WAS HE A COWARD?

Taihape Daily Times, 31 January 1918, Page 3

WAS HE A COWARD?

.In in attack in the Sommc district, out of 200 men who "went over" only 32 returned. The story of how the courage of one youth failed him in this attack is told by Captain David Fallon, M.C., in the following words: "One man of the reserve company, who had been ordered to take bombs to me, was found in a dug-out, and when he was asked why he hadn't carried up the bombs to my party he was frightened, and trembled so that he couldn.'-t ,spcak. Ho was taken to the rear, and eventually was tried by field court-martial for showing cowardice in the presence of the enemy. He said he had attempted to carry these bombs up to the attacking party, but that a shell had dropped in front of him, killing the men just ahead and splashing him with their blood. He didn't know what happened then until he was roughly handled by the men who found him in the dugout. As flie youngest member of the court-martial I was allowed my first summing up, so that the senior members might not i prejudice my decision. I appealed to the court that'the man was not responsible for his actions in running away. The boy was acquitted, and was discharged at once.