HOW THE VICTORIA CROSS WAS WON BY A GERMAN.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 3, Issue 253, 4 December 1914, Page 2 (Supplement)

HOW THE VICTORIA CROSS WAS WON BY A GERMAN.

Hun a German won a Victoria Cross while prying nith a British regiment in tii 0 Crimea is a fact probably known 10 tew people.

.Nor are many likol.v to expect, much to know, mat the hero in question gained In-, honours m mi event so oefcy brated a-, tlie charge 01 the Light Bngade.

Sergeant ('harks Wooden, 17th Lon-. <eis, was the soldier referied to, and tlif deed ol gallantry associated with Ills name is finds out as one ol tn« mwt conspicuoua pcrfornud during tJie whol© Ciimean War. In addition, it has a historical interest j»octilia'i'ly its own, lor Wooden saved me lilo ol a man wlio, had liia advice been taken, would Have prevented 'Ale imiuortaj cJturge being made.

SOME ONE HAD BLUNDERED. When the world-famous order was brought to Lord v.ardigan, and that cfuoer was about to execute ins niter-l-ieiation ol it, Captain Jtiurrts, ■elilbt oiiiot in command ot tn e lith approached ins superior and suggested iiiul the lauer w«.s making a iui*Uik« ootn in his instruct mns ami intentions. jiorvovcr, Uic captain, wuo was an acloinpuslied auj cxperioiicod cuvairy leader, pointed ou t vn v course tuut siiould have been taunt —namely, .in advance upon certain Muscovite Mjuadruns wnicii later closed m iijwu both ihc threatened guns and tn 0 Hiitwii •eiit to take thorn. Instead, however, i>i accepting the advice, Lord Cardigan rebuked the capiain lor ottering it, and ordered tlio Light brigade to ndvanc 0 on the batteries.

Foremost in the rush redo the 17th, with Morris ;it their head. The captain was one ot tft© tew wiio actually got through tlie batteries and among the cavalry drawn up beyond to intercept Hie >liattered remnants. Engaged in a hand-to-hand conflict, Morns waa tinnorsed, and, receiving three wounds, wun disabled anj taken jirißoner.

SAVED BY A GERMAN TROOPER. Managing, however, to evade his cap. tore, the captain stumbled along in .ne direction of his own lines until, catching a rider lefts horso, he mounted me animal with the intention ot expediting ilia escai>e. .Scare ly had no uiounied, however, when, caught in » niteiee, tlie unlucky officer was born« 10 the ground and pinned beneath his fallen charger. I'nable to extricate, rtuaself, he lay helpless untU Wooden, utter di.spot.ing of several adversaries, mhlc back tu his assistance, and performed tho service which iiltimaitwly gained him the Victoria Cross. As has happened in many similar storks ol V.C. heroism, the sequel, or double sequel, was pathetically tragic. Alter peace with Russia had been proclaimed, th 0 17th Lancors went to India, to help in suppressing tiie Mntiny, Morris (as colonel) and Wooden going with them. The former, passing almost unscathed through this, his lourth cam. paign, succumbed to disease iust when' success had crowned the British arms. Wooden, on the other hand, survived to b 0 given a commission in reward tor further deeds of gallantry and soldierly merit, being appointed to tne bengal Fusiliers, now the second battalion of the Munsters. Fate, however, wt.s not kind to him in his subsequent career, luid, after experiencing several otter disappointments, ho returned to England broken in spirit, he shot himseli while quartered at Dover Barracks.

A CURIOUS COINCIDENCE. Before closing the chapter, mention might bo made of a further interesting connection unci curious coincidence. Captain Morris, the officer rescued by Wooden, and Captain Nolan, who conveyed to Lord Cardigan the much-de-lated message which led to the charge, were, close, personal friends. Before th« battle each had confided to the other that he intended to volunteer for any special service that might bo required, and, in the event ot death resulting from such enterprise each wrote a letter intended for delivery by the possible survivor. Nolan's message was addressed to his mother; Morris's to Ins wile, and. just lietore going into action tho two li'ends exchanged letters. Now, Nolan, as is well known, fell early in the fight, and in « position a li.jig w;iv from the guns. Morris, alter tin. amentunes already related, had blindly r<'MM I '"] lor no.irlv a mile betore Iviug finally di»aiiie<l, ami yet he Ivll within a lew yards ul the -pot where .Nolan's bodj lav.

After bong rescued by Wooden, Morr s laitiwd Ironi l"v» oi Mood, and did not regain consc ousncss lor a considerable 'iiuc. Meanwhile, the letter to his wife, which had been found upon Nolan's body, had been forwarded to England, thus making it incumbent upon tho actual survivor t.> contradict the report, of his own death, at the ,sui»o> time no notified that of the friend and co'ti ado supposed to have reu lered hmi A similar service.