GALLIPOLI TO MORLANCOURT.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 January 1919, Page 6

GALLIPOLI TO MORLANCOURT.

CAPTAIN MEYSEY HAMMOND'S

DEATH,

OB}" the Official War Correspondent, 0.

E. W. Bean.)

Men of great bravery are not uncommon in the Australian Forces, nor in the British Army. But every now and then you come across some one officc-r or man whom all his comrades and those of neighboring units agree in describing as a man of exceedng and outstanding bravery. It is these men who will certainly make our national heroes ior many generations to come in Australia. Sucli a one died the other day. There were no two opinions amongst those I who knew him or speak of him today. His name was Meysey Hammond. And he came, I believe, from Broome, in Western Australia.

Meysey Hammond v,. j born in England. He ran away from home at 13, and went to sea. His fffve of adventure brought him to Australia, and there, on the west coast, he owned and captained some small craft, amongst the wild, strong men of the pearling seas. When- the war broke out he enlisted as a private in the 2Sth Battalion. As a captain and company commander he was killed in the operations at Moriancourt a few weeks back.

Meysey Hammond had only one arm. He lost the other in the terrible fight at "Flera, in the mud of £he Somme winter. When he came back before the lighting at Ypres last autumn his colonel decided to leave him out of the fight. All his brother officers agreed that it was the right thing to do. With one arm Hammond could not even have fixed his gas mask by himself, yet the day when this decision was come to no man could speak to him. He was in a black temper- Ho was a man of straight words, and they had it out between them. Hammond said that in spite of all the powers in France he would go into that battle; and the colonel, knowing his man, wisely promised to take him. He took him as an intelligence officer with Battalion Headquarters. Just before the fight Meysey Hammond begged to go up and see the battalion which was to go to. the first objective. Of course, he went over with it to the first objective. And then he went over with the next battalion to the next objective. And then, when his own battalion came up for the third objective, he went over with that. RESTLESS FOR THE FROST.

He was intensely proud of his battalion and all its records. And the enthusiasm which he displayed in the piling up of its trophies and diaries suggested that he would find a suitable place in taking charge of the work of 'building up the record of the Australian Force in Egypt, which had already been well begun. He was sent to London to study the system of this collection, and was keen upon the work. But when letters began to arrive from brother officers in France, telling of the fighting in front of Amiens and of a particular scrap which was rumored to be ahead of his own beloved battalion, he became restless, and when the day came nearer begged to be back with them at the front. He was sent back, and arrived

just before his unit went into the battle of Morlaneourt. Ho was wild with delight at getting back to them; he was living again amongst his friends the only life that he wanted to live just then. The attack near Morlaneourt

took place just after sunset ,on a clear summer evening- There was a pretty fierce barrage arranged for, with lifts at stated intervals, all worked to an elaborate time-table. The German front line posts were the first objective- The German support line, which was a continuous trench, was the second objective. THE MAX WITH THE STICK.

There was a very good artillery behind the battalion, andMeyscy Hammond determined that whatever happened, his companv wag going to do it right. He knew the time-table by heart. His watch was carefully sot. When they climbed out of their deep trenches by the stskes which had been driven in especially in preparation for getting out, Meysev Hammond was there in front of his'part of the line, with his useless arm in a sling, and his wa.kmg stick hooked over it, and his watch in the other hand, carefully checking the minutes as they advanced. Hammond straightened thorn o'.it with his stick, and then walked with liis back to the enemy well ahead of his men, and facing them, nuw looking at h : i watch, now bringing up or checking backing some part of the line. The long lines of men trailed across that F.lHop in perfect alignment They could see the men on. their flanks advancing with them for three or four hundred yards down the slope on their left- Our own shrapnel barrage was bursting about 50 yards ahead of them in the air. and in front of them walked Meysey Hammond, his back always towards the enemy, keeping them from getting into their own barrage. Twice on the way over he stopped

them to wait till the barrage lifted to go further At these halts the rest lay down, but Meysey Hammond walked about. There were Germans in the trencher behind him—both in the jrontline posts and in the second line —but he did not even give them a thought.

He just kept his eye on the watch in his hand, and when the second arrived, and he saw that the shells had lifted, he took the stick off' his useless arm and waved them on. When he wanted them to stop again he held it up in the air. The last stop that he gave them was about 30 or 40 yards in front of the last enemy trench. Just to the left of him a German machine gun was firing, not 50 yards away. The German gunner 'had his head below the parapet, or Meysey Hammond would not have escaped. He stook looking at his watch, and then waved the stick. "Come on, lie said, and lie led them to their last rush.

It was the last rush of several o'f them, poor chaps. Before they reached the trench that machine! gun had killed an officer and five men. But a corporal and another, coming in from the left sideways on to the gun, rushed the crew, and the line jumped into the trench-

' "Two minutes late," said Meysey Hammond, looking at his watch. 'But

So close were they to their barrage all through that attack that they took not far short' of 200 prisoners in that part of the line. For the most part the Hermans were still crouching ill their trench for fear of the shells.

KEEP THE FLAG FLYING. So the'line was won. Two days later, going round his outposts while the place was "still in a disturbed position, Meysey Hammond was shot through the liver. They carried him down past his batta--f+aro .lookiiur yay^"'"

and wan. "Keep the old Flag flying, colonel," lie said, as the stretcher passed to the rear. TWo days later his brave fight finished, and Australia and the Empire had possessed a name that ideserves to bo remembered.