during the bombardment to save from being destroyed, and it was a matter of lie and death to perhaps hundreds of his comrades that he should reach it in time to prevent its being brought into action. He put on his best pace and within a few seconds found himself in a corner of the German trench on the way to his goal. Immediately ahead of him was a barricade. Now a barricade is a formidable obstacle, but to O?Leary, with the lives of his company to save, it was no obstacle, and its five defenders quickly paid with their lives the penalty of standing between an Irishman and his heart?s desire. Leaving his five victims, O?Leary started off to cover the eighty yards that still separated him from the second barricade where the German machine gun was hidden. He was literally now racing with death. His comrade?s lives were in his hand, and the thought spurred him on to superhuman efforts. At every moment he expected to hear the sharp burr of the gun in action. A patch of boggy ground prevented a direct approach to the barricade, and it was with veritable anguish that he realized the necessity of a detour by the railway line. Quick as thought he was off again. A few seconds passed, and then the Germans, working feverishly to remount their machine gun and bring it into action against the oncoming Irish, perceived the figure of fate in the shape of Lance-Corporal O?Leary, a few yards away on their right with his rifle levelled at them. The officer in charge had no time to realize that his finger was on the button before death squared his account. Two other reports followed in quick succession and two other figures fell to the ground with barely a sound. The two survivors had no mind to test O?Leary?s shooting powers further and threw up their hands. With his two captives before him the gallant Irishman returned in triumph, while his comrades swept the enemy out of the trenches and completed one of the most successful local actions we have ever undertaken. O?Leary was promoted sergeant before the day was over. The story of his gallant deed was spread all over the regiment, then over the brigade, then over the army. Then the official ?Eye-witness? joined in and told the world, and finally came the little notice in the Gazette, the award of the Victoria Cross, and the homage of all who know a brave man when they see one. Extracted from 'Deeds That Thrill The Empire' How Lance-Corporal Jacka Won The V.C. By Capturing A Trench Single Handed How Private James William Collins, Of The 1st Battalion Leinster Regiment, Won The D.C.M. At St. Eloi It was at this critical moment that Private James William Collins, a young soldier of twenty-one happening to glance about him, perceived that some of the comrades-raw lads who had come out with the last draft and were now under fire for the first time-were beginning to loose their heads. Without a moment?s hesitation, young Collins leaped upon the parados of the trench and stood there ?like a bandmaster on a stool?-as one who was present expresses it-in full view of the advancing enemy, now not fifty yards distant, shouting encouragement and abuse at the men in the rich vocabulary of the British ?Tommy.? A shower of bullets greeted his appearance, but he seemed to bear a charmed life, for by some miracle not one touched him, and he remained in his perilous position for some minutes until he had succeeded in rallying the men, while the Germans, astonished at such reckless daring and at their failure to bring him down actually came to a halt within ten yards of the parapet. Thanks to the gallantry and presence of mind of this young soldier, the party was able to effect a safe retirement, without sustaining any further loss. The trenches captured by the Germans did not remain long in their possession, for that same night they were retaken by a dashing counter attack, and a terrible price exacted from the enemy for his brief success. Private now Corporal-Collins was awarded the D.C.M. ?for conspicuous gallantry and very great daring.? He is a West Countryman, his home being at Ford, Devonport. Extracted from 'Deeds That Thrill The Empire' How Lance-Corporal Leonard James Keyworth Of The 24th (County Of London) Battalion The London Regiment (The Queen?s) (T.F.), Won The V.C. At Givenchy How Major Charles Allix Lavington Yate, of The 2nd Battalion, The King?s Own (Yorkshire Light Infantry), Won The V.C. At Le Cateau How Naik Sar Amir, Of The 129th Duke Of Connaughts Own Baluchis, Won The Indian Order Of Merit (2nd Class) At Hollebeke October 31st 1914 was probably the most critical day in the three weeks of obstinate and