The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-27
VICTORIA CROSSES ! WON DURING WAR Twenty-one Men Have Now
 Won Coveted Distinction MOST CONSPICUOUS
CONSPICUOUS
MOST
Captain Edward Bradbury Gallantly Directed Defense of Battery. First Indian Recommended For Victoria Cross-Had Been
 Left For Dead

London. December 6speelal) Correspondence of the Associated Press )--The granting of 10 Victoria crosses within the last few weeks brings the.total number of these awards during the present war up to 2l. The cross is the highest award siven to the British army for some signal act of valor or devotion performed i'll the presence of the enemy The medal is in the form of a maltese cross oi bronze, bearing in the center the royal crown, surmounted by the lion, ana be- low on q scroll the words For valor' The ribbon is blue for the navy anu red for the army. The decoration is ac- companied by pension of $50 a year. Official lists of surviving holders Of the honor at the beginning of the pres ent War contained about 150 names
 Latest Awards
 i. The 10 latest ~. C." awards arc as follows:
 Private. Sidney Cooley, Royal f'usii iers: For coolness and gallantry il fighting his machine gun under a hot fire for two hours after he had beei wounded at Mons on August g.
 Driver John Drain and Driver Fred erick Luke. Royal Field artillery: Al LeCateau on August 26, as volunteers, helping to save guns under fire from hostile infantry 100 yards away.
 Maj Charles Yate. deceased, Kings own light infantry: Commanded one of two companies that remained to end in trenches at Be Cateau on August 26; when all other officers killed oi wounded. led his 19 survivors in gal 1ant charge. Wounded; died in nands opponents.
 Lance Corporal Frederick Holmes Kings own light infantry: At Le Cat eau on August 26, carried wounded man from trenches under heavy fire e later assisted to drive q gun out of ac- ton by taking place of wounded driver
 Capt Edward Bradbury, deceased Royal Horse artillery: Organized de- fense of battery against heavy odds at Nery on September 1.
 Capt William Henry Johnston. Royal Engineers: At Missy on September 14. under heavy fire worked two rafts bringing back wounded and returning with ammunition
 Drummer Spence John Bent Ask, Ian cashire regiment; for taking command and succeeding in holding position after his officer had been struck down, and other deeds of bravery. Bombardier Ernest Harlock, now ser geant, Royal Field artillery: For con- spicuous gallantry on September b near Vendresse; although twice wound ed persisted in returning to lay his gun each time after wounds dressed.
 Lance Corporal Dobson, Coldstream guards; for bringing wounded men into cover on two occasions while under heavy fire.
 Bradbury Most Conspicuous The most conspicuous of these 10 heroes is Captain Bradbury, whose bat tery l. made a determined stand near Compiegne on the last day of the re- treat toward Paris. Battery L. while covering the retreat. was attacked by a strong German force with 10 field guns and two maxims. Three British guns were brought into action but two of them were quickly silenced. Bradbury and his men served the re- rnaining gun so well, however, that all but one of the German guns were silenced and when Battery l. was re- lieved this gun was captured. An ac- count of the action says:
 Captain Bradbury was the real hero. He got the gun into action and gave the orders, Mundy knelt on one side as ranging officer; Bradbury. Campbell and Giffard. with the battery sergeant major gunner and driver, served the gun. Bradbury had one leg taken off but still went on; Campbell and Mundy were killed. Bradbury had his other len
 
 ed, but still they kept the gun going. and when Battery came up they found the Germans had bolted Only the ma jor and Giffard, who received five bull lets. survived"
 Three " C.'s have now been award ed in connection with this fight. Ser geant Major Dorrell srd Sergeant Nel son having already received the decor ation. In addition, Lieutenant Giffard, Gunner Darbyshire and Driver Osborne were awarded French decorations
 The first Indian to be recommended ed for the V. c. Is Havildar (Sergeant) Gagna Singh of the Fifty-seventh Wilde's Rifles. The Havildar, with 15 men was attacked in the trenches just before dawn by an overwhelming Ger man force. In the brief hand to hand struggle which ensued SO Germans were killed. Gagna Singh. sole survivor of his little company, was left for dead In the trench with five bullet wounds When picked up he still held tightly the sword of a German officer whom he had dispatched.
 This is the first war in which it has been possible for an Indian to win the Victoria Cross. Eligibility to the dis tinction was one of the boons granted by King George at the Dunbar of 1912.