A NOBLE DEED.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 181, 9 January 1915, Page 6

A NOBLE DEED.

lir.iTisir officer gains the iron cross. for saving a gf.rman under FIRE. The following communication has be.n received by the London Daily Mail from a chafTcur at the front:— > N\) notice need be taken of my appeal for an overcoat, etc., as one of our officers has removed the decorations from his old one and kindly given it to me. 1 have also obtained other' officers' clothing from the friend of an officer I drive who has just died of wound". As r drove this officer direct from the battlefield to the base hospital I hear! the full account of how he was wounded, and this, coupled with the report recommending him for the V.C, provides an incident which will never lie surpassed in the whole of history, and T cannot help a lump coining into my throat as I think that this hero is now beneath the ground. I entitle my story -The Three " Crosses.'" You will road why. It seems wonderful that the very man who in civil life, at the. slightest skid or accident to a car, seems on the verge of fainting, should out here prove the bravest of the brave. The. officer I am writing of is of such a person, and frequently when driving him at home. I have smiled at his nervousness, and thought: "If that's how you act here, how would you behave under lire?" Now that question is answered. Tie was in charge of a half company of tl,„ before Ypres, and, what with l)i.. continuous rain and remaining in vet,clothing day after day it's a marvel that the men 'were alive at all. The. enemv made several vio.Vnt attacks during the early morning, but, as usual, .Unsuccessful. 'Night approached, and the j grim ceremony of burying the dead and removing the wounded was carried, out under heavy fire; not a man dare even li'.dit a match for his cigarette hut it brought a hail of bullets, and this was .soon st. iped.

TIIK BRAVEST OF THE BRAVE. Wo were astounded at daybreak to | •tee tliey had even returned and' col- J lectod their wounded, with the exception of one man. who lay groaning in n«ony. He was just lialf way between Idle trenches, and although firing still continued, "fin glad to say that no one hit him. Then a (lying figure appeared from the opposit- trendies with the intention of savin? the poor chap I referred to, but scaredy a dozen paces had he 1(0110, when a volley laid him low. Then the order "cease fire!*' came from the officer whom T had personally earmarked ■•Nervy." He jumped forward from the trench, and no doubt with the intention of taking revenfre for their dead comrades the Germans fired. He was hit badly, too, for he staggered, but with a magnificent effort kept his feet and rushed on. "lTc\s gone mail," a voice near me exclaimed; but he regretted it an instant later, for the sight witnessed from both trendies was greeted with a roar of cheers, end not another single shot was fired for nearly an hour. Arriving at the wounded Herman, although badly wounded himself. our hero picked him up, and, to the

AMAZEMENT OF ALL, carried him direct to the German trench. We heard the distant, roar of cheers as he arrived and gently laid the body down before an ollicer, and, saluting, tinned on his heel toTcturn to us, for he was as safe during those feiv moments as he would have been at liome: but he was not to return unrewarded, and the German officer climbed up from the trench and, removing his own Iron Cross, pinned it on our hero. Have you ev»r heard "final!" from the crowd at the Palace on Cup-final day? The ohee; from both sides was similar, and I'm cirtain had a German soldier fired at him a-, he came back to us, he would have been killed by his own men. They gave as time to sliower our pr. : upon him, before attacking again, and that ..veiling I had the honor of taking him back to the hospital. Before leaving, the General informed him that he would he recommended for the V.C., the very next day: but T'm broken-hearted lo say that his cross is a wooden one. among more of the heroes who have made England what she is.