A GALLANT ACT

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 14, 11 October 1917, Page 7

A GALLANT ACT

BY A WELLINGTON SOLDIER

FIGHTS A FIRE AMONGST AMMUNITION

"Military Cross, Second Lieutenant James Gallic, K.F.A., Special Deserve, attached A 149 th Brigade. "For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty whilst -with bis battery under heavy shell-firo, in v.ho course of which a gun-pit was struck, the gun dostroyed, and the umniunition set on. fire. With the aid of a sergeant ho entered the , pit and made gallant efforts to extinguish tho. fire, showing-great.promptitude ami coolnes3 in dealing with a serious situation." ■

The. above is the reference in the London "Gazette" to the heroic incident 'which gained; the: Military Cross foe 'Xienienant Victor Gallic, son of i Mr. John Gallie, of Stoko. Street, Newfown, and prior to the outbreak of the war.on the local staff of.the Union Bank of Australia". , ."..'.-.■ '

. Writing jto his father, on July V Lieutenant Gallie said:— "Awfully bucked -with myself. Yesterday: evening, whilst-doing F.O.D. for the brigade, I spotted a column .of ■wagons on a road in Bocheland. .4. long way off. it was, so" I watohed it for a ivhile, arid suddenly the wagons pulled up, and platoon after platoon of infautry . jpot out and .marched over the h'qlda in the direction of certain communication trenches behind the Boche front .line., I traced the road on a'map and rang .it through to the 'heavies'—6o- - arid 6 .and'B-in howitzersr-and. then, rang through'to my brigade re the infantry. . They in turn rang' through ito the. other batteries of the brigade, and I got, going with iny own battery. time they were ready old Boche and Co. had advanced a.good way, no doubt thinking they'were under cover . of a. certain.crest arid were quite safe. ■ I, slipped in two or three rounds from \No. T just' to correct tho angle tsr,d lange, and then over came tho heavies.' Gee! they did create havoc amongst the horses' and vehicles on 'the road. They Rot right .on to them arid did not give them a ohance. The infantry began to run, and I sent a messago through to Hie brigade to open fire, and over came the snarling , 18-pounder time shrapnel, bursting beautifully. God! you should itaye seen the mess and heard the noise! Tho 'heavies.' whacking . and sweeping along the road and the field-guns biting bits of the Tunning Bodies.- In about two minutes all was dust and smoke. In less than ten miiintes the thow was over, and 'all was quiet on the Western front!' "Nothing could be seen when the smoke, cleared excent little'black objects, lying out on the white chalk patches. J know, what .they were. "The infantry-eaid I had got Tight on to an infantry relief, and wore awfully bucked up about it. 'Moil Colons!" smiled and said: 'Very good, Gallie, come and have dinner at brigade tonight.' I replied that I would be de]ighted"" . - ' . ■