BLUFFED THE GERMANS.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume XLV, Issue XLV, 2 November 1917, Page 4

BLUFFED THE GERMANS.

Aa amazing exploit, stands to the credit of Sergeant H. Buchanan, of Gympie, who returned to Australia recently. At Mou<iuet. Farm,, on September 15 last year, while stretaher-bearing, he entered a German dugout in a position which, hsd just been taken by the Australians. He was searching for ■wounded at the time, not so much with this intention of transporting any iio should find immediately to safety as to minister to their imperative medical Deeds. To his. amazement he saw, as he flashed his electric torchlight iuto the cavern, that it was full of Germans, all armed. Eighteen of them wore there—three officers and 15 men.

Buchanan was/unarmed, but he heid what tamed out to he quite a. potent -weapon—an iodine bottle. Be sked up the situation at a giauce-

" Gome out, Fritz," he yelled, threateningly. In the glaro of the torchlight the Huns were completely taken aback. One of them, who uaderstoo'd a little English, replied fearfully: '" No—if ve come out, ycu vos kill ns."

" Well,* replied Buchanan, with vast Ansae impudence, "If you don't coino out I'll bring you out!"' Thereat, Buchanan raised the bottle of iodine in the glare of the torchlight, as though it were a bomb which he intended ti hurl into the mob of them. This was enough for tha Fritzcs—they streamed forth. They were so anxiois to met that they X-ould have embraced him.

Thus, single-handed, this Australian cag. Lured the whole 18 of them. Buchanan Won tha -MiLlary Medal at Pozieres in August last year. He was acting as regimental stretcher-bearer, and gained the decoration for oourage in attending to wounded under .fire. For his dugout exploit in capturing ite Huns he was awarded a bar to the lUilitary Medal. "In Eranco," he said, "1 dressed a had case—Private Vitler—who came back with us. Vitler had no fewer than 46 separate wounds. He got them all from the contents of a whiz-bang shell between 11 p.m. and midnight. I was pretty close to him j&sfc then, and managed to get to him three minutes after he was Int. Forty-two of his wounds were, blighty-knocks, all from the hip down. He si-bscqi.eiri.ly loss a ioot —nothing more. It took me two solid houis 'o dress him. H<j was perforated all over the place. I had no morphia, but Vitler did not' even loso* consciousness."