V.C. HEROES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 210, 24 May 1918, Page 5

V.C. HEROES

DEEDS THAT WON THE VALOUR REWARD. London, May 22. Details of eleven brilliant actionfl for which Victoria Crosses have been awarded are gazetted. All tho recipients are British soldiers, and most of them were leaders of forlorn hopes in the Somme and Flanders battles. They include:— Captain James Forbes-Robertson, whose quick judgment, resource, and untiring energy four times saved tho line from breaking, no fearlessly exposed himself while his battalion held ground to cover tho rotreat of other troops on its flanks. Lieutenant Pryco commanded a party oovering the flank of the Grenadier Guards. When his company was reduced to forty, he found himself outflanked and enfiladed, but beat off four attacks by tho enemy, and thon brought three field guns within 300 yards of the trench, and when the German infantry wero within 00 yards Lieutenant Pryco led a bayonet charge and drovo them back. Finally only 17 men vc-mained, and all their ammunition was gone. Lioutonant Pryco again led a bayonet charge, and was last seen in a hand-to-hand struggle against overwhelming numbers. Lieutenant Pryco's -10 men held at least a battalipn for ten hours, and stopped its advance through the British tines.

Lieutenant Buchan, who was wounded early in Ihe battle, found his platoon surrounded. To a demand for surrender, he replied, "To hell with surrender!" and shot his foremost enemy and fought his way back to the main body. Ho continued his gallant wlf-eacriiico for two days, until he was again cut off. It wa.s impossible for Headquarters to send hrm orders nnd command him to withdraw, and Lieutenant Buchan was last seen holding against overwhelming odds. Private Counter volunteered to deliver an important message, though ho had just seen five rumners hilled in succession bv terrific machine-gun fire. Ho not only delivered llin message, facing almost certain death, but returned with another message, enabling a counterattack to bo made which tegained a whole posilion.-Aus.-N.Z. Cablo Assn.