The British soldier : $b his courage and humour — John Shaqi
The British soldier : $b his courage and humourHardy, E. J. (Edward John)
History
The British soldier : $b his courage and humour
Hardy, E. J. (Edward John)
World War, 1914-1918
Some of the Irish Dragoons went to the assistance of a man of the Irish
Rifles who, wounded himself, was yet kneeling beside a fallen comrade
of the Gloucester Regiment, and gamely firing to keep the enemy off.
The Dragoons found both men thoroughly worn out, but urgency required
the regiment to take up another position, and the wounded men had to be
left. "They knew that," said the trooper who related the incident, "and
weren't the men to expect the general safety to be risked for them.
'Never mind,' said the young Irishman, 'shure the Red Cross chaps'll
pick us up all right, an' if they don't--well, we've only once to die,
an' it's the grand fight we've had, anny-how.'"
Private F. Bruce, of the Suffolk Regiment, acted in this
self-forgetting way when wounded. After much hesitation he told the
story to a newspaper interviewer: "The bullet that hit me prevented me
from shooting. I said to a mate, 'I'm no good, so I'll make room for a
better man.' He said, 'Don't go in this lot, you'll get riddled with
bullets.' I said, 'Neck or nothing, mate; I'm keeping out somebody who
could do more good than me.' I got up and ran about twenty yards, and
a lyddite-shell burst about five or six yards in front of me, nearly
bringing me down with the suffocating fumes. I regained my footing,
and ran further, until I came to two artillery men. One was wounded in
five places, and the other was all right. After giving the wounded man
water, I tried to get to another fellow. Every time I made a start the
Germans began firing at me, as they were closing round my company. But
I was determined to go, and I made a dash for it. I ran about twenty
yards, and dived into some standing corn. I got to the poor fellow. A
live shell had burst and hit him in the lower part of the body. I asked
him if I could do anything for him, and he said, 'Yes; have you got a
rifle?' 'Yes,' I said. 'Well,' he said, 'for God's sake shoot me out
of my misery.' I told him I could not do that, so I gave him water. A
Highlander came up with a wound straight through the elbow. I bandaged
him up. At that time the Germans were only about 60 yards away. We had
to make a dash for our lives. I saw my company captured just at our
rear, but we managed to get to safety."
Even for one of the enemy self was bravely put aside. Seeing a wounded
German lying between the German and British trenches, a British officer
ordered the "Cease Fire," and himself went out to pick up the man.
He was struck by several bullets before the Germans saw what he was
doing and ceased firing. Thereupon the British officer staggered to
the fallen man and carried him to the German lines. A German officer
received him with a salute, and, calling for cheers, pinned upon the
breast of the British hero an Iron Cross. Then the Britisher returned
to his own trenches. He was recommended for the Victoria Cross, but
succumbed to his wounds.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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