The Children's Story of the War Volume 4 (of 10): The Story of the Year 1915Parrott, Edward
History
The Children's Story of the War Volume 4 (of 10): The Story of the Year 1915
Parrott, Edward
World War, 1914-1918 -- Juvenile literature
During a violent thunderstorm on the night of May 22, 1915, Private
Mariner left his trench at a place just south of Cuinchy, for the
purpose of destroying an enemy machine gun that was annoying our men. He
took with him a supply of bombs, and just before starting out on his
perilous mission, asked his sergeant to open fire on the enemy's
trenches as soon as he had thrown his bombs. This meant that he was
prepared to sacrifice himself, for he was bound to be in the line of
fire from his own trench, and could only escape death or wounding by a
miracle. He crept out into "No Man's Land," wormed his way through the
German wire entanglements, and reached the emplacement of the gun.
Climbing on to the top of the parapet, he hurled a bomb on to the roof
of the emplacement. When the roar of the explosion subsided, he heard
the noise of men running away. About a quarter of an hour later he heard
the enemy returning. At once he climbed up on the other side of the
emplacement, and with his left hand threw another bomb. Then he lay
flat, while the Germans fired round after round on the wire entanglement
behind him. For more than an hour he lay unseen and unheard. If the
sergeant had opened fire as Mariner had wished, nothing could have saved
him. Fortunately his own people did not pull a trigger, and he was able
to crawl back to his trench unharmed. He had been out all alone for an
hour and a half.
Lance-Corporal Leonard James Keyworth, 24th Battalion, London Regiment
(T.F.).
At Givenchy, on the night of May 25-26, 1915, the 24th Battalion made a
successful assault on the German trenches, and strove to follow up their
success by a bomb attack, during which fifty-five men out of the
seventy-five who took part in it were either killed or wounded. During
this very fierce encounter Lance-Corporal Keyworth, a Lincoln man, stood
fully exposed for two hours on the top of an enemy's parapet, and threw
about one hundred and fifty bombs amongst the Germans, who were only a
few yards away. In a letter to his sister Lance-Corporal Keyworth thus
describes the incident: "I was with the bombing party, and was the only
one to come through without a scratch. I went along a ridge on my
stomach, and threw bombs into the German trench, my distance being about
fifteen yards. Men were shot down by my side. Still I continued, and
came out safe. I was at once recommended for a decoration. It is
supposed to be for bravery, but I cannot understand where it came in. I
only did my duty; but how I came out God only knows." Unhappily this
gallant lad, who was only twenty-two when he won the Victoria Cross,
died of wounds six months later.
Lance-Corporal William Angus, 8th (Lanark) Battalion, Highland Light
Infantry (T.F.).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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