A BRAVE SOLDIER'S DEATH

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 109, 25 January 1918, Page 7

A BRAVE SOLDIER'S DEATH

LETTER FROM A COMRADE. Mr P E. Hind, of Malty Avenue, Timaru, ' has received from LanoeCorporal J. W. Robinson the following letter giving particulars of.the brave manner in which his son, Coporat \\ • E. R. Hind, met his death:— "It is with very great, regret and deep sympathy that I write these few lines in reference to your late son Walter. It will interest you to know that I was with Wattio when he was gassed. Wo had just taken over the : Cambrai trench in the. Ypres sector from a Staffordshire regiment. Wattie (as we all called him) was m charge of the gas guard, and it was without doubt his keen devotion to duty and his thought for his mates that oaused him to lose his.hfe. _ A great number of gas shells were coming over, and Wattie was untiring in seeing tbat all the platoon were safe. Jo my own knowledge he had taken his mask off several times to test the air by smelling, thus' Tunning the risk of being gassed, solely to let bis mates know if it was safe to remove theirs. During a lull in the sholhng ho had iust taken bis mask off, and bad sounded 'all safe,' and was holding his mask in his hand, leaning against the trench when Fritz started shelling again.* A gas shell came oV er and burst on the parapet, within a few tect of him. Before putihg on Ins own mask he gave the alarm, and although h» was gassed himself went on -vith his duties, seeing that everyone was safe, and had received tho alarm. He carried on after this for fully half an hour, and did not seem to have a thought for himself so long as the boys were safe, and although it was easy to bee he was suffering, would have continued to do so had he not been almost forced to go to the dressing station. There is no doubt that giving the alarm before putting on his mask cost him his life, althnm.rh it was the means of saving his mates. "Wattie and I had exchanged addresses before going into the line, and I would have written you before, but could not find the hospital he had been taken to, and being wounded myseli shortly afterwards had no way of finding out. "It came as a great shock to mr when I found he bad died. We liebeen mates while in the company together, and those of lis that are lef' will miss him very much. He ras always very popular with the bovs i' his platoon,. As corporal of • No. 8 platoon he had a great deal to do wit.'our rationing, mail, etc., and if any of the boys wanted anything, it was always 'Go to Wattie. and he will fix tilings up.' He would always go to any troublo to set things right. '

"Several of his old platoon mates are over here wounded, and have asked me to oxpress to you their deepest sympathy, and to state that thoy consider your Eon's action was the means of saving a good many lives that night. In conclusion I can only fay that Wattie was a man in tho best sense of tho word, and I hope these few lines from one of his mates will help a little in your sorrow."