sanguinary fighting which is known as the First Battle of Ypres. Early in the morning fighting began along the Menin ?Ypres road, southeast of Gheluvelt, and a little later an attack against the place developed in overwhelming force, with the result that the line of the 1dt Division was broken, and it was driven back to the woods between Hooge and Veldhoek. Ts retirement exposed the left of the 7th Division, and the Royal Scots Fusiliers were cut off and destroyed; while it was only by the most heroic efforts that the right of the 7th and General de Moussy?s troops of the 9th French Corps on its right were able to hold their ground. Farther south, the 3rd Cavalry Division, under General Allenby, was also desperately hard pressed. It had the whole of the Allied line to hold from Klein Zillebeke by Hollebeke to south of Messines, and the only reinforcements it could call upon were two battalions from the 7th Indian Brigade, which had been sent to its support some days previously, and were already in a somewhat exhausted condition. Nevertheless, they acquitted themselves right valiantly, and two men of the 129th Baluchis Sepoy Khudadad and Naik Sar Amir-brought great honour to that fine corps, the former winning the Victoria Cross, and the latter, whose gallant deed we are about to relate, the Indian Order of Merit (Second Class). About one o?clock in the afternoon, Naik Sar Amir was in charge of the Baluchis machine gun section?s mules which were under cover about three hundred yards behind the spot where the guns were in action, when two men belonging to the crew of one of the guns came running back, and told him that it had been hit direct by a shell and rendered useless. The officer commanding the section (Captain Dill, D.S.O. who was afterwards killed) had sent them back to ask the commanding officer to arrange for another gun to be sent up. The two men hurried off, and Naik Sa Amir at once went forward to the remaining gun, to ascertain if it were still in working order and whether more ammunition or anything were required. When he arrived within some twenty-five yards of the emplacement, he saw that the ground directly in front of it was littered with dead and wounded Germans, who, advancing in massed formation, had been mown down like corn by the fire of the murderous weapon, but that the enemy had now opened out and were attacking from both flanks. Soon afterwards they succeeded in rushing the trench, and killed the havildar and four men, who were working the gun, who, scorning to surrender, fought to their last gasp. Seeing that there were not enough of our men at hand to retake the trench, Sar Amir waited for a while in a cottage close behind the emplacement, and then, accompanied by one of the sepoys who had been carrying up ammunition, made his way back to the mules, and ordered all the kit to be loaded up. Meanwhile the Germans had opened a hot fire on them, and the sepoy and three bullets through his puggree, but were not hit. When everything was ready, Sar Amir quietly marched the mules back to the new line, which had been taken up by his regiment. When he started retiring, the Germans were only some eighty or a hundred yards away on his right flank, and were not forgetting to remind him of their proximity; but the bullets, which hummed past, appeared to disturb him not at all. He reached our lines, and having inspected the mules and equipment reported to the adjutant that, though both guns had been lost, together with the men who had actually been working them, everything else had been brought back safely. Later in the day it was ascertained that he had been slightly wounded in the knee by a bullet, but had thought so little of his hurt that he had not considered it necessary to report it. Nsik-now Havildar-Sar Amir, whose gallantry and coolness on this occasion gained him the decoration so much coveted by every native soldier, is a Jowaki Afridi, and his home is at the village of Sherakhal, in the Kohat district of the Northwest Provinces. He is twenty-three years of age. Extracted from 'Deeds That Thrill The Empire' Private Leonard Keysor?s Remarkable Bombing Feat At Lone Pine Trenches, Gallipoli, Which Gained For Him The V.C. How Private Jacob Of The 1st Sherwood Foresters (Notts And Derbyshire Regiment), Won The V.C. At Neuve Chapelle This occurred on March 12th 1915, at the Battle of Neuve Chapelle. Observing a large number of Germans massed on the flank of an advanced company of his battalion, Private Rivers, on his own initiative, crept up to within a few yards of the enemy and hurled bomb after bomb among them, throwing