V.C. DEED RETOLD

Hokitika Guardian, 4 January 1930, Page 3

V.C. DEED RETOLD

LIEUT. C. H. SEWELL—Tank Corps. France, August 29fch. 1918: East of j>a,paume on August 29th 1918, German machine-gunners am r llenien disputed our advance betwee. Fremieouit ana the Cambrai road tie.ivy shell fire opened when, to cleat Hie way, our ‘ whippet’’ tanks appeared. And lenihie disaster oefoii one .f t cm. It t apsiwd into a shell crater and burst i. to flames. The door was fast jammed against the'side of the hole: for the crew imp; Foiled on the hi. zing machine there ,I'C ed no en ap from a horrible death. Lieut. Sewell in his tank u as souk distance away. Armed with a spads lie jumped out and rushed to the rescue. Be had to cross the open within do« ranjrc of the Germans in their rifle pits': hut lie got some cover from then amid the dust and smoke of bursting shells through which he passed un serathed. He reached the burning tank, and. still exposed to heavy fire, began to dig tn© earth away from the door. This was not the work of a momeni or two, but he toiled like one possessed until the door was free. Just in tinu tile crew scrambled out, saved at least from being burnt alive. Their rescuer was unhurt. Looking round, lie saw the driver of his own tank lying wounded on the ground. As lie ran towards him lie was struck by a bullet, but lie managed to reach the man. Jii the act of bandaging him he was hie again and sank down to die.