STEEL HELMET AS WEAPON

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 295, 2 September 1918, Page 7

STEEL HELMET AS WEAPON

Many remarkable storiefe of the pluck and resource of non-commission-ed officers and men are recorded in a special "London Gazette" of D.C.M. awards which was issued recently. The feat of Rifleman H. Barker, of tho London. Regiment, is typical.. When holding a bombing block which was surrounded . during an enemy attack, he and his sergeant were taken prisoners and were led into the hostile lilies by an enemy officer and n.c.o. On passing a bomb store he seized a bomb and killed the n.c.0., while his sergeant killed tho officer. They then made their escape and returned with valuable information. The, manner in which Sergeant G. H. Pollington, M.M., of the .Norfolk Regiment, freed himself from his German captors is illustrative of the many uses of the "tin hat." Ho was in command of the 'same post, when a largo raiding party of the enemy penetrated our front line and'£red : into the post from the rear >ith a machine-gun. Ho immediately led some, of his men into a communication trench, -where a hand-to-hand struggle ensued, during which he was knocked down and dragged half-way across "No Man's Land" by the enemy. He then pulled off his. steel helmet, hit his two captors in the face with it, and made good his escape. Thanks to his initiative and gre'at courage the enemy were prevented from capturing the post. • ,