them into utter confusion and forcing them to retire. This most gallant action he repeated later on the same day, again causing the enemy to retire, but, unhappily, not before a bullet had cut short the career of one of the bravest of Britain?s sons. ?The only personal effects belonging to the late Private Rivers which have been sent home to his mother,? says a writer in the Derby Daily Telegraph,? are the metal box containing Princess Mary?s Christmas gift to the soldiers and a postcard, which he had recently received. The box had a tragic interest, for a bullet has pierced it. It is the habit of soldiers to carry this box in their breast pocket, less as a shield against a possible bullet than as a convenient means of carrying their tobacco, and the fact that there is a hole right through it clearly indicates that Private Rivers was shot through the heart.? Extracted from 'Deeds That Thrill The Empire' How Sergeant Percy Reginald Pike, Of The 113th Battalion he London Regiment (Princess Louise?s Own Kensington Battalion), Won The D.C.M. Near Rouges Bancs How Quartermaster Sergeant Downs, OF The 1st Battalion Cheshire Regiment, won The D.C.M. At Ypres The Gazette adds that Quartermaster Sergeant Downs ?had shown marked ability in machine gun work throughout the campaign,? and, indeed, the invaluable service he rendered at Ypres was preceded and followed by much excellent work elsewhere. Thus, at the village of Violanes, near La Bassee, he placed one of his machine guns at the top window of a house and concealed another in a pit, so as to command the La Bassee road; and when, shortly afterwards, the Germans advancing in great force, had obliged the Cheshire and Manchester to retire, they were thrown into such confusion by the murderous fire which the hidden machine guns suddenly opened upon them, that the Manchester?s were able to counter attack and hold them in check until their supports came up. This gallant non commissioned officer appears to have had some strange experience. On one occasion he and some of his section spent five days on a haystack, engaged in covering the advance of his battalion. During the whole of this time they were under very heavy shellfire, one shell actually hitting the stack on which they lay. But though a howitzer battery hard by had three guns hopelessly damaged by the enemy?s fire, none of his machine guns were put out of action, and they wrought great execution among the Huns at a range of some eight hundred yards. On another occasion he and his section were in the trenches east of Ypres, without relief, for fifteen days, during which they sustained a number of casualties. In fact, when they were relieved, there were only Downs and one other man left out of the whole of the original machine gun section. Quartermaster Sergeant downs, who is thirty years of age, is a native of Denton, Cheshire, and received his education at St. Lawrence?s church School in that town. As a lad he was employed in a hat shop, and afterwards went to sea, as a steward on an Atlantic liner. He joined the Army about eleven years ago. Extracted from 'Deeds That Thrill The Empire' How Corporal Sam Schultz, Of The 10th Canadian Battalion, Won The D.C.M. At The Second Battle Of Ypres How Second-Lieutenant H. V. H. Throssell, Of The 10th Australian Light Horse, Won The V.C. At Hill 60, Gallipoli Peninsula It was decided that the advance should begin at 5 p.m. on august 27th, after being preceded by a very heavy artillery bombardment. The moment, however, that the British left the cover of their trenches a very hot fire was opened on them from field guns, rifles and machine guns, and this was followed before long by a storm of heavy shell. On the right of the attack a battery of machine guns opposed the detachment from the 4th and 5th Australian Brigades, and against the merciless firemen could make no headway. In the centre, however, by a most determined assault the New Zealanders had carried one side of the topmost knoll. On the left a charge by two hundred and fifty men of the 5th Connaght Rangers broke the Turkish resistance by the suddenness of the attack and the compactness of its mass. In five minutes the Irishmen had carried the northern Turkish communications trenches, and they at once fought their way along the trenches with bombs, opposing strong parties, which hurried up in turn from the enemy supports and the reserves. At midnight?s fresh troops were to have consolidated the hold of the British on the hill, but unfortunately the Irishmen were out bombed before then, and the 9th Austrian Light Horser were driven back after making a