TOMMY'S HEROISM.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 January 1919, Page 6

TOMMY'S HEROISM.

BUDGET OF HOMERIC STORIES.

ONE MAN KILLS FIFTEEN.

That classic example of personal bravery, the picking up' of a live shell on board ship and plunging it into a bucket of water, has been outdone again and again during this war (says London Sunday Chronicle). Among the many noncommissioned officers and men who have just received the Distinguished Conduct

Medal are men who have risked their lives when whole dumps and ammunition waggons were on the point of being blown up. Take the case of Corporal C. Smith, R.E., attached to the R.G.A., a Cambridge man. When a truck containing ammunition was set on fire and one shell had already exploded (says the official notice) he mounted the burning truck amidst exploding cartridges and extinguished the fire, throwing out whole live cartridges. His action prevented further shells from exploding and dumps in the vicinity being ignited. Take, again, the action of Corporal Speer, R.F.A., of Deptford. The explosion of an enemy high explosive shell had set fire to the tarpaulins of a boxed ammunition dump, firing two propellant charges in the middle of a stack. This n.c.0., with complete disregard for his own safety, single-handed emptied the fire buckets over the tarpaulins and extinguished that source of danger. He then refilled the buckets and returned and put out the burning boxes. The prompt and courageous action of Corporal Speer prevented a general explosion which would undoubtedly have produced disastrous results (says the official despatch), and his unaided efforts in the presence of great danger were a* very fine to others working on ammunition service.

Equally fine are some of the stories told of men who have challenged what seemed to be certain death in enemy dugouts. To take one example out of many, we may mention Corporal Searle, a Southend man, who took out his section of four .men under orders to patrol and bring back, if possible, an identification. He got into a hostile outpost, which was a mile and a-quarter in front of our line, and returned with an K.S.M., two sergeants, and six privates as prisoners, and one machine-gun in goocjjprder, all of whom he captured in a house within 50 yards of their brigade headquarters in broad daylight. The knowledge gained through these prisoners proved of the utmost value.

Nor must such things as those performed by men like Private Short, of the R.A.M.C., be forgotten. Short, who comes from South Hylton, has a good many fine deeds to his credit. On one occasion when the stretcher squad of another division all became casualties, he and a private went for 300 yards under an intense barrage to the assistance of the wounded, to one of whom he gave his box .respirator, covering liis own mouth with his handkerchief''at great

risk of being gassed. No wonder his action is spoken of as a fine example of courage, and unselfish devotion to duty. Another man, Lance-scrgeaut Taylor, of the East Surreys, ciawled up to a hedge where a number of machine guns and rifles were firing, seized one of the machine-guns by the muzzle, and pulled it out of the hands of the enemy who was using it. The list of awards—an exceptionally

long one —includes many conspicuous examples of gallanta-y among the colonials,

and particularly in scouting. It is told of Private Butler, of the Australian Infantry, that when on one occasion the enemy were, strongly resisting in a conmiimication trenchi-he jumped into .it, and with bombs- and bayonet cleared 100 yards of it, killing J. 5 of'the-enemy, and clearing- the «way rior the advance.