The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-08-21
FACE FRICHTFUL
FIRE OF ENEMY
Press Forward Regardless q Rain
Of Lead and Reach Goal But
With Ranks Reduced
to Two Men
BY WILBUR S. FORREST.

Omitted Press Staff Correspondent
London. Aug. 10,-tBy mail. The
charmed life of Lieut.. J G. Smyth. fif-
teenth Laudhiana Silkhs. and the man
ner in which his almost fanatical brav-
cry won for him the Victoria Cross
was described today in official dis
patches from northern France.
Followed by ten volunteer Indian
Sepoys of his regiment, which held
reserve trench May II near Ferme Du
Bois, Smyth covered perilous jour
ney with desperately needed ammuni-
tion for comrades who had taken q
portion of an enemy trench but who
faced annihilation from an impending,
reinforced attack.
Telling that with the break of day
1t was ascertained that the German
section of this forward trench was
packed with men ready to attack, the
narrative continues;
THE situation was desperate. II
was resolved to attempt to rs'ieye It.
by sending up a bombing party from
the reserve trenches The nature OF
this undertaking may BE- saugaa from
the fact that e@o attempts had been
made by the Highland light infantry
and both had failed, the officers in
command being killed and the parties
having suffered very severely.
However, the position was critical,
and Lieut.. Snyth, young officer who.
in spite of his years-only numbering
twenty -one-had already been brought
to notice for his gaIlantry. was ordered
to take command of the party.
Volunteers were called for and were
Immediately forthcoming. The alac
rity with which the demand was re-
sponded TO speak volumes for the spirit
of the regiment, for each man felt surs
he was proceeding to almost certain
death.
Lieut.. Smyth and his little party
started at 2 p. m to cover the $50 yards
which interviewed between them and
our trench, taking with them two
boxes of SO bombs
"The ground TO be covered was ab-
solutely open, devoid OF natural cover.
The only possible shelter from the
fightful fire which met the party as
soon as they were over the parapet
was an old broken down trench which.
at the best of times, was hardly knee
deep. but now in places. was filled
almost TO the top with the dead bodies
of Highland light infantry. worces-
tiers, Indians and Germans.
Dropping over the parapet they
wriggled their way through the aiud,
pulling and pushing the boxes with
them, until they reached the scanty
shelter of the old trench, where they
commenced the progress which for
sheer horrors can seldom have been
surpassed
"Pagris (ropes) had been attached 10
the front Of the boxes. BY means OF
these the men in front pulled the
boxes along over and through the dead
bodies while those in the rear pushed
with all their might. the whole party
lying flat
AT any moment the bombs might
explode.
The whole ground was kissing with
the deluge of rifle fire and machine
gun fire. while the air above them was
white with the puffs Of shrapnel.
ITO the anxious watchers in the
rear it seemed impossible that single
man should win through.
after they had accomplished
mere twenty yards OF their deadly
journey. Sepoy Fatten Singh rolled
over wounded, followed in the next
eight eighty yards By sepoy sucha
Singh. ujargar Singh and sunder
Singh.
This only left Lieut. Smyth and six
men to get the two boxes along. Tn.
der ordinary circumstance four men