gallant attempt to recapture the lost communication trench. Nothing, however, could move the New Zealand Mounted Rifles. All through the night and all the next day they were subjected to bombing, bayonet charges, rifle, shrapnel, and heavy shellfire. But they clung to their one hundred and fifty yards of trench with the greatest gallantry, with only a sandbag barricade separating them from the Turks. At 1 a.m. on the morning of August 29th the 10th Australian Light Horse made their memorable advance to recapture the lost communication trenches on the left. Having rushed into the trench held by the New Zealanders, they dashed across the sandbag barricade amid the cheers of the Maorilanders; and then, by shooting, bombing and bayoneting, they drove the Turks in headlong flight down the trench for about three hundred yards to the right. When the advance first began Second-Lieutenant Throssell was in the second line in charge of the digging party, and under his supervision the men now set to work to build up another sandbag barricade. To give his men some protection in their work, Second-Lieutenant Throssell stood by them with a rifle, and every Turk who attempted to come round the traverse was shot down. Finding that these methods of attack were costing them dear, the Turks massed round the right angle of the traverse and began to attack the barricades with bombs. The rest of the trench was also hotly engaged. The Turks opened a heavy rifle fire, and by continuous bomb attacks, advanced as near as possible to the whole line of the trench. The trench was a veritable inferno, but the men were most hotly engaged on the extreme right, where, with Captain Fry, Second-Lieutenant Throssell had tried hard to raise some covering as a shelter against the bombs. This task was of the utmost danger, for bombs were lobbed with deadly accuracy into the trench, and were actually caught and thrown back by Second-Lieutenant Throssell, with Corporals Ferrier and McNee and Troopers Macmahon and Renton. When a bomb fell into the trench and could not be traced in the darkness, Second-Lieutenant Throssell shouted the order ?Down!? They at once flung themselves full length on the ground and waited for the explosion, a second or two later. Men, however, were falling fast, but though Captain Fry was killed, Second-Lieutenant Throssell never failed in directing his men. He had been three times wounded, and Ferrier, who was an expert in bomb throwing, had had his arm shattered by a bursting bomb. Nearly every man in the trench had suffered some injury, but the gallant and dogged defence of the 10th Light Horse was still kept up. The overwhelming onslaughts of the Turks, who in numbers were superior, necessitated two retirements, and once again Second-Lieutenant Throssell stood by his men, rifle in hand, while they raised the sandbag barricades. The long drawn out fight against desperate odds continued into the second day, and at the height of the struggle the Turks rushed forward in a furious counter attack, which tried to courage and endurance of the men to their uttermost limits. Reinforcements at length came, and Second-Lieutenant Throssell retired to have his wounds dressed, but he insisted on returning to the trench afterwards. This trench, which Second-Lieutenant Throssell and the men of the 10th Australian Light Horse had so gallantly captured and held, gave the British possession of Hill 60. Second-Lieutenant-now Lieutenant-Throssell had been promoted from the ranks, and much more credit is due to him for his strong leadership and unflagging energy in so trying to struggle. For his most conspicuous courage and coolness he was deservedly awarded the V.C. Extracted from "Deeds That Thrill The Empire' How Company Sergeant Major Stanley George Glover, Of The 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers Won The D.C.M. At St. Eloi Meanwhile, nearly the whole British line had been driven from their trenches, and the Irish Fusiliers found themselves in danger of being surrounded. Sergeant Major Glover stood in the centre of the trench, with his rifle in his right hand, the bayonet resting on the parados, and held up his left as a signal to his men to cease firing on the retreating bombers, in order to husband their ammunition. There was no other way to do this, as the noise was so terrific, while the ground was shaking as though an earthquake was in progress. He then stationed as many as there was room for to defend the rear of the trench, which had become their front for the time being, detailed four or five to fire over the extreme right of the parapet, and