FIGHTING ATHLETES

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume XLV, Issue XLV, 5 October 1917, Page 1

FIGHTING ATHLETES

London Cobrespondent.] " A few years ago the doings of the.twin - brothers C. M. and N. G. Chavasse -were'" constantly talked about. by followers of athletics. They were in. the forefront of sprinters at Oxford, and there was not a yard between them at'the quarter, which they could run in close to oOsec.-. These athletic sons of the Bishop of Liverpool. are born fighters, of which we have had.'"' ample; proof. One of them (CM.) has gained the V.C., and • another/ brother lately did something which would seem to warrant the coveted honor being; given him. It appears that Lieutenant A. Chavasse was severely wounded recently, and that he .Ordered his men to leave him' '. -.whilst he'kept the Germans ;-at bay with hand grenades, in spite of his broken leg. Led by his brother, Captain :C.'II. Chavasse, of the R.A.M.C., several attempts were made to find him and. bring him-lii, but without success. Captain Chavasse went out five- times for "that' purpose,though the Germans kept up a hot fire all the time. Two, of the searchers actually got to Lieutenant Chavasse dnce,- but were only able to administer first aid, the conditions preventing their bringing him into our lines. From the fact that Captain Chavasse could not'find his brother, one is forced to conclude that the Germans advanced and made the wounded "officer their prisoner. Looking aff random over the casualties, one notices several other well-known. names. Captain T>. Molsou, of the; Canadian Forces, was a fine athlete a. -fewyears ago, his success including a victory m the long jump championship of the United States. Then there is Major R,.. H. Edmondson, R.G.A. (wounded), \vho r iollowed up his success in the publici schools heavy-weight boxing ship of 1900 by winning the Navy and Army heavy-weight championship in 1905. Another wounded officer is Captain A. J. M. Lander, of the Sherwood Foresters, who showed himself an excellent longdistance runner at. Cambridge, aid more recently won the prize for the first "officer home in a big cross-country race at Aldershot. : The football world in -particular- will regret to hear that Captain H. A. lodges is amongst j the wounded. ,He earned great fame on the" Rugger field, three time representing Oxford against Cambridge, and he also did duty for England against Ireland and Wales in 1906. " BOXERS TO ADMTRE. Several prominent boxers have '. given ample proof that being over military aue is not considered by them to be "'a' bar/to active service. Frank Slavin is a case in point, and though well over 50 he has shown himself equal to real soldiering with the Canadian troops in France.. Then we have the renowned Dick Burge in khaki, and he also is over 50 years of age. Another old timer in Charlie Mitciiell is now eager to do something as a soldier. He was, winning laurels ni the boxing, .world away back in the early eighties, and his famous draw with John L. Sullivan .in France will long be talked about. • .Mitchell has lost his son in the war, and that makes him all the keener to strike a blow. He puts it this way: ;'l ani getting on now, and should not m the least mind laying down my life if I could hist • out' a few Germans." That precisely represents the feelings of many' men" of more or less advanced years. It is fliily recognised that men oVe£-40 cannotwell stanu the strain of campaigning. All the same, there would be no difficulty in raising a regiment.' or several regiments," of " diehards," composed of men over military age who were prepared to risk their lives in a big attack. No doubt we shall mid .plenty of well-known American ; old-tune boxers showing an inclination to do some fighting against the common ' enemy. Indeed, Kid M'Coy, otherwise Norman Selby, is already in the army and ranks as a sergeant. He is said to be an excellent recruiter, and has a most dramatic-way of making his points. ; '