A GREAT RESCUE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2734, 31 March 1916, Page 7

A GREAT RESCUE

s'OP ALL THE WORLDS BRAVE , ' . HEROES".

' A SPARK THAT CAUGHT

(By Frederic jColeman, F.R.&S.)

• Instances'of individual bravery were sufficiently rare in occurence a couple of years ago to receive marked attention when brought to light. To-day personal heroism is so universal as to be the rule rather than the oxcbption on the battle front,of war. Effort and achievement do not always go hand m hand,' no 'matter how strenuous the effort.' One of the niost notable instances of the action of'one man, cool, far-seeing, and brimming with tact and humanity, that occurred '.during, the. early stages of the war, was the rescue from" capture by the Huns, of 200 odd men of tho scattered 2nd Army, after the Great Hetreat from Mons in full swing," This was the work of Tom Bridges.. Major T, Bridges, of the 4th Dragoon Guards (the .Royal Irish), had been sent .into St. Quentin,: south of Le Cateau, to'see if-any last stragglers from the; Battle of Cambrai-(Le Cateau could be found before the rear guards of the British Expeditionary Force finally fell back southward. . . , In the square near the Mairie, Major Bridges found a couple of hundred; or more men of.various detachments, who ivere seated on the pavement in complete exhaustion'and utter, resignation to what appeared their inability to rojoin tlie Army which had retreated far j to the south '

They, too, expected the Germans momentarily. A couplo of half-crazed, irresponsible chaps had preached some rot >to them that made-them think themselvos abandoned to their fate. Major Bridges needed but a moment to sed how far gone they were," how utterly and hopelessly fatigued. No peremptory order,-' no gentle request, no clever cajolery would suffice, most ofi them the power to move seemed to \themselves ito hi.ve 'gone with ceaseless tramping, without food or sleep, for the 36 hours past. , v "■'■•_ A brilliant idea' came, to the -big, genial, major.."Entering, a -toy shop ho bought a toy drum and a penny vdnstle. He strapped the little drum to his belt. "Can you play the British Grenadiers?" he asked his trumpeter.

"Sure, sir,?'- was : the reply

r Li a twinkling' the pair w.erc marching round tho square, the high treble of the tiny tin-whistle rising clear, and shrjll, "But. of all the world's brave heroes, there's none that can compare, with: a tow; rolv, with a -,tow, row, row, to the.British'Gronadiers." ..' i •.

Bound they came, the trumpeter, caught 'on the wings''of the majors en-' thusiasm, putting ' his very heart and soiil into ©very inspiring note. Major .Bridges, supplying the comic the small sticks in his big hands, banged away oh the drum like mad. •

/ They' reached the reouinbent group. They- passed its tired length. ■■■ Now they I 'came.to the last. man. Will they feel the spirit'of the straining''notes, rich with the tradition pf the grand old air..? vWill they catch the- spirit of the big-hearted major, who knows so well just how the poor lads feel, and seeks that spot of humour in Tommy's make-up' that lias so often proved his very salvation ■? , ; ,-, ' ' The spark has caught! Some,'with tears in their foyes, some with a roar of laughter, jump up and fall in; The weary' feot, sore and! bruised, 'tramp the hard cobble's, unconscious of their pain. Stiffened limbs answer to «all of newly-awakened wills. ' '

* "With' at-.tcwv'j'i'-rbVi-.row, with a tow, .row, row, to, the British Gronadiors." They are singing it now, as they file in long column down the street after the big Form hammering the toy drum, and his panting trumpeter "blowing -his head off" beside him. , "Go on, Major, we'll follow you to' hell," sings out a branny Irishman bohind, vfho fean ; just hobble along on his torn feet. '; " Never a man of all the,lot vras left behind. '; , - •• -~--- Down the road, across the bridae, mile after mile toward Eoye. The trumpeter, blown, subsides for a while'; then; 1 refreshed, takes'i vtp the burden of-the noble tune oagin.' At last Major Bridges. turned and said: "Now,' boys, ahead.of you is a towifwhere you can get food and'drink and a. bit of rest before you go on. It ♦isn't far. Good luck." But not they. They were not-going to Jose their newfound .patron. , Olambur .rose, shrill and eager: "Don't leave us, major," thoy begged. "Don't, -for God's sake, leave us. They all-left,.us but. you. We'll fellow you anywhere, but- : where ■to go when you,leave us we don't know at all." _, Si> Major Bridges toiled on to Roye with them," got tlicm food and billots, turned them over to someone who would see that they cot on to thoir commands in some way, and went back to dutv with his regiment, arriving- at 2 o'clock k the'morning. .' Dig Torn Bridges! ' Indeed,-, he has more than once earned the name, but never more gallantly and wisely than on-, that afternoon in August, in the. turmoil of v the Great Retreat. '