the rest from what was the proper front. A little later they were practically encircled by the enemy, and Glover had to keep on diverting his men from parados to parapet, and then to parados again, which he did by tapping them on the shoulder and pointing out what was required of them. The difficulties of the situation were increased by the fact that they were hard pressed for room, having several casualties lying at the bottom of the trench. The Germans delivered two determined attacks on the rear of the trench, but were repulsed on each occasion by the brave little band of Irishmen, which only numbered between thirty and forty men. Our men were also subjected to some attention from the enemy?s artillery, and on one occasion a high explosive shell fell among a German bombing party in the vicinity of the demolished trench. When darkness fell they expected almost every moment that the enemy would rush the trench in overwhelming numbers; but happily, no such attempt was made, and about 2 a.m. on the morning of the 15th the British counter attacked, and by daybreak we had recovered all the lost ground, which was of material importance. Had the counter attack been more completely successful, Glover and his men would have been in danger of being driven into the enemy?s lines, or the Germans who were between them and the British would have been driven back on to them. Sergeant Major Glover was awarded the D.C.M. for ?conspicuous gallantry and marked ability,? and the Medaille Militaire of France was also conferred upon him. He has recently completed seventeen years service in the Army, twelve of which were spent in India, where he distinguished himself in the School of Musketry. He was wounded on May 4th 1915, during the second battle of Ypres. Extracted from 'Deeds That Thrill The Empire' How Sergeant Tom Edward George Hayward, Of The 7th London Regiment (T.F.) Won The D.C.M. At Festubert The most successful part of the attack was that carried out by the 22nd Brigade, on our right, against the Rue d?Ouvert, to the southeast of Festubert; and at about three o?clock on the afternoon of the 16th two platoons of Hayward?s company were sent to reinforce some regular troops in a German communication trench which had been captured that morning. The journey to the communication trench was not a pleasant one, as the enemy were endeavouring to place a barrier of fire between the 22nd Brigade and its supports. But they reached it without sustaining any casualties, and after proceeding for some little distance along it, received orders to attack a neighbouring farmhouse, which the Regulars were bombarding with a trench mortar, occupy an orchard adjoining it, dig themselves in, and hold it as long as possible. Leaving the trench, Hayward and his men preceded, in single file, for about fifty yards along a road running at right angles to the orchard, and then making a right turn, crossed a wide ditch between four and five feet deep which divided the orchard from the road. As they emerged from it, the Germans, who opened fire upon them and began throwing hand grenades, saw them. Hayward was wounded in the right forearm by a piece of a grenade, but, notwithstanding the pain of his wound, he most pluckily remained at the head of his men, using a revolver which he happened t have with him in place of his rifle. Despite the heavy fire of the enemy, the party advanced across the orchard, until a line of barbed wire arrested their further progress. Taking what cover they could find, they held their ground for some time, but were eventually obliged to retire. On reaching the communication trench, they found that the regulars had evacuated it, and that they were isolated in the midst of the Germans. But Hayward?s coolness and courage extricated his men from their perilous situation, and they succeeded in reaching the British lines in safety, though during their retirement they were very heavily shelled. Sergeant Hayward was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, ?for conspicuous gallantry,? the official announcement of his decoration adding that he had ?displayed great coolness and bravery, and set a fine example to the men with him of devotion to duty.? He was subsequently given a commission in the 4th Battalion Royal West Kent Regiment. He is only twenty years of age. Extracted from 'Deeds That Thrill The Empire' How Lance Corporal Walter James Branker, Of The 2nd Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment Won The D.C.M. At Neuve Chapelle About half an hour later they made a second attempt, and Lance Corporal William James Branker, of the 