BRITISH COMRADESHIP.

Taihape Daily Times, 5 July 1919, Page 7

BRITISH C OMRADESHIP.

; ——-—«o;.- ; In illustration of the Wonderful lspirit «of generosity and comradeship ref the British privatevsoldier, Lieultenant Viscount Gort, V.C., recently ;told a touching story about his faithful orderly on «the occasion when ‘he gained the V'ict.or:ia Cnoss. That wonderful fellow, said Lord Grort_. was a vS'o‘mersetshire (police constable named ‘Ransom. When lle (Lord Gort) was first wounded Ransom" tied_ up his face and cheek. When he was Wounded again, Ransom, fearless of (laiiger, put a tourniquet on his arm, but for which he might have bled to death. Although feeling very weak and tired, he recovered sufficiently to continue the attack. When it was over and the objective had been achieved Ransom accompniecl him back to the dressing sta~ tion. They had -to pass some German batteries situated 3000 yards. away. He told Ransom that he was pretty well knocked about himself, and he thought‘ the best thing he could do was to go back to the battalion, as it was no use risking two lives” but Ransom would not have hit. As they went‘ on, the German guns, which were only 1400 yards away, fired point blank at the pair of them. A shell blew zofi Ransom’s arm and smashed his thigh, but luckily he (Viscount Gort) escaped further injury. He was too weak to do much, but he helped to bind Ransom up, and went in search of a doctor. When he revenktually zfiound one, lßansonl said, “For goodness sake, sir, get on and get out of it.” There was nothing finer than the spirit of that man. Unifortuna-tel_v before they reacherl the dressing Station Rairsoin died. That story schowed What true British comradeship really meant.