WAR NOTES

Taihape Daily Times, 9 November 1917, Page 5

WAR NOTES

AN EPISODE OF MESSINES. HOW SAPPER EARL HELD OJN". In Ms record of the great work of the Australian Tunnellersi„.Corps at Messines (where the hill was" levelled) JMr. Keith Murdoch writes to the Sydney Sun: Sapper Earl, of New South Wales, is the company's chief hero. A few days before the great explosions, the Germans "blew" a cunningly contrived mine. Nearly 800 yards of our gallaries were destroyed. Eor some days it seemed as though all the work had gone for 'nought. Leads were broken, the system was thrown out of gear. How frantically the men worked on repairs 'during the next days—how joyful thqjy were when Jail rJeqfame ready again, close on the hour at which the buttons were to be pressed. Earl was buried by the explosion. He was alone in an Australian gallery. He could have crawled forward and got himself dug out by the Hun. who were within six feet of him. That, of course, would have disclosed everything. Earl probably did not dream for a moment of taking this craven course. He crawled back into, the best position for hearing and recording, and here he listened, listened, through forty long hours, with little hope of rescue, but with fine determination to have there before he died a full record of all that was happening. When they got to him forty hours after the earth had fallen, they found him still entering in his records the various sounds he was hearing, still testing the leads and working as usual. He died in hospital, poor fellow, from spinal paralysis, owing to the shock and injuries he had received. But surely he has taken his place perman, ently amongst the deathless heroes of the A.1.F.,