2nd Northampton?s, volunteered to accompany them. They reached the wire entanglements, but were unable to advance any further, and all that was left of ?B? Company, to which Branker had attached himself, was one officer, three non-commissioned officers, and twenty-one men. The lance corporal?s blood was up, however, and scarcely had the remnant of the shattered battalion reached the shelter of the British trenches, when he volunteered to go out alone and bomb the enemy. Dropping over the parapet, he went forward some way, and sent two of the deadly missiles through the air. They fell short, however, whereupon, with a sublime indifference to danger, he ran as far as the enemy?s wire, and, standing there, with bullets whistling past him, threw the remainder of his bombs, and then ran back to our trenches for a fresh supply. His chum, Private Mead, offered to go with him, and the two brave men made their way through the entanglements to within ten paces of the German trenches, where they threw their bombs with deadly effect. Mead, having exhausted his supply, was returning for more, but was shot dead before he had gone half way. Branker at once ran to his fallen comrade, but finding him beyond the reach of human aid, went back to our trenches, and after a short rest, came out again and succeeded in bombing the Germans out of their trenches, killing many of them and taking eighty-five prisoners. Lance Corporal Branker, who was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, ?for conspicuous gallantry,? is twenty-five years of age, and his home is at Peterborough. Extracted from 'Deeds That Thrill The Empire' How Sergeant William Edward Riley, Of The 2nd Battalion Border Regiment, Won The D.C.M. At Gheluvelt How Sergeant William Spence Won The D.C.M. At Wasmes The Northamptonshire Regiment The battalions forming this regiment were linked before 1881, when they were territorialized under their present title. They were the 48th (Northamptonshire) and the 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiments. The first battalion was formed in 1741 as Cholmondeley?s Regiment, received its number in 1751, and the county title in 1782. Its first recorded active service was in Flanders, where it fought at Val with heavy loss; and next it appears in America with the unfortunate expedition of Braddock against Fort Duquesne. It was present at Cape Breton in 1756, at Louisburg in 1758, at the attack on Quebec in 1759, in the defence of the town the same year, at Sillery and Motreal, and at Martinique and Havannah, returning home in 1763. The regiment served in the West Indies in 1794-96, at the capture of the French West Indian Islands and St. Lucia. In 1809 it joined the army in Portugal, fought at the Douro, Talavera (when Wellesley said ?that the day was saved by the advance, position, and steadiness of the 1st battalion of the 48th?). Badajoz and Albuhera, at Badajoz again, Salamanca, Vittoria, the Pyrenees, the Nivelle, Orthes, and Toulouse, after which it returned home and saw no further active service until 1834, when it took part in the Coorg campaign. In 1855 it was despatched to Sevastopol, remaining until the end of the siege. A 2nd battalion existed from about 1798 to 1802; another, formed in 1803, embarked for Portugal in 1809, and shared with the 1st battalion and Peninsular battles above referred to up to Albuhera, when it returned home and was disbanded in 1814. The 58th, which now forms the 2nd battalion of the Northamptonshire Regiment, appears first in 1740, but became the 47th in 1748. The next of the number was enlisted in 1755 and became the 56th; the third was numbered the 60th in 1755and became the 58th in 1757. In that year it embarked for active service at Louisburg and Quebec, at Sillery and Montreal, and at Havannah in 1762. It won the badge of the ?Castle and Key? for its share in the gallant defence of Gibraltar from 1789 to 1793; took part in the reduction of the French West Indian Isles in 1794, was at the capture of Minorca in 1798, and after much service in the Mediterranean it accompanied Abercromby to Egypt and fought at Alexandria, Rosetta, Mandora, and Cairo. Returning to the Mediterranean in 1805, the 58th served at Naples, Sicily, Calabria, in the battle of Maida, etc. And on the coast of Spain up to 1814; thence it was transferred to Canada, and formed part of the Plattsburg Expedition, after which it returned home too late for the battle of Waterloo, but shared in the occupation of Paris. From 1823 to 1838 the regiment was stationed in Ceylon, helping to suppress the Kandian insurrection; in 1845-46 it took