V. C. DEEDS RETOLD.

Hokitika Guardian, 20 January 1930, Page 3

V. C. DEEDS RETOLD.

MAN THEY COULD NOT KILL. The Loyal Scots were in the line near Givenchy, north of the La Bassee Canal. F iom a raid bn the night of -June 11, 1915, Lieutenant J. Martin uni not return. Next morning he mu Id be seen lying almost on the uerman parapet 1 fifty yards away. A siigiiL movement showed that he was still alive. Lame-Corporal W. Angus felt that he (ould not leave to his fate an officer ot Ins own .attnlion who came from Lis own town, Carluke, in Lanark. •The Germans were alert and it was broad daylight, but he determined to bring him in. “It’s certain death, hid,’ they told him. Lis comrades opened rapid fire to make the Germans keep their heads down. With a rope round his waist ihe iance-co. poral crawled out. So cleverly did he work forward over the ground that lie reached the officer unseen by the enemy. Then lie attempted to raise him, and there came a shower of bombs. But as the, smoke cleared away; the subaltern staggered to his feet. Urged on the direction by the shouts of Angus he ran hark twenty yards, then fell,- and crawled into surety. ; , ■ Angus lead started by' a different route! hoping to hold- the attention c>f the Germans. . His progress was marked hv bursting bombs, and he was hit again ■■ and again. But they could not kill the man. Covered with wounds he reached the British parapet and was lifted over into the trench:

MAJOR L. W. B REES, R.A

Soon after the dawn of July 1, 1910. ten German hombiug aeroplanes in dose formation came flying over our trenches near Festubeit, on the Flanders' plain. They had already shot diown one of our machines. Major Rees was alone in the air when he sighted them” from afar. At first he thought they were our own bomber* returning from a raid. Soon lie was undeceived and went roaring down to attack them -one against ten. A burst of bullets from his machine gun and the nearest German dived and was seen no more. Thirty rounds he poured into the next, who dropped away to make a forced landing. And then the raiders scattered in disorder across the sky, most of them intent upon escape. Only three held on their course. Our champion had received their fire and was wounded in the leg. He locked little of that, although his machine was now'difficult to control. It was his will to carry on the fight—one partly disabled, against three. Swooping down almost on the tail of the rearmost German caught a lightning glimpse of the oh,server firing wildly unward. When he rose to rush again to the attack the harassed raiders broke from him and made for home. Even so they could not shake him off. Following, he dealt our bursts of are until every round of his ammunition was spent. Then he turned back and succeeded in landing safely behind our lines.

HAMMING THE TIGRIS BARRIER. In the autumn of 1915 General Townshend was fighting liis way forward towards Kut. Fast looked across the Tigris ten miles below the town were two iron lighters, with a dhow in between. Lieut.-Commander Cookson had been asked to his best to break a passage through, As darkness fell on September 28th. lie led the way up river in the armed tug Comet, On either bank the flashes of Turkish rifles and machine guns stabbed through the gloom. . A hail of bullets swept the Comet’s decla Many of her crew fell dead or wounded. The lieut.-commander held grimly on under every ounce of steam until the bows of the tug crashed into the dhow. Despite the shuddering shock the barrier stood firm. The attempt to ram had failed. What now remained to do? At this short range the Turkish cross-fire was deadly. Could a man get on board the dhow and remain alive long enough to cut through the wire hawsers which held her in her place? Would any man dare to try. Lieut.-Commander Cookson did not hesitate. Again he brought the Comet up. Closer and closer she came until her side was grinding against the dhow. Then axe in hand, he jumped for the Turkish craft. He reached her, only to fall back riddled with bullets before be could strike a. blow. The lifted him up, still living, from between the two vessels. Ten minutes later lie died.