part in the New Zealand campaign; and between 1879 and 1881 formed part of the army in South Africa during the Zulu War and the Boer campaign. A 2nd battalion, formed in 1803, saw service at Salamanca, in Barnes?s Brigade at Vittoria, Pampeluna, and elsewhere, and at Nivelle, Nive, Orthes, and Bordeaux; by which time it had become so weakened in numbers that it was incorporated with the 1st battalion. The 48th had Buff, the 58th black facings; but the latter had previously worn white then buff; now both have white. The regiment has no new special badge; but the 48th earned ?Talavera? because of its bravery in that battle, and the 58th ?Gibraltor? with the castle, Key, and motto, and the Sphinx with ?Egypt.? The Horseshoe is the badge of the county of Rutland, and was worn by its Militia, as the St. George?s Cross-was by that of Northamptonshire. The button has the castle and key, crowned, and the regimental name; the collar a laurel wreath and the title, crowned, with St. George?s Cross and the Horseshoe; the helmet-plate bears the castle and key with ?Gibraltar? and ?Talavera? and the title; the waist-plate has very much the same; the forage-cap the Castle and Key with ?Gibraltar? and ?Talavera.? The militia battalions are furnished by the Northampton and Rutland regiments; they date from 1761, and bear the Mediterranean distinction, and also add the Horseshoe and St. George?s cross to the regimental badges. The volunteer battalion is the 1st Northamptonshire, clad in grey with scarlet facings. The nicknames of the 58th are the ?Black Cuffs? and the 2Steelbacks.? The latter is said to be bestowed from their coolness in taking the floggings that were freely given in early days. This is admirably described in ?Nicknames and Traditions of the British Army? in the following words; ?While serving under Wellington in the Peninsular War, one Hovenden, a private in the regiment, was ordered to be flogged for his share in a breach of discipline; at the twentieth lash he became so exhausted that he fainted. So annoyed were his comrades that they would not recognise him. Discovering the cause of their conduct, he marched on to the square where the colonel was standing and told him that he (the colonel) was a fool; for this he was again sentenced to be flogged. During the night, while lying in his cell, the French attacked the regiment. Evading the guard, he escaped from the scene of the conflict, only to see his colonel wounded and in the hands of the enemy. Seizing a musket, he shot the Frenchman and liberated the colonel. After binding up his wounds he left him, and was making his way back to the cell when a bullet struck him, and entering the cell he expired. His desire to be flogged again was therefore not gratified.? The depot was at Northampton. JAMES OSBORNE (Private)
2nd Battalion 58th (Northamptonshire)
Regiment
On February 22nd 1881, during the action at
Wesselstroom, Private Osborne rode towards a party of forty-two Boers,
and under a heavy fire picked up Private Mayes, who was lying wounded,
and carried him back to camp. ALAN RICHARD HILL (Lieutenant, Now Major Alan Richard Hill-Walker, Retired) 58th The Rutland (Now 2nd Battalion Northampton) Regiment On January 28th 1881, during the action of Laing?s Nek, Lieutenant Hill remained behind after the retreat had been ordered, and attempted to carry Lieutenant Baillie, who had been severely wounded. Being unsuccessful in getting the injured officer on to a horse, he was forced to carry him in his arms, and during this humane action Lieutenant Baillie was again hit, and this time mortally wounded. After this, in spite of the heavy fire from the enemy, Lieutenant Hill twice returned on to the open ground, each time rescuing a wounded man. Major Alan Richard Hill-Walker, V.C., son of the late Captain Hill, Chief Constable North Riding of Yorkshire, was born on July 12th 1859. Educated at Richmond (Yorkshire) and privately. In 1877 jopined the North Yorks Rifles and in 1879 the 58th Regiment, with which gallant corps he served through the Zulu War of 1879, and the Boer War of 1881, taking part in the Battles of Ingogo, Majuba Hill (where he was severely wounded), and Laing?s Nek, mentioned in despatches, and where his V.C. was won as decribed above. In 1833-5 he served in Natal, Cape Town and South Africa; was Adjutant 3rd and 4th Battalions Northampton Militia 1887-92; Station Staff Officer at Bangalore during the next three years; officiating A.A.G. in Mandalay 1897; took part in the Tirah Campaign and the march down the Bara Valley 1897. |
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